A Novel Technique for Analyzing Hydraulic Transients by Method of Characteristics

In analyzing hydraulic transients in complex pipeline systems by method of characteristics, existing approaches can not be fully satisfactory regard to numerical accuracy, computation speed, and application flexibility and simplicity. Trying to overcome this shortcomings, the paper puts forward a novel technique: in node computations, variable time steps are used, the common for boundaries and the different for lines; in every computation cycle, analyses of boundary nodes are always prior to that of interior ones, while simulation times of interior nodes are always prior to that of boundary ones; in solution of boundaries, only interpolation is used. Explanations and numerical experiments demonstrate its usage flexibility and simplicity, simulation accuracy, and executing time saving. It is specially suitable to analyses of complex systems.