Numerical simulation of the effect of upstream swirling flow on swirl meter performance

作者：Chen Desheng; Cui Baoling^*; Zhu Zuchao

来源：Journal of Thermal Science, 2018, 27(2): 117-124.

DOI：10.1007/s11630-018-0992-5

• Swirl meter
• Numerical simulation
• swirling flow
• vortex precession

Flow measurement is important in the fluid process and transmission system. For the need of accuracy measurement of fluid, stable flow is acquired. However, the elbows and devices as valves and rotary machines may produce swirling flow in the natural gas pipeline networks system and many other industry fields. In order to reveal the influence of upstream swirling flow on internal flow fields and the metrological characteristics, numerical simulations are carried out on the swirl meter. Using RNG k-epsilon turbulent model and SIMPLE algorithm, the flow field is numerically simulated under swirling flows generated from co-swirl and counter-swirl flow. Simulation results show fluctuation is enhanced or weakened depending on the rotating direction of swirling flow. A counter-swirl flow increases the entropy production rate at the inlet and outlet of the swirler, the junction region between throat and divergent section, and then the pressure loss is increased. The vortex precession dominates the static pressure distributions on the solid walls and in the channel, especially at the end region of the throat.

• 出版日期2018-4
• 单位浙江理工大学