Numerical modeling and analysis of the pressure pulses generator for the dynamic calibration of high-pressure transducers

The need for dynamic calibration continues to grow with the advent of requirements related to dynamic pressure measurement. In high-pressure metrology, the pressure pulses generator with free-falling weights is widely employed to perform this essential task during the life-cycle of many pressure sensors such as piezoelectric transducers. The aim of this study is to develop a suitable numerical tool for the modeling and analysis of the high-pressure pulses generator in order to contribute to current efforts for the establishment of a primary dynamic pressure standard for traceable calibration. In order to achieve that, first, the specific aspects and basic assumptions related to dynamic pressure calibration within the research framework are presented. Then, the different steps to set up an appropriate numerical model are described. As this calibration device involves a fluid medium contained inside a deformable structure, a simulation approach that deals with fluid-structure interactions was considered. It was performed using the FE software Abaqus/Explicit. The Coupled Euler-Lagrange (CEL) formulation has been adopted herein to overcome difficulties with regard to the coupling of structural and fluid mechanics, specifically in high-pressure. Finally, the results of the conducted simulations were compared to the experimental measurements to evaluate the capability of the numerical model regarding its robustness and accuracy.