PITOT TUBE SIMULATION: A KEY TOOL FOR REAL ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS IN MARINE ENGINEERING AND MECHATRONICS

Abstract

The Pitot tube is a classical and widely used instrument for measuring fluid flow velocity, with applications across various engineering fields, including marine engineering systems and modern mechatronic applications. This paper presents a numerical simulation of a Pitot tube performed using ANSYS Fluent, aiming to demonstrate its operating principle, measurement accuracy, and significance as both an educational and research tool.

The adopted approach enables observation of velocity and pressure distribution around the tube, providing a deeper understanding of fluid flow phenomena and their relation to real-world measurements. Within the simulation framework, different flow regimes are analyzed, along with the influence of geometric parameters and the Reynolds number on velocity determination accuracy. The results clearly illustrate the regions of high and low pressure that define the tube’s readings, confirming the reliability of the method for engineering applications.

The proposed methodology has strong educational value, as it allows students from the “Ship Machines and Mechanisms” and “Mechatronics” programs to visualize real fluid flow processes that are often difficult to observe experimentally. Through simulation, they acquire skills in CFD software operation, numerical data interpretation, and the practical application of theoretical knowledge. Thus, the Pitot tube becomes not only a measuring device but also a key educational instrument, bridging fluid mechanics theory with real engineering practice and promoting analytical thinking among future engineers.