Experiment No: 11

Flow visualization in a Process Injection Mixing Pipe through CFX software

Aim: To predict the flow field and temperature field in the neighbourhood of the mixing
region in order to properly design the location of inlet pipes, where viscosity is function of
temperature.

Problem Description: The injection mixing pipe, common in the process industry, is
composed of two pipes: one with a larger diameter than the other. Analysing and optimising
the mixing process is often critical for many chemical processes. CFD is useful not only in
identifying problem areas (where mixing is poor), but also in testing new designs before they
are implemented. The geometry for this example consists of a circular pipe of diameter 1.0 m
with a 90 bend, and a smaller pipe of diameter 0.3 m which joins with the main pipe at an
oblique angle.

Figure 1 Process Injection Mixing pipe.

Utilities Required: CFX-pre, CFX-solver, and CFX-post.

PROCEDURE:
1. Creating a New Simulation: Launch ANSYS CFX-pre. Save new simulation.
2. Importing a Mesh: Import mesh file InjectMixerMesh.gtm from the location
/CFX/CFX-10.0/examples.
3. Setting Temperature-Dependent Material Properties: Viscosity will be made to vary
linearly with temperature between the following conditions: =1.8E-03 N.s/m
2
at T
=275 K, =5.45E-04 N.s/m
2
at T=325 K. Create new expression to define the
variation of viscosity with temperature. You have to define lower and upper
temperatures and their corresponding viscosities. Finally express viscosity as

Viscosity at T = Vislower + (Visupper - Vislower)*(T-Tlower)/(Tupper-Tlower)

4. Modify Material Properties: Enter the viscosity change expression to find dynamic
viscosity.
5. Creating the Domain: The domain will be set to use the Thermal Energy heat transfer
model and the k-(k-epsilon) turbulence model.
6. Creating the side Inlet and main inlet Boundary Conditions: Define boundary
conditions like temperature, velocity etc., at side inlet and main inlet. Main inlet is
defined using a velocity profile InjectMixer_velocity_profiles.csv found in the
example /CFX/CFX-10.0/examples. Profile data needs to be initialized before the
boundary condition can be created.
7. Setting Intial values: apply global initialization to set intial values.
8. Setting Solver Control: Define number iteration needed, convergence criteria, blend
factor etc.
9. Writing the solver (.def) file: Write solver file as .def file and start ANSYS CFX-
Solver Manager.
10. Start Run: Check run definition and start solver run and wait till it finished.
11. Moving from ANSYS-CFX solver to ANSYS CFX-post: start Ansys CFX-Post and
shut down solver manager.
12. Creating and Modifying Streamlines: Create streamlines from both main inlet and
side inlet.
13. Plot different quantities in the domain by creating plane: create one plane and study
the distribution of different properties.
14. Exiting ANSYS CFX-Post.

Result: Discuss velocity and temperature distribution and draw streamline plot, vector plots
and temperature variation plot.