Abstract
Fluid-filled polyethylene (PE) pipelines have a wide range of applications in, for example, water supply and gas distribution systems, and it is therefore important to understand the characteristics of acoustic propagation in such pipelines in order to detect and prevent pipe ruptures caused by vibration and noise. In this paper, using the appropriate wall parameters, the frequencies of normal waves in a fluid-filled PE pipeline are calculated, and the axial and radial dependences of sound fields are analyzed. An experimental system for investigating acoustic propagation in a fluid-filled PE pipeline is constructed and is used to verify the theoretical results. Both acoustic and mechanical excitation methods are used. According to the numerical calculation, the first-, second-, and third-order cutoff frequencies are 4.6, 10.4, and 16.3 kHz, which are close to the experimentally determined values of 4.7, 10.6, and 16 kHz. Sound above a cutoff frequency is able to propagate in the axial direction, whereas sound below this frequency is attenuated exponentially in the axial direction but can propagate along the wall in the form of vibrations. The results presented here can provide some basis for noise control in fluid-filled PE pipelines.
Highlights
In pipeline systems, a number of different materials can be used for the pipe walls, with the most common being steel and thermoplastics such as polyethylene (PE)
PE pipelines have a wide range of applications, including transportation of liquids on ships and aircraft, long-distance transportation of natural gas, storage and transportation of liquids in the chemical industry, and urban water supply
When k z is imaginary, eikz z is an exponential function, and the normal wave is transformed into a nonuniform wave attenuated according to an exponential law along the axial direction, and has very little influence on the sound field far from the pipeline axis: The sound wave cannot propagate for long distances in the pipeline
Summary
A number of different materials can be used for the pipe walls, with the most common being steel and thermoplastics such as polyethylene (PE). Horne et al [17] conducted an experimental investigation of acoustic propagation in a liquid-filled pipeline, examining the effects of different pipe-wall materials on the sound field in the pipe. There have been a few theoretical studies of noise generated in fluid-filled elastic pipelines by supersonic flow [28], wall vibration [29], and bubble oscillations [30], but there is a lack of corresponding experimental investigations. It thereby aims to remedy some shortcomings of previous attempts at pipeline noise reduction Both theoretical and experimental investigations of acoustic propagation in a fluid-filled PE pipeline are conducted.
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