Randi Purnama Putra, Sutardi, Wawan Aries Widodo, Dani Harmanto
The square duct is the most used type of duct in the industry. In square duct, 90° elbows are also usually paired. The use of 90° elbows serves to deflect the direction of airflow. The use of the elbow at 90° causes losses regarding energy use. A 90° elbow exhibits a higher-pressure drop-in comparison to a straight channel. The objective of this research is to determine the efficacy of using a circular turbulator inside a square elbow at a 90° angle while considering different Reynolds number changes. In this investigation, a CT was positioned on the inner elbow’s side at an angle (α) of 15°. The research was carried out by numerical methods. The turbulence model used is standard k-ɛ. The test model consists of a square-shaped duct and 90° elbows with a curvature ratio of R/Dh = 3. The Reynolds number used is 1.6x104, 4.8x104, and 9.5x104. The results of this study indicate that placing a circular turbulator in a 90° elbow is most effective in reducing the overall pressure drop at ReDh of 1.6x104 and 4.8x104. The opposite is true when using a circular turbulator at ReDh of 9.5x104. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Negeri Padang, West Sumatera, Padang, 25131, Indonesia; Centre For Energy and Power Electronics Research (CEPER), Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, East Java, Surabaya, 60111, Indonesia; Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD), De Montfort University, Leicester, LE1 9BH, United Kingdom
