VMFL007

VMFL007
Non-Newtonian Flow in a Pipe

Overview

Reference W.F. Hughes and J.A. Brighton. Schaum's Outline of Theory and Problems of Fluid Dynamics. McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., New York, NY. 1991.

Solver Ansys Fluent, Ansys CFX

Physics/Models Steady laminar flow, power law for viscosity

Input File

powerlaw-visc.cas for Ansys Fluent

VMFL007B_vv007CFX.def for Ansys CFX

Project Files Link to Project Files Download Page

Test Case

Flow of a non-Newtonian fluid in a circular pipe is modeled. Viscosity is specified by power law equation.

Figure 9: Flow Domain

Material Properties	Geometry	Boundary Conditions
Density = 1000 kg/m³ Viscosity: Power law Parameters: k = 10 n = 0.4	Pipe length = 0.1 m Pipe diameter = 0.0025 m	Fully developed velocity profile at inlet with an average velocity of 2 m/s

Material Properties

Geometry

Boundary Conditions

Density = 1000 kg/m³

Viscosity: Power law

Parameters:

k = 10

n = 0.4

Pipe length = 0.1 m

Pipe diameter = 0.0025 m

Fully developed velocity profile at inlet with an average velocity of 2 m/s

Analysis Assumptions and Modeling Notes

The flow is steady. Viscosity is specified using non-Newtonian power law equation.

Results Comparison for Ansys Fluent

Table 10: Comparison of Pressure Drop in the Pipe

	Target	Ansys Fluent	Ratio
Pressure Drop, kPa	60.52	60.41	0.998

Results Comparison for Ansys CFX

Table 11: Comparison of Pressure Drop in the Pipe

	Target	Ansys CFX	Ratio
Pressure Drop, kPa	60.52	61.52	1.0165