Assessment Fluent Software Performance for Flow Estimates in Long Path Drip Emitter

Analysis of flow behavior of water in labyrinth channels is difficult because of micro-characteristics of the emitter. So use numerical models that has been tested in experimental conditions can be used in the hydraulic analysis of drip Emitters. In this study Fluent software was used to simulating flow in labyrinth channels of Type Stripe emitter and the relation between pressure and rate of discharge under 3 pressure levels (4, 5 and 6 mH2O) is determined. For turbulent flow, in addition of Navier-Stokes Equations that was used in the laminar model, also the simplified equations of the standard k-ε model were used. Also, meshing was done by GAMBIT software and for this purpose, four-sided meshes were used. Results showed that. The model has not been able to model the discharge from the droplet in laminar and turbulent conditions, and the estimated output by the Fluent model for various pressures and laminar and turbulent conditions were calculated respectively 23 and 25 percent more than examining test. So that in laminar and turbulent flow in pressures of 4, 5, 6 m the difference between model and test, were 0.28, 0.23, 0.2 and 0.27, 0.23, 0.19 lit. hr-1 respectively. The results show upper estimations in all pressure by the model, which indicates that upper estimations increase with increasing applied pressure.