Problem 5.

10

An orifice plate installed in a pipe of 300 mm diameter is to be used to calculate the mass flow rate
of air into a turbo engine's intake. The mass flow rate is expected to be in the region of 5 kg/s at
atmospheric conditions of 100 kPa and 20o C. Assume the discharge coefficient of the orifice plate
is 0.6. Assume you would want to obtain a reading of about 100 mm mercury on a manometer
connected in the "corner taps" way. Determine (by trial and error) a suitable diameter for the
orifice.

Solution:

Given:

D = 300 mm, P = 100kPa, T = 20o C (293oK), CD = 0.6, h = 100 mm, = /

Start from the known using the formula:

1
1 2
p p
2 ( 1) 1 (1 [p2 ] )
1 1
m = Cd A1 1 2
A 2 p
(A1 ) (p1 ) 1
[ 2 2 ]
From the gas law we have

100 103
Density of air = =
= 287 293
= 1.1892

2 100 103 13,600 9.81 0.1

Pressure ratio = = = 0.866584
1 100 103

Substituting all into:

1
1 2
p p2
2 ( 1) 1 (1 [p ] )
1 1
m = Cd A1 1 2
A1 2 p1
(A ) (p ) 1
[ 2 2 ]

1
2
1.4 100 103 1.41
2 (1.4 1) 1.1892 (1 [0.867] 1.4 )
5 = 0.6 x 0.3 0.3 1.1892 2
4
A 2 1 1.4
[ (A1 ) (0.867) 1 ]
2

1 2
( ) = 2.7495
2
Implying

1 4
( ) = 2.7495
2

From where

D2 = 233 mm (Diameter of orifice)

Now using the formula

91.712.5
= 0.5959 + 0.03122.1 0.1848 +
0.75

Where =

=


=
/4 2

=

From the appendix tables we get for air at this temperature:

= 18.22 106 .

Substituting the known values into

91.712.5
= 0.5959 + 0.03122.1 0.1848 +
0.75

We get the orifice diameter to be

d = 200 mm

Which is almost same as above, D2 = 233 mm.