Experimental and Numerical Simulation of Water Hammer in Water Conveyance Pipeline and Effect of Surge Tower Pipe in Controlling this Phenomenon

Water hammer is one of the unsteady flows in urban water distribution networks, which has been of great importance due to the damage caused to the pipeline and has always been of interest to researchers. In this study, the phenomenon of water hammer due to the sudden closure of the valve in the downstream end has been investigated in a laboratory and using a numerical model. In the laboratory section of the study, the effect of flow changes with control equipment and without control equipment on the maximum and minimum height of pressure wave head was investigated. The results showed that the proper performance of the surge tower pipe in reducing the maximum pressure wave as well as improving the negative pressures in the system. In a maximum discharge of 35.75 liters per minute, surge tower pipe reduced pressure wave head by a maximum of 70.40%. In a minimum discharge of 7.70 liters per minute, the surge tower pipe reduced the height of maximum pressure by 34.82%. Also, in minimum discharge, surge tower pipe has improved the minimum pressure wave head by more than 78%. AFT Impulse numerical model was used to analyze the water hammer. The results of the numerical model were examined in a benchmark problem using a characteristic method and its validity was confirmed. Simulation of laboratory model with numerical software showed that this software only predicts the first wave properly when water hammer produces negative pressures, but in the next cycles it does not show the depreciation rate of the pressure wave, properly.