Computational fluid dynamic simulation of small leaks in water pipelines for direct leak pressure transduction

R. Ben-Mansour, M. A. Habib*, A. Khalifa, K. Youcef-Toumi, D. Chatzigeorgiou

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

117 Scopus citations

Abstract

Computational fluid dynamic simulation of small leaks in a pipe having 0.1. m diameter has been performed under realistic velocities and pressures using a 3D turbulent flow model of well tested CFD code. The steady state simulations have shown clear signature in the pressure and pressure gradient variations along the pipe. For very small leaks (below 1. l/min), this signature in not very strong in the pressure variation, but very clear in the pressure gradient. The averaged power spectral density (PSD) as well as FFT of the pressure fluctuations based on transient Detached Eddy Simulations (DESs) are presented for different locations around the leak position. These results show that the presence of a leak causes measurable differences in the magnitude and frequency of the pressure signal spectrum and also in the averaged PSD for the range of 220-500. Hz frequency.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)110-123
Number of pages14
JournalComputers and Fluids
Volume57
DOIs
StatePublished - 30 Mar 2012

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The financial support of KFUPM under the KFUPM-MIT collaboration program during the course of this work is greatly appreciated. The support and collaboration of the MIT mechanical engineering department is also appreciated.

Keywords

  • Computational fluid dynamics
  • Leak detection
  • Pressure transduction
  • Water pipelines

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Computer Science
  • General Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Computational fluid dynamic simulation of small leaks in water pipelines for direct leak pressure transduction'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this