Pipe Flow Simulation using Solidworks

Google Drive link to all excel files and plots and figures:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1hGNFu-X8fgik59OJAI7uRDCU2btyYxPq

Assumptions:

1. Length of pipe = 200 mm.

2. Inner Diameter of pipe = 2 mm.

3. Temperature = 20 Degree Celsius.

Note: The simulation was performed with water as the fluid and its properties (Dynamic Viscosity and Density) at 20 Degree Celsius were taken from water tables.

Observations:

The simulatiom was performed for Reynolds number 100,1000 and 10,000 and line probes were placed at 85%, 90%, 95% of length of pipe as described in the challenge.

1. Normalized Velocity Comparison for the three cases (Re=100,1000 and 10,000) :

The velocity data from the parametric study was taken to excel and the values were put together, normalized with inlet velocity and then plotted separately for each reynolds number.

All excel files are attached in the link given above.

2. Velocity plots as obtained from Solidworks:

Brown- Re 100

Blue- Re 1000

Green- Re 10,000

at 95% length of pipe

at 90% length of pipe

at 85% length of pipe

Conclusion:

1. As there is no change in the velocity profiles at different length of pipes for the three lengths, so we can conclude that the velocity profile is fully developed.

2. As depicted in the above plots, we see that the velocity profile follows the Hagen Poiseuille's Velocity Distribution only upto Re 1000 i.e. the maximum velocity is twice the average velocity in each case.

3. The maximum velocity for the case Re 10,000 is not twice that of average velocity which is justified as Hagen Poiseuille's Equation is derived for Laminar flow and the flow at Re > 3000 for a pipe becomes Turbulent.