Experimental studies of flow through single gauzes

This article describes the experimental studies on the effect of flow Mach number and Reynolds number, the open area ratio of the gauze, and the ratio of specific heats of the fluid on the pressure drop of the flow through wire screens. The gauzes tested were of ten different values of open area ratio. Air and helium were used as the test fluid. The results show that the pressure loss coefficient increases with Mach number and that the increase is sharp at choking. In the incompressible flow regime, the pressure loss coefficient decreases with increasing Reynolds number and open area ratio. However, the effect of the ratio of specific heats is negligible. Empirical relations for the pressure loss coefficient were derived based on these test results.