Understanding Air Release through Air Valves
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 4
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.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to acknowledge the valuable contributions of the reviewers of this paper because their comments and suggestions have helped to significantly improve its contents.
This research has been possible thanks to the European Community Programme “Access to Major Research Infrastructure” under the Fifth Framework Growth Programme (Contract No. UNSPECIFIEDGIRT-CT-2002-05069).
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 4 • April 2011
Pages: 461 - 469
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 26, 2010
Accepted: Aug 31, 2010
Published online: Sep 7, 2010
Published in print: Apr 1, 2011
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