Development of a liquid-flow pulsator

The increasing demands for more accurate flow measurements have made the study of pulsating flow effects crucial for the further development of flowmeters. This paper presents the development of an experimental test facility with an integrated water-flow pulsator for experimental investigations of the water pulsation effects on flowmeters. The mechanical implementation of the measurement system with a built-in diaphragm pulsator and integrated expansion chambers was developed with the help of mathematical modeling of the entire test system using the method of characteristics. The mathematically obtained frequency characteristic of the pulsator shows typical resonances, which depend on the acoustic properties of the measurement system and the mechanical properties of the pulsator’s diaphragm. The water-flow pulsator’s characteristics were experimentally confirmed by a spectral analysis of the generated water flow pulsations, which were measured with an orifice plate flowmeter. The developed flow pulsator with integrated expansion chambers is able to generate reproducible water flow pulsations with defined properties, such as the frequency and amplitude of the pulsating flow.

► This paper discusses the dynamic characteristics of a liquid-flow pulsator that creates sinusoidal flow pulsations.
► The developed flow pulsator is able to generate reproducible water flow pulsations with defined properties.
► In order to investigate the dynamic characteristics of the pulsator, a dynamic model was developed.