PIPE FLOW SIMULATION USING SOLIDWORKS, FLOW SIMULATION
INTRODUCTION:
Pipe flow, a branch of hydraulics and fluid mechanics, is a type of fluid flow within a closed conduit (conduit in the sense of a means of containment). The other type of flow within a conduit is open channel flow. These two types of flow are similar in many ways, but differ in one important aspect. Pipe flow does not have a free surface which is found in open-channel flow. Pipe flow, being confined within the closed conduit, does not exert direct atmospheric pressure but does exert hydraulic pressure on the conduit.
Not all flow within a closed conduit is considered pipe flow. Storm sewers are closed conduits but usually maintain a free surface and therefore are considered open-channel flow. The exception to this is when a storm sewer operates at full capacity and then can become pipe flow.
Solidworks creates an exclusive platform for flow simulation within a pipe flow, with that we can create a velocity profile within a pipe flow at different locations using line probes.
OBJECTIVE:
The aim is to determine the velocity using the respective Reynolds number and to create flow simulation and velocity profile using solid works, flow simulation giving inlet velocity input.
Flow types,
Laminar flow: laminar flow is characterized by fluid particles following smooth paths in layers, with each layer moving smoothly past the adjacent layers with little or no mixing. At low velocities, the fluid tends to flow without lateral mixing, and adjacent layers slide past one another like playing cards. There are no cross-currents perpendicular to the direction of flow, nor swirls of fluids. In laminar flow, the motion of the particles of the fluid is very orderly with particles close to a solid surface moving in straight lines parallel to that surface with very low Reynolds number.
Turbulent flow: turbulence or turbulent flow is fluid motion characterized by sudden unsteady changes in pressure and flow velocity. It is in contrast to a laminar flow, which occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption between those layers. Turbulence is commonly observed in everyday phenomena such as surf, fast-flowing rivers, and most fluid flows occurring in nature or created in engineering applications are turbulent. Turbulence is caused by excessive kinetic energy in parts of a fluid flow, which overcomes the damping effect of the fluid's viscosity. For this reason, turbulence is commonly realized in low viscosity fluids with high values of the Reynolds number.
Parameters:
Of pipe,
diameter, D = 33mm length,L = 1m Thickness, t = 0.001m
Of liquid,
type of fluid is, water density = 1000 kg/m^3 kinematic viscosity = 1.004*10^-6 dynamic viscosity = 1.002*10^-3 Reynolds number is 100, 1000, 10000
Formulae used,
`Re=(ρ*v*d)/μ`
or
`Re=(v*d)/ϑ`
velocity (Re = 100) = 0.00304 m/s.
velocity (Re = 1000) = 0.0304 m/s.
velocity (Re = 10000) = 0.304 m/s.
Procedures:
- create a new part model, and make a new circle of diameter 33mm and extrude it to 1m.
- select shell options in the features and select the 2 faces of the pipe and provide a thickness of 1mm, to make the pipe hollow.
- Now draw the line probes at different locations at 85%, 90%, and 95% using a new sketch.
- Now using flow simulation select the lid command and draw the lids on 2 faces of the pipe to make it watertight.
- Create a new project under flow simulation, and specify the input data by defining the general settings by selecting the type of fluid and the flow type.
- Now define the boundary conditions by clicking on insert boundary conditions and specify the inlet boundary condition as inlet velocity, outlet boundary condition as pressure and temperature, and then specify the real wall boundary conditions. this can be done by specifying the face lid on other options by right-clicking on each face.
- Now create a manual basic mesh, and define the X-Y plots for the velocity at each location and compare the velocity between the locations. also, create cut plots at each of these locations.
- Run the simulation and look for the velocity plot results.
- Now start a new parametric study, select the inlet face velocity as an input variable and select all X-Y plots and cut plots.
- now in the scenario tab copy the first set and paste it two more times changing the face velocity variable. finally, run the parametric study.
Image of pipe with line probes,
Image of the scenario of parametric study:
Image of a contour plot of velocity simulation (cut plot at the x-y plane):
Image of the cut plot at y-z plane:
Results:
velocity profile at line probe of 95% with velocities (0.00304, 0.0304,0.304)m/s,
velocity profile at line probe 90% with velocities (0.00304, 0.0304, 0.304)m/s,
velocity profile at line probe 85% with velocities (0.00304, 0.0304, 0.304)m/s,
velocity comparison between the probe lines at 90% and 95%
velocity comparison between the probe lines at 85% and 90%
cut plots at line probe of 95% with inlet velocities (0.00304, 0.0304, 0.304),
cut plots at line probe of 90% with inlet velocities (0.00304,0.0304,0.304),
cut plots at line probe of 85% with inlet velocities (0.00304, 0.0304, 0.304),
References:
https://www.engineersedge.com/physics/water__density_viscosity_specific_weight_13146.htm