Prediction of local pressure drop for turbulent flow in axisymmetric sudden expansions with chamfered edge

The present study numerically investigates the turbulent flow in axisymmetric sudden expansions with a chamfered edge. With the aid of commercial CFD software, Fluent 12.0, an extensive set of numerical simulations is carried out for dimensionless chamfer lengths varying from 0.02 to 0.5, expansion ratios between 2 and 6, and chamfer angles of up to 45° at a Reynolds number of 3 × 105. First, we present and analyze the local pressure drop across the sudden expansions without a chamfer. The dependence of the pressure drop coefficient on the main geometric parameters is then thoroughly investigated. Finally, a new correlation is proposed for the local loss coefficient in sudden expansions with a chamfered edge, along with a discussion of the optimal chamfer angle.