Calculation of Pressure Wave Propagation Through a Tube Junction

This paper describes a new method for the calculation of pressure wave propagation through a junction. The unsteady model, valid for subsonic flow, takes into account the fluid compressibility and pressure losses according to the type of junction. A new method called the ‘branch superposition method’ is used for the numerical calculation, and consists of uncoupling the system of governing equations. During the propagation of pressure waves through a three-tube junction, two branches are inlet or outlet. Therefore, to uncouple the system, one of the two branches with incoming flow is modelled as a source or one of the two branches with outgoing flow as a sink. This method, combined with the method of characteristics, gives the possibility of predicting the propagation of pressure waves through a junction, where the fluid may be initially at rest or not. The model is validated by a comparison with experimental results.