Hybrid method for hydraulic transient analysis of liquid pipe networks based on characteristic lines and equivalent circuits

Abstract

Water hammer poses a significant concern in the transportation of pipelines and pipe networks. Due to the passage of reflection of water hammer waves at nodes, a large number of high-frequency pressure fluctuation signals appear in the pipe network, demanding an intensive computational workload. A novel hybrid method based on characteristic lines and equivalent circuits is proposed for the accurate and fast simulation of pipe networks. Multiple methods are employed for the simulation of pipelines and pipe networks, followed by a comparative analysis. The accuracy of the hybrid method is validated by comparing the proposed method with simulation results of commercial software. The hybrid method reduces the significant computational workload inherent in the classic method of characteristics and enhances the accuracy at high frequencies in the state-of-the-art elastic water column model. A trade-off between simulation accuracy and computation speed is achieved by adjusting the time step. The accuracy of calculating higher-frequency pressure fluctuations is further validated with an increase in the pipe diameter and a corresponding reduction in the friction loss. Generally, this method enables the simultaneous descriptions of high-frequency characteristics and nonlinear friction loss, enhancing calculation speed with little impact on the accuracy. The results demonstrate that the proposed model can be utilized for the transient analysis of pipe networks, providing support for predicting system performance and designing optimal strategies.