GAMBIT, FLUENT

By:A.Tahmasebi pour
Email: amir.tahmasbipour@gmail.com
Project No. 1
Laminar Pipe Flow

University of Tehran
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Page 1 of 2

1. 2D Laminar Pipe Flow
Problem Specification

Consider fluid flowing through a circular pipe of contant cross-section. The pipe diameter m and
length . The inlet velocity V
in
=1 m/ s. Consider the velocity to be constant over the inlet cross-section.
The fluid exhausts into the ambient atmosphere which is at a pressure of 1 atm.
The Reynolds number Re based on the pipe diameter is :

where V
avg
is the average velocity at the inlet, which is 1m/s in this case. Solve this problem using GAMBIT and
FLUENT softwares.
Note: The values used for the inlet velocity and flow properties are chosen for convenience rather than to reflect
reality. The key parameter value to focus on is the Reynolds no.

A) Plot the centerline velocity, wall skin-friction coefficient
1
, and velocity profile at the outlet. Validate your results
by comparing them to analytical and experimental results.

B) On the same grid, rerun the FLUENT calculation for two other Reynolds numbers using the "second-order
upwind" scheme. Note: change the Reynolds number by adjusting the molecular viscosity . Plot the centerline
velocity and skin friction as a function of axial distance for these three cases. Plot all three cases on the same graph
for comparison. Briefly explain the trend you observe as the Reynolds number increases.






1

GAMBIT, FLUENT
By:A.Tahmasebi pour
Email: amir.tahmasbipour@gmail.com
Project No. 1
Laminar Pipe Flow

University of Tehran
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Page 2 of 2


C) We expect the viscous boundary layer to grow along the pipe starting at the inlet. It will eventually grow to fill
the pipe completely (provided that the pipe is long enough). When this happens, the flow becomes fully-developed
and there is no variation of the velocity profile in the axial direction, x (see figure below). One can obtain a closed-
form solution to the governing equations in the fully-developed region. The analytical solution is presented in the
Fluid Mechanics course (N.S eq.),So You may compare the numerical results in the fully-developed region with the
corresponding analytical results. So it's a good idea for you to go back to your textbook and review the fully-
developed flow analysis. What are the values of centerline velocity and friction factor you expect in the fully-
developed region based on the analytical solution? What is the solution for the velocity profile?


Objectives:
Your results should contain contours of velocity,pressure and stream function ,for each case.Each result must be
compared to the existing data and the discussion on the obtained results is mandatory in addition to answering
questions A,B and C. the results ought to be presented in a standard report.



Good Luck