[JD1]

Hi All,

Totally newbie to CFD here. I work with very precise temperature data collected from stop tap in underground chambers to identify water leaks on pipes. We have noticed that we tend to get 'noise' in the data, this is particularly more evident in the winter months.

We have a theory that this is caused by convection due to the temperature gradient from the top of the chamber to the bottom of the chamber (i.e. the cold air sinking and warm air rising). The temperature fluctuations we see tend to be on the order of 0.05-0.1 degrees C per minute. See schematic below:

thermal_gradient.png

I was hoping to use OpenFoam to test out this theory, however I've spent several days just trying to get it set up and get to grips with 1 or 2 tutorials.

I'm looking for some guidance on what is involved in getting the schematic above implemented as a CFD model to test the theory and how long you guys think this would take?

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks,

J