Experiments and simulation on a pulse dampener system for stabilizing liquid flow

In this paper, a pulse dampener system for stabilizing the fluctuating liquid pressure and flow rate is experimentally and numerically studied. Its working principle is to seal a certain amount of gas in a container which can absorb the flow rate fluctuations and therefore stabilize the liquid flow. Experimental results show that the stabilizing effect is improved with the increasing gas volume introduced into the container. A numerical model was then developed to simulate the liquid flow in presence of the pulse dampener. The simulation results show that, in addition to the gas volume, the stabilizing effect is also dependent on the frequency and magnitude of fluctuations, as well as the flow resistance from downstream channels. The study offers a very quantitative understanding of the stabilizing effect and may help to customize the design and operation of pulse dampeners for specific applications.

► Experiments were conducted to investigate the stabilizing performance of a dampener. ► A model was developed and numerically solved to simulate the stabilizing process. ► Parameters were proposed to characterize the evolution process and final state. ► Factors that affect the stabilization were identified and quantitatively examined.