Experimental and numerical study of a cryogenic valve using liquid nitrogen and water

摘要

In the present study, a cryogenic valve used in launch vehicle liquid propulsion systems is experimentally and numerically characterized. Two independent measurement campaigns are performed with liquid nitrogen and water as working fluids. Two equivalent facilities have been designed and manufactured to perform the cryogenic and the water tests. The characteristic relationship between the volumetric flow rate and pressure drop across the test valve is obtained for both the fluids. As far as cryogenic tests are concerned, temperature measurements at the test valve inlet and outlet are presented as well as visualizations of the flow upstream the test section. The experimental results show that the test valve flow coefficient is independent of the working fluid provided single phase flow conditions. To further validate this result a numerical study is conducted using the commercial code CFD-ACE+. A good agreement between numerical and experimental results is found. Furthermore, test cases in the semi-critical and critical flow conditions are simulated using the so-called full cavitation model. The computed liquid recovery factor is shown to be also independent from the working fluid nature. (C) 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.