Numerical Simulation of Flow Velocity Characteristics during Capsule Hydraulic Transportation in a Horizontal Pipe

Abstract

Capsule hydraulic transportation is a kind of low-carbon and environmentally friendly pipeline transportation technique. In this study, the flow velocity characteristics in the pipeline when the capsule is transported in a straight pipe section were simulated by adopting the RNG (Renormalization Group) k–ε turbulence model based on Fluent software and experimentally verified. The results showed that the simulated value of flow velocity in the pipeline was basically consistent with the experimental value during transportation of the material by the capsule, and the maximum relative error was no more than 6.7%, proving that it is feasible to use Fluent software to simulate the flow velocity characteristics in the pipeline when the capsule is transported in a straight pipe section. In the process of material transportation, the flow velocity distribution of the cross-section near the upstream and downstream sections of the capsule was basically the same, which increased with the increased length–diameter ratio of the capsule. The axial flow velocity was smaller in the middle of the pipe and larger near the inner wall of the pipe. From the inner wall to the center of the pipe, the radial flow velocity first increased and then decreased. The circumferential flow velocity was distributed in the vicinity of the support body of the capsule. The axial flow velocity of the annular gap section around the capsule first increased and then decreased from the inner wall of the pipe to the outer wall of the capsule. In the process of transporting materials, the influence of the capsule on the flow of its downstream section was greater than that of its upstream section. These results could provide a theoretical basis for optimizing the technical parameters of capsule hydraulic transportation.