CFD-Driven Optimization of a Venturi Tube for Wastewater Treatment Applications

Abstract

The paper presents a procedure for a systematic numerical optimisation of a Venturi tube for water treatment using cavitation conditions. The numerical method employs computational fluid dynamics techniques within a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes framework in conjunction with an optimisation procedure to improve a baseline Venturi configuration. To define the numerical model associated with the baseline solution, a reliable meshing method is given. The procedure evaluates various mesh sizes and turbulence closure to determine the ideal balance between processing time and accuracy. The model is then used as a starting point for an optimisation procedure. The optimised arrangement improves the mean vapour quality of the tube by approximately 130% compared to the original geometry.