Efficient water supply systems are necessary for the development and sustainability of human societies. One relevant aspect of these systems is the metering function, recorded employing water meters, which determines the charges levied to the clients and estimates the water losses in the network. Inaccurate measurements are detrimental for both the client and the supplier. For allowing more precise metering, one option is to use an air volume reducing device, an accessory similar to a check valve that minimizes the air volume entrapped in the pipelines, thus improving metering accuracy. This research used an experimental design to determine the influence of four factors and their interactions on the pressure drop across these devices as a preliminary step for allowing their extended use on low-pressure water supply systems. The results showed that the diameter, the spring stiffness, and the flow rate are significant factors in the pressure drop. The shape of the valve stem is statistically significant only when interacting with other factors.

高效的供水系统对于人类社会的发展和可持续性是必要的。这些系统的一个相关方面是计量功能，使用水表记录，它确定向客户征收的费用并估计网络中的水损失。不准确的测量对客户和供应商都是不利的。为了实现更精确的计量，一种选择是使用风量减少装置，一种类似于止回阀的附件，可以最大限度地减少管道中的空气量，从而提高计量精度。该研究使用实验设计来确定四个因素及其相互作用对这些设备的压降的影响，作为允许它们在低压供水系统中扩展使用的初步步骤。结果表明，直径、弹簧刚度和流量是影响压降的重要因素。只有在与其他因素相互作用时，阀杆的形状才具有统计意义。