Investigation of error resources in the transient flow simulation of pipelines in the frequency domain using the transfer matrix method

Transient flows can also be analyzed in frequency domain in addition to time domain. The frequency domain needs no discretization in time and space and this is a one of the advantages of using this domain. Due to this reason, time of computations is reduced. For the frequency analysis of transient flows, the non-linear terms of governing equations and boundary conditions must be linearized. This causes errors in the output of the frequency domain over the exact model of the characteristics method (MOC). Understanding the effect of each non-linear terms separately in the error caused by the frequency domain leads to a greater insight into this domain and provides the basis for future activities to improve this domain. In this study, the individual effects of each non-linear terms of steady friction and valve in the generated error at the frequency domain output are shown by using a Reservoir-Pipe-Valve (RPV) system which has been excited oscillatory. This study has been shown that the effect of the friction term of steady flow on the generated error at the output of frequency domain is negligible, while the nonlinear term of the valve is the main cause of the error in the frequency domain.