An Optimized Elbow Project for Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Students

Abstract

This paper presents the testing of an experimental setup for measurements of pressure drop in the flow for an optimized 90-degree elbow. The optimized elbow was designed using Sculptor software and experimental pressure drop measurements at different flow rates were compared with Ansys Fluent simulations of the flow field. It was discovered that a maximum reduction in pressure drop by 64% could be achieved using an optimized design in comparison with the constant cross section elbow. The paper will include a description of student outcomes, student involvement and an assessment of student learning.