Simulation of resonance phenomenon in pipelines caused by water hammer

Abstract

Excessive piping vibrations are a major cause of machinery downtime, leaks, fatigue failure, high noise, fires, and explosions in hydraulic plants. High vibration levels usually occur when an acoustic natural frequency of the piping system is excited by some pulsations or mechanical sources. The aim of this study is the numerical modelling and simulation of the resonance occurred in a cylindrical pipe caused by a variable rotational speed of a centrifugal pump and a linear closure of a valve. The governing equations for such flow are two coupled hyperbolic partial differential equations which are the equations of continuity and motion. MATLAB software was used in modeling the resonance along the pipeline and a comparison between different cases was done.