Experimental Study on Cavitation Flow Characteristics in Orifice Plate under High Pressure Conditions

doi:10.3901/JME.260200

Abstract

Abstract: The study of cavitation flow characteristics in orifice plates under high-pressure conditions is of significant importance for the safe operation of industrial equipment. However, due to the stringent requirements for sealing and stability in high-pressure experimental environments, reliable experimental data across wide pressure ranges remain scarce. To address this, the present study established a high-pressure micro-orifice flow measurement test rig, using the orifice plate from a high-pressure common rail fuel injector as the research object. A systematic investigation is conducted on the cavitation flow characteristics of fuel under different inlet pressures and outlet pressures. Three typical operating conditions are designed for the experiments: constant inlet pressure, constant outlet pressure, and constant pressure difference. The variation of flow rate through the orifice under different pressure conditions is accurately measured. The results reveal that for the orifice plate with this specific geometry, the inception and development of cavitation flow exhibit a strong correlation with the inlet and outlet pressures. When the flow pressure ratio (outlet pressure/inlet pressure) decreases to 0.585, cavitation initiates and rapidly intensifies. As the pressure ratio further reduces to 0.563, the flow enters a stable cavitation stage. These findings provide theoretical guidance for the design of cavitation suppression in throttling components within high-pressure fluid systems.

Key words: high pressure, cavitation flow, orifice plate, circulate pressure ratio

CLC Number:

TG156

WANG Zedong, HE Yingqi, DAI Yanjun, TAO Wenquan, WANG Yungang. Experimental Study on Cavitation Flow Characteristics in Orifice Plate under High Pressure Conditions[J]. Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 2025, 62(6): 370-379.

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URL: http://www.cjmenet.com.cn/EN/10.3901/JME.260200

http://www.cjmenet.com.cn/EN/Y2025/V62/I6/370

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