Numerical investigation of fluid flow simulation

through a cylindrical shape orifice flow meter using

Ansys-fluent software
Tesfaye Barza Zema

Wolaita Sodo University

Research Article

Keywords: Orifice, K-epsilon, Vena-contracta, and Naiver-Stokes Equations (NSEs)

Posted Date: February 22nd, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3969896/v1

License:   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Additional Declarations: No competing interests reported.

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Abstract
Orifices are typical flow meter used to measure fluid flow in industrial pipe work. The choice of an
appropriate standard K-epsilon turbulence model is critical for achieving acceptable flow measurement
accuracy in numerical simulations. This work offers a numerical investigation of fluid flow simulation in
a cylindrical orifice using Ansys-fluent with turbulence modeling. It is used for continuous and
incompressible flows. The computations were performed in three-dimensional axisymmetric flow, and the
governing equations of the flow were determined using continuity and Navier-Stokes equations (NSEs).
Furthermore, the simulation results in terms of velocity and pressure profiles are determined. Finally, CFx-
Post simulations were used to determine the position of the vena contracta. The location and position of
the vena contracta reveal that as the area ratio increases, the location of the vena contracta changes
towards the orifice.

1. Introduction
An orifice meter, also known as an orifice, is a device used to measure the flow of liquid through a pipe. It
works on the same principle as the Venturi meter. It consists of a flat circular plate with a circular, sharp-
edged hole called an orifice, which is concentric with the pipe. The pipeline orifice is shown in the image
below along with a manometer that measures the pressure differential as fluid passes through it. The
"vena contracta" is the term used to describe the jet's smallest cross-sectional area.

2 2 2 2
P1 V P2 V P1 P12 V V
1 2 2 1
+ + Z1 = + + Z2 \varvecor ( + Z1 ) − ( + Z2 ) = −
ρg 2g ρg 2g ρg ρg 2g 2g

P1 P12
ButDifferentialheadh = ( + Z1 ) − ( + Z2 )
ρg ρg

2 2
V V
2 1 2 2
h = − or2gh = V − V
2 1
2g 2g

The area at the vena contracta is denoted in above picture. If the orifice area is, then we have; Cc =
a_2/a_0 Where! Coefficient of contraction a_2 = a_0 Cc, we obtain v2 and the discharge coefficient using
the continuity equation. The Orifice flow meter works on the simple principle of using the effects of
velocity and pressure variation caused by the reduction in the available area for flow. It is widely used in
flow metering owing to its ruggedness, simple mechanical construction, and other known advantages [1].
Extensive studies have been conducted on the effect of the orifice-to-pipe diameter ratio [2]. And
modeling, as well as analysis of complex orifice meters, frequently involves CFD tools. [3]. A different
study to explore oscillating air flow through a hole in a circular pipe using a standard single-hole orifice
meter and (CFD) measurements. Corresponding to this, additional research has focused on determining
appropriate pressure drops and discharge coefficients. Although the orifice plate is cheap, resilient, and
simple to set up, a limitation of this meter is that it enhances the form of friction. And this is an issue
when a substantial amount of pressure drop cannot be recovered using this type of meter. Not much
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energy is lost as the fluid velocity increases at the opening of the orifice plate; however, as it moves
through and continues to slow down, almost all the extra energy is lost [4]. Given the apparent
advantages of a flow meter, it is vital to understand the flow pattern of the orifice meter to further improve
its performance in terms of flow measurement accuracy. As a result, CFD simulations were used in this
study to determine the flow pattern and vena contracta in the orifice meter. Findings in terms of velocity
and pressure profiles. CFD is a significant engineering tool for the design and application of these devices
in any scenario where studies would be too complicated or time consuming, which is prevalent in the oil
and gas industry.

2. Materials and Methods

To create the CFD model of the orifice flow meter, we needed to create a project schematic in the Ansys
workbench for CFD analysis. CFD Fluent Workbench was used for modeling and analysis of orifice [5].
First, we need to create a 3-D sketch of the orifice geometry according to the setup and convert it to a 3-D
plain geometry. Modelingwas performed on a geometry workbench using sketches and modeling tools.
There are several commands available in the geometry workbench by which we can create any complex
geometry, which is the same as other modeling software.

Computer simulation of the orifice was done using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). CFD is a method
to solve complex problems involving fluid flow. The above conditions were taken as mentioned in the
previous section, and the computer simulation, which is the analysis, was done using Ansys-Fluent. The
CFD analysis was done in the following steps: • Modeling • Meshing • Pre-processing • Solver/Processing
• Post-processing [6].

2.1 Geometry and meshing results

Amesh size and grid independence study was performed to find a mesh that was sufficiently fine to
provide an accurate solution. Predictions with cells concentrated in various locations and places were
performed carried out during the inquiry to test the influence on the simulated variables. First, the flow
field downstream of the orifice is investigated. The final geometry model was formalized using an
iterative orifice simulation technique. To achieve the anticipated results, the iteration is carried out with
convergence in the orifice flow meter [7]. In Ansys-fluent, the geometric characteristics were modeled. The
input and output pipe dimensions for a specific orifice model were also covered. The mesh for all models
was chosen as a fine structure and given a number in the mesh information for FFF in the appendix using
Ansys Workbench 16.0, which is used for the (CFD) approach.

2.2 Governing equations and modeling assumptions

Radiation and the Eulerian wall film were not considered in the usage of the typical viscous K-epsilon
turbulence model in the current study. The K-epsilon turbulence model performs admirably for a variety of
industrial flows and is easy to use, affordable, widely validated, and accurate. It is necessary to solve the
governing equations (continuity and momentum) with the proper Reynolds stress closure [8]. Because it
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is believed that the problem comprises a steady, viscous, fully developed, and incompressible flow, a
pressure-based solver using axisymmetric laminar flow and steady parameters has been accepted. The
governing equations of the flow are obtained using continuity equations and Navier–Stokes equations
are expressed as follows [9].
2.3 Navier- Stokes equation
Fluid motion is governed by Newton's second law of motion for fluids and the Navier-Stokes equations.
This gives in the case of a compressible Newtonian fluid.

Conservation of mass:

2.4 Geometry, grid, and computational domain

The flow through the orifice meter was studied by a set of CFD simulations. The pipe comprises a length
of 1.500 m, an internal diameter of 0.01 m, an external diameter of 0.02 m, and a thickness of 0.07 m. To
prevent the influence of patched boundary conditions on the flow through the orifice, a proper length has
been taken into account both upstream and downstream of the orifice plate. Furthermore, the orifice plate
encounter fully developed turbulent flow. The figure below illustrates the orifice model. The meshing
provided the total nodes and elements of the tetrahedron mesh mentioned in the result summary. Water
(an incompressible fluid) was used as a working fluid. To determine the relative pressure drop between
the inlet and outlet, static pressure was applied to the outlet pipe. The inlet velocity profile is considered to
be uniform and set to 0.1 m/s subsonic flow. The pipe is simulated as a solid wall with no slippage. For
the turbulence model, the standard K-epsilon model was used, and the numerical high accuracy was
adjusted to first order. Besides, the simulation was performed until the pressure and velocity residuals
were less than 0.000001.

2.5 Aspect ratio

In most computational fluid flow problems, it is difficult to determine the ideal grid-cell aspect ratio. The
aspect ratio is normally on the order of unity; however, particular flow patterns may require significantly
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higher or lower aspect ratios. As a result, the aspect ratio of the long straight pipe steadily decreased and
reached less than one close to the orifice. It is approximately one at the cell next to the orifice lip, one
within the orifice, and then gradually rises further downstream.

2.6 Boundary conditions and analysis

Orifice analysis files were imported into the fluid flow Ansys-CFx-Post for the current investigation. The
mass flow rate of the inlet was 0.0013 kg/s, the static pressure value was specified as 0.39128637 Pa,
and the velocity magnitude at the inlet is 0.10 m/s. The no-slip wall condition for the mass and
momentum taking the wall's roughness into account is also smooth. Water was used as the fluid medium
to do the numerical analysis of the fluid flow.

Table 1
Boundary conditions
Boundary entities inlet cfx-solver

location Inlet

properties

flow regime Subsonic

mass & momentum Static Pressure

turbulence Medium intensity and Eddy Viscosity

Spatial Distribution Spatial Distribution

Gradient Least Square Cell-Based

Pressure Second Order

Momentum Second Order upwind

Turbulent KE First order upwind

Solver -Type Velocity- Formulation

Pressure -Based Absolute

Time Solution-Method Pressure–Velocity

Steady Scheme- Simple

3 Results and Discussions

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The velocity contour connects and velocity vectors appear in the picture above. As seen in the illustrative
water, a free-flowing jet in the fluid downstream passes through a passage plate, which is narrowing. The
rate of change was highest. Separation of the boundary layer may be observed on the downstream side
of the orifice plate. The turbulence and wake regions, as well as the recirculation zones, may all be seen
just downstream of the orifice meter. The orifice flow pattern is properly represented by numerical
simulations.

Domain Nodes Elements Tetrahedra

Fluid 6288 29352 29352

Solid 5919 20872 20872

Domains 12207 50224 50224

Table 2. Mesh Information for FFF

The velocity and pressure profiles are represented in the figure above. As the flow approaches the orifice
meter's throat, the velocity rises. It goes downstream of the orifice meter until it reaches its maximum at Z
= 0.123m. This greatest velocity point is known as the Vena-Contracta. The velocity drops beyond this
moment. As for pressure, as we can see from the velocity contour in the figure, energy must be conserved
at all places in the domain, therefore pressure declines when the flow approaches the orifice meter,
reaches a minimum at Vena-Contracta, and begins to recover as the flow travels downstream.

4 Conclusions
An orifice meter in a pipeline was passed through a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. In
terms of the flow pattern, velocity, and pressure profile, these values correspond to the discharged data.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model was used to predict the precise location of vena contracta. It
is speculated that the principles of flow physics are at play, particularly the position of the vena contracta
and the typical length and velocity scales in the orifice flow. The CFD technique may be utilized as an
appropriate and reasonable tool, it is further claimed.

Declarations
The data used to support the findings of this study are included in the article

Conflicts of Interest

No conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Funding

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“No funding was received”.

Author Contribution Statement

Author: Tesfaye Barza

Tesfaye Barza conceived and designed the study, collected and analyzed the data, interpreted the results,
and wrote the entire manuscript.

Acknowledgments

Nill.

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Figures

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Figure 1

An orifice -meter with Vena-Contracta

Figure 2

The simulated pipe and orifice(Ansys-Fluent)

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Figure 3

Geometry and boundary conditions

Figure 4

Complete Boolean geometry of orifice flow-meter

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Figure 5

Grid independent

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Figure 6

Tetrahedron skewness

Figure 7

Aspect Ratio
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Figure 8

Energy and x,y z velocity value residual 239 solution is converged!

Figure 9

velocity contour Vs Pressure contour

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Figure 10

velocity pfofile

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