PIPELINE SYSTEMS

Recall that in Part I of Chadwick, principles of

hydraulics were explained.

Part II considers how these principles may be

applied to practical design problems.

The expectation is to understand hydraulic and

detailed design aspects of a pipeline;
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Be able to estimate the discharges for series,

parallel, branching and networked pipe systems;

Understand the basic elements in designing

pumping main pipelines
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Broadly, there are two aspects to the design of

this system:

(a) Hydraulic calculations; and

(b) Detail design.

PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Hydraulic calculations:

• a suitable pipe diameter must be determined

for the available head and required discharge;

• local head losses, the proposed valves and

fittings, and pressure ratings must be known.
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Detail design:

• Pipeline material, pressure rating and jointing

system;
• Provision of valves, bends, fittings and thrust
blocks; and
• Locations of any necessary air valves and
washouts
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

The energy line and hydraulic gradient line

(HGL) have a slope of Sf (hf/L);

Local head losses are represented by a step

change;
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

The energy line begins and ends at the water

level in the upper and lower tanks;

The HGL is always a distance V2/2g below the

energy line.
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

The HGL represents the height to which water

would rise in a standpipe (piezometer);

Location of max and min pressures may be

found by finding max and min heights between
the pipe and the hydraulic gradient.
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Thrust blocks should be provided at all fittings

where a change of velocity or flow direction occurs.

Air valves should be provided at all high points in a

water main, so that entrained air is removed during
normal operation and air is evacuated during filling.
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Washouts are normally placed at all low points

so that the water main may be completely
emptied for repair or inspection
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Series, Parallel and Branched Pipe Systems

PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.
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PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Distribution Systems

A water supply distribution system consists of a

complex network of interconnected pipes,
service reservoirs and pumps which deliver
water from the treatment plant to the consumer.
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Water demand is highly variable, both by day

and by season. Supply, by contrast, is normally
constant.

Consequently, the distribution system must

include storage elements and must be
capable of flexible operation.
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Water pressures within the system are normally

kept between a maximum (about 70 m head) and
a minimum (about 20 m head) value.

This ensures that consumer demand is met and

that undue leakage due to excessive pressure
does not occur.
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

A network consists of loops and nodes

PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

The Loop Method (Hardy-Cross, 1936):

PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

The Nodal Method (Cornish, 1936):

This method involves the elimination of

discharges in the branched network to give a set
of equations in head losses only.
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Example 12.2: Flows in a Pipe Loop

For the square pipe loop shown in Figure 12.5,

find the following:

(a) The discharges in the loop

PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

(b) The pressure heads at points B, C and D, if

the pressure head at A is 70 m and A,
B, C and D have the same elevations.

All pipes are 1 km long and 300 mm in diameter,

with roughness 0.03 mm.
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Pump Pipeline Design

Pumps: Machines which transform power input

into hydraulic power output;

Turbines: Machines which transform hydraulic

power into mechanical power output, mainly
utilized for electricity generation;
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Machines may further be divided into “Positive

Displacement” and “Continuous Flow” Units

e.g., Borehole Hand pumps, and Centrifugal

pumps, respectively.
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.
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• It is usually assumed that the incoming liquid enters the casing

axially and then turns outwards, so that the flow is in the radial
plane as it approaches the impeller;

• The curvature of the impeller vanes is designed to produce a

change in the direction of the flow as the fluid passes outwards
through the impeller;
 PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Vectors may be constructed which represent:

1. The absolute velocity of flow at a point, i.e., the velocity

relative to a stationary point,

2. The relative velocity of flow, i.e., the velocity as “seen” from a

point on the impeller.
 PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

1. The Tangential Velocity of the impeller itself at radius

V1 = 2πrN, where N is the Rotational Speed of impeller (rev/s);

2. The Absolute Velocity VA of the fluid at radius r;

3. The relative velocity, VR, i.e., the velocity of the fluid relative to
the impeller;
 PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

4. The Tangential Component of VA is VW, often known as the

“Whirl” Velocity;

5. The Radial Component of VA is VF

PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.
 PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

At any radius r in the impeller, the flow will possess a Tangential

Component of velocity VW , with a corresponding momentum
flux of 𝜌QVW.

The moment of this flux about the impeller axis is ρQVWr.

PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.
 PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

The energy imparted to the fluid is 𝜌gQHP

Therefore, Pump Efficiency 𝞰 is given by the following

expression:
 PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Axial Flow Machines: comprise an impeller in a form of a

propeller sited in the pipeline axis, with the pipeline forming a
“casing”.
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.
 PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Mixed Flow Machines: a compromise between “Axial” and

“Radial” Flow machines.
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.
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 PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

At start-up,the pump is required to deliver the design discharge

(Q) against the static head (H);

However, as soon as flow commences, frictional losses are

introduced (hfs and hfd) which vary with discharge;
 PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

To attain the design discharge (Q), the head provided by the

pump (Hp) must exactly match the Static plus Friction heads at
Q;

Discharge is a function of both the pump and the pipeline;

 PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

For a given system, the Head/Discharge characteristic curves for

the pump may be superimposed on that of the pipeline (Pipeline
System);

The point of intersection of the two characteristic curves locates

one possible combination of Head/Discharge for the system under
steady flow conditions. This point is referred to as the Operating
Point or Duty Point.
PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.
 PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

In order to obtain the required discharge (Q), it may be necessary

to investigate several pump and pipe combinations;

It is desirable that the pump should be running at or near peak

efficiency at the design discharge (Q). This condition may be
checked by drawing the pump efficiency curve;
 PIPELINE SYSTEMS …cont.

Pumps are often arranged in series (for large static heads) or parallel
(for varying discharge requirements);

To obtain the discharge in these cases requires the estimation of their

combined characteristic curves;

These are obtained from the characteristic for the single pump case as
follows:
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