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United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

The United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of the

Paul D Van Buskirk

Anthony R Kelley

John Dwight England

Richard C Froebel

William F Weber

John P Butas

Richard T Walter

Implementations of an orifice plate configured to regulate a fluid flow are provided. An example orifice plate is configured to be positioned in a conduit and comprises a plurality of holes that extend through the orifice plate. The plurality of holes are arranged to form a criss-crossing pattern of spiral layouts configured to regulate a fluid flow passing therethrough. The number of clockwise spiral layouts is a Fibonacci number and the number of counter-clockwise spiral layouts is a Fibonacci number. In some implementations, each spiral layout is a logarithmic spiral. In some implementations, each hole of the plurality of holes is a contoured conical shape extending between an inlet and an outlet, the inlet is larger in diameter than the outlet.

Orifice plates

Implementations of an orifice plate configured to regulate a fluid flow are provided. An example orifice plate is configured to be positioned in a conduit and comprises a plurality of holes that extend therethrough. The plurality of holes are arranged to form one or more spiral layouts configured to regulate a fluid flow passing therethrough. Each spiral layout is a logarithmic spiral. In some implementations, each spiral layout has a growth factor of substantially 1.618 for each quarter turn. In some implementations, each hole in an orifice plate has a contoured conical shape extending between an inlet and an outlet, the inlet is larger in diameter than the outlet.

Implementations of an orifice plate used to regulate flow through a conduit are provided. In some implementations, a balanced restriction orifice (BRO) plate configured to maximize pressure loss is provided. In some implementations, the BRO plate may be configured to limit pipe and plate noise, erosion, cavitation, shear stress, etc. while maximizing pressure loss, and limiting flow to required values. In some implementations, openings through a BRO plate may be configured to satisfy the Velocity-Head Pressure-Loss equation: &#x394;P=k&#x3c1;V/2Gc.

Implementations of an orifice plate used to regulate flow through a conduit are provided. In some implementations, a balanced restriction orifice (BRO) plate configured to maximize pressure loss is provided. In some implementations, the BRO plate may be configured to limit pipe and plate noise, erosion, cavitation, shear stress, etc. while maximizing pressure loss, and limiting flow to required values. In some implementations, openings through a BRO plate may be configured to satisfy the Velocity-Head Pressure-Loss equation: &#x394;P=k&#x3c1;VGc. Alternatively, in some implementations, the hole pattern of an orifice plate may be optimized through the use of a provided Reynolds matching (RM) equation. In some implementations, an orifice plate may be optimized to improve process variable measurements, minimize system pressure drop, recover pressure, and reduce noise and other inefficiencies within the system using equations provided herein.

A fluid mixer plug has holes formed therethrough such that a remaining portion is closed to fluid flow. The plug's inlet face defines a central circuit region and a ring-shaped region with the ring-shaped region including at least some of the plug's remaining portion so-closed to fluid flow. This remaining portion or closed region at each radius R of the ring shaped region satisfies a radius independent, flow-based relationship. Entry openings are defined in the plug's inlet face in correspondence with the holes. The entry openings define an open flow area at each radius of the ring-shaped region. The open flow area at each such radius satisfies the inverse of the flow-based relationship defining the closed regions of the plug.

Unbalanced-flow, fluid-mixing plug with metering capabilities

A method for determining the volume of an incompressible gas in a system including incompressible substances in a zero-gravity environment. The method includes inducing a volumetric displacement within a container and measuring the resulting pressure change. From this data, the liquid level can be determined.

Gas volume contents within a container, smart volume instrument

In some embodiments, systems and methods and apparatus are provided through which the equation of state is used to control a process through analyses of one or more properties of a fluid through an interactive modeler that models the equation of state for the fluid in the process based on measured signals and for selectively enabling the modeling of control changes to the process. In some embodiments, a device generates an indication of machine health based on variations on the equation of state for a fluid in a machine. In some embodiments, one or more properties for the fluid from at least one unmeasured machine parameter in the interactive modeler are determined for the machine at various operating states. In some embodiments, a difference between an expected one or more properties of the fluid beyond a set point indicates the health of the machine.

Systems, methods and apparatus for determining physical properties of fluids

An orifice plate for use in a conduit through which fluid flows is defined by a central circular region having a radius Rand a ring-shaped region surrounding the central circular region. The ring-shaped region has holes formed therethrough with those holes centered at each radius R thereof satisfying a relationship/()where

Balanced orifice plate

A method for determining the volume of compressible gas in a system including incompressible substances in a zero-gravity environment consisting of measuring the change in pressure (.DELTA.P) for a known volume change rate (.DELTA.V/.DELTA.t) in the polytropic region between isothermal and adiabatic conditions. The measurements are utilized in an idealized formula for determining the change in isothermal pressure (.DELTA.P.sub.iso) for the gas. From the isothermal pressure change (.DELTA.P.sub.iso) the gas volume is obtained. The method is also applicable to determination of gas volume by utilizing work (W) in the compression process. In a passive system, the relationship of specific densities can be obtained.

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Humble, TX, United States of America

Paul D Van Buskirk