Hydraulic Transients

When the Steady-

State design fails!

School of Civil and

Monroe L. Weber-Shirk Environmental Engineering
 Hydraulic Transients: Overview

In all of our flow analysis we have assumed

either _____
steady_____ gradually
state operation or ________
varied flow
______
What about rapidly varied flow?
How does flow from a faucet start?
How about flow startup in a large, long
pipeline?
What happens if we suddenly stop the flow of
water through a tunnel leading to a turbine?
 Hydraulic Transients
Unsteady Pipe Flow: time varying flow and pressure

Routine transients Catastrophic transients

change in valve settings unstable pump or turbine
starting or stopping of pumps operation
pipe breaks
changes in power demand for
turbines
changes in reservoir elevation
turbine governor hunting
action of reciprocating pumps
lawn sprinkler
 References

Chaudhry, M. H. 1987. Applied Hydraulic

Transients. New York, Van Nostrand
Reinhold Company.
Wylie, E. B. and V. L. Streeter. 1983. Fluid
Transients. Ann Arbor, FEB Press.
 Analysis of Transients

Gradually varied (Lumped) _________

ODE
conduit walls are assumed rigid
fluid assumed incompressible
time only
flow is function of _____
Rapidly varied (Distributed) _________
PDE
fluid assumed slightly compressible
conduit walls may also be assumed to be elastic
location
flow is a function of time and ________
 Establishment of Flow:
Final Velocity
1 How long will it take? g = 9.8 m/s2
H = 100 m
H EGL K = ____
1.5
2
V2 f = 0.02
HGL L = 1000 m
2g
V2 V 2 D=1m

L 0.5
Ken= ____
p1 V12 p2 V22 1.0
z1 z 2 h f hL Kexit= ____
2g 2g m
m in
aj or
or
 Final Velocity

H z1 z 2 h f hL g = 9.8 m/s2
H = 100 m
LV 2 V2 K = 1.5
hf f 2
D 2g
hL K
f = 0.02
2g
L = 1000 m
D=1m
V2 L
H f
K
2g D

2 gH
Vf 9.55 m/s
fL
K
D
What would V be without losses? 44
_____
m/s
 Establishment of Flow:
Navier Stokes? Initial Velocity
before head loss becomes significant Vf
2 gH

mdV K
fL
F ma F= 10 D

dt 9

F= pA = g HA
8 g = 9.8 m/s2
7
H = 100 m
velocity (m/s)
6
m = r AL 5
H K = 1.5
4 V gt
3 L f = 0.02
dV L = 1000 m
HA AL 2

dt
1
D=1m
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
t V
HA dt AL dV time (s)

HAt H
0 0
V V gt
HAt ALV AL L
 Flow Establishment:
Full Solution
d g hl D
F (mV ) F =________,
gravity ________
drag t 0 =-
4L
dt
F =t 0 Lp D

L V 2 d ALV
A
H
K f
D 2 g
dt g

t V t
L V dV
dt
L V
2
dV dt
0 gH 1 K f 2
0 0
H
g K f 0 V
D 2 g L 2 L D
 Flow Establishment:
tanh!
V dV 1 - 1 bV
a
if V

0 a 2 - b 2V 2
= tanh
ab a b
V < Vf

1 bV gH 1 K f
t tanh 1

a b
ab a L 2 L D
a a
V tanh abt Vf
b b
2 gH gH K f
V tanh
t
fL L D
K 2L
D
 Time to reach final velocity
1 1 bV 1
1 V
a
t tanh tanh Vf
ab a ab V
f b

1 1
0.9V f tanh 1 (0.9)
t0.9V f tanh tanh 1 (0.9) 1.47
ab Vf gH K f


2 L L D
Time to reach 0.9Vf increases as:
tanh 1 (0.9)
L increases t0.9V f
gH L
H decreases K f
2
2L D
Head loss decreases
 Flow Establishment
12
g = 9.8 m/s
2
10
H = 100 m

velocity (m/s)
8
K = 1.5
f = 0.02 6

L = 1000 m 4

D=1m 2

t0.9V f 14.34 s 0
0 10 20 30 40
time (s)

2 gH gH K f
V tanh
t Was f constant?
fL L D
K 2L VD
D Re = 107
n
 Household plumbing example
Have you observed the gradual increase in flow
when you turn on the faucet at a sink? No? Good!
50 psi - 350 kPa - 35 m of head
K = 10 (estimate based on significant losses in faucet)
f = 0.02
L = 5 m (distance to larger supply pipe where velocity
change is less significant)
D = 0.5 - 0.013 m
time to reach 90% of final velocity? T0.9Vf = 0.13 s
 V > V f?

V dV 1 - 1 bV 1 a +bV a
t = 2 = ctnh = ln if V >
a - b 2V 2 ab a 2ab a - bV b

a
V = ctnh ( abt ) If V0=
b

1 a +bV0
tV0 = ln
2ab a - bV0

a sinh(2 x)
V = ctnh
b
(
ab t +tVo
) ctnh ( x ) =
cosh ( 2 x ) - 1
Why does velocity approach final velocity so rapidly?
 Lake Source Cooling Intake
Schematic
Motor
Lake Water Surface

Steel Pipe
100 m ?
P ipe
a st ic Intake Pipe, with
Pl m flow Q and cross
0 0
31 sectional area Apipe 1m
Pump inlet
length of intake pipeline is 3200 m Wet Pit,
What happens during startup? with plan
view area
What happens if pump is turned off? Atank
 Transient with varying driving
force
d
F (mv )
Q
dt
d Apipe LV
L Q2
Apipe H hl where hl
K f 2
dt g

D Apipe 2 g

Apipe g
H hl dt dQ Lake elevation - wet pit water level
H = ______________________________
L
dzwetpit Q f(Q)
What is z=f(Q)? =
dt Awetpit
Apipe g
Q H hl t Finite Difference Solution!
L Is f constant?
 Wet Pit Water Level and Flow
Oscillations
2 4
Q z
1.5 3
1 2
0.5 1
Q (m /s)

z (m)
3

0 0
-0.5 -1
-1 -2
-1.5 -3
-2 -4
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
time (s)
What is happening on the vertical lines? constants
 Wet Pit with Area Equal to Pipe
Area
2 20
Q z
1.5 15
1 10
0.5 5
Q (m3/s)

z (m)
0 0
-0.5 -5
-1 -10
Pipe collapse
-1.5 -15
Water Column Separation
-2 -20
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
time (s)
Why is this unrealistic?
 Overflow Weir at 1 m

2 2
Q z
1.5 1.5
1 1
0.5 0.5
Q (m3/s)

z (m)
0 0
-0.5 -0.5
-1 -1
-1.5 -1.5
-2 -2
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
time (s)
 Period of Oscillation:
Frictionless Case
Apipe g
H hl dt dQ z = -H z = 0 at lake surface
L
Wet pit mass balance
dQ Apipe g dz Awetpit d 2 z dQ
z Awetpit Q
dt L dt dt 2 dt

Awetpit d 2 z Apipe g
z
dt 2 L
gA gA
d z 2
gApipe pipe pipe
z0 z C1 cos t C 2 sin t
LA
dt 2 LAwetpit wetpit LAwetpit
 Period of Oscillations

L Awet pit plan view area of wet pit (m2) 24

T 2 pipeline length (m) 3170
g Ap inner diameter of pipe (m) 1.47
gravity (m/s2) 9.81
3170m 24m 2
T 2
2 4
9.81m / s 2 1.7 m 2 1.5
Q z
3
1 2

T = 424 s 0.5 1
Q (m3/s)

z (m)
0 0
-0.5 -1
Pendulum Period? -1 -2
-1.5 -3
L
T 2 -2 -4
g 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
time (s)
 Transients

In previous example we assumed that the

velocity was the same everywhere in the
pipe
We did not consider compressibility of
water or elasticity of the pipe
In the next example water compressibility
and pipe elasticity will be central
 Valve Closure in Pipeline

V2 V

Sudden valve closure at t = 0 causes change

in discharge at the valve
What will make the fluid slow down?____
p at valve
Instantaneous change would require
__________
infinite force
Impossible to stop all the fluid
instantaneously What do you think happens?
 Transients: Distributed System
Tools
Conservation of mass
Conservation of momentum
Conservation of energy
Wed like to know
pressure change
rigid walls
elastic walls
propagation speed of pressure wave
time history of transient
 Pressure change due to velocity
change
HGL

V0 V0 V

a
unsteady flow steady flow

velocity V0 V0 V V0 a V0 V a

density 0 0 0 0

pressure P0 P0 P P0 P0 P
 Momentum Equation

HGL

V0 V0 V
1 a 2
M1 M 2 W Fp Fp Fss Neglect head loss!
1 2

M 1 x M 2 x Fp Fp Mass conservation
1x 2

M 1x 1V12 A1 M 2 x 2V22 A2 1V1 A1 2V2 A2

1V1 A1 V2 V1 p1 A1 p2 A2 A1 A2
1V1V p p = p2 - p 1
 Magnitude of Pressure Wave

V0 V0 V
1 a 2

1V1V p
V1 V0 a a V0

p aV Dp =gDH

- a DV
DH = increase in HGL.
Decrease in V causes a(n) _______
g
 Propagation Speed:
Rigid Walls
V0 V0 V
0 0

a
A(V0 a ) 0 A(V0 a V )( 0 ) Conservation of mass

0
V (V0 a ) 1 Solve for V
0

V (V0 a )
0
 Propagation Speed:
Rigid Walls
V0 V0 V
0 0

a
p 0 (V0 a )V momentum

V (V0 a ) mass
0

p 0 (V0 a ) 2
V0 a 0
0
p a 2 Need a relationship between pressure and density!
 Propagation Speed:
Rigid Walls
p
K definition of bulk modulus of elasticity

p K
a
2
a

Example:
Find the speed of a pressure wave in a water pipeline
assuming rigid walls.
2.2 x 109
K 2.2 GPa (for water) a 1480 m/s
1000
1000 Kg/m 3

speed of sound in water

 Propagation Speed:
Elastic Walls
V0 V0 V
0 0

K D
a
a Additional parameters
0 D = diameter of pipe
t = thickness of thin walled pipe
E = bulk modulus of elasticity for pipe
K 0 effect of water compressibility
a
K D
1 effect of pipe elasticity
E t
 Propagation Speed:
Elastic Walls
Example: How long does it take for a
pressure wave to travel 500 m after a rapid
valve closure in a 1 m diameter, 1 cm wall
thickness, steel pipeline? The initial flow
velocity was 5 m/s.
E for steel is 200 GPa
What is the increase in pressure?

solution
 Time History of Hydraulic
Transients: Function of ...
Time history of valve operation (or other control device)
Pipeline characteristics
diameter, thickness, and modulus of elasticity
length of pipeline
frictional characteristics
tend to decrease magnitude of pressure wave
Presence and location of other control devices
pressure relief valves
surge tanks
reservoirs
 Time History of Hydraulic
Transients
1 H
3 H

V=Vo V=0 V= -Vo V=0

a a
L L
t L
t
a

2 H 4
V=0 V= -Vo

L L
L 2L
t t
a a
 Time History of Hydraulic
Transients
5 H 7 H

V= -Vo V=Vo
V=0 V=0
a a
L L
2L 3L
t t
a a

6 8
H
V=0 V= Vo

L L
3L 4L
t t
a a
Pressure head Pressure variation over time

reservoir
level

Neglecting head loss!

time
4L 8L 12L
a a a
Pressure variation at valve: velocity head and friction
losses neglected Real traces
 Lumped vs. Distributed
4L lumped system
For _______
T >>
a
pressure fluctuation period
= __________________________

L Awet pit
T 2
For LSC wet pit g Ap
= 424 s
4L
9.1 s
a = 4*3170 m/1400 m/s = ____

What would it take to get a transient with a period of

9 s in Lake Source Cooling? Fast
____________
valve
 Methods of Controlling
Transients
Valve operation
limit operation to slow changes
if rapid shutoff is necessary consider diverting the flow
and then shutting it off slowly
Surge tank
acts like a reservoir closer to the flow control point
Pressure relief valve
automatically opens and diverts some of the flow when
a set pressure is exceeded
 Surge Tanks

Reservoir Surge tank

Tunnel/Pipelin
e

Reduces amplitude of pressure Penstock

tunnel by reflecting
fluctuations in ________
incoming pressure waves T

Decreases cycle time of pressure Tail water

wave in the penstock
Start-up/shut-down time for turbine
can be reduced (better response to
load changes) Surge tanks
 Use of Hydraulic Transients
There is an old technology that
used hydraulic transients to lift
water from a stream to a higher
elevation. The device was called a
Ram Pumpand it made a
rhythmic clacking noise.
How did it work? High pressure pipe

Source pipe
Stream

Ram Pump
 Minimum valve closure time

How would you stop a pipeline full of water

in the minimum time possible without
bursting the pipe? r a =- ( p +r g ) +m2 V
Apipe g
H hl dt dQ p
H

z
L
g
Apipe g
p

z hl dt dQ
L g H EGL

HGL
V

L
 Simplify: no head loss and hold
pressure constant
Apipe g
p

z hl dt dQ H EGL
L g HGL
V

Apipe g p L
z dt dQ
L g
Apipe g p Integrate from 0 to t and from Q
z t Q0
L g to 0 (changes sign)
Q0 L V0 L
t t
p p
Apipe g z g z
g g
 Back to Ram Pump: dV g p


z hl
dt L g
Pump Phase
12

Coordinate system? 10

velocity (m/s)
8

P1 = _____
0
6

z3 g
2

P2 = _____ 0
0 10 20
time (s)
30 40

z2-z1 = ___-z1
p
z z3 z1
g High pressure pipe z3

z Source pipe
Stream
z1
 dV g p
z hl
Reflections dt
L g

What is the initial head loss term if the pump

stage begins after steady state flow has been
z1
reached? _____
p
What is g z hl ?_____
z3
p
What is z hl when V approaches zero?
g
______ z3 z1
Where is most efficient pumping? ___________
Low V (low hl)
How do you pump the most water? ______
Maintain high V
 Ram: Optimal Operation

What is the theoretical maximum ratio of

pumped water to wasted water?
Rate of decrease in PE of wasted water
equals rate of increase in PE of pumped
water
Qw z1 Qpumped z3 z1

Q pumped z1

Qw z3 z1
 High Q and Low loses?
Acceleration
12 dV g p
z hl
10 dt L g
dV g
z1
velocity (m/s)

8

6 dt L
Insignificant head loss
4 Deceleration (pumping)
2 dV g p
Keep V high for max Q

z hl
0 dt
L g
0 10 20 30 40
dV g
time (s) z3 z1
dt L
 Cycle times

dV gtacc
tacc z1 Change in velocities must match
dt L
dV gtdecel dV dV
tdecel z3 z1 tdecel tacc
dt L dt dt

gtacc gtdecel
z1 z3 z1
L L

tacc z1

tdecel z3 z1
 Summary (exercise)

When designing systems, pay attention to

startup/shutdown
Design systems so that high pressure waves
never occur

High pressure waves are reflected at reservoirs

or surge tanks

 Burst section of Penstock:

Oigawa Power Station, Japan

Chaudhry page 17
Collapsed section of Penstock:
Oigawa Power Station, Japan

Chaudhry page 18
Values for Wet Pit Analysis

Flow rate before pump failure (m3/s) 2

plan view area of wet pit (m2) 24
pipeline length (m) 3170
inner diameter of pipe (m) 1.47
elevation of outflow weir (m) 10
time interval to plot (s) 1000
pipe roughness (m) 0.001
density (kg/m3) 1000
dynamic viscosity (Ns/m2) 1.00E-03
gravity (m/s2) 9.81
 Pressure wave velocity: Elastic
Pipeline
E = 200 GPa
D=1m
t = 1 cm
K 0 2.2 x109 1000
a a 9
1020 m/s
K D 2.2 x10 1
1 1
E t 200 x109 0.01
0.5 s to travel 500 m
aV (1020 m/s)(-5 m/s)
H 520 m
g 9.8m/s2
p gH p (1000 kg/m 3 )(9.8 m/s 2 )(520 m) = 5.1 MPa = 740 psi
 Ram Pump

Air Chamber

Rapid valve Water inlet

 Ram pump

H2

High pressure pipe

Source pipe
H1 Stream

Ram Pump
Ram animation
 Ram Pump

1 0.9V tanh 1 (0.9)

Time to establish flow t0.9V tanh 1 f
f gH1 K f
ab Vf
12
2L L D
10

dV
velocity (m/s)

8
HA AL
6 dt
4
dV g
2 H2
dt L
0
0 10 20 30 40
time (s)
Surge Tanks
Real pressure traces
At valve At midpoint