Flow and performance characteristics of a Y-shaped diffusing duct using CFD Online publication date: Wed, 05-Jan-2011
by R.B. Anand, A. Chandraprabhu, X.J.A. Richards, N. Hareshram
International Journal of Aerodynamics (IJAD), Vol. 1, No. 2, 2010
Abstract: A computational investigation is carried out to study the flow and performance characteristics of a Y-shaped diffusing duct having two inlets and one outlet with an overall area ratio of 2 using a commercial CFD code, FLUENT. The CFD code is validated with the experimental results and it was found that the code applying the RNG k-e turbulence model has the capability of predicting the flow and performance characteristics for the similar geometry. The Y-shaped diffusing duct is formed by merging two symmetrical S-shaped diffusing ducts (area ratio = 4, curvilinear length = 600 mm, angle of turn = 22.5°/22.5°) at the centreline of outlet. The flow and performance characteristics of the duct are analysed for a uniform flow profile at the inlet that is observed in the experiments. The results are presented in the form of contour plots for the axial velocity distribution and the cross-flow velocity distribution in terms of vector plots. The analysis reveals the fact that however the flow at the diffuser inlet is uniform, secondary flows are induced as an effect of curvature and change in the cross-sectional area.
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Aerodynamics (IJAD):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:
Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.
If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com