CFD Analysis of Pipeline Flow in Tank Farms; Friction Factor and Pressure Drop

Abstract

This study presents a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis of fluid flow in tank farm pipelines, with emphasis on friction factor and pressure drop characteristics. The hydraulic performance of the pipeline system was evaluated, and CFD predictions were validated using empirical correlations. A three-dimensional pipeline model was developed and simulated in ANSYS Fluent under turbulent flow conditions. The results indicate that pressure drop increases significantly with increasing flow velocity and pipe length, while the friction factor decreases slightly with increasing Reynolds number. At a flow velocity of 20 m/s, a pressure drop of approximately 15 kPa was recorded, accompanied by a drag force of 0.024 kN. Furthermore, the CFD predictions showed good agreement with the Colebrook White correlation, with an average deviation of less than 5%. The findings demonstrate that CFD is an effective tool for predicting energy losses in tank farm pipeline systems and can support operational optimization, pipeline design, and flow assurance analysis.