Founder’s Scholarship – Your Gateway to a Dream Engineering Career! Only 1̶0̶0̶ +10 Seats Available.

00D 00H 00M 00S

Menu

Executive Programs

Workshops

Projects

Blogs

Careers

Placements

Student Reviews

For Business

More

Academic Training

Informative Articles

Find Jobs

We are Hiring!

All Courses

Choose a category

Mechanical

Electrical

Civil

Computer Science

Electronics

Offline Program

All Courses

All Courses

logo

CHOOSE A CATEGORY

Mechanical

Electrical

Civil

Computer Science

Electronics

Offline Program

Top Job Leading Courses

Automotive

CFD

FEA

Design

MBD

Med Tech

Courses by Software

Design

Solver

Automation

Vehicle Dynamics

CFD Solver

Preprocessor

Courses by Semester

First Year

Second Year

Third Year

Fourth Year

Courses by Domain

Automotive

CFD

Design

FEA

Tool-focused Courses

Design

Solver

Automation

Preprocessor

CFD Solver

Vehicle Dynamics

Machine learning

Machine Learning and AI

POPULAR COURSES

coursePost Graduate Program in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Design and Analysis
coursePost Graduate Program in Computational Fluid Dynamics
coursePost Graduate Program in CAD
coursePost Graduate Program in CAE
coursePost Graduate Program in Manufacturing Design
coursePost Graduate Program in Computational Design and Pre-processing
coursePost Graduate Program in Complete Passenger Car Design & Product Development
Executive Programs
Workshops
For Business

Success Stories

Placements

Student Reviews

More

Projects

Blogs

Academic Training

Find Jobs

Informative Articles

We're Hiring!

phone+91 9342691281Log in
  1. Home/
  2. SHAIK SYDAVALI/
  3. Week 11 - Simulation of Flow through a pipe in OpenFoam

Week 11 - Simulation of Flow through a pipe in OpenFoam

                                                                                           …

  • CFD
  • MATLAB
  • OPENFOAM

  • SHAIK SYDAVALI

    updated on 26 Feb 2021

                                                                                                      Date: - 26-02-2021

 

                                           SIMULATION OF FLOW THROUGH A PIPE IN OPENFOAM

 

Laminar Flow in pipe: -

  • Renold’s number is a non-dimensional number which is very important to describe the behaviour of flow whether it is internal or external flow.
  • We deal with internal laminar flow through a pipe. Renold’s number is given as 2100.
  • We have to find both analytical and numerical values for fully developed flow and compare the results.

Analytical solution for fully developed flow: -

  • Before we find analytical solution, we should know about hydrodynamic length.
  • In figure 1 we can see that with some input velocity the shear stress profile along the length of the pipe.
  • If you go deeper the main reason for full developed flow is growing of boundary layers thickness until the mid-section of the pipe.
  • Once it reaches mid-section of the pipe then in pipe we can see that the constant velocity profile that means

 

Consider x, r the independent coordinates then

 

From inlet of pipe to till hydrodynamic entry length

                  Velocity ‘u’ is function of both x,r      u(x,r)

After hydrodynamic length

                ‘ u’ is function of ‘r’ only

                                              ꝺu/ ꝺx = 0

 

                                   Fig(1)

  • In figure 2 we can see that before hydrodynamic length variation of velocity profile with respect to length. Once it attains fully developed flow then we can observe constant velocity profile.

                           Fig(2)

  • Mathematically we can say that Lh/D  = 0.05 *Re   for laminar flows

Where

Lh  is hydrodynamic entry length

‘D’ is the hydralic diameter for circular pipe this is equal to diameter

  • Consider one section in fully develop flow region and do force balance then we end up with

                          (μ/r)*d/dr(rdu/dr) = dp/dx  ---1

 

              

                             Fig(3)

  • Form figure 4 we by force balancing we end up with

                                       dp/dx = -2Γw/R   -------2

where                        Γw  = μ ꝺu/ ꝺr |wall   which is constant for fully developed flow 

              

                                       Fig(4)

  • After integrating equation1 and limits from o to radius of pipe then we end up with

 

       u(r) = 2*Vavg*(1-(r/R)2) ----3

 

where     ‘r’ is the independent variable and ‘R’ is radius of the pipe

               ‘Vavg’     is the mean velocity of the full developed velocity profile.

 

  • Equation 3 is called Hagen- Poiseuille's equation for the fully developed flow.

Similarly  for               Maximum velocity Vmax = 2Vavg    --4

                                   Pressure difference Δp =  8 μ LVavg / r2  ----5

                       Kinematic pressure   =  Δp/ρ ------6

                      Shear stress  Γ(r)  = μ ꝺu/ ꝺr = 2μVmaxr/R    ---7

 

Input Values:-

  • Consider dimeter D=0.04 meters and given Renolds number Re = 2100.
  • Density of water ρ = 997kg/m3 and dynamic viscosity of water μ = 0.00089 pa.sec

Outputs:-

  • Then we can find Hyderodynamic entry length(Lh ) = 4.2 meters
  • Total length (L) = Lh + 0.8 = 5 meters

Reason:-

  • For know about the flow filed quantities in full developed ,length of pipe should be more than the hydrodynamic entry length so I took 5 meters as the legth of the pipe.
  • Re = VavgD/ѵ where  ѵ-kinematic viscosity

Then Vavg  = 0.0468656 m/sec

  • Vmax = 0.0937312 m/sec
  • Pressure difference Δp = 4.1710384 pascals
  • Kinematic pressure = 4.1835892*10-3m3/kg

Analytical Results:-

 

 

Numerical soluions by using openFoam:

  • For numerical simulation we use openFam.

Steps:-

  • We need ‘0’ and ‘constant’ and ‘system’ folders in case and for runnig we need a solver.
  • Firstly we setup ‘0’ and ‘constant’ and ‘system’ folders.
  • In system folder we have to make block mesh dict file so that till mesh part will take care of that.
  • By using matlab we create blockmesh dict file or simply we automate the process so that blockmeshdict file will come in text file formate.
  • For matlab,we give inputs are diameter and length of pipe and wedge angle and renolds number and we do simulation using wedge and in this wedge we mainatin all conditions like pipe had.
  • You can see the matlab code in programming section which is there at the end of the report.
  • Aftrer mesh we give initial conditions which is there in ‘0’ folder.
  • Here we have ‘P’ and ‘U’ are the flow field variables.
  • In ‘P’ file we give kinematic pressure which we calculated using equation 6.
  • In ‘U’ file we give average velocity ‘Vavg’
  • Then we made blockmesh by using blockMesh command and we do simulation by help of solver.

OUTPUT:-

  

                      Fig(5) Mesh  fornt view                        Fig(6) Mesh  side view

                                                                              

             Fig(7) : Mesh isometric view

Fig(8): velocity changes at outlet and here we can observe max velocity as 0.0092 m/sec

 

   

Fig(9): Velocity profile at steady state for flow through pipe numerical simulation

Fig(10): pressure changes at steady state for floe through pipe along the length

                                              Fig(11)

Shear stress: -

  • In analytical results we can see that shear stress variation with respect to radius .from that graph we can say that at steady state at mid-section of pipe we have 0 N/m2 shear stress and at the wall of the pipe maximum and constant value.
  • From figure 4 and equation 2 we can say that shear stress at wall is constant and we can write it as         

Γw  = μ ꝺu/ ꝺr |wall

                                                                      = 0.0089*(Vmax*r)/R

  • At r=R we can get shear stress at wall

       Γw   = 1.66841536*10-4 N/m2

 

Conclusion: -

  • From figure 11 we can say that velocity profiles at steady state nearly same.
  • As we mentioned above, we attain fully developed flow after the hydrodynamic entry length. That’s why we took total length of the pipe more than the hydrodynamic entry length.
  • we found maximum velocity and we got nearly same maximum value in both solutions.
  • Pressure loss in laminar flows very less compare to turbulent flows. we found this pressure loss to find kinematic pressure which is helped to give input as initial boundary in numerical simulation.

MATLAB CODE for BlockMeshDict automation:-

 

clc;
clear all;
close all;
%% header text
h1 = '/*--------------------------------*- C++ -*----------------------------------*\';
h2 = '=========                 |';
h3 = '\\      /  F ield         | OpenFOAM: The Open Source CFD Toolbox';
h4 =  ' \\    /   O peration     | Website:  https://openfoam.org';
h5=  '\\  /    A nd           | Version:  8';
h6 = ' \\/     M anipulation  |';
h7 = '\*---------------------------------------------------------------------------*/';
h8 = 'FoamFile';
h9 = '{';
h10= 'version     2.0;';
h11 = 'format      ascii;';
h12 =  'class       dictionary;';
h13 = 'object      blockMeshDict;';
h14 ='}';
h15 = '// * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * //';
%% Inputs
Re = 2100;
D =0.04;
mu =0.00089;
rho =997;
Lh = 0.05*Re*D;
L =Lh+0.8;
theta = 5;
r = D/2;
%%
f1= fopen('blockMeshDict.txt','w');
fprintf(f1,'%s\n',h1);
fprintf(f1,'%s\n',h2);
fprintf(f1,'%s\n',h3);
fprintf(f1,'%s\n',h4);
fprintf(f1,'%s\n',h5);
fprintf(f1,'%s\n',h6);
fprintf(f1,'%s\n',h7);
fprintf(f1,'%s\n',h8);
fprintf(f1,'%s\n',h9);
fprintf(f1,'\t%s\n',h10);
fprintf(f1,'\t%s\n',h11);
fprintf(f1,'\t%s\n',h12);
fprintf(f1,'\t%s\n',h13);
fprintf(f1,'%s\n',h14);
fprintf(f1,'%s\n\n\n',h15);
fprintf(f1,'convertToMeters 1;\n\n');
fprintf(f1,'vertices\n');
fprintf(f1,'(\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t(%d %d %d)\n',0,0,0);
fprintf(f1,'\t(%d %f %f)\n',0,r*cosd(theta/2),r*sind(theta/2));
fprintf(f1,'\t(%d %f %f)\n',0,r*cosd(theta/2),-r*sind(theta/2));
fprintf(f1,'\t(%d %d %d)\n',L,0,0);
fprintf(f1,'\t(%d %f %f)\n',L,r*cosd(theta/2),r*sind(theta/2));
fprintf(f1,'\t(%d %f %f)\n',L,r*cosd(theta/2),-r*sind(theta/2));
fprintf(f1,');\n\n');

%%
fprintf(f1,'blocks\n\n');
fprintf(f1,'(\n\n');
fprintf(f1,'\thex (%d %d %d %d %d %d %d %d) (%d %d %d) simpleGrading (%d %d %d)\n\n',0,3,5,2,0,3,4,1,200,20,1,1,0.1,1);
fprintf(f1,');\n\n');
fprintf(f1,'edges\n');
fprintf(f1,'(\n\n');
fprintf(f1,'\tarc %d %d (%d %d %d)\n',1,2,0,r,0);
fprintf(f1,'\tarc %d %d (%d %d %d)\n\n',4,5,L,r,0);
fprintf(f1,');\n\n');
fprintf(f1,'boundary\n\n');
fprintf(f1,'(\n\n');
fprintf(f1,'\tinlet\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t{\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\ttype patch;\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\tfaces\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\t(\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\t\t(%d %d %d %d)\n',0,1,2,0);
fprintf(f1,'\t\t);\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t}\n\n');
fprintf(f1,'\toutlet\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t{\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\ttype patch;\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\tfaces\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\t(\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\t\t(%d %d %d %d)\n',3,5,4,3);
fprintf(f1,'\t\t);\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t}\n\n');
fprintf(f1,'\tfront\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t{\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\ttype wedge;\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\tfaces\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\t(\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\t\t(%d %d %d %d)\n',0,3,4,1);
fprintf(f1,'\t\t);\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t}\n');
fprintf(f1,'\tback\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t{\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\ttype wedge;\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\tfaces\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\t(\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\t\t(%d %d %d %d)\n',0,2,5,3);
fprintf(f1,'\t\t);\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t}\n');
fprintf(f1,'\taxis\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t{\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\ttype empty;\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\tfaces\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\t(\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\t\t(%d %d %d %d)\n',0,3,3,0);
fprintf(f1,'\t\t);\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t}\n');
fprintf(f1,'\ttop\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t{\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\ttype wall;\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\tfaces\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\t(\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t\t\t(%d %d %d %d)\n',1,4,5,2);
fprintf(f1,'\t\t);\n');
fprintf(f1,'\t}\n');
fprintf(f1,');\n\n');
fprintf(f1,'mergePatchPairs\n');
fprintf(f1,'(\n');
fprintf(f1,');\n');
fprintf(f1,'// ************************************************************************* //');
fclose(f1);
%% Analyticl_solution
d = linspace(0,r,1000);
v_avg =(2100*(mu/rho))/D;
v_max = 2*v_avg;
v_anl = v_max*(1-((2*d./D).^2));
tau_anl = (2*mu*v_max/r).*(d);
figure(1)
plot(d,v_anl,'-m','linewidth',3);
xlabel('Along the radius of pipe in meters');
ylabel('velocity magnitude in m/sec');
title('Velocity profile for fully developed pipe flow');
legend('Analytical solution');
grid on;
%%
figure(2)
plot(d,tau_anl,'-m','linewidth',3);
xlabel('Along the radius of pipe in meters');
ylabel('ShearStress in N/m^2');
title('ShearStress profile for fully developed pipe flow');
legend('Analytical solution');
grid on;

 

BLOCKMESHDICT text file:-

 

/*--------------------------------*- C++ -*----------------------------------*\
=========                 |
\\      /  F ield         | OpenFOAM: The Open Source CFD Toolbox
 \\    /   O peration     | Website:  https://openfoam.org
\\  /    A nd           | Version:  8
 \\/     M anipulation  |
\*---------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
FoamFile
{
	version     2.0;
	format      ascii;
	class       dictionary;
	object      blockMeshDict;
}
// * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * //


convertToMeters 1;

vertices
(
	(0 0 0)
	(0 0.019981 0.000872)
	(0 0.019981 -0.000872)
	(5 0 0)
	(5 0.019981 0.000872)
	(5 0.019981 -0.000872)
);

blocks

(

	hex (0 3 5 2 0 3 4 1) (200 20 1) simpleGrading (1 1.000000e-01 1)

);

edges
(

	arc 1 2 (0 2.000000e-02 0)
	arc 4 5 (5 2.000000e-02 0)

);

boundary

(

	inlet
	{
		type patch;
		faces
		(
			(0 1 2 0)
		);
	}

	outlet
	{
		type patch;
		faces
		(
			(3 5 4 3)
		);
	}

	front
	{
		type wedge;
		faces
		(
			(0 3 4 1)
		);
	}
	back
	{
		type wedge;
		faces
		(
			(0 2 5 3)
		);
	}
	axis
	{
		type empty;
		faces
		(
			(0 3 3 0)
		);
	}
	top
	{
		type wall;
		faces
		(
			(1 4 5 2)
		);
	}
);

mergePatchPairs
(
);
// ************************************************************************* //

 

Case setup:

initial values for pressure text file:-

/*--------------------------------*- C++ -*----------------------------------*\
  =========                 |
  \\      /  F ield         | OpenFOAM: The Open Source CFD Toolbox
   \\    /   O peration     | Website:  https://openfoam.org
    \\  /    A nd           | Version:  8
     \\/     M anipulation  |
\*---------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
FoamFile
{
    version     2.0;
    format      ascii;
    class       volScalarField;
    object      p;
}
// * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * //

dimensions      [0 2 -2 0 0 0 0];

internalField   uniform 0;

boundaryField
{
    inlet
    {
        type            zeroGradient;
    }

    outlet
    {
        type            fixedValue;
        value       uniform 4.1835892e-3;
    }

    top
    {
        type            zeroGradient;
    }
     axis
    {
        type            empty;
    }
     front
    {
        type            wedge;
    }
     back
    {
        type            wedge;
    }
}

// ************************************************************************* //

initial values for velocity text file:-

/*--------------------------------*- C++ -*----------------------------------*\
  =========                 |
  \\      /  F ield         | OpenFOAM: The Open Source CFD Toolbox
   \\    /   O peration     | Website:  https://openfoam.org
    \\  /    A nd           | Version:  8
     \\/     M anipulation  |
\*---------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
FoamFile
{
    version     2.0;
    format      ascii;
    class       volVectorField;
    object      U;
}
// * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * //

dimensions      [0 1 -1 0 0 0 0];

internalField   uniform (0.0468656 0 0);

boundaryField
{
    inlet
    {
        type            fixedValue;
        value       uniform (0.0468656 0 0);
      
    }

    outlet
    {
        type            zeroGradient;  
    }

    top
    {
        type            fixedValue;
        value       uniform (0 0 0);
    }
     axis
    {
        type            empty;
    }
     front
    {
        type            wedge;
    }
     back
    {
        type            wedge;
    }
}

// ************************************************************************* //

Transport properties:-

/*--------------------------------*- C++ -*----------------------------------*\
  =========                 |
  \\      /  F ield         | OpenFOAM: The Open Source CFD Toolbox
   \\    /   O peration     | Website:  https://openfoam.org
    \\  /    A nd           | Version:  8
     \\/     M anipulation  |
\*---------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
FoamFile
{
    version     2.0;
    format      ascii;
    class       dictionary;
    location    "constant";
    object      transportProperties;
}
// * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * //

nu              [0 2 -1 0 0 0 0] 8.926780341e-7;


// ************************************************************************* //

Controldict text file for time step and total time for simulation:-

/*--------------------------------*- C++ -*----------------------------------*\
  =========                 |
  \\      /  F ield         | OpenFOAM: The Open Source CFD Toolbox
   \\    /   O peration     | Website:  https://openfoam.org
    \\  /    A nd           | Version:  8
     \\/     M anipulation  |
\*---------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
FoamFile
{
    version     2.0;
    format      ascii;
    class       dictionary;
    location    "system";
    object      controlDict;
}
// * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * //

application     icoFoam;

startFrom       startTime;

startTime       0;

stopAt          endTime;

endTime         110;

deltaT          0.01;

writeControl    timeStep;

writeInterval   1000;

purgeWrite      0;

writeFormat     ascii;

writePrecision  6;

writeCompression off;

timeFormat      general;

timePrecision   6;

runTimeModifiable true;


// ************************************************************************* //

Leave a comment

Thanks for choosing to leave a comment. Please keep in mind that all the comments are moderated as per our comment policy, and your email will not be published for privacy reasons. Please leave a personal & meaningful conversation.

Please  login to add a comment

Other comments...

No comments yet!
Be the first to add a comment

Read more Projects by SHAIK SYDAVALI (11)

Week 4 - CHT Analysis on Exhaust port

Objective:

CHT ANALYSIS ON EXHAUST PORT   About CHT analysis: -   CHT means Conjugate Heat Transfer which can tell combination of heat transfer in solids and fluids. This numerical analysis will give brief idea about conduction, convection and radiation or coupling of anyone of these three. The CHT analysis is used in process…

calendar

21 Jun 2021 12:26 PM IST

    Read more

    Week 3 - External flow simulation over an Ahmed body.

    Objective:

    EXTERNAL FLOW SIMULATION OVER AN AHMED BODY   AHMED BODY: -                Ahmed body is a simplified car, used in automotive industry to investigate the flow analysis and find the wake flow around the body. This is made up of round front part, a moveable slant plane in ear…

    calendar

    20 Jun 2021 03:05 PM IST

      Read more

      Week 2 - Flow over a Cylinder.

      Objective:

                                                                                                 …

      calendar

      25 Mar 2021 12:53 PM IST

      • CFD
      Read more

      Week 1- Mixing Tee

      Objective:

                                                                                                 …

      calendar

      17 Mar 2021 02:08 PM IST

      • CFD
      Read more

      Schedule a counselling session

      Please enter your name
      Please enter a valid email
      Please enter a valid number

      Related Courses

      coursecardcoursetype

      Post Graduate Program in CFD Solver Development

      4.8

      119 Hours of Content

      coursecard

      Introduction to OpenFOAM Development

      4.9

      18 Hours of Content

      coursecardcoursetype

      Post Graduate Program in Battery Technology for Mechanical Engineers

      4.8

      81 Hours of Content

      coursecard

      Simulation and Design of Power Converters for EV using MATLAB and Simulink

      4.9

      22 Hours of Content

      coursecard

      Introduction to Hybrid Electric Vehicle using MATLAB and Simulink

      4.8

      23 Hours of Content

      Schedule a counselling session

      Please enter your name
      Please enter a valid email
      Please enter a valid number

      logo

      Skill-Lync offers industry relevant advanced engineering courses for engineering students by partnering with industry experts.

      https://d27yxarlh48w6q.cloudfront.net/web/v1/images/facebook.svghttps://d27yxarlh48w6q.cloudfront.net/web/v1/images/insta.svghttps://d27yxarlh48w6q.cloudfront.net/web/v1/images/twitter.svghttps://d27yxarlh48w6q.cloudfront.net/web/v1/images/youtube.svghttps://d27yxarlh48w6q.cloudfront.net/web/v1/images/linkedin.svg

      Our Company

      News & EventsBlogCareersGrievance RedressalSkill-Lync ReviewsTermsPrivacy PolicyBecome an Affiliate
      map
      EpowerX Learning Technologies Pvt Ltd.
      4th Floor, BLOCK-B, Velachery - Tambaram Main Rd, Ram Nagar South, Madipakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600042.
      mail
      info@skill-lync.com
      mail
      ITgrievance@skill-lync.com

      Top Individual Courses

      Computational Combustion Using Python and CanteraIntroduction to Physical Modeling using SimscapeIntroduction to Structural Analysis using ANSYS WorkbenchIntroduction to Structural Analysis using ANSYS Workbench

      Top PG Programs

      Post Graduate Program in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Design and AnalysisPost Graduate Program in Computational Fluid DynamicsPost Graduate Program in CADPost Graduate Program in Electric Vehicle Design & Development

      Skill-Lync Plus

      Executive Program in Electric Vehicle Embedded SoftwareExecutive Program in Electric Vehicle DesignExecutive Program in Cybersecurity

      Trending Blogs

      Heat Transfer Principles in Energy-Efficient Refrigerators and Air Conditioners Advanced Modeling and Result Visualization in Simscape Exploring Simulink and Library Browser in Simscape Advanced Simulink Tools and Libraries in SimscapeExploring Simulink Basics in Simscape

      © 2025 Skill-Lync Inc. All Rights Reserved.

                  Do You Want To Showcase Your Technical Skills?
                  Sign-Up for our projects.