Measurements of Resistance of Individual Square-Mesh Screens to Oscillating Flow at Low and Intermediate Reynolds Numbers

Abstract

Measurements are reported of pressure losses across single screens subjected to low-frequency oscillating flow for 0.002≲Red≲400, where Red is Reynolds number based on wire diameter and peak approach velocity. Several correlation methods are examined. Extensive comparisons are made between present oscillating-flow results and previous reports of the resistance of screens to steady flow. Defining oscillating results in terms of peak amplitudes, the oscillating and steady-flow resistances are found to be the same, including behavior in the intermediate Reynolds number region that departs from correlations of the form ARe−1+B. The friction factor is also found to depend on Reynolds number, but not independently on oscillation amplitude, over the range of conditions measured.