%0 Journal Article
%T CFD Analysis of the Effect of Elbow Radius on Pressure Drop in Multiphase Flow
%A Quamrul H. Mazumder
%J Modelling and Simulation in Engineering
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/125405
%X Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was performed in four different 90 degree elbows with air-water two-phase flows. The inside diameters of the elbows were 6.35£żmm and 12.7£żmm with radius to diameter ratios ( ) of 1.5 to 3. The pressure drops at two different upstream and downstream locations were investigated using empirical, experimental, and computational methods. The combination of three different air velocities, ranging from 15.24 to 45.72£żm/sec, and nine different water velocities, in the range of 0.1¨C10.0£żm/s, was used in this study. CFD analysis was performed using the mixture model and a commercial code, FLUENT. The comparison of CFD predictions with experimental data and empirical model outputs showed good agreement. 1. Introduction and Background In most industrial processes, fluids are used as a medium for material transport. A complete knowledge of the principles that rule the phenomena involving fluids transportation leads to more efficient and secure systems. However, in many industries, such as petroleum, chemical, oil, and gas industries, two-phase or multiphase flow is frequently observed [1]. Multiphase flow is defined as the simultaneous flow of several phases, with the simplest case being a two-phase flow [2]. Compared to single-phase flow, the equations associated with two-phase flow are very complex, due to the presence of different flow patterns in gas-liquid systems [3]. A detailed discussion of two-phase flow phenomenon behavior is provided by Wallis [2]. The flow patterns observed in horizontal flow are bubble, stratified, stratified wavy, slug, and annular. In vertical flows, bubble, plug, slug (or churn), annular, and wispy-annular flow patterns are present. Several investigations have been reported to determine the friction factor and pressure drops in horizontal [4] and vertical [5] two-phase and multiphase flows [6]. The presence of the two-phase flow typically produces an undesirable higher-pressure drop in the piping components. In most industrial installations, elbows are frequently used to direct the flow and provide flexibility to the system [7]. Since these fittings are also used to install instruments that monitor the main parameters of the industrial process, it is important to have a reliable way to evaluate the pressure drop in these elbows [8]. As the fluid flows through the bend, the curvature of bend causes a centrifugal force; the centrifugal force is directed toward the outer wall of the pipe from the momentary center of the curvature. The combined presence of centrifugal force and boundary layer
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mse/2012/125405/