Identification of fluid flow regimes in narrow cracks

Abstract

The problem of fluid seepage through the cracked walls of pressure vessels has been examined. A simplified two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of water passing through a narrow crack has been constructed and the results compared with published data. The CFD modelling process was validated by experimental work on two geometrically identical idealized crack bodies. The flowrate of air through the crack as a function of opening displacement was measured using the smaller apparatus, and the corresponding flow patterns were observed using smoke particles in the larger air flow apparatus. Four distinct flow regimes have been identified when the opening displacement of the crack is less than 3 times the surface roughness of the crack faces.