Flow Distribution Manifolds: TTTTT TTTTL
Flow Distribution Manifolds: TTTTT TTTTL
R. A. BAJURA
Flow distribution in the lateral branches of dividing, combining, reverse, and parallel
Associate Professor, flow manifold systems is studied both analytically and experimentally. Predictions
Department of Mechanical
Engineering and Mechanics, for the flow rates and pressures in the headers of any of the above four basic manifold
West Virginia University, configurations are obtained from the solution of two first order differential equations
Morgantown, West Va. involving tlie flow rate and the pressure difference across headers (pressure-flow equa-
Mem. ASME
tion set), or by the solution of a second order, nonlinear ordinary differential equation
involving the flow rate alone (flow distribution equation). Experimental results are
E. H. JONES, JR. presented for various manifold designs having different lateral/header area ratios,
1st Lieutenant, USAF, lateral flct.o resistances, and length /diameter ratios. Good agreement is obtained be-
Williams AFB, Ariz. tween the analytical and experimental results. Dimensionless parameters which af-
Mem.ASME
fect flow distribution are identified and discussed with respect to the generalized coeffi-
cients of the analytical model. The present method of analysis is proposed for geneTfil
application in evaluating the performance of flow distribution systems.
" " " '' '' '' ' 1 ' ' ' 1
Contributed by the Fluida Engineering Division of T H E AMERICAN SOCIETY
OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS and presented at the Gas Turbine and Fluids
Engineering Conference, New Orleans, La., March 21-25, 1976. Manuscript
received at ASME Headquarters, January 5, 1976. Paper No. 76-FE-7. Fig. 1 Four types of manifolds
'Numbera in brackets designate References at end of paper. Calculational Procedures. Calculational models to evaluate the
•Nomenclature-
I = lateral length
A = area, friction coefficient M = momentum coefficient A = differential between parameters
Ar = area ratio N = number of branch points along 6 = overall momentum coefficient for
B = momentum coefficient header header flow
turning loss coefficient for com- n = friction factor exponent ir = perimeter.
CTC — p = density
bining flow P = pressure
turning loss coefficient for divid- Q = volume flow rate $ = friction term
CTD =
ing flow T = wall shear stress Subscripts and Superscripts
header diameter V = velocity 0 = maximum velocity condition
D =
lateral diameter, differentiation x = distance along header 1 = dividing flow header
d =
Moody friction factor Z = dimensionless discharge coeffi- 2 = combining flow header
/ =
lateral resistance coefficient in cient 3 = lateral
H «= velocity heads (3 = momentum coefficient for header x = axial flow
local flow loss coefficient in ve- flow y = transverse flow
K = locity heads 7 = momentum coefficient for lateral (~) = overbar, average value
header length flow (') = differentiation
L =
Journal
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performance of a manifold system can be formulated from several dividing the axial length, £,, by the total number of branch
viewpoints. I t is often desired to design a system with balanced points, iVi. The lateral area at the branch point, A3i, is assumed
flow in each lateral flow stream. Such designs can be accom- constant along the header, and the branch points are uniformly
plished by altering the size of the laterals, their flow resistance, distributed. The fluid is assumed to be incompressible and the
or the cross-sectional area of the duct. These systems have been header area, Ah is assumed constant. The flow conditions at
described by Howland [19] for round pipes, Perlmutter [20] and (xi -f A.Ti) are related to the flow conditions by xi by a first
Mardon, et al. [21] for tapered manifolds, Haerter [22] for air order Taylor series expansion. For the control volume of Fig. 2
conditioning systems, and Koh and Brooks [9] for ocean outfalls. the continuity equation is written as: • •
None of these models considers the loss of axial momentum from
the control volume due to the transverse flow. Other computa- 7 3 iA 3 i = — Ai
tional models approach the design problem from the standpoint dxi iVi (1)
of analyzing the performance of a given system. System models
of this type are described by Horlock [23] for slotted pipes, Olson where V3i and Vi are average velocities. Letting P represent the
[24], Huang and Yu [25], and Quaile and Levy [26] for porous pressure and T„ the wall shear stress, the momentum equation
ducts in laminar flow, and Bajura, LeRose and Williams [27] for in vector form is written for the control volume as:
manifold systems.
In view of the widely scattered values of flow coefficients and
- fpdA + f T m dA = f pV (VdA). (2
the different system geometries, it is clearly recognized t h a t each Surface Surface
manifold design must be evaluated based on its own charac- I t is desirable to express the momentum transport in terms of
teristics. However, a generalized method of analysis is required local average velocities. The following parameters are defined:
which can be applied to widely different manifold designs and /3i is an axial flow momentum correction factor, yi is a lateral
different computational viewpoints. T h e flow model described in flow momentum correction factor for axial momentum transport
the present document satisfies this need and is proposed as a through surface An, di is an overall momentum correction factor,
general model for manifold analysis. 7Ti is the perimeter of the header, 2\ is the wall shear stress, /,
is the Moody friction factor, and Pi is the pressure. These pa-
Analytical Model for Manifold Flow rameters are formally defined as:
Basic Equations. Consider first the control volume illustrated The momentum equation for the dividing flow control volume
by Fig. 2 which describes the flow streams near a dividing flow in terms of the above parameters is:
branch point. The outflow of fluid a t surface An has velocity cl
components Vx and Vy since it is assumed t h a t the discharged I
p dxi
l} + (I ^
\fi + f,y, +e ivif^ (7)
fluid has not turned completely 90 degrees when crossing the p dxi \8Ai dxi I dxi
boundary o f ' t h e control volume. The length of the control Fig. 3 illustrates control volumes for the analysis of com-
volume in the streamwise direction is Axh which is calculated by bining flow headers. Fig. 3(a) shows the flow direction pertinent
to a reverse flow manifold system. Using an analysis similar to
the dividing flow header above, the momentum equation is:
dPi dVj.
VJ + 0272 = 0 (8)
dxi + l^ 8A2 dxi ) dxi
ix, = L^N,—J
where 02 is defined as (2/32 — 72) in an analogous fashion with
equation (5). The sign of the friction term is negative in equation
(8) since the flow direction is defined as being positive in the
negative x2 direction. Fig. 3(6) illustrates the control volume
I[-*•- V* I for the combining flow header of a parallel flow manifold system.
(A,) -j B^VJIX, + AX,)
The momentum equation for this configuration is:
Vt = 7I(AIMJ) (10)
Fig. 2 Dividing flow branch point control volume V, = (7io - 7i)(AiM2) (ID
Avv
V2(Xj) -« [_ V2(X2 + AX2I J [ "2
H
H
(B) PARALLEL FLOW
- A X 2 = L2/N2 -
in the dividing flow header. I t is assumed t h a t the lateral fluid
enters the combining flow header as a stream with velocity F32
Fig. 3 Combining flow branch point control volume and not the velocity K2. Any mixing effects are accounted for
in the turning loss term CTC- The lateral flow resistance term,
H, is defined in terms of equation (12) as:
Pi - Pi APn TV H / Ai d?! U V
= H (13)
P 2 \ An dx! Ni )
for the parallel flow manifold system. The term VK is the
average velocity a t the inlet to the dividing flow header. T h e where AP12 is the differential pressure between headers. When
relationships defined by equations (10) and (11) are valid at the overall flow resistance, H, becomes large, the turning loss
correspondingly wealed distances Xi and x2 for each header. By terms assume minor significance in the discharge equation.
employing the inter-manifold continuity relationships, the ve- Equation (13) may be manipulated to obtain several relation-
locity Vi may be eliminated from the equations, leaving only the ships between the differential pressure and flow rate in the divid-
unknowns of Pi, P 2 , and F,. ing flow header. T h e first relationship is obtained by solving
A relationship between the pressure differential between equations (1) and (13) for the velocity gradient, dVi/dxi, as:
manifolds and the lateral flow rate is obtained in terms of a dis-
charge equation written in the following manner with respect to
the control volume illustrated by Fig. 4: £ - - £r (£)'"<ift"" (14)
Pi The minus sign is chosen since the velocity Vi must decrease with
- = ^ . Zs!
P p 2 \A3, ) distance Xi. This condition also requires that the pressure dif-
ferential always be positive or a reversal of flow will occur. (This
is not to say t h a t a reversal of flow cannot occur in actual sys-
CTD + Keq + (fl/d)eq + CTC (12)
W) tems.) T h e second relationship between the differential pres-
sure and the flow rate is obtained by differentiating equation
The term CTD is a turning loss for flow entering the lateral from (14) and solving for the differential pressure gradient. This re-
the dividing flow header; the terms K,q and (fl/d)eq represent sult is:
the equivalent loss coefficient (based on the velocity Vu) for
local upset flow losses and ordinary friction losses; and the term 1 d(AP:
(15)
CTC is a turning loss for flow into the combining header. The P dxi \A31N1 J dxx dxi2
area ratio term, (A31/A32) is an adjustment to allow for the pos-
sibility t h a t the area of the lateral changes from the inlet end to Equation (15) will be used later to eliminate the pressure terms
the outlet end. By writing the discharge relation as in equation from the governing equations.
(12), no credit is taken for any approaching velocity head (Fi 2 /2) Nondimensional Equations for Manifolds. The relevant equa-
d(AP) 'flLiTTi fJ*n / A V dft _ dfc 1 This equation is solved subject to the boundary conditions
F2 Q(0) = 1 and Q(l) = 0.
dx 8A1 8A2 \At J dx dx J
Generalized Equations for Manifold Systems. The previous de-
Ai V velopments were presented to acquaint the reader with the basic
(17)
A, dx flow model and methods of analysis. The flow distribution in
any of the four types of manifolds shown by Fig. 1 can be ob-
Equations (16) and (17) constitute a coupled set of first order tained from the solution of a generalized set of equations given
equations called the Pressure-Flow Equations which must satisfy by the following forms:
the following boundary conditions. At the entrance, the dimen-
sionless velocity V must equal 1. At the dead end of the mani- (i) Pressure-flow equations
fold, the end wall imposes the physical requirement t h a t the
dV _
velocity F is 0. This condition requires all the flow to be dis- ZiAP)11* (22)
charged before the dead end of the manifold is reached. While dx
it is possible to prescribe a pressure boundary condition at the d[AP) .dV dV
inlet, the inlet pressure cannot be specified arbitrarily since the A1F2 + A 2 (l - Vf - HiV Ih(l - V)
dx dx dx
entrance pressure level controls the discharge from the header.
Therefore, the pressure a t the inlet is intimately tied in with the (23)
continuity equation and cannot be specified arbitrarily or the con-
dition of too much or too little discharge will result. T h e spec- (ii) Flow distribution equation
ification of the inlet pressure is equivalent to specifying the
Q'Q" + $iQ'2 + 2$ 2 Q + M\i 2' + M-iQ' = $2 (24)
derivative, dV/dx, at the inlet [see equation (16)] and would
amount to an over-specification of the problem since the bound- The definition of the coefficients for the pressure-flow equations
ary values F(0) and F ( l ) , and the derivative dV/dx(0) cannot is given in Table 2. The coefficients of the flow distribution
be specified arbitrarily for a problem which is only of second order. equation are given in Table 3. Both sets of generalized equations
If the differential pressure is eliminated from, equations (16) satisfy the boundary conditions:
and (17), a second order equation in the dimensionless flow rate
Q can be obtained as: 7(0) = Q(0) = 1 (25)
Dividing Combining
Parameter Flow Flow f everse Flow P a r a l l e l Flow
2
\2 ¥2
2
\ ¥, A
r
f
lh +
f L
2 2/ D lV A2
r
\t
1L1 f
2L2/")l\4
•i H 2D1 H 2Dj H 2D, 202 [DJ H 2D
l ~ 2D 2 W
(
2
0 0 0 A2 f2L2 /DA4
r
H 2o2 \r2)
M
l A2
"
r
6ft
1
-A2
_r_ .
H 9
2
A2
r
H ;, - »zfi) _ H r^fiT
M2 0 0 0 A
r
1
-ft)'
2
V
20
J 2
REVERSE FLOW
10,16 CM D I A M ., P A R A L L E L FLOW _
I N L E T (x = 0) "
INLET (x = 0)
- 3 . 8 1 CM D I A M
HEADER
DIFFERENTIAL
PRESSURE RESISTANCE ORIFICES
TAPS
•DENOTES PRESSURE
TAP LOCATION
END
-TO BLOWER INLET- 10.16 CM D I A M
CAP
HEADER REFERENCE
PRESSURE TAP
Fig. 5 S c h e m a t i c of e x p e r i m e n t a l a p p a r a t u s
pressure headers) to obtain uniform discharge flows in the lat- Case B—Large A r e a Ratio a n d S m a l l L a t e r a l Resistance M a n i f o l d .
erals. The flow equations were then transposed by straight- The headers of the system described by Case A were separated
forward analytical methods (since the header velocity is now a and an orifice of diameter 3.18 cm was inserted in the laterals,
linear function of distance) to obtain values of the momentum giving a reduced flow resistance of 4.5 lateral velocity heads. The
coefficients and effective friction factors for each header. The
following coefficient data was obtained from the uniform flow
tests:
n - _ n P • q •
0s = 2.60 ± 0.05 (30)
Case A — L a r g e A r e a R a t i o a n d L a r g e L a t e r a l R e s i s t a n c e M a n i f o l d .
y
• DIVIDIN G FLOW MEADtH
The results of experiments for systems with an area ratio, Ar, 7 o COMBIN NG FLO '1 HEADER
A- NTIAL ETWEEN
heads (2.54 cm diameter orifice) are presented in Figs. 6(a) and ,1ENStONLESS DISTANCE X
6(b). There are 20 branch points along each header. The ordinate
for each figure is the dimensionless distance, Xi/Li, from the en-
trance of the dividing flow header. Three data sets are shown on
each figure. The pressures in each header are plotted as multiples
of a reference pressure, AP r , which is defined as the pressure dif-
ferential between the inlet to the dividing flow header and the .•-D-D-D-D-0
outlet from the combining flow header. For parallel flow,
APr = Pi(0) - JPj(l). For reverse flow, APr = P\(0) - P s (0). a—o—tr-
io - ~ a
The third data set illustrates the local pressure difference between
headers as normalized with respect to the maximum pressure dif- <L?._2_° o 0 o
-.o o
ference between headers, (Pi(x) - P2(z))mi.z. The third curve
can be interpreted as a measure of the relative discharge flow
since the flow rate in the laterals is proportional to the square
A
root of the differential pressure between headers.
Xo
Since the dividing flow header is dominated by the effects of N>
static pressure regain due to branching (i.e., small friction ef-
fects), the pressure characteristics of each header are better
matched to provide a more uniform discharge for the reverse \
flow system than for the parallel flow system. Note that the IMENSIOM.ESS DISTANCE X
o A DIFFERENTIAL BETWEEN
HEADERS
-o—-—
O O'
^A • '
ft "A"
A A"-A--r
: / ' % A
A A A A
; / "A.
o ~"A- - A_
-A. A .»-'
.-- 0 ''
1 1 i l 1 1
• D-
D4—a—
• n n D n—a~ • •—a—•—a—a
1 D
O
— DIVIDING LOW HEADER
COMBINING FLOW HEADER
\ / „ ..„"A A
A DIFFERENT AL BETWEEN
| HEADERS 1 o o o
i—..° ° o
A <A O
-*--« "~~Q-
"°-^
_A__A—A — A - - A - " DIMENSIONLESS OISTANCE X^L,
DIMENSIONLESS DISTANCE X , / L ( Fig. 8 Pressure profiles for manifolds with a small area ratio and
large lateral resistance
Fig. 7 Pressure profiles for manifolds with a large area ratio and
small lateral resistance
are normalized with respect to the reference pressure conditions 8B 0.20 0.20 1.05 2.60 0.57
described above. In programming the computer solutions, the 9A 0.40 0 -1.55 0 0.94
following assumptions were made. First, the friction factors were 9B 0.20 0.20 1.05 2.60 0.94
6,......... 0 0 0 0
", '__ 0 ~"-"--'
- _ 0 9.'-" .
E. ",
,/'
s..<-
",,,, 2----_
0., ", ", "'--"'-Z--'"
V
o )Y" o DIVIDING fLOW HEADER
Q-··-COMBINING FLOW HEADER
6-----DlFFERENTIAL BETWEEN
HEADERS
.2 .4 .6
DIMENSIONLESS DISTANCE X,/Ll
1 . 5 ,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _----,
~ -
_ _--:'-_ _ _ _-'-_ _ _ _.L.._ _ _......JI..
manifold with large area ratio and large lateral resistance (reference
Flg.6(a»
Parameters Affecting Flow Distribution. The pressure-flow Momentum Parameter /?. The momentum parameter /3 is nec-
equations and the flow distribution equation were presented in essary to account for variations in the velocity profile at the
terms of dimensionless coefficients which were functions of many entrance to the manifold. The upstream history of the flow ap-
independent variables. These equations show that uniform flow proaching the manifold and the design of the entrance (i.e.,
distribution in the laterals is attained only when the headers act parallel or right angled impingement) determine the amount
as infinite reservoirs. The infinite reservoir condition is ap- of velocity profile distortion present in a given system. Therefore
proached when the dimensionless coefficients of the flow dis- the momentum parameter j3 cannot be generalized. As illustrated
tribution equation approach zero. T h e individual variables com- by the experiments reported in the present paper, one of the major
prising these coefficients affect the flow distribution in the follow- factors contributing to the uncertainty in predicting the perform-
ing manner. ance of a manifold is the entrance flow condition.
I t has often been observed t h a t a reversal of flow occurs in
Area i.atio, T h e square of the area ratio, Ar2, appears in the manifolds designed with out-of-plane bends leading to the
numerator of each term in the flow distribution equation. Hence, entrance of the dividing flow header. Under these conditions,
a large area ratio contributes to flow maldistribution in the mani- fluid can recirculate from the combining flow header into the
fold system since the value of the dimensionless coefficients is dividing flow header through the laterals nearest the entrance.
rapidly increased as the area ratio increases. A common design This effect has been demonstrated by Sherman [18] and LeRose
rule-of-thumb is to limit the area ratio to values less than one. (private communication) for similar entrance conditions. T h e
The area ratio is also viewed as the porosity of the header. momentum correction term dft/dx in the governing equations is
the only mechanism by which the flow reversal phenomenon can
Lateral Flow Resistance. The lateral flow resistance, H, ap- be explained analytically. For these poorly designed inlet condi-
pears in the denominator of each term in the flow distribution tions, the entrance pressure can be less than the pressure in the
equation. Therefore, the value of the dimensionless coefficients combining flow header of a parallel flow system. Therefore, fluid
decreases as the lateral flow resistance increases. An infinite will be drawn into the dividing flow header. A pressure recovery
flow resistance would cause even a small diameter header with will occur in the direction of flow due to the regain of pressure
large porosity to act as an infinite reservoir. Hence, large lateral from the distorted entrance profile. Otherwise, the pressure is
resistance is desirable for good flow distribution. However, large required to fall in the direction of flow as can be shown by a
literal resistances result in a high total pressure loss for the simple analysis of the governing equations. The experimental
manifold system which may be unacceptable if pumping costs parallel flow systems reported above (Figs. 6(6) and 7(6))
are an important design consideration. could have exhibited a flow reversal in the first few laterals
had the entrance to the dividing flow header been through a
Length/Diameter Ratio. The relative length of a header enters right angled bend rather than a straight inlet section. Flow
the governing equations only through the friction terms. For reversal is more likely to occur in parallel flow manifolds which
headers of relatively small length/diameter ratio, the effects of are subject to poor flow distribution since the differential pres-
friction may be neglected and the flow distribution equation can sure between headers is minimal at the entrance for these de-
then be solved analytically. For relatively long headers, the ef- signs.
fects of flow branching on the static pressure in the header can
be neglected. Some analytical solutions for the flow distribution Friction Factor. The selection of a particular pipe material or
are also possible for friction dominated manifolds. Analytical surface finish will affect the value of the dimensionless friction
solutions are discussed in references [18 and 27]. T h e effects of coefficients in the governing equations. The present experimental
header length/diameter ratio must be separated from the area results indicate that the friction factor can be calculated under
ratio effect for headers of constant porosity per unit length. the assumption that the branch points do not affect the friction
pressure loss characteristics of the header. This conclusion is
Momentum Parameters di and 62. The momentum parameters highly dependent on the spacing between laterals. Common de-
8i and 92 are relatively fixed. The fully developed flow value of di sign practice has been to evaluate the friction factor based on
is approximately 1.05 and is only weakly dependent on the ratio ordinary pipe friction calculations for the case of widely spaced
of diameters between the header and the laterals as shown by the branch points and to increase the value of the friction factor as
data of various investigators [29]. The value of d2 becomes the branch points become closely spaced. The present data in-
highly variable (see reference [27]) as the lateral/header diameter dicate t h a t a spacing of 6.8 lateral diameters may be taken as a
ratio increases to values of 0.5. However, most systems are de- case representative of widely spaced laterals.
Summary
The analytical model for flow distribution in manifolds de-
scribed in the present paper was formulated from a first principles
approach to the problem which included the use of the continuity
and momentum equations for the header flows and a discharge
equation for the lateral flows. The approach has been generalized
MOMENTUM MODEL 0 , = 1.06
-• BERNOULLI MODEL 0 , = 1.00
in terms of dimensionless equations and flow coefficients. The
<> DATA FROM SHERMAN, TEST 5 model is applicable to a wide range of system designs. The ex-
perimental results are in substantial agreement with the analy-
tical model. The analytical model is recommended for general
application in the analysis of flow distribution in manifolds.
0 0.5 1.0
Acknowledgments
DIMENSIONLESS DISTANCE ALONG HEADER X/L
This research program was partially supported by the Babcock
Fig. 12 Comparison of analytical model with experimental data for & Wilcox Company. T h e authors appreciate the advice and dis-
a simple dividing flow manifold with large area ratio and small lateral
resistance (reference [18]) cussions offered by J. H. Kidwell, It. A. Lee, and M. Wiener .