On transient liquid flow

This paper presents a one-dimensional model for the transient liquid flow (without cavitation) in constant diameter pipes. The system equations, which describe the macroscopic thermo-mechanical behavior of the pipe-flow system, are obtained within the framework of the continuum mechanics and classical thermodynamics. The flow problem is formulated as an inverse problem. Experimental data, concerning the propagation of pressure waves in liquid-filled pipes, are used to infer the parameters that characterize the fluid-pipe system. The numerical results show that the model is able to reproduce flow features including the attenuation and the phase shift of intense pressure waves which occurs in water hammer phenomena.