Study on the effect of vertex angle and upstream swirl on the performance characteristics of cone flowmeter using CFD

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has emerged as a revolutionary tool for optimizing the design of any flowmeter for given conditions. The flow features obtained with CFD are more extensive compared to experiments. In the present study, CFD code ‘FLUENT” after validation has been used to investigate the effect of cone vertex angle and upstream swirl on the performance of cone flowmeter. The values of discharge coefficient ($C_d$) evaluated for different vertex angles shows that the value of discharge coefficient is independent of Reynolds number and its value decreases with increase in vertex angle. In the presence of upstream disturbance in the form of swirl, the value of discharge coefficient is also independent of Reynolds number and its value is only marginally affected by the magnitude of swirl. The flow in a longitudinal plane shows the presence of a pair of contra-rotating vortices in the recirculation region just downstream of the cone. The velocity profile downstream becomes stable after a distance of about 5D.