COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF FLOW PARAMETERS IN WATER DISTRIBUTION PIPELINE IN PRESENCE OF RECTANGULAR AND CIRCULAR LEAKAGES

This article describes the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis of two different fluids in a pipe with and without leakage. Horizontal pipe and elbow-shape pipe which is susceptible for leakage are modeled to find the fluid behavior at leak area. The fluid parameters including pressure gradient, static pressure variation, and velocity profile and some important variables are studied in the presence of the leak. Several simulations were conducted to provide the understanding of how rectangular and circular leak with different sizes influence the pressure drop which is detectable by in-pipe sensors. Based on simulation results, the pressure gradient and the peak of pressure at vicinity of the leak are larger for crude oil along the length of the pipe and also at leak area due to its larger viscosity compared to water. The pressure drop was large enough to be detected by sensors for very small leak but it is attenuated further away from the leak. Higher jet velocity for water from the leak in comparison with crude oil was observed during simulations. The leak jet angle was larger for circular leak compared to rectangular one for both horizontal and elbow-shape pipe. In the last family of simulations, it was observed that the relationship between pressure drop and line pressure is linear. This present work can prove that CFD analysis is an effective and relatively accurate way to analyze pipe flow with capability to deliver scientific understanding of flow behavior due to the reasonable agreement between theoretical and simulation results.