Experimental and Numerical Evaluation and Optimization of a Non Standard Pitot/Sampling Probe

Andrea Shmueli, Tor Erling Unander, Ole Jørgen Nydal

Department of Petroleum Research, SINTEF, Trondheim, Norway.
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Trondheim, Norway.

DOI: 10.4236/eng.2013.512118                

Abstract

An isokinetic sampling probe is designed and constructed to measure entrained liquid droplet fluxes in separated gasliquid pipe flows. This probe also has the capability of working as a non-standard Pitot tube when the sampling is stopped. CFD simulations using the commercial software Ansys CFX were carried out for single phase gas flow to analyze the non-standard design. Pitot tube velocity calculations and isokinetic sampling conditions were studied. The predicted results were compared against theoretical velocity profiles from the literature and with gas single phase experimental data acquired in a horizontal 49 m long steel pipeline with an internal diameter of 69 mm. The experiments were done by using a dense gas (SF6) at 7 bara. An asymmetry of the experimental velocity profiles reproduced with the numerical simulations. The CFD simulations made it possible to verify the design and predict and correct an installation problem.

Keywords

Isokinetic Probe; Pitot Tube; CFD; Flow; Installation Effects

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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