Experimental and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation of leak shapes and sizes for gas pipeline

In this paper, a parametric study has been carried out to predict the exit velocity of air through the leakage in the pipe with the help of CFD software ANSYS Fluent. The effect of air pressure in the pipe and the shape of leakage have been studied. Further experiments were also carried out to determine the exit velocity for the defined shape of leakage by varying the air pressure in the pipe. Experimentally, the velocity at a distance of 8 cm from the location of a leak in the horizontal plane was obtained with the help of differential pressure transducers. Using the experimental results, the computational results were validated. The results of the parametric simulation study showed that even for a pressure of 2 bars the velocity profile at the leak location indicates the supersonic state where the Mach number is greater than 1. The study is useful because it may be used as a foundation for risk assessment and safety management in the case of flammable gas leaks through gas pipes.