Impacts of Cryogenic Cavitation and Flow Characteristics on Measurement Accuracy in Novel Double-Stage Perforated Plate Flowmeters

Abstract

The flow measurement of cryogenic fluids is frequently complicated by physical phenomena such as phase transition and cavitation, which can significantly impair measurement accuracy and system stability. Multi-stage perforated plate flowmeters have attracted increasing attention due to their potential for accurate flow measurement. However, most existing studies have focused on performance under non-cryogenic conditions, while the unique flow behavior exhibited by cryogenic fluids is often overlooked. In this study, a numerical approach is employed to investigate the flow characteristics of cryogenic fluids through double-stage perforated plate structures. A systematic evaluation is conducted to assess the influence of various operating conditions and structural features on physical flow properties, key dimensionless measurement parameter configurations, and cavitation-induced thermal effects, including the pressure loss coefficient, discharge coefficient, and temperature drop coefficient. The results indicate that when the spacing between plates exceeds a certain threshold, the variations in these parameters tend to stabilize. Furthermore, a novel asymmetric double-stage perforated plate design is proposed. Compared to the symmetric structure, the pressure loss coefficient and discharge coefficient improved by 26.9% and 29.6%, respectively, while the temperature drop coefficient decreased by approximately 30.6%. This suggests that the asymmetric structure can enhance flow measurement accuracy and stability by trading off energy loss. These findings can reveal the underlying mechanisms by which plate geometry influences flow characteristics and measurement accuracy, thereby offering valuable theoretical guidance for the high-precision measurement of cryogenic fluids.