112 Pressure transient control
Ven ted conta in m ent v esse l
Approaching airflow.
Figure 11 Schematic of a possible surge attenuator design to reduce the air pressure transient generated by drain
surcharge
Equations (13) and (14) determine the
percentage of an incoming transient that
may be diverted into a branch mounted relief
device. If the branch is identical to the main
conduit then the transmitted transient is two-
thirds of the incoming wave. However, if the
wave-speed in the containment vessel is re-
duced then the transmitted transient is also
reduced, Equation (13) as the transmission
coefficient for three geometrically identical
conduits with one having a much reduced
wave-speed becomes 2/(2(a number 1).
/ /
Thus the choice of containment vessel mate-
rial becomes an issue as it will be necessary for
this to be as flexible as possible, consistent
with durability.
Figure 12 Comparison trap seal retention, branch 4 with and without a positive pressure transient surge alleviator
Fle xible bag.
Di v e r t e d a i r f l o w at t e nu at e s
t r a n s i e n t.
The earlier discussion of the effect of
trapped air also has a bearing on the
possible design of an attenuator. Put simply,
the inflow of a diverted airflow into a zone
containing gas at line pressure will immedi-
ately cause the zone pressure to rise and will
therefore limit its attenuating effect. Dischar-
ging diverted airflow into an expanding
volume will however not raise the zone
pressure and will allow the continuation of
a diversionary flow route with no diminution
/ / of efficiency.
Again the placement of any attenuator will
determine its overall impact on transient
propagation. It is imperative that it be placed,
in the drainage and vent system application,

between the source of the transient and the
appliance trap seal to be protected.
Thus a series of criteria may be developed
to define the design of a positive air pressure
attenuator (PAPA). These include ease of
inclusion in a drainage network, low to
minimal maintenance, low inherent wave-
speed to maximize attenuation and minimal
initial volume to prevent unit pressure increas-
ing once a diverted airflow is established.
The simplest attenuator design to satisfy
these criteria would be a zero inertia flexible
bag having a zero initial volume prior to the
arrival of a diverted airflow. The attenuator
upper volume would be pre-set and once
achieved the normal gas laws would govern
the subsequent zone pressure.
Figure 12 illustrates the likely effect of such
an attenuator on the transients propagated
following a surcharge event in the drainage
and vent system proposed in Figure 7. The
simulation illustrates the effect of such a
device and its impact on the transmitted
transients. It will be seen that trap seals
previously lost or severely depleted by tran-
sient air pressure oscillations in excess of
9375 N/m2 are protected, ensuring the integ-
/ 2 Korteweg DJ. Uber die Fortphlanzungs-
rity of the drainage and vent system and
preventing any egress of contaminated air or
sewer gases into habitable space.
6 Conclusions and design choices
Pressure transient phenomena, whether de-
fined in terms of traditional ‘waterhammer’ or
in the wider context of information propaga-
tion within any unsteady flow system, have
been shown to belong to a family of condi-
tions that are amenable to analysis based on
both the pioneering research undertaken in
the early 1900s and the translation of that
understanding into accessible computer simu-
lations from the 1960s onwards. The propaga-
tion of pressure transients and the internal
dynamics of fluid systems in terms of transient
transmission and reflection have been shown
JA Swaffield et al. 113
to be wholly independent of the absolute scale
of the transients themselves. Similarly, it has
been demonstrated that transient propagation
may lead to system failure irrespective of the
absolute scale of the transients propagated.
The basis for surge suppression and control
have been outlined based on the fundamental
equations derived. Similarly the prerequisites
for successful surge attenuation have been
demonstrated and shown to be independent
of the system, the fluid and the scale of the
transient.
Based on this analysis the development
criteria for a positive air pressure attenuator
for use in building drainage and vent systems
was postulated and this will be developed
further in later papers.
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