Optimizing Designs of Industrial Pipes, Ducts and Manifolds Using CFD

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Optimizing Designs of Industrial Pipes, Ducts and
Manifolds Using CFD
CFD Simulation Consulting Services Hi-Tech CFD
Email info_at_hitechcfd.com Voice 91 79 4000
3252
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Optimizing Designs of Industrial Pipes, Ducts and
Manifolds Using CFD
Fluid Flow Behavior

• Almost every industry involves the utilization of
  pipes, ducts and manifolds to handle wide range
  of fluids, gases or a mixture of solids and
  fluids.
• It is evident that these transport mediums are
  exposed to critical pressure and temperature,
  requiring thorough study on their designs to
  ensure longevity and performance.
• A theoretical design calculation for these
  equipments only give information about the inlet
  and outlet conditions, and does not involve the
  details on the fluid flow behavior that is
  actually occurring inside the channels.
• Since the design of these components play
  important role in determining losses in desired
  output pressure, temperature or flow rate, it is
  essential to conduct comprehensive analysis of
  the system.

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Optimizing Designs of Industrial Pipes, Ducts and
Manifolds Using CFD
Fluid Flow Behavior

• Computational fluid dynamics proves to be a
  decisive tool for such cases, providing detailed
  insights about important design considerations
  that can be incorporated prior to actual
  application.

Some common applications of CFD for pipes, ducts
and manifolds are as discussed on next pages
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Optimizing Designs of Industrial Pipes, Ducts and
Manifolds Using CFD
Heat Transfer Studies

• For industries handling process streams at high
  temperatures using piping system, the prominent
  requirement is to avoid heat transfer losses that
  occur while the fluid is being transported.
• As such, the pipes are usually provided with
  insulating materials that prevent the motive
  stream heat from getting transferred to the
  atmosphere. The losses also occur due to complex
  bends in the piping arrangement, requiring the
  selection of suitable bend angles.
• While experimental investigation provides useful
  information, it is extremely difficult and time
  consuming to evaluate large piping systems. CFD
  as such is an alternative approach to assess the
  piping design comprehensively.
• CFD provides insights on the convective heat
  transfer process occurring within the fluid flow,
  while also assessing the insulation capability of
  the material used on the pipes.
• Impact of bend angles and pipe materials on
  temperature loss can also be evaluated, which can
  be utilized as design inputs to perform required
  optimization for greater efficiency.

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Optimizing Designs of Industrial Pipes, Ducts and
Manifolds Using CFD
Pressure Drop and Vortex Studies

• Pressure drop is a crucial factor required to be
  studied in long range pipelines, HVAC ducts and
  exhaust manifolds.
• The accurate prediction of pressure drop helps in
  sizing the upstream and downstream equipments and
  also assists in optimizing the design.
• One of the prominent characteristics of fluid is
  the generation of vortex that leads to a choked
  flow and reduces the fluid pressure as well as
  cause the structure to vibrate.
• However, in many cases where sold and liquid
  mixing is required, vortex formation is equally
  important to ensure better mixing
  characteristics.
• Utilizing the capabilities of CFD, the entire
  flow field can be studied to determine the impact
  of geometry and fluid flow parameters on pressure
  and vortex generation.
• Using turbulence model, CFD simulates the flow
  characteristics close to actual phenomena to
  better understand the flow and adopt necessary
  optimization techniques.

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Optimizing Designs of Industrial Pipes, Ducts and
Manifolds Using CFD
Species Distribution

• Industrial ducts such as chimneys, ash handling
  systems, etc. are required to handle fluids
  involving suspended solid particles.
• The design of these ducts requires understanding
  about the concentration of solid particles in
  liquids or gases to ensure that required pressure
  and temperature is maintained for successful
  evacuation.
• CFD provides the facility to assess these systems
  by evaluating species distribution in fluids and
  its behavior inside the duct geometry.
• Through these simulations, parameters such as
  deposition, concentration, mixing ratio and flow
  velocity can be assessed for the designed duct
  geometry.
• Based on the results, the geometry or the fluid
  parameters can be optimized accordingly.

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About Author

Mehul Patel is CFD Specialist at Hi-Tech. He
works as a CFD consultant with Hi-Tech CFD for
the past 5 years and has successfully executed
numerous CFD projects of high complexities.

He specializes in handling CFD projects for
Automobile, Aerospace, Oil and Gas and building
HVAC sectors. He is an expert in turbo-machinery,
gas dynamics, Combustion, Fluid Dynamics,
multiphase flow analysis etc. For more
information, visit http//www.hitechcfd.com
CFD Simulation Consulting Services Hi-Tech CFD
Email info_at_hitechcfd.com Voice 91 79 4000
3252