The rectification characteristics of a tab-type elbow flow conditioner under three incoming flow conditions are investigated by numerical methods
and the flow mechanism
rectification performance
application range and pressure loss characteristics are analyzed. The results show that the elbow tabs form a counter-rotating induced vortex through the influence of pressure difference
and guide the outside fluid to the inside in elbows
thus greatly enhancing the momentum exchange between the fluids
and achieving the effect of disturbing the original velocity distribution and forming a uniform flow. Compared with the smooth tube elbow
the tab-type flow conditioner has little effect on the pressure uniformity
but increases the velocity uniformity by 21%-36%
and the influence on the flow angle uniformity varies with the inlet conditions. The flow resistance of the tab-type flow conditioner is higher than that of the blade-type flow conditioner
lower than that of the orifice-plate flow conditioner
and equivalent to the tube bundle flow conditioner.
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