The Development of a Calculation Model for the Instantaneous Pressure Head of Oscillating Water Flow in a Pipeline

Sinusoidal oscillating water flow at low pressure can improve the anti-clogging ability of an emitter in drip irrigation or the water distribution of a nozzle in sprinkler irrigation and reduce the cost and energy consumption of the irrigation system. In this study, the characteristics of instantaneous pressure head attenuation of oscillating water flow along a pipeline have been investigated. By using a complex function to solve the continuity equation and the momentum equation of a pipeline with water hammer motion and using the Darcy−Weisbach formula to estimate the head loss, a calculation model for the instantaneous pressure head of oscillating water flow along a pipeline was developed. The measured value of the amplitude of the pressure head and the average instantaneous pressure head in the experiments have been used to verify the corresponding pressure head calculated by the model. The results show that the amplitude of the pressure head and the average instantaneous pressure head decrease linearly along the pipeline. The calculated value of the amplitude of the pressure head and the average instantaneous pressure head are basically close to the corresponding measured pressure head. From the results of all the tests, the maximum relative error of the calculated and measured value of the amplitude of the pressure head along the pipeline was 9.44%. The maximum relative error of the calculated and measured value of the average instantaneous pressure head along the pipeline was 8.37%. Hence, the model can accurately predict the instantaneous pressure head of oscillating water flow along a pipe and provide a theoretical basis for the application of oscillating water flow in irrigation systems and the design of irrigation pipe networks.