Pipe Flow Simulation

in Solidworks Flow Simulation

The project aims to simulate a pipe flow simulation for 3 cases in which the inlet Reynolds number are 100, 1000, 10000. Then place the line probes at 85%, 90%, 95% of the pipe length.

Initial Conditions

The initial conditions are 101325 Pa, 293.2K and no initial velocity. The working fluid is Water.

Calculating inlet velocity

`Re = (u*D)/nu`

where,

`Re` - Reynolds Number

`u` - Mean velocity of the fluid

`nu` - Kinematic viscosity

`D` - Inner Diameter of the pipe

The kinematic viscosity of water at 20ºC is 1.00E-06m²/s

Inner diameter o the pipe is 44mm.

Hence, inlet velocity can be calculated by `u = (Re*nu)/D`

Reynolds Number	Velocity (m/s)
100	2.28E-03
1000	2.28E-02
10000	2.28E-01

Procedure

1. Create a new part model. And make a circle of 50mm and extrude it to 1000mm, making a cylinder.
2. Select shell, then select side faces of the cylinder, and 3mm as thickness. Hence making a pipe of 3mm thickness.
3. Create new sketch along the length of the pipe and create a vertical line at 85% of the length (i.e.850mm from inlet). Similarly for 90% and 95% of the length.
4. Go to Flow Simulation, and select Crete lid command and select end faces of the pipe to make a closed volume for CFD simulation.
5. Click on New in flow simulation toolbar.
6. Right click on input data on flow simulation tree, and select general setting.
7. In Fluids, select water as project fluid, flow type as Laminar and turbulent and in Initial Conditions pressure as 101325Pa, Temperature as 293.2K and velocity as 0m/s.
8. Right click on boundary conditions and select insert boundary conditions. The first boundary condition for out-flow, select static pressure of 101325Pa and Face of the lid (Face@lid) of and one end of the pipe. The second boundary condition for inflow and select the inlet velocity of 2.28E-03m/s on another end of the pipe. The last boundary condition for Wall is the Real wall and select the inner wall of the pipe.
9. Right click on XY plot for velocity in normal to the plane direction (Z-direction) and select insert then select the 85% line sketch. Similarly, make XY plot for 90% and 95%.
10. Right click on Project(1) and select new parametric study.
11. Then select inlet velocity in input variables tab, select all XY plots.
12. Go to scenario tab and select Design point 1 and copy - paste it two more times.
13. Change inlet velocity in design point 2 and 3 with 2.28E-02 and 2.28E01m/s.
14. Right click on Global Mesh and select edit definitions, change mesh manually, in X-direction 40, in Y-direction 40, in Z-direction 200.
15. Run.

Output

At 85% of pipes length

90% of pipes length

95% of pipes length