Experimental and numerical analysis of a water emptying pipeline using different air valves

The emptying procedure is a common operation that engineers have to face in pipelines. This generates subatmospheric pressure caused by the expansion of air pockets, which can produce the collapse of the system depending on the conditions of the installation. To avoid this problem, engineers have to install air valves in pipelines. However, if air valves are not adequately designed, then the risk in pipelines continues. In this research, a mathematical model is developed to simulate an emptying process in pipelines that can be used for planning this type of operation. The one-dimensional proposed model analyzes the water phase propagation by a new rigid model and the air pockets effect using thermodynamic formulations. The proposed model is validated through measurements of the air pocket absolute pressure, the water velocity and the length of the emptying columns in an experimental facility. Results show that the proposed model can accurately predict the hydraulic characteristic variables. © 2017 by the authors.

• Fecha de publicación: 2017
• Institución: Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar
• Repositorio: Repositorio Institucional UTB
• Idioma: eng
• OAI Identifier: oai:repositorio.utb.edu.co:20.500.12585/8740
• Acceso en línea: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12585/8740
• Palabra clave: Air pocket; Air valve; Air-water; Emptying; Hydraulic model; Pipeline; Water hammer; Water supply; Hydraulic models; Pipelines; Water hammer; Water supply; Air pockets; Air valves; Air-water; Emptying; Experimental and numerical analysis; Hydraulic characteristic; Subatmospheric pressures; Thermodynamic formulation; Air; Distribution system; Equipment component; Experimental study; Hydraulic structure; Installation; Numerical method; Numerical model; Operations technology; Pipeline; Water supply
• Rights: openAccess
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/