FLOW-PRESSURE DROP EQUATION SIMPLIFIES PNEUMATIC DESIGN.

Frequently, published flow vs. pressure drop data for compressed air and gases cannot be applied to a specific pneumatic design. The problem arises when the designer needs to determine the flow or pressure drop at an inlet pressure other than that published, or at a different inlet temperature, or the gas involved is not air. The problem occurs because changes in pressure and temperature produce significant changes in gas density, requiring flow vs. pressure drop data at specified inlet conditions. With these difficulties in mind, we set out to establish a more universal flow-pressure drop data presentation; that is, a more general characteristic equation which describes flow through a restriction.