Reduced-scale experimental bench design of high-pressure blowing system of submersible

Abstract

Objectives This paper proposes an experimental bench for manufacturing submersible high-pressure blowing systems (HPBS).MethodsBased on the isentropic blowing model of Laval spray and Bernoulli equations, the mathematical modeling of high-pressure air blowing-off and discharging is accomplished. Based on similarity criterion, a HPBS reduced-scale experimental bench of the Strouhal and the Euler similarity is designed, including the pressure vessel prototype selection and parameter calculation of ballast water tanks and seawater tanks. Under different initial conditions including back-pressures at operating depth of 300, 200 and 100 m, flow areas with sea valve opening degree of 100%, 75% and 50%, and blowing-off pressures of 25, 20 and 15 MPa, the performance of the experimental bench is evaluated. Results The results show that, under the above conditions, the maximal pressure of the compressed air in the ballast water tank is lower than the vessel regulation pressure, and the expansion volume of the compressed air in the ballast is beyond the vessels' regulation cubage.ConclusionsThis proves that the experimental bench can satisfy the performance requirements of submersible HPBS.

Keywords

• submersible
• high-pressure blowing system (hpbs)
• reduced-scale experimental bench
• similarity criterion
• high-pressure blowing and drainage model