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Understanding Air Release through Air Valves |
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| Authors: | M Carlos F J Arregui E Cabrera C V Palau |
| Affiliation: | 1Associate Professor, Dept. Mechanical Engineering and Construction, Jaume I Univ., Av. de Vicent Sos Baynat s/n. 12071 Castelló de la Plana, Spain. E-mail: mcarlos@emc.uji.es 2Associate Professor, ITA, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera s/n. 46022 Valencia, Spain. E-mail: farregui@ita.upv.es 3Professor, ITA, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Camino de vera s/n. 46022 Valencia, Spain. E-mail: ecabrera@ita.upv.es 4Associate Professor, Dept. of Rural Engineering. Hydraulic Div. Centro Valenciano de Estudios del Riego, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain. E-mail: virpaes@agf.upv.es |
| Abstract: | Water transients with entrapped air can originate large pressure peaks that can severely damage distribution networks. Entrapped air can have a damping or amplifying effect on these undesirable pressure peaks. Unfortunately, the complexity of the phenomenon too often makes it difficult to obtain a fully reliable prediction about when air pockets will mitigate or accentuate water transients. Furthermore, the value of some of the parameters involved in the conventional numerical models cannot be calculated or measured and need to be determined through a calibration process. With the aim of overcoming most of the aforementioned uncertainties, this paper summarizes a complete set of tests conducted at WL | Delft Hydraulics. These tests were simulated by means of a tailored numerical model that includes a set of parameters whose values were determined by means of a calibration process. The experimental setup, a large-scale facility, consisted of a single steep pipeline with an air valve installed at its top end. Air release through different air valves was tested under different conditions. |
| Keywords: | Pipelines Air flow Water flow Transient flow Pipe flow Sensitivity analysis Parameters |