Experimental and numerical investigation of a small scale storm sewer geyser

Abstract

The violent nature of storm sewer geysers has been puzzling researchers worldwide for a very long time. This paper investigates the geyser simulation methodology using a small-scale set-up, where important flow structures such as slugs, eruption patterns, and pressure oscillations are compared with experimental results to test the fidelity of the numerical modelling. In this exercise, a geyser-like process is produced using a continuous insertion of air in the horizontal pipe. The established methodology is used to simulate the hypothesized scenario of a finite trapped air pocket in the relatively longer pipe system. A geyser produced from a finitely trapped air pocket shows a different eruption mechanism compared to those found in previous studies. First, no slug is observed in the horizontal pipe, resulting in continuous air release. Second, the interface continuously atomizes in the vertical pipe, creating a churn-slug flow that produces a large number of small eruptions.

Keywords:

• Geyser
• LES
• multiphase flow
• PIV
• slug flow
• VOF

Acknowledgments

The author would like to acknowledge the late Prof. Cheng-Xian Lin for his support and guidance in this work. The author would also like to acknowledge Ms Diana Rivero for reviewing the readability of the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant number 1928850. The views expressed are solely those of the authors. NSF does not endorse any products or commercial services mentioned.