Coupling to Other Physics Interfaces

It is often be relevant to couple flow and transport in pipes or pipe networks to physical processes occurring outside the pipe network itself. For instance, liquid can be injected into the surrounding by means of perforated pipes. The Pipe Flow interface can calculate flow rates and pressure drops in a 1D representation in the injection system. The equations can then be coupled to a Fluid Flow interface describing fluid flow in 2D or 3D geometries. Another important coupling that is prepared in the Pipe Flow module is the Wall Heat Transfer multiphysics coupling that couples the temperature in a pipe to the temperature in a 3D surrounding.

More advanced descriptions 2D and 3D continuum fluid flow, such as turbulent and multiphase flow, can be found in the CFD Module. More extensive descriptions of heat transfer, such as in turbulent flow or involving radiation, can be found in the Heat Transfer Module. Furthermore, some applications involving the flow of liquids and gases in porous media are better handled by the Chemical Reaction Engineering Module.