Noise and Vibration Related to the Patterns of Supersonic Annular Flow in a Pressure Reducing Gas Valve

Abstract

Cause of intense aerodynamic noise and vibration from a contoured type valve is revealed in close relation to the supersonic flow patterns. Simple conical plugs are used in the experiments, and the valve pressure ratio is up to twenty. Four typical patterns of the flow are observed by schlieren photography. In one of these patterns, the jet flow along the plug separates from the wall to form an annular jet impinging on the inner wall of the valve chest. Such flow oscillates significantly in resonance with the acoustic modes of the chest cavity. The radiated noise and the dynamic force acting on the valve stem reach intense levels, dominated by some discrete components of the corresponding frequencies. The mechanisms to generate or to suppress the flow oscillation, leading to the intense noise and vibration, are discussed.