Effect of the Nozzle Curvature on Critical Flows

임계노즐 유동에 미치는 노즐 곡률의 영향

Recently the critical nozzles with small diameter are being extensively used to measure mass flow in a variety of industrial fields and these have different configurations depending on operation condition and working gas. The curvature radius of the critical nozzle throat is one of the most important configuration factors promising a high reliability of the critical nozzle. In the present study, computations using the axisymmetric, compressible, Navier-Stokes equations are carried out to investigate the effect of the nozzle curvature on critical flows. The diameter of the critical nozzle employed is D=0.3mm and the radius of curvature of the critical nozzle throat is varied in the range from 1D to 3D. It is found that the discharge coefficient is very sensitive to the curvature radius(R) of critical nozzle, leading to the peak discharge coefficient at R = 2.0D and 2.5D, and that the critical pressure ratio increases with the curvature radius.