Hydrodynamic of a Pelton nozzle: CFD comparison between structured and unstructured mesh

To properly reproduce the physics of the Pelton jet, one of the key points that must be carefully considered is the computational grid, whose selection and design determines the accuracy of the results and computational costs. In this paper, a comparison between structured and unstructured mesh approaches for the simulation of a Pelton nozzle flow is reported, analysing the influence that the mesh design process can have on jet quality and computational costs. The results confirmed the structured mesh approach to be the best option for Pelton injectors simulations.