Work

CFD-Based Analysis of Sound Wave Attenuation in Stratified Gas–Liquid Pipelines for Leak Detection Applications

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Sound wave attenuation in stratified gas–liquid flows is crucial for pipeline monitoring and leak detection. This study uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to investigate acoustic wave propagation in pipelines, employing the Volume of Fluid (VOF) model with interfacial tension and a pressure-based solver. The effects of the gas volume fraction, pressure, frequency, and grid resolution are analyzed, with validation through mesh independence tests. The findings show that incorporating mesh refinement and boundary layer modeling improved attenuation prediction accuracy by approximately 25–30%. High-frequency waves (above 150 Hz) exhibited up to 30% greater attenuation when near-wall viscous effects were resolved, demonstrating the need for fine grid resolution in CFD-based multiphase diagnostic tools. This study highlights the importance of wave frequency, grid refinement, and boundary layer modeling for accurate attenuation predictions, offering insights for the improvement of CFD-based diagnostic tools in multiphase flow systems.

Source: Processes

DOI: 10.3390/pr13082661

Authors: Birungi Joseph Kironde, Johnson Joachim Kasali, Yuxing Li

Institutions: China University of Petroleum, East China, China University of Petroleum, Beijing

Language: English

Topic: Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer

Subfield: Computational Mechanics

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896

OpenAlex ID: W4413375808

FWCI: 0.459

Cites: 15

Cited by: 1

Related to: 10