Application of HSMAC Method Concept for Hydraulic Analysis of Pipelines Using Rigid Water Column Model

Abstract

This study proposed a new method for hydraulic analysis of pipelines using a rigid water column model. This method was developed based on the concept of HSMAC method which is a method for numerical analysis of incompressible flow. The pressure term in the motion equation of pipelines and the continuous equation at junctions were solved by an implicit method, and the others were solved by an explicit method. In this way, the velocity of pipelines and the pressure head at nodes including junctions could be calculated simultaneously without the preprocessing which is essential to existing methods. The proposed method was applied to the benchmark tests of water distribution systems which includes junctions, pipe networks, and water supplies expressed as non-linear functions of pressure head. As a result, it was found that this method had sufficient precision, stability, and efficiency as a method for hydraulic analysis of pipelines using a rigid water column model.