主动式活塞凝胶流量标准装置的建立

Establishment of calibration device for active piston gel propellant flowmeter

凝胶推进剂是一种非牛顿粘弹性流体,具有粘度高、压力触变性等特点,在发动机实际试车中采用了科氏力质量流量计对凝胶推进剂在实际管路中的流量进行测量。西安航天计量测试研究所结合凝胶推进剂本身的压力触变特性,对凝胶流量计的校准进行了深入地研究。基于主动式活塞液体流量标准装置的结构,通过增设加压/泄压装置,加装在线密度计,设计了一套针对火箭发动机凝胶流量计的标准装置。该装置可以充分模拟凝胶流量计的实际使用工况,实现凝胶流量计的实流模拟校准,进而提高了瞬态流量的测量准确度。本套凝胶流量标准装置具有流量稳定、重复性好及测量范围大等特点,其质量流量测量范围为19.44~3 611 g/s,完全满足我国航天发动机在实际热试车和高空模拟试车中对凝胶推进剂质量流量测量的要求。

Gel propellant is a non-Newtonian viscoelastic fluid with high viscosity and pressure thixotropic characteristics. Coriolis mass flowmeter is used in the engine actual test to measure the gel propellant mass flow in the actual piping. According to the pressure thixotropic features of gel propellant, an in-depth research of gel flowmeter calibration was conducted in Xi＇an Aerospace Measurement and Testing Institute. Based on the structure of active piston liquid flow standard device, a gel flowmeter calibration device was designed by adding a pressure boost/pressure relief device and online density meter. The device can fully simulate the actual working conditions of gel flowmeter to achieve the simulation calibration of gel propellant flowmeter, and thereby improve the measuring accuracy of the transient gel flow. This gel flow calibration device has features of stable flow, perfect reproducibility and wide measurement range. Its mass flow measurement range is 19.44-3 611 g/s, which can fully meet the requirements of the gel propellant mass flow measurement of aerospace engines in real hot commissioning and altitude simulation test. The research laid a foundation for the subsequent function extension of the device.