Pressure Transients Caused by Air-Valve Closure while Filling Pipelines
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 143, Issue 2
Abstract
Air valves are normally installed at high points along undulating pipelines to allow for air discharge or intake during filling or dewatering. Initial filling of a newly constructed pipeline, or refilling a portion of an existing pipeline after a shut-down for maintenance purposes, can produce destructive pressure surges caused by air-valve closure. Methodologies for determining safe filling rates for the pipeline, taking into account factors such as air-valve characteristics, riser dimensions, driving head, and allowable working pressure, are proposed in this paper. An optimal filling method can be achieved either by a two-stage filling procedure, which comprises a fast filling rate during the first stage and a slower filling rate during the second stage when the water level approaches the highest air valve, or by using an antislam air valve. The comparison of computed transient pressures with test data indicates that the analytical models produce reasonable predictions of pressure surges caused by air-valve closure.
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Acknowledgments
The author wishes to thank Mr. Luca Bonatti from CSA srl for providing data for the field tests carried out in 2010 in Italy with CSA large-orifice air valves.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 143 • Issue 2 • February 2017
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 12, 2015
Accepted: Jul 18, 2016
Published online: Sep 28, 2016
Published in print: Feb 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Feb 28, 2017
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