Uniform Flow Rate Research Articles

Quantifying Stream Return Flow of Agricultural Water Using SWAT-MODFLOW-PADDY Model in Korean Paddy Fields

In many countries, the irrigation return flow focuses only on surface and subsurface flows. In contrast, South Korea adopts a broader approach, defining the stream return flow as encompassing both quick and delayed return flows, which include subsurface flow and deep percolation. This study proposes redefining the stream return flow to include only the subsurface return flow, excluding deep percolation. We quantified the subsurface return flow and deep percolation using the SWAT-MODFLOW-PADDY (SMP) model, confirming that the current definition overestimated the stream return flow in Korea. The results show that the subsurface return flow accounted for 20% to 60% of the total infiltration, with the remaining 40% to 80% contributing to deep percolation and groundwater recharge. These findings reveal significant regional variations in the subsurface return flow rates, underscoring the limitations of applying a uniform stream return flow rate. We propose that allocated management water, subsurface, and quick return flows should be the primary components considered in stream return flow calculations, as the current practice of including delayed return flow leads to overestimated results. This study highlights the challenges in monitoring the subsurface return flow and the need for region-specific models that account for local conditions such as topography, soil characteristics, and climate. Our findings provide a more accurate approach to estimating the subsurface return flow, which is crucial for improving the efficiency and sustainability of agricultural water management in Korea.

A Global Resilience Analysis-Based Benchmark Framework for Comparing Reliability Surrogate Measures of Water Distribution Systems

Various reliability surrogate measures have emerged over the last three decades to design water distribution systems. However, existing comparative studies cannot assess surrogate measures from the resilience perspective considering the dynamic absorption–recovery process imposed by pipe failures. In this work, we propose a novel benchmark framework based on the global resilience analysis to examine surrogate measures’ performance. Surrogate measures were compared via the stress–strain curve derived from the global resilience analysis under extended period simulation. In particular, we identify the comparable stress range to articulate the differences among surrogate measures and significantly reduce the computational burden. Then, we develop the normalized resilience score (NRS) to evaluate the quality of solutions to network design. Five well-known measures are compared for the multiobjective design of two benchmark networks. Results show that the Network Resilience Index achieves 2.5% to 10.1% better NRSs than the mean NRSs over five surrogate measures, implying that both nodal surplus energy and pipe diameter uniformity greatly impact the network system’s resilience. The uniformity of pipe diameters is more significant than the uniformity of flow rate. Our findings contribute to the design of new and better surrogate measures for network resilience evaluation.

A novel Halbach array permanent magnet flowmeter for liquid metal flow measurement. Part Ⅱ: Impact of velocity distribution on measurement signals and optimization design for electrodes

In this paper, the principles of Halbach array permanent magnet flowmeter (HA-PMFM) in reducing the sensitivity of measurement signals to velocity distribution by using arc-shaped electrodes and multi-electrodes, respectively, are analyzed. The impact laws of disturbance amplitudes of three velocity distribution forms (waterfall, skewed, and blockage types) on the measurement signals acquired by HA-PMFM with point electrodes, arc-shaped electrodes, and multiple electrodes, respectively, were investigated by COMSOL Multiphysics software. The results show that, in comparison to HA-PMFM with point electrodes, HA-PMFM with arc-shaped electrodes mitigates the unevenness of the weight function from 0.68 to 0.12. Under strong velocity distribution disturbances at constant flow velocity, optimized arc-shaped electrodes can reduce the measurement error from a maximum of 15 % to within 7 %, and multi- electrodes can reduce the measurement error from a maximum of 15 % to within 5 % compared to the point electrodes. However, when the uniform incoming flow rate is varied, the optimized arc-shaped electrodes can reduce the measurement error from 2 % to within 1 %, and the multi-electrodes can reduce the error from 2 % to within 1.5 %. This study offers valuable insights for enhancing the measurement accuracy of HA-PMFM in engineering applications and provides guidance for the design of liquid metal electromagnetic flowmeters in various fields, particularly for those compact systems using liquid metal as flow medium in which the flowmeter has to be installed on the flow passage with strongly distorted velocity distribution.

Droplet array with microfluidic concentration gradient (DA-MCG) for 2-dimensional reaction condition screening

Droplet microfluidic technology can use each microdroplet as a microreactor, which has the advantages of low reagent dosage, less cross contamination, and fast reaction time. Combining concentration gradient generation with droplet formation and capture to form a two-dimensional reaction condition screening platform (including reactant concentration and reaction time) is expected to broaden the application range of microfluidic screening. In this work, a microfluidic chip that can dynamically generate and capture microdroplets and form static microdroplet array was designed and fabricated. An optimized Christmas tree structure by adjusting the horizontal channel length ratio was used to generate a chemical concentration gradient while obtaining a uniform outlet flow rate, forming a droplet array with different concentrations. The performance of droplet array with microfluidic concentration gradient (DA-MCG) was verified using sodium fluorescein as a model reagent. The chromogenic reaction of NaOH and phenolphthalein, and luminol chemiluminescence reaction were used to verify the two-dimensional screening ability of DA-MCG. The results indicated that the DA-MCG has the potential to be applied in the field of multi-dimensional drug screening.

Closed‐form solution for the length of drip laterals and easy selection of commercial emitters for low‐slope fields under the Hazen–Williams and Blasius resistance equations

AbstractThis paper proposes a simple method for determining drip lateral length in relatively flat fields in which minor losses are not considered and a uniform emitter flow rate is assumed. This makes it possible to derive a useful relationship in a closed form to determine drip lateral length according to the Hazen–Williams and Blasius resistance equations. An important advantage of the proposed procedure for determining drip lateral length is that it helps users establish the characteristics of the commercial emitters that they should select, an issue that has been poorly addressed in the past. Finally, after deriving this new solution, the same relationship is extended to a case in which minor losses are considered, and the uniform emitters' flow rate assumption is relaxed. The results of all input data sets show that when neglecting minor losses, the relative error between the inlet pressure head estimated with the suggested procedure and that calculated with the exact numerical method is less than 2.5%. However, when minor losses are considered, the number of emitters must not exceed 300 to obtain this threshold error. Several applications are performed, showing the reliability of this new design procedure.

Numerical Simulation of the Dovetail Tee and Hydraulic Optimization of the Height Difference for Pipeline in a Liquefied Natural Gas Filling Station

Certain configurations of liquefied natural gas refueling stations exhibit a deficiency in managing boil-off gas. Furthermore, the ill-conceived linkage between the submersible pump and the gas storage tank pipeline leads to impeded natural gas transmission. This study employed the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology to scrutinize the hydrodynamic attributes of the T-type tee and dovetail tee configurations implemented in the pipeline design connecting the submersible pump and storage tank in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) filling station across diverse operational scenarios. The T-type tee induces detachment of the primary flow from the inner wall due to inertial forces, which results in vortex formation and heightened resistance, accompanied by increased energy dissipation. The transition of the rounded inner wall of the dovetail tee results in the reduction of eddy current generation and a smaller separation zone, thus minimizing resistance and energy loss. The maximum static differential pressure between the inlet and outlet of the dovetail tee is reduced by 52.52% compared to that of the T-type tee. In practical engineering applications, the use of dovetail tees leads to a reduction in the height difference for the pipeline by 17.58%, resulting in more uniform and stable flow rates and pressures in the flow field. These improvements contribute to engineering efficiency and environmental sustainability and are particularly evident in the design of LNG filling stations.

Hydrocarbon Transportation in Heterogeneous Shale Pores by Molecular Dynamic Simulation.

Shale oil in China is widely distributed and has enormous resource potential. The pores of shale are at the nanoscale, and traditional research methods encounter difficulty in accurately describing the fluid flow mechanism, which has become a bottleneck restricting the industrial development of shale oil in China. To clarify the distribution and migration laws of fluid microstructure in shale nanopores, we constructed a heterogeneous inorganic composite shale model and explored the fluid behavior in different regions of heterogeneous surfaces. The results revealed the adsorption capacity for alkanes in the quartz region was stronger than that in the illite region. When the aperture was small, solid-liquid interactions dominated; as the aperture increased, the bulk fluid achieved a more uniform and higher flow rate. Under conditions of small aperture/low temperature/low pressure gradient, the quartz region maintained a negative slip boundary. Illite was more hydrophilic than quartz; when the water content was low, water molecules formed a "liquid film" on the illite surface, and the oil flux percentages in the illite and quartz regions were 87% and 99%, respectively. At 50% water content, the adsorbed water in the illite region reached saturation, the quartz region remained unsaturated, and the difference in the oil flux percentage of the two regions decreased. At 70% water content, the adsorbed water in the two regions reached a fully saturated state, and a layered structure of "water-two-phase region-water" was formed in the heterogeneous nanopore. This study is of great significance for understanding the occurrence characteristics and flow mechanism of shale oil within inorganic nanopores.

Impact of Injection Rate on Flow Mixing during the Refining Stage in an Electric Arc Furnace

During the refining stage of electric arc furnace (EAF) operation, molten steel is stirred to facilitate gas/steel/slag reactions and the removal of impurities, which determines the quality of the steel. The stirring process can be driven by the injection of oxygen, which is carried out by burners operating in lance mode. In this study, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) platform is used to simulate the liquid steel flow dynamics in an industrial-scale scrap-based EAF. The CFD platform simulates the three-dimensional, transient, non-reacting flow of the liquid steel bath stirred by oxygen injection to analyze the mixing process. In particular, the CFD study simulates liquid steel flow in an industrial-scale EAF with three asymmetric coherent jets, which impacts the liquid steel mixing under different injection conditions. The liquid steel mixing is quantified by defining two variables: the mixing time and the standard deviation of the flow velocity. The results indicate that the mixing rate of the bath is determined by flow dynamics near the injection cavities and that the formation of very low-velocity regions or ‘dead zones’ at the center of the furnace and the balcony regions prevents flow mixing. This study includes a baseline case, where oxygen is injected at 1000 SCFM in all the burners. Two sets of cases are also included: The first set considers cases where oxygen is injected at a reduced and at an increased uniform flow rate, 750 and 1250 SCFM, respectively. The second set considers cases with non-uniform injection rates in each burner, which keep the same total flow rate of the baseline case, 3000 SCFM. Comparison between the two sets of simulations against the baseline case shows that by increasing the uniform flow rate from 1000 to 1250 SCFM, the mixing time is reduced by 10.9%. Moreover, all the non-uniform injection cases reduce the mixing time obtained in the baseline case. However, the reduction in mixing times in these cases is accompanied by an increase in the standard deviations of the flow field. Among the non-uniform injection cases, the largest reduction in mixing time compared to the baseline case is 10.2%, which is obtained when the largest flow rates are assigned to coherent jets located opposite each other across the furnace.

Hypopharyngeal geometry impact on air-induced loads on the supraglottis

Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) describes paradoxical laryngeal closure during inspiration at high-intensity exercise. It is hypothesised that during intense activity, the air-induced loads on supraglottic walls overcome their internal stiffness, leading to the obstruction. Recent investigations have revealed that the air-induced loads on the supraglottic walls vary nonlinearly with increasing flow rate. It is, however, unclear whether certain geometric configurations of the hypopharynx and larynx may contribute to the predisposition to EILO. This study investigates the influence of hypopharyngeal and laryngeal geometry on upper respiratory tract airflow and air-induced forces. A computational fluid dynamics model is developed to study airflow through larynx. Four real, adult upper respiratory tracts with variable configurations are considered. Two steady, uniform inspiratory flow rates of 60 L/min and 180 L/min are considered. The analysis shows that geometries with a space lateral to the epiglottis (EpiS) and piriform fossae (PF) directs the hypopharyngeal and supraglottic pressure field to remain positive and increase with the flow rate. In geometries with EpiS and PF, pressure differential occurs around the aryepiglottic fold producing a net inward force over the region. The three-fold increase in flow rate induces near ten-fold increases in force over the region which may facilitate the closure. It is concluded that hypopharyngeal anatomy, particularly the piriform fossae, play a significant role in the obstruction of the supraglottic airway and should be considered in research and clinical assessment of EILO.

Efficient optimization of parallel micro-channel heat sinks based on flow resistance network model

Electronics cooling is a critical issue affecting technological development. Parallel micro-channel heat sink (PMCHS) is widely applied for electronics cooling. However, the existing optimization methods are incapable to perform efficient design of three-dimensional liquid-cooled PMCHSs, impeding the thermal management of high power and volume-shrinking electronics. In this study, a flow resistance network (FRN) model is developed for structural optimization of three-dimensional liquid-cooled PMCHSs. Based on the uniform flow rate distribution, the FRN model is used to determine the optimized parallel channel widths and the optimized inlet deflector shape of the PMCHS. With the optimized parallel channel widths, the maximum temperature (Tmax) of the PMCHS is decreased by 4.0 K and the temperature standard deviation (σT) is decreased by 20%. With the optimized inlet deflector shape, Tmax and σT are reduced by 4.8 K and 14% respectively. The optimization method based on the developed FRN model for structural design of PMCHSs avoids multiple iterations of system parameters in existing optimization methods, showing its potential in high efficient thermal management of electronics.

Efficiently Removing Hydrogen of H-Supersaturated Liquid Steel in the Vacuum Degasser with Various Gas Injection Modes

Hydrogen removal of H-supersaturated liquid steel produced in a hydrogen-rich environment in an industrial vacuum degasser (VD) is simulated here using a two-phase (argon–steel) Eulerian model. The dehydrogenation efficiency is evaluated for a series of ladle plug layouts and argon-purging modes. Increasing the plug number from the prototype double-plug of the ladle to four or slightly prolonging the degassing time of a triple-plug ladle enables to obtain the specified dehydrogenation efficiency and the end-point hydrogen level. Varying the plug position of the triple-plug ladle makes no significant difference in the dehydrogenation efficiency, which, however, is improved by adjusting the plug angle. For the triple-plug ladle, the non-uniform argon-purging mode improves the melt hydrodynamic conditions, but the optimal dehydrogenation performance is achieved in the uniform mode. The plug number has the greatest impact on the dehydrogenation efficiency compared to the other ladle designs considered. The high-efficiency dehydrogenation of H-supersaturated liquid steel in the VD can be achieved through using the quadruple plugs, or by using the triple plugs positioned at 0.57R, 0.57R, and 0.41R and the angles of 108.6° and 71.4°, with the uniform argon-purging flow rate.

Three-dimensional multi-phase numerical study for the effect of coolant flow field designs on water and thermal management for the large-scale PEMFCs

The multi-phase numerical study is performed for the large-scale proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) regarding coolant flow field design. In this study, three coolant flow fields were designed to explore the effect of different temperature distributions on the water management of the PEMFCs. The numerical results show that increasing the temperature gradient along the gas flow direction and improving the temperature uniformity perpendicular to the gas flow direction enhances PEMFC performance and makes the liquid water distribution in the gas diffusion layers more reasonable. The co-flow for the cathode gas stream and the coolant flow is beneficial to raise the temperature along the cathode gas flow direction and reduce the risk of flooding near the cathode outlet. Then, it is noted that the coolant flow field design is not necessary to keep the temperature absolutely uniform for the PEMFCs. Although increasing the coolant volume flow rate will reduce the IUT, it dramatically increases the risk of flooding near the cathode outlet. Therefore, the moderate volume flow rate is preferred. Finally, the effect of the coolant manifold on the volume flow rate uniformity in the coolant channels is investigated, and it is found that reducing the number of coolant channels is the best strategy to improve volume flow rate uniformity and thermal management performance.

A comparison of oscillating sweeping jet and steady normal jet in cooling gas turbine leading edge: Numerical analysis

Impinging jets have emerged as a prominent cooling technology in the gas turbine industry. With the addition of fluidic oscillators as heat removal devices, steady-state impinging jets can be converted to sweeping impinging jets, presenting an opportunity to improve the heat transfer performance of current impinging jets by covering a larger cooling surface area on the leading edge of a gas turbine blade. Sweeping jets are self-oscillating devices that operate based on the Coanda effect, making them self-sustaining. In this study, the flow and heat transfer performance of an array of seven steady and sweeping impinging jets were investigated using the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes turbulent SST k-ω model. The sweeping jet impingement improved the heat removal performance by cooling a larger surface area of the leading edge with a constant heat flux and by improving the overall time-averaged cooling effectiveness. Compared with the steady jet case, the sweeping jet case shows an improvement in heat transfer of 12.2%. Further, the use of fluidic oscillators (sweeping jets) produced a more uniform mass flow rate distribution from all jets compared with a simple jet.

Numerical Investigation of Flow and Dispersion over Two-Dimensional Semi-Open Street Canyon

A semi-open street canyon is able to protect pedestrians from unpleasant situations such as direct sunlight and rain. However, the protruding elements of the two opposite building facades that form the semi-open configuration can affect the air quality of the urban canopy layer (UCL). Therefore, this paper investigated the influence of the eave structures on the flow and pollutant dispersion over an idealized 2D street canyon with a unity aspect ratio. The length of the eaves was varied into 0.25H and 0.5H (H is the building height) and placed either on the leeward wall, the windward wall, or on both building facades located at the same elevation as the street canyon. Numerical simulations were performed using the steady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations in conjunction with Re-Normalization Group (RNG) k-ε as the turbulence closure model. The pollutant was released from a line source in the center of the bottom of the target canyon with uniform flow rate. Six different eave configurations were simulated in the wind direction perpendicular to the canyon axis, representing the worst condition of canyon ventilation. The evolution of the primary vortex, which occupied the entire canyon with the characteristic of skimming flow, showed less dependence on the length and position of the eave, except for the longest eave on the windward wall. However, the position of the vortex center depicted opposite results. The pollutant concentration is always higher near the leeward wall, but for the eave that protrudes from the windward wall with a length of 0.5H, the pollutant accumulates near the windward region. The ratio of pollutant concentration showed higher concentration in the semi-open configurations compared to the fully open layout as a result of limited penetration of shear flow into the canyon, which leads to deterioration of pollutant removal.

Pressure drop analysis of subsurface irrigation dripper system and its flow rate uniformity

Recently, water scarcity has become a serious social problem caused by global climate change. In agricultural water usage, subsurface irrigation techniques can be an alternative method to save water and improve the productivity and quality of crops. The technique supplies water by burying an irrigation hose 30 cm underground rather than placing it on the ground (topsoil), effectively preventing evaporation loss at the soil surface. In this study, we numerically calculated the pressure drop using a dripper installed inside an underground irrigation hose developed in Korea. The pumping load of the domestic product was evaluated in terms of momentum loss and compared with the most widely used Netafim products. The lower the pressure drop in the dripper, the higher the performance of the irrigation system in terms of stable water supply. Using computational fluid dynamics and experiments, we provide a meaningful evaluation of the domestic product in the irrigation system.

Fluid-Dynamics Analysis and Structural Optimization of a 300 kW MicroGas Turbine Recuperator

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is used here to reduce pressure loss and improve heat exchange efficiency in the recuperator associated with a gas turbine. First, numerical simulations of the high-temperature and low-temperature channels are performed and, the calculated results are compared with experimental data (to verify the reliability of the numerical method). Second, the flow field structure of the low-temperature side channel is critically analyzed, leading to the conclusion that the flow velocity distribution in the low-temperature side channel is uneven, and its resistance is significantly higher than that in the high-temperature side. Therefore, five alternate structural schemes are proposed for the optimization of the low-temperature side. In particular, to reduce the flow velocity in the upper channel, the rib length of each channel at the inlet of the low-temperature side region is adjusted. The performances of the 5 schemes are compared, leading to the identification of the configuration able to guarantee a uniform flow rate and minimize the pressure drop. Finally, the heat transfer performance of the optimized recuperator structure is evaluated, and it is shown that the effectiveness of the recuperator is increased by 1.5%.

Design of Christmas-Tree-like Microfluidic Gradient Generators for Cell-Based Studies

Microfluidic gradient generators (MGGs) provide a platform for investigating how cells respond to a concentration gradient or different concentrations of a specific chemical. Among these MGGs, those based on Christmas-tree-like structures possess advantages of precise control over the concentration gradient profile. However, in designing these devices, the lengths of channels are often not well considered so that flow rates across downstream outlets may not be uniform. If these outlets are used to culture cells, such non-uniformity will lead to different fluidic shear stresses in these culture chambers. As a result, cells subject to various fluidic stresses may respond differently in aspects of morphology, attachment, alignment and so on. This study reports the rationale for designing Christmas-tree-like MGGs to attain uniform flow rates across all outlets. The simulation results suggest that, to achieve uniform flow rates, the lengths of vertical channels should be as long as possible compared to those of horizontal channels, and modifying the partition of horizontal channels is more effective than elongating the lengths of vertical channels. In addition, PMMA-based microfluidic chips are fabricated to experimentally verify these results. In terms of chemical concentrations, perfect linear gradients are observed in devices with modified horizontal channels. This design rationale will definitely help in constructing optimal MGGs for cell-based applications including chemotherapy, drug resistance and drug screening.

Effective Mixer Design an Important Factor In SSCR Systems for Reduction of NOx from Exhaust of Diesel Engines

In recent decades, the environment has been seriously polluted by the hazardous exhaust components of diesel engines. The international community, which is dedicated to preserving the harmony between nature and humanity, has taken this seriously and imposed strict regulations on Diesel engine manufacturers regarding the quantity of exhaust components from Diesel engines that may apply to the standards of EURO-VI. The SCR technology attempted to reduce the problem somewhat, but the associated problems of solid particle formation on the pipe walls, ammonia slip, and incomplete NOx reduction led to the development of new technology - solid selective catalytic reduction. The use of solid ammonium salt for ammonia generation has shown better results in NOx reduction and reduction of solid particle formation compared to SCR. However, it was not possible to fully resolve the ammonia slip issue. A uniform flow rate of ammonia through the SCR catalyst can reduce NOx efficiently. In this paper, the role of mixer design in achieving a uniform flow rate of ammonia is investigated in detail. The results show that an optimized mixer design leads to efficient reduction of NOx and thus reduces ammonia slip to a great extent. When the mixer is placed near the ammonia injection point, the most homogeneous ammonia distribution is achieved for flow through the SCR catalyst.

Investigations on tube in tube metal foam heat exchanger

The heat transfer equipments with higher heat transfer ability are needed in several industrial applications. With conventional methods, size of the device increases and it becomes bulky. With the use of metal foam, it is possible to attain large ratios of surface to volume. Therefore, using metal foam in heat exchanging devices is crucial. The main reason behind the use of metal foam over conventional method is its weight-saving and impact-absorbing structures. Insertion of metal foam in heat exchangers for various applications can lead to greater effectiveness and heat transfer enhancement. It has been observed that very few researchers have participated in the area of double tube heat exchangers (DTHE) having annular spaces filled with metal foam. The present work deals with numerical and CFD analysis of double tube heat exchanger (DTHE) with metal foam having different pore densities differing from 10 PPI to 50 PPI & performance evaluation of the same by taking hot water stream and cold water stream as working fluids. The modelling was created in Creo & simulation was done with k-omega (2 equation) viscous model in Ansys fluent flow. In the present work, double tube heat exchanger was considered in counter flow mode with inner sided tube (Stainless Steel) ID 9.5 mm & OD 12.7 mm and outer sided tube (Galvanized Iron) ID 28 mm & OD 33.8 mm. For fully developed turbulent flow, total length was considered as 1.5 m. The water streams through inner tube and annular space were flowing at uniform and constant flow rates of 2 lpm and 10 lpm respectively. Hot water and cold water inlet temperatures were taken at 800c & 300c respectively. For the analysis nickel metal foam with 10 PPI to 50 PPI with 0.9 porosity was inserted in the annular spaces of DTHE. For different pore densities comparative analysis was done. It was found that with rise in pore density of metal foam heat transfer rate (HTC) and pressure drop increased for both numerical & mathematical results. CFD simulation results were in good agreement with results obtained from empirical correlations taken from literature.

Automated hydraulic design procedure for a Francis turbine spiral casing

The spiral casing of a Francis turbine distributes the water from the penstock to the stay and guide vanes circumferentially and uniformly, which is important for achieving the required flow conditions at the runner entrance. Moreover, the spiral casing is supposed to provide the required inlet velocity in front of the stay vanes and create minimal hydraulic losses. The dimensions and shape of the spiral casing depend on the hydraulic and energy parameters of the turbine. A calculation methodology for a Francis spiral casing hydraulic design is presented in this paper. The methodology developed is based on the main condition to achieve a uniform water flow rate into the stay vanes system and the wicket gate over the entire perimeter. The free vortex flow theory is implemented in this research, where the design is based on the law of constant velocity moment. The parametric definition of the spiral casing makes the geometries generated for certain input combinations suitable for numerical analysis using commercially available Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software. The calculation procedure can be used for any set of energy and geometry turbine parameters, such as water discharge, angle of streamline departing from the spiral casing, and stay ring diameter and height. The automated approach integrating MATLAB and ANSYS Workbench capabilities is presented as a spiral casing design tool. The product is a design solution proposed on basis of the turbine parameters. The spiral casing geometry generation is followed by a CFD analysis. Considering input parameters of different existing Francis turbines, the spiral casing is redesigned accordingly. One of the obtained spiral casings geometry is numerically tested. The results show that the uniform discharge distribution is achieved. The automation of the design procedure allows further optimization based on chosen input parameters.