Thursday, April 10, 2014

Sifting through the cold flow test data

The results from the testing extravaganza are in:

Fuel Flow Tests
Test Pressure  Start Weight Final Weight Time Flow Rate  Adjusted Flow Rate 
[psi] [g] [g] [s] [kg/s]  [kg/s]
1 400 166.25 453 27.94 0.0103 0.0115
2 400 166.5 455 29 0.0099 0.0112
3 400 166.5 455 46.61 0.0062 0.0070
4 400 166.2 444.4 40.05 0.0069 0.0078
5 400 166.3 363.5 28.24 0.0070 0.0078
6 400 166.3 456.3 26.65 0.0109 0.0122
7 400 166.4 463.6 37.12 0.0080 0.0090
Avg Flow Rate 0.0095
Stdev 0.0021
Oxidizer Flow Tests
Test Pressure  Start Weight  Final Weight  Time  Flow Rate   Adjusted Flow Rate
[psi] [g] [g] [s] [kg/s]  [kg/s]
1 400 166 454.2 2.17 0.1328 0.1237
2                           Invalid
3 400 166.1 366.7 2.09 0.0960 0.1078
4 400 166.2 366.7 1.75 0.1146 0.1287
5 400 166.2 366.7 1.76 0.1139 0.1280
Avg Flow Rate 0.1221
Stdev 0.0097


My design flow rate for the fuel and oxidizer are 0.0205 and 0.118 kg/s, respectively. I am in pretty decent shape when it comes to my oxidizer. I just need to get that new nozzle ordered. 

The I bought my nozzles from McMaster Carr where there is a wide variety to choose from. To be sure I am choosing the correct nozzle. I converted my flow rates to gallons/hour to match their website's data. Fuel being 24.8 gph.

Three of the nozzles I considered come with flow rate data which I adjusted for the specific gravity of my fuel:
Test Pressure Water Flow Rates Adjusted for IPA Flow Rates
[psi] [gph] [gph]
Nozzle 1 2 3 1 2 3
40 3.16 6.32 9.49 3.55 7.10 10.66
100 5 10 15 5.62 11.23 16.85
500 11.18 22.36 33.54 12.56 25.12 37.68
To make it easier to look at I made a graph:


One major factor I have to take into account is the fact that I am not dropping from 400 psi to atmosphere. I am dropping to 300 PSI in the chamber. This means I will have to choose a nozzle that will give me a flowrate of 24.8 gph at the pressure differential seen from the injector to the chamber. ~100 psi is safe but I can always go higher. This means nozzle 3 is the only thing that will put me near that range. 

The equation for the dotted line for nozzle 3 - adjusted is y=1.6864*x^0.4999. Solving for where y = the 24.8 gph that I need for my fuel I get an x of  ~216 psi. Meaning my line pressure will need to be 516+ psi.

I will check some other sources to see if I can get a lower pressure differential required before I make a decision.

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