Advancement solutions for using Venturi nozzle in flow control systems

The presented study examines a Venturi nozzle as an actuator. It leverages the throttling effect resulting from the interaction of active and passive jets. This design effectively eliminates high-friction pairs, leading to reductions in the dimensions, weight, and power requirements. This control scheme successfully maintains a constant flow rate of 13.6 kg/s while operating in cavitation mode, even as the inlet pressure increases from 100 to 160 bar. Concurrently, the control flow rose to 1.75 kg/s at an inlet pressure of 160 bar, which constitutes 12.87 % of the total flow value. During regulation, the pressure drops across the nozzle varied from 25 bar to 87 bar. Tests were conducted where the control flow was drawn from the nozzle outlet via channels of 2.5, 4, and 6 mm diameters at various angles. Results indicated that the throttling effect intensifies with an increase in channel diameter, while the angle of the control flow entry has no impact on the throttling effect itself, though it does influence the pressure drop across the control device. Furthermore, drawing the control flow from the nozzle inlet proved more efficient than from the outlet. Specifically, selecting a control flow of 10 % from the inlet and outlet increases the nozzle's resistance to 67 bar and 40 bar, respectively. The study also introduces a scheme for using a Venturi nozzle as a pressure sensor for wide-range pressure values. It presents nozzle designs aimed at reducing length, lowering required drive power, and increasing flow rate within the control system.