Flow characteristics of cryogenic perforated plate balanced flowmeter

Abstract Compared with the traditional standard orifice flowmeter, the perforated plate balanced flowmeter has a more stable flow field and a lower pressure loss, making it more suitable for measuring low-temperature fluids. In this study, a calculation model of the perforated plate balanced flowmeter is established. The simulation analyzed the effects of structural parameters such as equivalent diameter ratio, thickness, and operating conditions such as liquid subcooling, outlet pressure, on the discharge coefficient, pressure loss coefficient, and cavitation characteristics of the perforated plate balanced flowmeter. The results show that the larger the equivalent diameter ratio of the perforated plate, the smaller the local pressure drop and therefore less prone to cavitation, and also has a larger discharge coefficient and smaller pressure loss coefficient. The increase in the thickness of the perforated plate can impair the swirling, so that the discharge coefficient increases, but the thickness of the change on the cavitation interval has almost no effect. The degree of subcooling and the outlet pressure on the discharge coefficient and the pressure loss coefficient have no effect, but the appropriate degree of subcooling and a higher outlet pressure make the low-temperature fluid less prone to cavitation.