Study of Influence of CFD Model Tuning Parameters on the Results of Ultrasonic Flowmeters Simulation
Students Name: Prokopiv Volodymyr Oleksandrovych
Qualification Level: magister
Speciality: Computer-Integrated Systems for Industrial Control
Institute: Institute of Power Engineering and Control Systems
Mode of Study: full
Academic Year: 2023-2024 н.р.
Language of Defence: англійська
Abstract: Prokopiv V.O., Roman V.I. (head). Study of Influence of CFD Model Tuning Parameters on the Results of Ultrasonic Flowmeters Simulation. Master’s thesis. – Lviv Polytechnic National University, Lviv, 2023. Relevance of the study. Ultrasonic flowmeters (USMs) are quite popular flow measurement devices, along with classical methods (variable differential pressure method, rotary meters). According to the specialised website straitsresearch.com [1], the global market for ultrasonic flowmeters is growing rapidly and is expected to reach USD 1,080 million by 2030. This trend also exists in Ukraine (at least it did before the war), for example, as of 2021: Since the beginning of the year, GTS Operator of Ukraine LLC has installed metering devices at 27 gas distribution stations to improve the accuracy and reliability of gas metering [2]; the Ukrainian gas storage operator has launched a large-scale project to build gas metering stations, in particular at the Bilche-Volytsko-Uherskoye gas storage facility, using metering devices. The budget for the work, which was to last until 2025, reached UAH 1.4 billion [3]. Despite the popularity of ultrasonic flowmeters, which is primarily due to their advantages (they have a wider measurement range and twice the accuracy due to calibration on leading European metrology stands [3]; low pressure loss, reverse measurement mode, etc.), this type of flowmeter also has its drawbacks [4-6]. Among the main ones is sensitivity to asymmetry (or other disturbances) of the flow velocity profile [4-7]. The first way to eliminate this effect is to ensure a sufficient distance between the ultrasonic transducer and the source of distortion [4]. The second way is to improve the design of the wind tunnel (adding storm straighteners) [4-6]. Both in the first and second cases, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling methods are a convenient tool, which are at a level that allows solving a wide range of scientific and practical problems [8-9]. The computer software packages that implement computational fluid dynamics (CFD packages) include Flow Simulation, which is an integral part of SolidWorks CAD. To perform flow modelling in the Flow Simulation CFD package, the user needs to perform a CFD analysis procedure – to build an adequate CFD model of the ultrasonic device (its three-dimensional model) and correctly set the CFD modelling parameters [10]. The object of study of the master’s thesis is the influence of CFD model tuning parameters on the results of the ultrasonic flowmeter modelling. The subject of the study is the process of ultrasonic flowmetry modelling using a CFD model. The aim of the study is to develop a methodology for investigating the influence of important in the context of ultrasonic flowmetry parameters of the CFD package setup on ultrasonic flowmeter modelling and to develop specific recommendations for their selection. In the first chapter of the master’s qualification work based on the analysis of scientific and technical literature, the essence and features of CFD modeling methods, the structure of CFD analysis and examples of software CFD packages are considered. The essence of ultrasound, its advantages and disadvantages, as well as what common problems are solved by methods of computational hydrodynamics in ultrasonic flowmetry are also considered. In the second chapter of the master’s qualification work, the algorithm for building a three-dimensional model of the ultrasonic flowmeter and the algorithm for setting up the CFD model for the simulation of the ultrasonic flowmeter was developed. Methods of researching the influence of CFD model setting parameters on the result of ultrasonic flowmeter modeling have also been developed. In the third chapter of the master’s qualification work, the influence of the parameters of the CFD model in the simulation of a two-path chordal ultrasonic flowmeter was investigated. On the basis of processing the results of these studies, a set of recommendations has been created for the selection of CFD model setting parameters when simulating ultrasonic flowmeters of this type. Keywords: ultrasonic flowmeter, chordal acoustic channels, computational fluid dynamics, CFD model, three-dimensional model, tuning parameters, CFD package, modelling.