SPECIAL

Third lnternational Conference on E( TTRIBUTTOiI

PRESSURE SURGES
Canterbury, England
March 25-27 , 1980

IdODg LIJNG OF TWO*COilPG{ENT F I.OS'S

D.a.l44eger!
Michigan Staie Uni.versity, USA

P.Y. Bao;rnd C.S. Martin

Georgia Institute of Technologr, USA

Drring the past several years a signifieant degree of interest hae been demonstrated to
*nalvze unsteady pipeline flows in rvhich free gas is present either by entrainment or by re-
lease meehanisms" The numerical modelling of these flows has poeed specialproblems due
to the unavoidable presence of numerical desperse and attenuation in the employed finite-
dlfferencing sehemes. fiecently we have been assessing aeveral solution techniques as part
oi a study to evaluate transient flows in large cooling {,aier systems. Tne objeetive is to
devise a scheme which would minimize the numerieat error, provide sufficient deiail in the
condenser water boxes, and yet be rather slraightfonrard and uncumbersome when eonetruct-
ing the complete system model and eonducting subsequent analysis.

Held rt the University of Kant at Canterbury, U.K.

Conference Organised by BHBA Fluid Engineering, Cranfield, Bedford, England-
ln coniunction with The City University, Londorr.
O Cooyrigtrt BHRA Fluid Engineering

489
 MODELLINC OT TWO-CO},IPOI{ENT TIOHS

D. C. !,Iiggert, Mlchigan State UnLvergity' USA

P- V. Rao and C. S, llartin, Georgla Institute of Technology, USA

Durlog the past several" years a slgnlflcant degree of lntereat haa been demctr-
strated to analyze unsteady pipeline fl,ows ln'whlch free gas ie present either by
entrain&eflt or by release mechanisms. The numerLeal modelling of theee f1o*s
has posed special- problerns due to the unavoidable preseace of numerlcal disperslon
and attenuatlon 1r the employed finlte*differencing schsmee. Reeeutly wa have
been assesalng several solUtion technigues as part of a study to evaluate translent
flows in large eoollng water systems, .The objective is to devise a scherRe {hieh
r*ould mlnirnize the numerleal error, provide sufflcient detall in the condeneer and
rrater boxes, and yet be ralher straightforward and uncumbergome when constructlng
the complete system model and conducting subsequent analysl$.
Conslder tvo-compooent bubbly flow ln a pipe in whlch the fluid may be expert-
enclag gas releaee. The conservation equatiooo caa be expressed in the nanner [1]

?a+ .. an -1 av (1)
at )x ax -1

* + v* *., (l-l + ,#) = bz (2)

av + vlI r-
' ^ a!-=
-3ax (3)
ar Dx '."3

The dependent variables are & = volumetric vold fractlon, V = mixture velocity
and pressure. The" b and c terms account for gas reLease, elastie propertl.es
of the floids and plpe, acd force terms [1^]. ?he ccmpatibility and characEerlstic
relatlons derlved frorn €quatlons (1) to (3) are

ab,
.adV +J +brcr-b, * tt)
{*r
f O
ca dt
-_-
c-+
la* =vta =+a (5)
Ldr
(gP -do
' '2dt b^ = 0 (6)
pathline Jo' z

t*r =vlg t7)

490
 (inixture celeritrl) (8)
"1.2.3

llethod of characteristj-cs f in-i.Le-dif f efence solr.rtlons can proceed hy employing

eilher a fixed grid ruith spatial or temporal inrerpolati.ons for: ttre c* or c-
characteristics [2,3] nr a charactertstics grid t+ith interpolations for the pathline
characteristic i4], Finjte-differencing can be flrst or second order' or a combin-
ation of the two, An alternat.e scheme can be formul.aled bv combining equations
ti'S and (2) to elimin:rte the derivatives wi[h respect to a:

lo :,1l
i"a
lr ;x
c^(b,
) I
rc.3)
I aX
bz (e)

Along nith equation (3), equar,ioe (9) can be solved for p and V using a four-polnt
implicit scheme which has foua{ widesprea<l use in unsLeady opeo channel flow analysis
(6)
l5I . The void f r:act i on j,s subsequentl.:r' evaluated b-v integration of equation
along lhe pathllne ci'.aracteristic '
i\s a means of r:omparing these tvro techniqr:es, consider: Lhe following applicatlon.
'i1r, Tracy prrr,rping s,vstem has previous1-v been ar:al.yzed bv Wylie and Streeter [5]. It
consists of a pipeline 1.,564 m long and 4,57 nr in diameter with a pump located at
the upstream end an{ a reser.,,ci.r clotrnstream. Under stead-Y flow conditions the pump
loses pr:wer, creating ft:an.qj.ent f 1o*-s antl pressures in the line with eventual f low
reversal. In the present analysis, the pipe is assumed to he horizontal, ncr gas
release takes pIace, and fhe void f::action tn the pipe is varj.ed parametrically"
ligures 1 and 2 show a comparisr)n of the characteristic and impllcit sr:lutions for
initial .ro-id f ractioils at the pump clutlet of c.a = 1x10-6 and 0.01, respectively .
The pi';re iqas discreti.zed 1ntc, fEentlt sections and the Courant time step was
emoloyed. The method 6f characterj-stj-cs solutions are the fixed-grid rvith spatial
inrerpolations and the char:acteri-stics grid. In Figure 1, fhe 1ow void fraction
characterizes a fluid vhich is nearly identical to pure liquid with no free gas,
hence the predicted transient is lndistingr:ishabrle from the orlginal analysis in
correlate we11. With.
';hlchr oo void is present, All three numertca1 solutions
rhe larger void fracLion, Figure 2, some discrepancles are evidenE when rapld
changes in pressure or flow take p1ace; mosr n.rtably the fixed-grid characterlstics
soluLion shows tllpical smoothing because of interpol.aLions aad the implicit so1ution
rrnderestimates peak vaL:es.
In Figure 3 the effect of varying n,, from 1x10-6 to 0.05 ls shor.rn' Here one can
observe the pronounced changes i.n response due to ihe presence of free air; the
pressure resurge lends to incr:ease in magnitude as the void fraction increalles. One
useful featur€ of the implicit methcd 1s the possibllity for one to iacrease the
time step significantl-r beyonci that dictated b1r the Courant condition and yet
maintain nurnerical stability; this is shor"rn in Fi.gure 4 for the preseflt applicafion.

491
r.rhere time steps of Len ;:nd f-.,/ent--v times the Co!.lr;lnf condition (.0855 sec) yield
renscnabl-e so Lution.s.
With two-compon.ent gas-1.iqrrid f 1,:,rvs, the init ja1. conditions car be f r:rmr:late<{
bv setting the time derivatives to zeto in equations (1) to (3). B-'r recornbliring.
one can solve for: rhe rotal cleri.,,atives oi: che depeacent variah-Les:

d* (-brv
dz
b
,c ,.t: ri'J
t.rc')Itaz VJ (10)

dp 1

dx
(br."
?Y
h2" b
ac rr:) I {a.2 ( rr;

drl'
{-1."r'2"
r " hr' b:Y) /{"2 - \'2) (i2)
d:; ' 1 It

These relalions def ine :l ..;le:rdy nonrrnj fr:rm ilor+ condi.tion, and fhey can be sclr.ed
nu;rerically by r:cnvent i.on;rl mt:ans, c, E. , I?unge-KrLtrl. An exarnple is shown in Figure
for a pipr:liue sirnil::r i.n sizr tc the 1;rt,'rrior.rs ilJ.ustration, anri 1n whlch the void
^h
['raction at the pi.pe i.n-i.et i.s ,r,, : lx ll-] , I'lle saturetion .pressure r{'as -set equal.
Lo the inlet pressure for demur;sf rat:iirr,: lrrrposrls. l,ihen qas re.lease is allo**ed to
,.;ri<c place rrsing an t';rr'le;-irnent;r.l Iz r!ei:erar.i.L.t:rJ gas release rate coef f iclet:rt [2 ] . the
r.rrr!{ f1i16;1-ion dirt-ri}-.r.rtr::<i alorrg tlrr: p-ire ralies b..'three ortle.rs of maenj-tlriE, Srrch
a .;ariatiotr'*.t:r.tl.d lrofounril'r;tiIe-'r:l- Lher ni::trrre i:erlt.rr:it:.,'an<l sirhsetqi.ren{:'pressrrrt-.
tr;1ns1ent.
In summerrv, favorable compa',r,i.soirs are urade beLv,'een mettrod r:f chararterlsLir:
andimpIi.cj-t solrrLj-ons. The numeri.cal. results shor., the effects of compres-sib1.1.ir1:
i:nd the high11'variable"i.;arre celerity on slfsten respon$e. ln order t.r: more iu11v
.rssess thelr accrrr:ac.v, tire mcdels shculd be cr:rrelaferj *-ith experimentaT data
an<I additional nu:nerlc;r1. seasicivitv stLrdies should be condrrctecl . The method o.f
time line interpolations, as proposed b.r !,iy1ie at Lhis conference [3], demonstrates
an alternafe characteristics scherne, cne r;if-cir may improve nuner:ical. aicuracy. Tlre
techniques presenterl herein ma-t he useful. in application to condepser f1ows and t-o
tr,'o-aoinponent f loirs i.n geaera-1 .
The work prcsente<l hercin rrrss suppcited .by rhe Electric Por,rer Research
Institute. ii. Otr+ell assisLcrl itr {.:ompul_Ftr pr.:ogramming,

REFEBENCES

1.. liarrin, C, S., padr:ranai:han. M, , and ir':,ggert , D. C, , t'Pressure l,.,ave propagaiion

in tr.ro-phase bubblv air-r^r2g61 ni;<ture"" Froc. 2nd Int1. Conf, on Pressure
Surgcs , l,ondon (191 b) .
t{iggert.. I). C. and Sundqr,ri.st, t'{. .i. . "The e.[f ei..r of gaseous caryltation on f1uid
transi.errt.s, " Journal oL F'lrrids Eng,ineering, \,o1 . 101 (i,!arch i979), pp. 79-86.

492
i

3. trlylie, E. B,, "Free air 1o Ltquid translent l1ow," Proc- 3rd Intl-. Conf, on
Pressure Surges, Caaterbury (1980),
4. Fereh, R. L,, ttMethod of characteristlcs solutioos for non-equiltbrlua trenstent
i
flow-boiling," Intl. Journal Plultiphase F1ow, Vo1 . 5 (L97g)., pp. 265^279.
q
Wylie, E. 8,, and Streeter, tl ,1'., II{d Transients, l'lcGtaw-Hill Book Co. (1979).

Co" lox lo4 06' LO x lg{

GFl0 A Gf,lD I
FIXEO. SRIO CHARACTERISTICS FI X€D.GRIO CHARACTEEISTICS
-CHARACTEB'$rICS -cHAlRAcTEnrSTtCS
o iMPLICIT tlEtH@ l,lOOlFlED o XIETilOD t{OolFl€9
'HPLTCIT
@
fi
t
F o
lr, tI
E 0
z U'
filrj
C} F
lrJ
I :
I,J

u =o
E
F F-t
u,
6
=
<>
N J
1r,
E
9-z

16 ?4 3l 16 24 !e
TIME SECONDS TIUE lH SECOi'|OS
'H
Figure 1. Piezoruetxic head (a) and velocity fb) at upstreail
end of pipe tar .:(! = 1,0x10-6.

Ao'&OlO
GRIO

--FIX€B-GRID CHARACTERISTICS
-CTIARACTERBTICS
o lrrrPLlclT uETHoo MoorFrEo
ra
oi
id
F L)
Lrl
trJ
a
= a
z &
trJ
a F
T,J
lrt
I = o
IG z
F
trt F-l
:t
o 6
al
N .J
Irl
E 9-z

404ao
TIME IF' SECONOS TIME IN SECONOS

Fi.gure 2, Piezoetric head (a) and veloclty (b) at upatream

end of plpe for oo = 0.010.

493
 CHAFACTEFIS?ICS GRID

Oo" lO-6 lO-3 IO-z

q1
&,^^
t-.-
tr,
E
z
4a, tr
u U
4
t! E
TL
=
o60 c]
tr
F
LJ
2
Roo
)
3
UJ *4

l6 24 32

TIME IN SECONDS DIMEHSIOI{LE55 DISTAHCE

Iigure 5. Initial value solution

Figure 3, Piezometric head at upsfream shnrving distribution of vold
end of pipe i.rith ao variable" fraction along length of pipe.

od" i.O i 10-6

at = o.o855 sec
= 08556 sec
a,
---
"...'Al" l.7lO 5ec
a
tr, IMPL!C!T INETHOO i'OOIFIED
F
:
UJ

=
o
IrJ
:f,
{J
xF
t
2
N
trl
L

t2 16 2A 24 2A
TIME IN SECONOS

Figure 4. Piezometric head aC upstream end of pipe

r.'ith time i-ncrement variable,

494