Insulation of a Pipeline Section

Application ID: 12096


As oil flows through a pipeline section heat is released due to the work of internal friction forces in the fluid. With good insulation of the pipeline, this generated heat can be used to avoid preheating of the oil, despite the fact that it is to be transported in a cold environment over long distances.

This model uses the Non-isothermal Pipe Flow interface to set up and solve the flow and energy equations describing oil transport in a pipeline section. With the addition of an Optimization interface, the thickness of the pipeline insulation can be found such that the temperature is constant throughout the pipe.

This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products: