Numerical modelling of unsteady turbulent flow in tubes,including the effects of roughness and large changes in Reynolds number

Abstract

A method has been developed for predicting unsteady turbulent friction in smooth, transitional, and rough pipe flows. For transitional and rough pipe flows the effective viscosity at the wall is varied depending on Reynolds number and roughness. An approximation has been made for the transition region using a cubic spline for the friction factor between the smooth and rough regions. This turbulence model can be implemented readily in several types of numerical model for pipe flow, including simple lumped parameter models, finite difference/finite element methods, and the method of characteristics. An approximate method for representing changes in turbulence energy is discussed. Using this, the method is suitable for small and large changes in flow, and for short and long time scales, but further validation is needed.

Keywords

turbulent flow unsteady flow rough pipes accelerating flow

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