Design engineers of aerospace propulsion systems always face the challenge of optimizing system performance. As program requirements increase, system design engineers conduct industry surveys to determine the availability of components that can improve system performance. One of the areas that needs improvement is the check valve.

Check valves can prevent backflow of process media in hydraulic, propellant, and oxidizer systems. There is an issue with the operation of the check valve. But this is usually caused by equipment misuse. Therefore, for any given application, it is important to consider all aspects of the valve.

When determining the size of a check valve, there are many factors to consider; Using only the size of the process pipeline is not enough and is also not advisable. Factors such as fluid temperature, pressure, viscosity, and turbidity can all affect the size of check valves. Based on the rigor of the application, selecting the seat material can also affect the long-term performance of the check valve. Soft and hard valve seats, as well as allowable leakage under reverse flow conditions (if any), should also be considered. In rare cases, rapid closure and opening of valves or other downstream equipment can generate shock waves in the fluid, triggering check valve chatter. In this case, a design is needed to protect the check valve from the reaction of this impact force. The fully welded structure eliminates the possibility of external leakage, even under harsh impact and vibration conditions.

In spring biased check valves, vibration usually occurs when the valve core rapidly opens and begins to oscillate towards the valve seat. Long term vibration can cause premature damage to the valve seat and lead to valve leakage under reverse flow conditions. This leakage prevents the check valve from working properly and must be replaced. Vibration is often the result of oversized check valves, as there is not enough flow to lift the valve core away from its seat during normal operation. High speed flow can also cause conditions that can cause flutter. Under normal flow conditions, check valves of appropriate size should not vibrate. However, if the flow rate drops significantly during use, the check valve may vibrate. This design can suppress the movement of the lifting valve core, allowing it to move to the fully open position without rebounding, or oscillate under low flow conditions that may cause chatter, providing stable, flutter free operation under all flow and pressure conditions.