Assessment of the Impact of k-ε and k-ω Turbulence Models on the Compatibility of CFD Simulations with PIV Measurements for Flow Through a Measuring Orifice

The article presents the results of flow investigations downstream of a standard and slotted orifice plate, obtained using both experimental measurements with the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) method and numerical calculations performed in a CFD environment. The aim of the study was a detailed analysis of the velocity field structure and an evaluation of the prediction accuracy of different turbulence models in relation to experimental data. The study employed models from the k-ε and k-ω groups, which were compared in terms of their agreement with measurement results in various flow regions. The study demonstrated that no single turbulence model guarantees optimal results across the entire investigated domain. Model selection should therefore be adapted to the analyzed flow region k-ω models in the vicinity of the orifice and k-ε models in the developed flow region. The findings have significant practical implications for the engineering of orifice flow meters, enabling a more informed use of CFD methods in the design and validation of industrial measurement systems.