Modeling Pipe Flow & Heat in COMSOL Multiphysics® - Archived

Pipe flow modeling with the COMSOL Multiphysics^® software is applied across a wide range of industries for various purposes, including for the design of ventilation systems in buildings, pipelines in the chemical and oil & gas industries, pipe networks for geothermal applications, and water distribution systems. The Pipe Flow Module, an add-on to the software, provides a computationally efficient way to simulate fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, acoustics, and structural behavior in piping systems with high aspect ratios.

With the module, instead of solving for the full 3D flow field inside of pipes, the pipes are represented by 3D curves along their centerlines. Along these curves, cross-section-averaged variables are solved for. Components such as junctions, valves, bends, and pumps can be included to capture pressure changes throughout the network. Pipe models can also be embedded in larger 3D domains to capture interactions with their surroundings. For instance, cooling pipes in engine blocks and injection molds or heating pipes in geothermal applications can be considered.

In this webinar, we will explore the capabilities of the COMSOL^® software for modeling piping systems, accounting for fluid flow, heat transfer, and species transport. We will also give a live demonstration of how to set up a pipe flow model, highlighting the workflow and the key features in the software.