Abstract:
Fluid flow distribution among parallel channels usually play an
important role on the global performance improvement of
tubular process equipment, but remains difficult to be properly
measured by experimental methods. This paper presents a
systematic study on the measurement of flow distribution in a
multi-channels fluidic network using PIV technique. For the
precise measurement of flow-rate in each individual channel,
standard 2D-2C PIV technique is used to obtain velocity
vectors on multiple sampling planes parallel to the flow
direction, so as to reconstruct accurate velocity profiles on the
cross-sectional surface. Such procedure is repeated for every
channel to obtain the actual flow distribution properties in the
fluidic network.
Pre-test results on a double-channels device indicate that the
maximum possible deviation of PIV measurements is 13.1%
with respect to those of a flange flowmeter, implying that the
PIV technique is relatively accurate and reliable. PIV results on
the flow distribution in a 15-channels fluidic network are then
compared with CFD simulation results under the same working
conditions. A quite good agreement could be observed.
Moreover, the locations and sizes of vortices in the distributor
have a significant influence on the flow distribution.
Description:
Papers presented to the 12th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Costa de Sol, Spain on 11-13 July 2016.
