Flow in Circular Cross Section Tube Using the Partial Surface Wetting Conditions

Abstract

This contribution deals with the possibility of numerical modeling of fluid flow in horizontal pipes of circular cross section with boundary condition including the effect of wall partial wetting. ANSYS Fluent software was used for numerical modeling. Boundary condition including the effect of wall partial wetting is based on a theory where the adhesive coefficient k determines the wettability of the wall, defined by prof. Pochylý [1-5]. User defined function (UDF) was created for this boundary condition and it was verified in both 2D and 3D geometry. The results of numerical modeling have been verified by theoretical assumptions. Furthermore, the article presents the physical experiment results of pressure losses measuring in pipes of circular cross section of different materials in laminar flow. Subsequently, the experiment results are compared with the theory of fully wettable and partially wettable walls to determine the adhesive coefficient k for the material of used pipes.

Keywords

• flow
• tube
• surface