Numerical analysis of influence of emitter channel structure on suspended granule distribution

The size of labyrinth emitter is minimal and the internal structure is relatively complex. It is necessary to analyze the influence of emitter channel structure on the suspended granule distribution for emitter channel structural optimization. The orthogonal design was used for emitter channel design. Based on two-phase flow theory, numerical analysis of liquid solid two-phase flow of design emitter was carried out using computational fluid dynamics software. The velocity and suspended granule distribution in the emitter channel at different inlet concentrations and granule sizes were obtained by simulation. The effects of structure parameters, granule sizes and inlet concentrations on suspended granule distribution were analyzed. The results showed that the emitter channel structure had influence on granule concentration distribution. The order of influence degree was tooth angle, intertooth space, channel depth, and tooth depth. The chance of emitter being plugged by granule particles was small if the granule size was 1/10th～1/6th of the least size of the channel width, and it was advantaged to improve the anti-clogging ability of emitters if the ratio of tooth depth and intertooth space was less than 0.5. The study can provide reference for emitter structure optimization.