Fluid flow in curved ducts

SUMMARY The advent of standard algorithms for the numerical solution of partial differential equations has given researchers a new tool for fluid flow calculations. In this paper, single-phase flow in curved ducts is numerically simulated by imposing a spatially varying centrifugal force on a fluid flowing in a straight tube. The resulting set of partial differential equations is solved using the HARWELL-FLOW3D computer program. Comparison with other numerical and experimental results shows that this simplified formulation gives accurate results. The model neglects certain geometric terms of the order d/D, the duct-to-coil diameter ratio. The effect of these terms is investigated by considering the flow in a 90" bend for large d/D. It is shown that while there may be significant error in the prediction of the local variables for large d/D, the circumference-averaged quantities are well predicted.