Unsteady Flow Calculations by Numerical Methods

A review of methods of handling unsteady flow problems in metal pipes by numerical methods is undertaken. The characteristic method, typifying explicit methods, and the centered implicit method are developed, including the manner various boundary conditions are introduced into the solutions. High velocity flow is briefly reviewed, i.e., flow cases with the velocity of flow of the same order of magnitude as the pulse wave speed. Three complex boundary conditions are examined: turbomachinery, column separation, and the compressed gas accumulator.