SAE ARP 492 Aircraft Engine Fuel Pump Cavitation Endurance Test

In the SAE ARP 492 standard developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), to determine their resistance to degradation during steady-state endurance testing when receiving MIL-T-5624 standard Class JP-4 fuel, which is a homogeneous mixture of gas and liquid expressed as a ratio, discloses a test method for testing aircraft engine fuel pumps. This recommended test method is based on a series of laboratory test results that conducted component qualification tests in accordance with the previous MIL-E-5007 standard, which is today the MIL-E-5009 standard. It is intended to produce a uniform repeatable steady-state test condition for fuel pump cavitation testing as required by various military engine specifications. The test method presented in the SAE ARP 492 standard is not intended to determine the altitude, rate of climb, initial or other transient performance of the material under test. This standard is intended to apply to all pumps.

To determine the ratio of vapor volume to liquid volume, the standard offers two methods:

• Method I - Measuring the ratio of vapor volume to liquid volume. When using this method, the vapor-liquid ratio is measured in a measuring section installed in the inlet line of the pump. The indicated volumetric flow rate should be the vapor-liquid ratio and is read on a meter dial.
• Method II - Calculation of the ratio of vapor volume to liquid volume: This method assumes that an equilibrium mass flow rate of dissolved air develops from liquid fuel saturated with air flowing in accordance with Henry's law for solutions of gases in liquids. The volumetric flow rate vapor-liquid ratio is then calculated from the mass flows according to Dalton's law of partial pressures, the perfect gas law, and the thermal expansion behavior of the liquid fuel. Necessary calculations are included in the standard annex.

At low pump inlet pressures or high fuel temperatures, the vapor volume becomes liquid.The test data used to calculate the cmine ratio must be read correctly. The primary factor in this calculation is the ratio of the two pressure differences measured during the test.

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