Shock wave propagation past a gap in a pipeline

Abstract

This study numerically and experimentally examines the resulting flow field of a shock wave passing through a pipe gap. The effects of gap geometry and shock Mach number variation are investigated. Incident shock Mach numbers of 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5 and gap widths of 25 and 50 mm were used, which correspond to 0.5 and 1.0 pipe inner diameters, respectively. For both cases, the incident shock wave propagated into the downstream pipe at much reduced strength. A strong expansion propagated into the upstream pipe causing a significant pressure drop from the initial post-shock pressure. Expansion waves at the outflow resulted in supersonic speeds as the flow entered the gap for Mach 1.4 and 1.5. A notable feature was the formation of a standing shock at the inlet to the downstream pipe for the higher two Mach numbers in both cases. Decreasing the gap width moved the standing shock closer to the downstream pipe. For the lowest Mach number of 1.3, no standing shock system was set up. The propagation conditions in the downstream pipe showed that the pressure is initially unsteady, but becomes more uniform, controlled by the developed wave system in the gap. For the flanged gap case, the flow within the gap is confined for much longer and hence produces more intense and complex flow feature interactions and an earlier transition to turbulence. The induced shock strength in the downstream pipe is independent of gap geometry and separation distance examined in this paper as verified by experimental pressure traces.