This research work focuses on the analysis of hydraulic transients in polyvinyl chloride ͑PVC͒ pipes, which are characterized by a viscoelastic rheological behavior. Transient pressure data were collected in a pipe rig consisting of a set of PVC pipes. The creep function of the PVC pipes was determined by using an inverse transient model based on collected transient pressure data and compared with that obtained by carrying out mechanical tensile tests of PVC pipe specimens. The numerical results obtained from the transient solver have shown that the attenuation, dispersion, and shape of transient pressures were well described. The incorporation of the viscoelastic mechanical behavior in the hydraulic transient model has provided an excellent fitting between numerical results and observed data. Calibrated creep function based on inverse analysis fit the one determined by mechanical tests well, which emphasized the importance of pipe-wall viscoelasticity in hydraulic transients in PVC pipes.
A meus pais, Nelson e Maria Nair, realizadores de todo esforço por mim. AGRADECIMENTOS A Deus, pela vida. A Nossa Senhora Aparecida, pela proteção. À Professora Luisa Fernanda Ribeiro Reis, orientadora e amiga, pelo idealismo, competência e dedicação a este trabalho.
The current paper focuses on the analysis of transient cavitating flow in pressurised polyethylene pipes, which are characterized by viscoelastic rheological behaviour. A hydraulic transient solver that describes fluid transients in plastic pipes has been developed. This solver incorporates the description of dynamic effects related to the energy dissipation (unsteady friction), the rheological mechanical behaviour of the viscoelastic pipe and the cavitating pipe flow. The Discrete Vapour Cavity Model (DVCM) and the Discrete Gas Cavity Model (DGCM) have been used to describe transient cavitating flow. Such models assume that discrete air cavities are formed in fixed sections of the pipeline and consider a constant wave speed in pipe reaches between these cavities. The cavity dimension (and pressure) is allowed to grow and collapse according to the mass conservation principle. An extensive experimental programme has been carried out in an experimental set-up composed of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes, assembled at Instituto Superior Técnico of Lisbon, Portugal. The experimental facility is composed of a single pipeline with a total length of 203 m and inner diameter of 44 mm. The creep function of HDPE pipes was determined by using an inverse model based on transient pressure data collected during experimental runs without cavitating flow. Transient tests were carried out by the fast closure of the ball valves located at downstream end of the pipeline for the non-cavitating flow and at upstream for the cavitating flow. Once the rheological behaviour of HDPE pipes were known, computational simulations have been run in order to describe the hydraulic behaviour of the system for the cavitating pipe flow. The calibrated transient solver is capable of accurately describing the attenuation, dispersion and shape of observed transient pressures. The effects related to the viscoelasticity of HDPE pipes and to the occurrence of vapour pressures during the transient event are discussed.
Leakage reduction in water supply systems and distribution networks has been an increasingly important issue in the water industry since leaks and ruptures result in major physical and economic losses. Hydraulic transient solvers can be used in the system operational diagnosis, namely for leak detection purposes, due to their capability to describe the dynamic behaviour of the systems and to provide substantial amounts of data. In this research work, the association of hydraulic transient analysis with an optimisation model, through inverse transient analysis (ITA), has been used for leak detection and its location in an experimental facility containing PVC pipes.Observed transient pressure data have been used for testing ITA. A key factor for the success of the leak detection technique used is the accurate calibration of the transient solver, namely adequate boundary conditions and the description of energy dissipation effects since PVC pipes are characterised by a viscoelastic mechanical response. Results have shown that leaks were located with an accuracy between 4-15% of the total length of the pipeline, depending on the discretisation of the system model. Key words 9 9 9 9 calibration, hydraulic transients, inverse models, leak detection, plastic pipes
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