A FORMULATION FOR THE FLOW RATE OF A FLUID PASSING THROUGH AN ORIFICE PLATE USING ONLY THE FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

摘要

This work presents a method to calculate the mass flow rate through an orifice plate for both natural gas and air samples using a thermodynamic approach. Because this simple equation does not contain the Reynolds number (viscosity does not appear), the calculation is explicit, not iterative. Because of its fundamental thermodynamic basis, the resulting expression utilizes a single empirical correlation for the irreversible effects to replace the expansion factor and discharge coefficient. The new, simpler method provides a level of accuracy to the existing standards for natural gas and air test data.