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PRESSURE LOSS ANALYSIS IN A PIPE FOR SUPERCRITICAL CO2 IN SIMPLE

ORGANIC RANKINE CYCLE USING ANSYS

Project-1 (ME47601) report submitted to Indian Institute of Technology

Kharagpur in partial fulfilment for [Link] project in Mechanical
Engineering.

by,

SARITA (21ME10070)

Under the Supervision of

Prof. Aditya Bandopadhyay

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Autumn Semester 2024-25
November 14, 2024
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Declaration

I certify that

1. The work contained in the thesis is original and has been done by me under the
guidance of my supervisor.

2. The work has not been submitted to any other Institute for any degree or diploma.

3. I have followed the guidelines provided by the Institute in preparing the thesis.

4. I have conformed to ethical norms and guidelines while writing the thesis.

5. Whenever I have used materials (data, models, figures, and text) from other
sources, I have given due credit to them by citing them in the text of the thesis,
giving their details in the references, and taking permission from the copyright
owners of the sources, whenever necessary.

Sarita (21ME10070)

November 14, 2024

Department of Mechanical Engineering

IIT Kharagpur
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Department of Mechanical Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

Kharagpur - 721302, India

Certificate

This is to certify that the project report entitled “Pressure Loss Analysis In A
Pipe For Supercritical CO2 In Simple Organic Rankine Cycle Using Ansys”
submitted by Sarita (Roll No. 21ME10070) to Indian Institute of Technology
Kharagpur towards partial fulfilment of requirements for the award of degree of
Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering is a record of bona-fide work
carried out by him under my supervision and guidance during Autumn Semester,
2024-25.

Supervisor: Prof. Aditya Bandopadhyay

November 14, 2024

Department of Mechanical Engineering

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IIT Kharagpur

Contents

1. Nomenclature 5

2. Abstract 5

3. Introduction 6

4. Mathematical Modelling 6

4.1 Problem Description, Geometry and Governing Equations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

4.2 Regular Perturbation Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

5. Results and Discussions 9

5.1 Effect of Inlet Pressure and Temperature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

5.2 Effect of Pipe Geometry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

5.3 Effect of Flow Velocity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

5.4 Effect of Pipe Material and Wall Thickness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

6. Conclusion 11

7. References 12

8. Appendix 13

8.1 Appendix I: Mesh Independence Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

8.2 Appendix II: Validation of Present Numerical Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

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1. Nomenclature

 sCO₂: Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

 ANSYS: Advanced Numerical Simulation System
 NSIT: National Institute of Standards and Technology (Real Gas Model)
 MPa: MegaPascal
 K: Kelvin
 m/s: meters per second
 Pa·s: Pascal-seconds (Dynamic Viscosity)
 cp: Specific heat at constant pressure
 k: Thermal conductivity
 L: Length of pipe
 d: Diameter of the pipe
 v: Flow velocity

2. Abstract

This report presents a computational analysis of pressure loss in a supercritical CO₂

(sCO₂) cycle using ANSYS. The main objective was to track the pressure loss pattern of
supercritical CO₂ flowing through a 3 m long, 15 mm radius pipe. The study was
conducted under laminar flow and steady-state conditions, with the inlet pressure set at
9.5 MPa and temperature at 400 K. Using the NSIT real gas model, the behavior of
supercritical CO₂ was simulated, and the pressure loss was plotted along the length of
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the pipe. This analysis provides valuable insights into the flow behavior and potential
improvements in the design of sCO₂-based systems, such as heat exchangers.

3. Introduction

The use of supercritical CO₂ (sCO₂) in power cycles and heat exchangers has gained
significant attention due to its efficiency and compact design. However, understanding
the pressure loss patterns in such systems is crucial for optimizing the performance of
these devices. This project aims to investigate the pressure loss pattern of supercritical
CO₂ in a laminar flow regime using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in ANSYS. The
key objective is to track how pressure varies along the length of a pipe under steady-
state conditions, providing a deeper understanding of the flow characteristics and
potential impacts on system efficiency.

4. Mathematical Modelling

4.1 Problem Description, Geometry, and Governing Equations

The problem consists of modeling the flow of supercritical CO₂ in a 3-meter-long, 15

mm radius aluminum pipe. The inlet pressure and temperature are set at 9.5 MPa and
400 K, respectively.
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The following are geometry and mess picture of the pipe: -

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The following governing equations were used:

 Continuity Equation:

∇⋅v=0

where v is the velocity vector.

 Navier-Stokes Equation (for laminar flow):

ρ (∂v/∂t +v⋅∇v) = −∇P+μ∇2v+F

where ρ is the density, P is the pressure, μ is the dynamic viscosity, and F

represents body forces.

 Energy Equation:

ρcp(∂T/∂t+v⋅∇T) =∇⋅(κ∇T)

where T is the temperature and κ is the thermal conductivity.

These equations were solved numerically using ANSYS to simulate the flow and
pressure loss within the pipe.

4.2 Regular Perturbation Analysis

In this analysis, the regular perturbation method was employed to evaluate the flow in
the supercritical region. The properties of CO₂ were modeled as a real gas using the
NSIT model, which takes into account the non-ideal behavior of CO₂ under high
pressure and temperature conditions. The perturbation analysis was used to assess the
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impact of small variations in the flow conditions, such as velocity and pressure, on the
overall system performance.

5. Results and Discussions

5.1 Effect of Inlet Pressure and Temperature

The simulation showed that the pressure loss was significantly influenced by the inlet
pressure and temperature. Higher inlet pressure led to a more pronounced pressure
drop along the pipe, while the temperature gradient caused a secondary effect on
viscosity and flow behavior.

Here the diagrams show how temperature varies along length: -

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5.2 Effect of Pipe Geometry

The pipe diameter (15 mm) and length (3 m) were found to have a considerable impact
on the pressure loss pattern. The simulation revealed that the pressure loss was more
pronounced in the first half of the pipe length and gradually stabilized as the fluid
approached the outlet. Smaller pipe diameters or longer pipe lengths would likely result
in even higher pressure losses.

This figure shows how pressure varies along the length, pressure losses at a higher
rate near the inlet of pipe compare to away from inlet.

5.3 Effect of Flow Velocity

The flow velocity (5 m/s) played a crucial role in determining the flow regime and
pressure loss. In the laminar flow regime, as assumed in this study, the pressure drop
was relatively linear. Increasing the flow velocity would lead to a transition to turbulent
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flow, where the pressure loss would increase substantially due to higher frictional
losses.

5.4 Effect of Pipe Material and Wall Thickness

The material of the pipe (aluminum) and its thickness (1 mm) were included in the
model to account for thermal conduction and its effect on temperature gradients along
the pipe. Although the material properties did influence heat transfer, their impact on
pressure loss was less significant compared to the effects of flow conditions because of
which following is the pattern how pressure drop varies along radius at the inlet: -

6. Conclusion
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The computational analysis of supercritical CO₂ flow through a pipe has provided
valuable insights into pressure loss patterns in a laminar flow regime. The study showed
that the pressure loss increases with higher inlet pressure and temperature, with a
significant gradient at the pipe's inlet. The results highlight the importance of optimizing
pipe geometry and flow conditions to minimize pressure loss and improve system
efficiency in sCO₂-based applications.

Future work should explore the effects of transitioning to turbulent flow at higher
velocities, and the impact of various pipe materials and surface roughness on pressure
loss.

7. References

1. Kuehn, T. H., & Broughton, J. R. (2014). Supercritical CO2 Power Cycles: An

Overview of System Design, Thermodynamic Analysis, and Fluid Properties.
Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 136(5), 052601.
[Link]
2. O'Connell, M., & Jacobsen, A. (2006). Thermodynamics of Supercritical CO2
Heat Exchangers. ASME Paper No. GT2006-90824.
3. ANSYS, Inc. (2024). ANSYS Fluent User Guide. ANSYS, Inc.
4. Zhang, H., & Wang, Y. (2013). Modeling of Supercritical CO2 Fluid Properties for
Heat Exchanger Applications. Journal of Thermodynamics, 2013, 1-9.
[Link]
5. Sazhin, S. S., & Viskanta, R. (2016). Advanced Fluid Properties and Flow
Modeling for Supercritical Fluids. Springer.
6. Li, H., & Liu, X. (2018). Study on the Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop of
Supercritical CO2 in Miniature Heat Exchangers. International Journal of Heat
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and Mass Transfer, 125, 237-249.

[Link]

8. Appendix

8.1 Appendix I: Mesh Independence Test

A mesh independence test was performed to ensure the accuracy of the simulation
results. The test involved varying the mesh resolution and comparing the results to
ensure that the pressure loss and temperature profiles did not significantly change with
finer meshes. The final mesh was chosen based on these results.

8.2 Appendix II: Validation of Present Numerical Model

The numerical model was validated by comparing the simulation results to experimental
data from previous studies on supercritical CO₂ flow. The pressure drop and
temperature distribution matched closely with the experimental data, confirming the
validity of the numerical approach.