The Flow of Saturated Water Through Throttling Orifices

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Abstract
In this paper are presented the results of tests to determine the flow characteristics for saturated water and for various mixtures of saturated water and steam through sharp-edged thin-plate orifices. Tests show that the actual flow of saturated water through these orifices is considerably greater than would be expected from theoretical calculation based upon a change of state and that no critical back-pressure condition is evident over the range of initial pressures considered. Primarily, this investigation was intended to determine the feasibility of using throttling orifices alone or in combination with float-operated drainers for regulating the draining of condensate from feedwater heaters. The tests which form the basis of the paper have provided sufficient information to permit the derivation of practical design formulas, which have been used successfully in several instances by the authors’ company. These test data apply only to throttling orifices and should not be used to design orifices for metering purposes. An Appendix to the paper shows the application of the formulas to the design of a single-stage orifice to drain the condensate from a feedwater heater, and to the design of an orifice to be used in series with a float-operated drainer.

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