An Experimental And Theoretical Study Of The Flow Field Surrounding A Suction Pipe Inlet

The object of the present study was to develop a mathematical model of the flow field around a single suction pipe inlet near a horizontal boundary in an infinite reservoir. The basis for the theoretical approach was potential flow theory which neglects frictional and viscous effects. For simplicity, a point sink was employed. In order to investigate the actual flow conditions, an experimental apparatus was developed to test a model suction inlet. The inlet was a simple cylindrical pipe placed at various heights from and at an angle to the horizontal boundary. The experimental results did conform to the theoretical for initial flow conditions when viscous effects were small. The viscous effects subsequently caused an altered flow with zones of separation. The resulting flow development negated the value of the potential flow solution. Funding: NOAA Office of Sea Grants; grant number: 04-3-158-18;