Flow Induced Pulsations in Gas Transport Systems: Analysis of the Influence of Closed Side Branches

Abstract

A theoretical analysis is presented of the low frequency aero-acoustic behavior of closed side branches along a gas transport pipe. The theory predicts the hydrodynamic conditions for moderate and strong pulsations. A model is proposed which predicts the order of magnitude of the power generated by the aero-acoustic source. The theoretical analysis leads to the design of spoilers which reduce the pulsation level by 30 to 40 dB. The results obtained by theoretical analysis and model experiments (Reynolds number 106) have been confirmed in full scale tests (Reynolds number 108).