Pipe Flows in Thermal Power Plants and Engines

Many pipe flows can be seen in thermal power plants or engine systems that burn many different kinds of fuel using airflows. In such industrial devices, most pipelines have to use a bent or curved pipe and duct in order to achieve a compact design. Within curved pipe flow, complicated three-dimensional flow is generated with a secondary vortex imposed on the primary flow, which is caused by a centrifugal force due to the curvature effect. In our laboratory, such peculiar phenomena of flow behavior are investigated to develop the best design of energy devices.