Influence of the Bluff Body Topology of the Vortex Flowmeter on Its Main Characteristics

The problem of increasing the sensitivity and accuracy of measurement characteristics of submersible vortex flowmeters, based on improving the topology of a bluff body is discussed. Six variants of bluff bodies have been studied. It is established that the hydraulic losses of vortex flowmeters with bluff bodies having feedback channels are 2 times lower. Using numerical simulation methods, it is shown that when choosing the optimal shape of the bluff body, it is possible to increase the amplitude of the formed vortex by 48%, increase the stability and smoothness of the change in the Strouhal number in the operating measurement range by 17%, and slightly reduce hydraulic losses on the bluff body.