What happens to the flow through an orifice plate?

The flow through an orifice plate is restricted to create a pressure drop due to its design and function in fluid mechanics. An orifice plate is used to control the flow of fluid in a pipeline. When fluid passes through the orifice, the area available for flow decreases significantly, leading to an increase in velocity as per the principle of continuity. According to Bernoulli's principle, this increase in velocity results in a corresponding decrease in pressure across the orifice.

This created pressure difference is crucial for applications such as flow measurement, flow control, and throttling. The orifice plate thus serves as a device that restricts flow, resulting in a measurable drop in pressure as the fluid heightens in velocity through the smaller opening. This characteristic of creating a pressure drop is fundamental to the design of systems utilizing orifice plates in various engineering applications. The orifice is intentional in its restriction, allowing for precise management of flow rates within a system.