Flow conditioners efficiency a comparison based on numerical approach

Generally, flow conditioner efficiency is experimentally evaluated on the basis of the effects that these devices produce on a particular type of flowmeter. This approach, beside being very expensive, has certainly obstructed the development of a general theory and consequently the optimal design of flow conditioners. The present paper presents a comparison of the performance of different flow conditioners, independently from their effects on particular flowmeters. Therefore, the authors propose the use of several efficiency parameters to evaluate and compare flatness, uni-directionality and axi-symmetry of the velocity profiles produced downstream from the conditioners. In order to compare the main conditioners, a brief description of their characteristics is reported. Then, the numerical analysis is carried out using the finite volume technique. From the results obtained it was possible to calculate the efficiency of the conditioners under low-level disturbance conditions, such as those produced by an out of plane double elbow configuration. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.