Influence of Circular Obstacles on Propane Gas Flow and Heat Transfer in Pipes: CFD Analysis

Ensuring a reliable fluid flow and heat transfer performance is significant for natural and ideal gases. In this work, a numerical simulation was conducted to analyse the two-dimensional steady flow of fluid in pipes with circular obstacles. The CFD model was conducted using ANSYS-FLUENT software at various fluid velocities. The flow is turbulent, whereas Propane gas is considered a working fluid. Various types of circular obstacles were examined at different Reynolds numbers, distributed along the flow direction of the pipe with varying gap scales. The results indicated significant effects on pipe performance, including the Nusselt number (Nu), friction losses and pressure drop. The obstacles increased propane velocity due to the vortices generated between them, leading to higher pressure drops and friction within the pipes. The obstacle-pipe temperature was reduced by 8 ℃ compared to the smooth pipe. In addition, the Nu obstacle- pipes improved by 30% compared to smooth pipes. However, high pressure and friction losses resulted from the obstacle effect, which increased the viscous forces compared to smooth pipes.