Claims
- 1. In combination with a source of polyphase fluid having a discharge outlet for discharging a stream of fluid characterized by a first pressure greater than a second pressure and flowing at a substantially constant flow rate, a pressure letdown device for dropping the pressure of the fluid, comprising in combination:
- A. means defining in said device an intake port, a discharge port, and a flow path extending between said ports for a stream of fluid flowing at a constant rate, said flow path being caused to communicate with said discharge outlet via said intake port for accepting said stream of fluid at the intake port and for causing the stream to flow at a constant velocity along said flow path from said intake port to said discharge port; and
- B. pressure dropping means disposed in said flow path for dropping the pressure of the fluid without reducing the velocity thereof, as the stream is caused to flow between said intake and discharge ports;
- said pressure dropping means including a series of pressure letdown stages including a plurality of baffles of similar conical configurations disposed in coaxially nested alignment, and means defining in each of said baffles a plurality of apertures of uniform dimensions, the number of apertures for each baffle of said plurality of baffles being unique with respect to the number of apertures for each of the other baffles of said plurality.
- 2. A combination as defined in claim 1 wherein a common pressure ratio is established across each of the ports of said plurality, and the mass rate of flow for each aperture is a function of the area of the aperture, and the common pressure ratio of the fluid across the aperture.
ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION
The invention described herein was made in the performance of work under a NASA Contract and is subject to the provisions of Section 305 of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, Public Law 85-568 (72 STAT. 435; 42 U.S.C. 2457).
US Referenced Citations (7)