As flow increases across an orifice plate, how does the differential pressure behave?

When flow increases across an orifice plate, the differential pressure behaves by increasing as a square function. This relationship arises from the basic principles of fluid dynamics and the flow characteristics through an orifice.

As the flow rate increases, the velocity of the fluid passing through the orifice increases as well, resulting in a decrease in pressure. According to the principles outlined in Bernoulli's equation, the differential pressure is proportional to the square of the flow velocity. Since the velocity is proportional to the square root of the flow rate, the pressure differential across the orifice can be expressed as a function of the square of the flow rate. This means that for a given increase in flow rate, the associated change in differential pressure is proportional to the square of that change, resulting in a quadratic relationship.

This understanding is crucial for applications in flow measurement and process control, as it allows engineers to predict how changes in flow will affect the pressure differential, which is often used as an indicator of flow rate in various systems.