In Situ Verification of Numerical Model of Water Hammer in Slurries

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical model of transient flow in a pressure slurry pipeline network with verification based on in situ measurements. The model, primarily verified in laboratory conditions, has been extended and applied to the case of a large and complex slurry pipeline network in Poland. In the model, the equivalent density concept was applied. In situ experiments were performed for various unsteady flow episodes, caused by different pump operation strategies in the industrial pipeline network. Based on the measurements of slurry concentration and pressure variations, the numerical model was tested and verified. A satisfactory coincidence between the calculated and the observed pressure characteristics was achieved. Additional numerical tests led to important conclusions concerning safe pump and valve operation and system security threats.