On the Approximation of Two-Dimensional Transient Pipe Flow Using a Modified Wave Propagation Algorithm

Abstract

In this study, a second-order accurate Godunov-type finite volume method is used for the solution of the two-dimensional (2D) water hammer problem. The numerical scheme applied here is well balanced and is able to treat the unsteady friction terms, together with the convective terms, within the differences between fluxes of neighboring computational cells. In order to consider the effect of unsteady friction terms during the water hammer process, k−ε and k−ω turbulence models are employed. The performance of the proposed method with the choice of different turbulence models is evaluated using experimental data obtained from one low and one high Reynolds-number turbulent test cases. In addition to velocity and pressure distributions, the turbulence characteristics of each variant of the model, including eddy viscosity, dissipation rate, and turbulent kinetic energy during the water hammer process are fully analyzed. It is found that the inclusion of the convective inertia terms leads to more accurate pressure profiles. The results also show that using a relatively high Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy (CFL) number close to unity, the introduced numerical solver with both choices of turbulence models provides reasonable and acceptable predictions for the studied flows.