A numerical method for the computation of the effects of an air vessel on the pressure surges in pumping systems with air entrainment

Abstract

This paper describes an improved numerical method and computational procedure for the implementation of typical air vessel responses and their influence of the pressure transient for unsteady flow in a pipeline system with air entrainment. The proposed numerical method and computational procedure is without the necessity of an excessive iterative procedure as required previously by the conventional approach. The effects of air in the transient fluid system with the air vessel were then studied through the improved numerical computational method. Free and dissolved gases in the transported fluid, and cavitation at vapour pressure, are included.