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

  Objectives   This paper proposes a experimental bench for manufacturing submersible high-pressure blowing systems(HPBS).

  Methods  Based 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 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 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.

  Conclusions  This proves that the experimental bench can satisfy the performance requirements of submersible HPBS.