A fluid flow model for the pressure loss through perforated plates

Abstract: A fluid flow through a perforated plate is a common problem in a wide variety of practical applications in thermal, mechanical, chemical, civil, nuclear, ocean and aerospace engineering. In this paper, we proposed a novel fluid flow model for the pressure loss through plates with circular perforations in both laminar and turbulent flows. The design of this model is based on the recent measurements conducted at ONERA in the framework of the on-going European Union H2020 INVENTOR project, as well as an existing model for laminar flows. The new model is then validated against existing numerical simulations in the laminar regime and experiments in the turbulent regime. Overall, the predictions given by the new model agree well with the numerical simulations and experiments, and are superior to other models in the literature. This is significant, considering that the present model is much simpler than these previous models. To demonstrate the application of the new model in numerical simulations, two-dimensional channel flows are simulated using Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with the new model as a pressure-drop source term added to the momentum equations. Results show that the RANS predictions agree very well with the present model predictions.