Automatic Control Valve–Induced Transients in Operative Pipe System

Abstract

In most cases, the final configuration of complex pipe networks is attained simply by connecting subsystems initially designed to work separately. Thus, automatic control valves (ACV) are often installed in the confluence nodes where the subsystems meet. The present paper deals with the response and hydraulic behavior of ACVs, topics on which data are scarce. More precisely, attention is focused on transients, which occur in a water-distribution pipe system in operation due to the action of an ACV, both from an experimental and numerical point of view. The aim of the water-hammer field tests is to enlarge the amount of the experimental data concerning unsteady-state flow processes in operating pipe systems. The numerical model extends to field conditions and ACVs laboratory work on the hydraulic characterization of valves and the unsteady-state friction simulation.