Proposed Approach for Modelling the Thermodynamic Behaviour of Entrapped Air Pockets in Water Pipeline Start-Up

Water utilities are concerned about the issue of pipeline collapses, as service interruptions lead to water shortages. Pipeline collapses can occur during the maintenance phase when water columns compress entrapped air pockets, consequently increasing the pressure head. Analysing entrapped air pocke...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inFluids (Basel) Vol. 9; no. 8; p. 185
Main Authors Bonilla-Correa, Dalia M, Coronado-Hernández, Oscar E, Arrieta-Pastrana, Alfonso, Pérez-Sánchez, Modesto, Ramos, Helena M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.08.2024
Subjects
air pocket
Air pockets
Analysis
analytical approach
Design and construction
Differential equations
Exact solutions
Hydraulics
Interfaces
Mathematical models
Pipelines
Pressure head
Software
start-up process
Thermodynamic properties
Thermodynamics
Valves
Velocity
Water
Water circulation
water distribution systems
Water pipelines
Water shortages
Water utilities
Water-supply
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Summary:Water utilities are concerned about the issue of pipeline collapses, as service interruptions lead to water shortages. Pipeline collapses can occur during the maintenance phase when water columns compress entrapped air pockets, consequently increasing the pressure head. Analysing entrapped air pockets is complex due to the necessity of numerically solving a system of differential equations. Currently, water utilities need more tools to perform this analysis effectively. This research provides a numerical solution to the problem of entrapped air pockets in pipelines which can be utilised to predict filling operations. The study develops an analytical solution to examine the filling process. A practical application is shown, considering a 600 m long pipeline with an internal diameter of 400 mm. Compared with existing mathematical models, the results of the new analytical equations demonstrate their effectiveness as a new tool for computing the main hydraulic and thermodynamic variables involved in this issue.
ISSN:2311-5521
2311-5521
DOI:10.3390/fluids9080185