Open Access

ARTICLE

Numerical Simulation of 3D Flow Field and Flow-Induced Noise Characteristics in a T-Shaped Reducing Tee Junction

Feiran Lv¹, Min Wang², Chuntian Zhe¹, Chang Guo³, Ming Gao^1,*

1 Shandong Engineering Laboratory for High-Efficiency Energy Conservation and Energy Storage Technology & Equipment, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, 250061, China
2 Jinan Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Center, Jinan, 250099, China
3 School of Energy and Power Engineering, Qilu University of Technology, Jinan, 250306, China

* Corresponding Author: Ming Gao. Email:

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2023, 19(6), 1463-1478. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2023.024259

Received 28 May 2022; Accepted 09 August 2022; Issue published 30 January 2023

Abstract

The so-called T-shaped reducing tees are typically used to divide, change and control (to a certain extent) the flow direction in pipe networks. In this study, the Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings (FW-H) equation and the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) methods are used to simulate the flow-induced noise related to T-shaped reducing tees under different inlet flow velocities and for different pipe diameter ratios. The results show that the maximum flow velocity, average flow velocity, and vorticity in the branch pipe increase gradually as the related diameter decreases. Strong vorticity and secondary flows are also observed in the branch pipe, and the associated violent pressure fluctuations are found to be the main sources of flow-induced noise. In particular, as the pipe diameter ratio decreases from 1 to 0.45, the Total Sound Pressure Level (TSPL) increases by 6.8, 6.26, and 7.43 dB for values of the inlet flow velocity of 1, 2, and 3 m/s, respectively. The distribution characteristics of the flow-induced noise in the frequency domain follow similar trends for different pipe diameter ratios.

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