Effect of a commercial air valve on the rapid filling of a single pipeline: a numerical and experimental analysis

[EN] The filling process in water pipelines produces pressure surges caused by the compression of air pockets. In this sense, air valves should be appropriately designed to expel sufficient air to avoid pipeline failure. Recent studies concerning filling maneuvers have been addressed without conside...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Coronado-Hernández, Oscar E., Besharat, Mohsen, Ramos, Helena M., Fuertes-Miquel, Vicente S.|||0000-0003-3524-2555
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repositorio:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/159999
Acceso en línea:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/159999
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Air valve
Air-water interface
Filling
Flow
Pipelines
Transient
MECANICA DE FLUIDOS
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] The filling process in water pipelines produces pressure surges caused by the compression of air pockets. In this sense, air valves should be appropriately designed to expel sufficient air to avoid pipeline failure. Recent studies concerning filling maneuvers have been addressed without considering the behavior of air valves. This work shows a mathematical model developed by the authors which is capable of simulating the main hydraulic and thermodynamic variables during filling operations under the effect of the air valve in a single pipeline, which is based on the mass oscillation equation, the air¿water interface, the polytropic equation of the air phase, the air mass equation, and the air valve characterization. The mathematical model is validated in a 7.3-m-long pipeline with a 63-mm nominal diameter. A commercial air valve is positioned in the highest point of the hydraulic installation. Measurements indicate that the mathematical model can be used to simulate this phenomenon by providing good accuracy.