Numerical Simulation on Internal Flows of Reducing Cross

Abstract

In order to study the internal flows and hydraulic loss of reducing cross, numerical simulation was carried out on a horizontally installed reducing cross. Three schemes of pipe diameters were studied. The time-averaged N-S equations of three-dimensional steady flows in the reducing pipe were calculated by CFX 14.5 based on the standard - two equation turbulence model together with standard wall function. The results show that the higher the inlet velocity, the hydraulic loss become larger when the split ratios are same for the reducing cross. With the uniform inlet velocities the higher the inlet velocity, the quicker the increasing rate of the hydraulic loss in main pipe, as well as the branch pipe. The integral change rules of hydraulic loss are similar with the condition of uniform flow rate inflow when the flow patterns at inlet are uniform. But with the same spilt ratio, the hydraulic loss of uniform velocity inflow is markedly less than that of uniform flow rate inflow in both main pipe and branch pipe. The bigger the differences of the diameters between the main pipe and the branch pipe, the larger the hydraulic loss of the branch pipe.