Numerical simulation of flow through a 2D pipe using

ANSYS FLUENT

Aim: Running a simulation of 2D pipe flow in ANSYS FLUENT and analysing/validating

the obtained results.
Introduction and theory

Fluid flow through pipes is a critical aspect of numerous engineering applications, playing a
fundamental role in the transportation of liquids, gases, and various industrial processes.
Understanding the principles of pipe flow is essential for engineers across disciplines as it
forms the backbone of diverse systems, ranging from water distribution networks to oil and gas
pipelines. Advancements in technology have introduced computational tools like ANSYS,
Fluent, and others, enabling engineers to simulate and analyse pipe flow through
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). These simulations provide valuable insights into flow
patterns, pressure distributions, and performance characteristics, aiding in the design and
optimization of complex pipe systems.

Fundamentals of fluid dynamics

Reynolds number: The Reynolds number is a dimensionless parameter that represents the
ratio of inertial forces to viscous forces in the fluid. For pipe flow with velocity (v) and
diameter(D) with fluid properties density (𝜌) and dynamic viscosity (𝜇),the Reynolds number
can be calculated using eqn 1.
𝜌𝑣𝐷 (1)
𝑅𝑒 =
𝜇

Boundary layer: The velocity grows from zero at the surface to a maximum at height δ. In
theory, the value of δ is infinity but in practice it is taken as the height needed to obtain 99%
of the mainstream velocity. This layer is called the boundary layer and δ is the boundary layer
thickness.

Laminar and turbulent flow

Laminar Flow: In laminar flow, the fluid moves in smooth, orderly layers with little or no
mixing between adjacent layers. The flow is characterized by well-defined streamlines, and the
fluid particles follow predictable paths.
Characteristics:

• Low fluid velocity.

• Regular and predictable flow patterns.
• Reduced mixing between adjacent layers.
• Streamlined flow with minimal disturbances.

Reynolds Number (Re): Laminar flow typically occurs at low Reynolds numbers. For pipe
flow, laminar flow is generally observed at Re values below a critical threshold (e.g., Re <
2,300 for flow in a pipe).

Velocity Profile: In laminar flow, the velocity profile across the cross-section of the flow is
parabolic for pipe flow.

Turbulent Flow: Turbulent flow is characterized by chaotic, irregular fluid motion with high
levels of mixing and eddy formation. The fluid particles exhibit random movement, and the
flow patterns are less predictable compared to laminar flow.

Characteristics:

• High fluid velocity.

• Chaotic and irregular flow patterns.
• Enhanced mixing between adjacent layers.
• Fluctuations and vortices in the flow.

Reynolds Number (Re): Turbulent flow typically occurs at higher Reynolds numbers. The
transition from laminar to turbulent flow is influenced by factors such as flow velocity, pipe
diameter, and fluid properties.

Velocity Profile: In turbulent flow, the velocity profile is flatter across the cross-section
compared to the parabolic profile of laminar flow. The core region of the flow experiences
higher velocities, and the flow near the walls is reduced.

Entrance length

The entrance length is the distance a flow travels after entering a pipe before the flow becomes
fully developed. Entrance length refers to the length of the entry region, the area following the
pipe entrance where effects originating from the interior wall of the pipe propagate into the
flow as an expanding boundary layer. When the boundary layer expands to fill the entire pipe,
the developing flow becomes a fully developed flow, where flow characteristics no longer
change with increased distance along the pipe (Fig. 1). Hydrodynamic entrance length
describes the formation of a velocity profile caused by viscous forces propagating from the
pipe wall. Thermal entrance length describes the formation of a temperature profile. Awareness
of entrance length may be necessary for the effective placement of instrumentation, such as
fluid flowmeters. For laminar flow the entrance length is calculated as per eqn 2.
𝐿 (2)
= 0.0575𝑅𝑒𝐷
𝐷

Figure 1. Velocity profile development in laminar flow

Velocity profile for fully developed laminar flow

The analytical solution for fully developed laminar flow is given as per eqn 3.

𝑟 2 (3)
𝑢 = 𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑥 (1 − ( ) )
𝑅

where umax – velocity at centre in radial direction

r- radial distance from centre

R-radius of the pipe

Governing equations

The governing equation for pipe flow is derived from the fundamental principles of fluid
dynamics and plays a central role in understanding and predicting the behaviour of fluid within
a pipe. Commonly referred to as the Navier-Stokes equations, these partial differential
equations describe the motion of fluid by accounting for the effects of acceleration, pressure,
and viscosity. For pipe flow, the simplified form of the Navier-Stokes equations includes the
continuity equation (eqn 4) and the conservation of momentum equations in both the axial(eqn
5) and radial directions(eqn 6). In CFD analysis we discretise these equations and convert those
into algebraic equations and solve through numerical techniques.
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑣 (4)
+ =0
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦

𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑝 𝜕 2𝑢 𝜕 2𝑢 (5)
𝜌 (𝑢 +𝑣 )=− + 𝜇 ( 2 + 2)
𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦

𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑝 𝜕 2𝑣 𝜕 2𝑣 (6)
𝜌 (𝑢 +𝑣 )=− + 𝜇 ( 2 + 2)
𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦

Computational domain and boundary condition:

For the present case we will create a computational domain of 2D pipe with radius 20 mm and
length 200 mm keeping L/D = 10 (Fig.2).

Figure 2. Schematic of computational domain

The boundaries will be created as shown in Fig. 3 and will be given the boundary condition
during case setup as described in the following section.

Boundary conditions

• Inlet- Velocity inlet, Axial velocity (calculated based on Reynolds number)

• Outlet- Outflow
• Pipe Wall- Stationary wall, No-slip condition
 Figure 3. Schematic of domain with labelled boundaries

Procedure
1. Start ANSYS Workbench:
• Launch ANSYS Workbench and open fluid flow fluent.

2. Geometry:
• Open DesignModeler by right clicking on geometry.
• Before starting to create the geometry, it's essential to set the working units for
the project set it to mm for current case.

• Click on the “modelling’’ tab and select XY plane and then click on Z-axis to
set front on view of the XY plane.
• Click on the "Sketching" tab in the DesignModeler toolbar.

• Create a new sketch by clicking the rectangle icon.

• Select rectangle and click on origin of the XY plane and drag the rectangle to
first quadrant.

• Give the dimensions as mentioned in the geometry description in the manual by

selecting general from dimension tab.

• Go to concept and generate a plane by selecting the sketch from plane option.

• Then click on any edge of the rectangle to select the rectangle body for plane
creation.
 • Then on base object click apply.

• Click on the "Generate" button to create the solid geometry.

• Again click on modelling tab and expand the 1 part,1 body option and click on
surface body and make it fluid so that fluent can recognise the fluid domain for
meshing.

3. Meshing:
• Go back to workbench and open Meshing.
• Set units to mm from the metric option on the bottom right of the screen.
• Select mesh in the model list.
• Specify mesh element size as 5mm in the details of mesh.
• Click on generate.
• Create boundaries using the named selection option.
• First select the edge control which will activate only selection of edges.
• Then right click on any edge and create named selection option will appear.

• Click on this and enter the name of the boundary as described in manual.
4. Case Setup
• Go back to workbench and open setup.
• Select the double precision and click start to open the setup.

4.1 Physics Models:

• Choose "Laminar" as the flow model since you are dealing with laminar flow.

• Go to materials and click add new define the fluid material properties by
selecting water as fluid from fluent material database.
 • Go to cell zone conditions and Define the cell zone as fluid water to specify that
water is inside the domain.

4.2 Boundary Conditions:

• Set boundary conditions in the boundary condition dialogue box
• Inlet: Set the velocity calculated by taking Re=100.
• Outlet: keep default settings, atmospheric pressure at outlet.
• Walls: keep default settings, No-slip.
4.3 Numerical Settings:
• Set up the solution methods, including discretization schemes for pressure,
momentum, and other variables.
• Choose appropriate solvers for pressure-velocity coupling (e.g., SIMPLE).
• Choose appropriate discretisation scheme for pressure and momentum.
• Pressure- Second order
• Momentum- QUICK Scheme

• Go to monitors and set the residuals to 10-6

 4.4 Initialization:
• Go to initialization.
• Use “Standard Initialization" and select from inlet.

5. Solution:
• Go to Run calculation.
• Set the no. of iterations to 1000.
• Click on calculate to run the calculation.
 6. Post-Processing:
• Once the simulation is complete, post-process the results using Fluent's post-
processing tools.
• Generate plots, contours, and vectors to visualize flow patterns and key
variables.
7. Analysis:
• Analyze the results to draw conclusions about your simulation.
• Ensure that the results make physical sense.

Finally repeat the procedure by changing grid size to 1 mm and 0.1 mm.

Terminology
• Coarse grid- 5mm
• Medium grid – 1mm
• Fine grid – 0.1 mm

Observations:
1) Pressure contours at Re=100 for coarse, medium, and fine grid

2) Velocity contours at Re=100 for coarse, medium, and fine grid

3) Velocity vector plots at Re=100 for coarse, medium and fine grid

4) Velocity profiles at Re=100 for coarse medium and fine grid at x/L=0.1

5) Velocity profiles at Re=100 for coarse medium and fine grid at x/L = 0.5

6) Velocity profiles at Re=100 for coarse medium and fine grid at x/L = 0.6

Remarks: