Experimental and Numerical Study on the Flow Field and Friction Factor in a Pressurized Corrugated Pipe

An experimental campaign including measurement of pressure drops and velocity profiles was conducted on the pressurized flow in a commercial corrugated pipe. The results show that the empirical graphs suggested by Morris in the fifties may produce inaccurate assessments of the friction factor, in particular, for low Reynolds numbers. The experimental data was then reproduced by means of a numerical model with the large eddy simulation (LES) technique. The friction factor behavior for low and relatively high Reynolds numbers was thus investigated. The numerical simulations were in good agreement with the experimental results, showing the LES suitability to predict the effect of the pipe wall…