Adaptation of segmented elbow on the flow meter by using CFD tools

Abstract

This paper presents the possibility of non-invasive adaptation of the existing pipeline infrastructure in front of the condenser to the measurement of cooling water flow rate. In the analyzed variant, for the measurement of water flow rate in the cooling system, local pressure difference in the segmented elbow was applied. CFD (ANSYS CFX) was used as a tool for diagnosing flow structure, including the location of sampling points of pressure in the elbow. Many variants of flow were modelled ("What if?" analysis type) in this paper. These variants were used to determine the correlation between the differential pressure in the elbow and the flow rate. In addition, the article identifies the advantages and disadvantages of the solutions of this type against a background of standard elements and measuring distances and discusses the basic procedures for preparing and conducting CFD numerical experiment.