Development of numerical and experimental performance evaluation techniques for high-reliability turbine flow meters of ice-making water-dispenser

Abstract

A turbine flowmeter for sensing the water supply in an ice-making system of a refrigerator requires high sensitivity to the flow rate. This research aims to develop a comprehensive performance evaluation technique by constructing an experimental setup and establishing a numerical technique to simulate the rotational motion of the impeller in response to the injection of water into the flowmeter. An experimental rig was built to secure the measurement accuracy according to the fluid temperature and pressure changes and verify the reliability under various flow conditions from low to high. A numerical method based on the six-degree of freedom method was used to confirm its validity, which is different from a moving reference frame, which numerically analyzes the rotational speed of the turbine by backtracking the rotational speed to correspond to the flow conditions by giving it a constant rotational speed. By simulating water injection into the flowmeter, generating kinetic energy in the impeller according to the flow rate, and subsequently rotating the impeller due to the generated torque, the numerical analysis cost was reduced, allowing direct numerical analysis of the impeller’s acceleration motion. The results were evaluated in terms of angular velocity and pulse signal, and the applicability and reliability of the numerical technique were verified by comparing the numerical results with experimental results. The aerodynamic performance of the impeller was analyzed to understand the phenomena as the impeller rotates. The results of this study can be utilized to conduct future research to improve the performance of flow meters, thus proving its value as a preliminary study.