Using computational fluid dynamics simulations to determine pressure drops on woven screens

In computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses, insect-proof screens are usually simulated as porous media. In applying the porous medium approach, the Forchheimer equation with published correlations for the permeability K and inertial factor Y are usually used. In the present study, a comparison between simulations of flow through a realistic woven screen and a porous slab that represented the realistic woven screen indicated that using the published relations for K and Y may lead to erroneous results for pressure drops through screens. An alternative way, basically similar to that used in previous studies, for calculating K and Y is presented; it led to good estimates of pressure drops through various porous media slabs that were used to simulate realistic screen geometries.