Transient - Chapter 8 - Glove Box Model

PIPENET VISION
TRAINING MANUAL
TRANSIENT MODULE
CHAPTER 8
DYNAMIC MODELLING OF VENTILATION SYSTEMS -

GLOVEBOX SIMULATION
Revision 2.5, September 2017

PIPENET VISION TRAINING MANUAL TRANSIENT: CHAPTER 8
PAGE 1 OF 31 REVISION 2.5, SEP 2017
1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................ 2
2. CALCULATION OF THE BULK MODULUS ........................................................................................................................ 2
3. CREATING THE NETWORK ............................................................................................................................................. 3
4. CASE 1: STEADY-STATE OPERATION ........................................................................................................................... 14
5. CASE 2: CHANGE THE PUMP SPEED FROM 100% TO 80% ........................................................................................... 19
6. CASE 3: THE FAN RUNS AT CONSTANT SPEED AND GLOVE BOX 2 DEVELOPS A LEAK .................................................. 27
1. Introduction
Although the compressibility is taken into account in PIPENET VISION Transient Module, the
program is essentially an incompressible flow program. It is an incompressible flow program in
the sense that the wave speed is assumed to remain constant, which essentially means that the
density remains constant. For ventilation systems, however, it is possible to assume that the
density remains reasonably constant.
In this chapter, we perform a dynamic study of a glove-box system, and consider the following
three cases.
1. Steady state.
2. The speed of the fan changes from 100% to 80%.
3. A glove box develops a leak.
We can use PIPENET VISION Standard Module to calculate the density, viscosity and bulk
modulus of the fluid. The vapour pressure can be set to any low value because air cannot
vaporise.
A convenient way of using the PIPENET VISION Standard Module for this purpose would be to
set up a system with a single pipe (with reasonable values for the diameter and length), and use
air as the fluid. Also, specifications with the same inlet and outlet pressures would be set up as
appropriate. Values for the density and viscosity would then be written to the output file.
The density is then calculated by setting the inlet and outlet pressures to be equal to 0 Pa G.
We assume that the fluid is air at 15 degrees Celsius. In this case,
Density = 1.184 kg/m3,

Viscosity = 0.01739 Cp.
2. Calculation of the Bulk Modulus

The bulk modulus of an ideal gas can be calculated based on the gas pressure and the specific
heat ratio in an adiabatic process. For 0 Pa G air, the pressure is 101325 Pa A and the specific
heat ratio is 1.402. The bulk modulus can be calculated as:
Bulk modulus =
= 1.402 x 101325
= 142058 Pa
3. Creating the Network
Start up PIPENET VISION, select File | New, choose the Transient Module, and click on the OK
Button.
Next, select the Standard Option. Note that the Spray Option is generally used for the dynamic
analysis of fire protection systems.
Display the overall system options by selecting Options | Module options.

Set the simulation time to be 60 seconds, and choose a user-defined time step of 0.01 seconds.
Choose units that are appropriate for modelling ventilation systems, as follows. Click on the
Units Tab, and then select “User defined”.
Double-click on each category in turn, and ensure that the following units are chosen.
 Length: m
 Diameter: mm
 Velocity: m/s
 Temperature: Celsius
 Density: kg/m3
 Viscosity: cP
 Time: secs
 Mass: kg
 Mass rate: kg/s
 Torque: N m
 Inertia: lb ft2
 Force: N
 Volume: m3
 Surface tension: N/m
 Thermal conductivity: W/(m.K)
 Heat capacity: J/kg K
 Young’s modulus: Pa
 Pressure: Pa Gauge
 Flow type: Volumetric (then double-click and select “m3/hr”)
Two stages are required for entering the pipe sizes. The first stage is to input the standard sizes
into the library. The second stage, which will be performed later, is to select which schedule is
to be used.
Consider the first stage. In the Transient module, it is usual procedure to specify the pipe
schedule. In this case, select Libraries | Schedules, click on the New Button, and enter the
following data.
As the thickness of the pipe walls is taken to be 10mm, each value for the “External diameter” is
10mm greater than the corresponding value for the “Internal bore”. PIPENET VISION Transient
Module uses the wall thickness to calculate the wave speed. For a gas, the wave speed is not
significantly influenced by the wall thickness. So, for the modelling of ventilation systems, the
wall thickness is not usually important, as long as it is a reasonable value.
The following fluid properties (which were calculated using the Standard Module) are to be
used.
Density = 1.184 kg/m3,

Viscosity = 0.01739 cP,
Bulk modulus = 142058 Pa.
From Options | Fluid, ensure that the user-defined fluid option is used, and enter the above
fluid properties.
As was mentioned earlier, the second stage in using pipe schedules is to select the pipe
schedule that is to be used in the model. Firstly, select “Pipe types”, click on the New Button,
select “Duct” from the pull-down menu (next to “Schedule”), and click on the OK Button.
Select the following display options.

The next stage is to input the fan curve into the library.
In PIPENET VISION Transient Module, the performance curve of the fan can be input in the
pump library directly. The reference fluid density should change to the density of the air, namely
1.184 kg/m3.
Flow Rate Air Pressure (Pa)

1200 110
1500 100
1800 85
To enter the curve data into the Transient Module, select Libraries | Pumps – Coeffs.
Unknown, click on the New Button, and enter the data that is shown below.
The glove box in-bleeds are entered as user-defined fittings in the fittings library (from Libraries
| Fittings). For each fitting, click on the New Button and enter the data in the following screen
shots. Note that the first two characters in the name field change to “DE” once the type has
been selected to be “Device”.
The network contains seventeen pipes, whose diameters and lengths are given in the table
below.
Pipe Number Start Node End Node Diameter (mm) Length (m)
1 1 2 150 10
2 3 2 150 5
3 2 4 200 5
4 5 6 150 5
5 7 6 150 10
6 6 4 200 5
7 4 8 300 15
8 9 10 150 10
9 11 10 150 10
10 10 8 200 5
11 8 12 350 10
12 13 1 100 0.1
13 14 3 100 0.1
14 15 5 100 0.1
15 16 7 100 0.1
16 17 9 100 0.1
17 18 11 100 0.1
If the pipes are created in the order specified in the table, and if a pump is then added, the
following network can be obtained.
The fittings that are to be added to the pipes are shown in the following table
Pipe Number Fitting

12 GBox 1, 4
13 GBox 2, 3
14 GBox 2, 3
15 GBox 1, 4
16 GBox 5, 6
17 GBox 5, 6
The fitting for Pipe 12 can be added by selecting Pipe 12, clicking on the Fittings Tab (which is
located along the bottom of the Properties Window), selecting “GBox 1, 4”, and clicking on the
Add Button. The other five fittings can be added in a similar manner.
The fan curve from the pump library can be used for Pump 1, as shown in the dialog box below.
4. Case 1: Steady-state Operation
Pressures of 0 Pa G should be specified at all input and output flow nodes (i.e., Nodes 13 to 19
inclusive). As an example, the input of this specification for Node 19 is shown below.
This specification can be copied and pasted to all other input and output flow nodes (by clicking
on Node 19, using Ctrl+C, clicking on a different input/output node, and then using Ctrl+V). In
the Transient Module, there is no distinction between input and output flow nodes, as a terminal
node can experience a flow reversal, and so act as both an input node and an output node
during the same simulation.
The information node on the fan (which is not a flow node) represents the fan speed.
Information specifications in PIPENET VISION Transient Module are always normalised.
Therefore, if the fan operates at a constant 100% rated speed throughout the simulation; the
specification at its information node is the constant value of 1. Since this is the case for the fan
in our network, a constant value of 1 is specified at Node 20.
Next, select the items for which the results are to be saved. Results for the fan can be selected
by right clicking on the fan, and choosing Select Results, as is shown in the dialog box below.
Once the results have been selected for a PIPENET VISION entity, the entity appears green in
the Schematic Window (as is illustrated below for Pipe 1, Pipe 8, and Pump 1). Note that the
fittings appear as diamonds on the schematic diagram (for example, Pipe 12 contains two
annotations: a diamond, which represents the fitting, and a direction arrow).
The output options can be chosen from Calculation | Options… | Output. Here, the names of
the output files and the frequency for the output points can be specified.
Run the calculation, by either (a) clicking on the red Calculate Button or (b) selecting
Calculation | Go… then clicking on the OK Button).
Calculate
Calculate Command
Button
The graph viewer can be started from either the Graph Command (i.e., Output | Graphs…) or
Graph Button.
Graph Command
Graph Button
Once the graph viewer is open, the following procedure can be used to view the inlet pressure
of Pipe 1.
 Ensure that the Time Graphs Tab is selected.

 Click on the triangle next to the directory name (to see the directory tree).
 Click on the triangle next to “All variables of pipe 1”.
 Tick the box for “Pressure 0 metres along pipe 1”.
Other graphs can be viewed using a similar procedure.

The graph of the inlet pressure of Pipe 1 with time is as follows.
Although the above graph is quite basic, there are sophisticated facilities in PIPENET VISION
Transient Module for making the graphs much more attractive and readable. These facilities
will be considered in Case 2 below.
5. Case 2: Change the Pump Speed From 100% to 80%
In this case, a power ramp is used to specify the operation of the fan. So, select the information
node for the fan (Node 20), and change the time function to be a power ramp.
For the power ramp, input the data shown below for the pump, whose speed drops from 100%
to 80% between the times of 5 and 10 seconds.
Change the names of the output files (using Calculation | Options.... | Output), and run the
calculation (by either (a) clicking on the Calculate Button or (b) selecting Calculation | Go…
then clicking on the OK Button).
Next, plot the graphs (using either the Graph Command or the Graph Button), beginning with
the graph of how the pressure in Glove Box 1 changes with time.
Now, display how the speed of the fan changes with time (by un-ticking “Pressure 0 metres
along pipe 1”, clicking on “All variables of pump 1”, and ticking the box entitled “Setting of pump
1”.
The resulting graph is as follows.

Now overlay the two graphs, by ensuring that the two appropriate boxes are ticked.
Increase the thickness of the pressure-versus-time graph in the “Line Thickness” field in the
Graph menu when the graph “Pressure 0 metres along pipe 1” is selected in the drop down
menu.
Apply the same change to the other graph (by selecting “Setting of pump 1” in the drop-down
menu and the desired thickness). The graph then looks as follows.
Add a title by typing the required text in the Title Field in the Chart menu.
The legend can be removed by un-ticking the box entitled “Show legend” (which lies to the right
of the Title Section).
At this stage, the screen for the graph viewer is as follows.

Create labels for the graph double clicking in the desired part of the chart.
A red rectangle appears in the clicked point.
Next, click on the red rectangle to see a red circle at the top left corner and write “Fan speed”
In order to move the text, left click and hold on the red dot to drag the box to the desired
position. To hide the rectangle just left click elsewhere in the chart.
The graph now appears as follows.

Increase the size of the font in the label text in the section annotations in the Chart menu when
having the label selected.
To draw an arrow left click and drag from the beginning to the end. An arrow then appears on
the graph. It can be moved as a whole left clicking and holding on its body and the dragging it to
the desired position. Alternatively, you can move its ends in a similar manner. Hide the red dot
with a simple left click elsewhere in the chart.
This graph can be copied and pasted into word-processor documents (such as those created by
Word).
6. Case 3: The Fan Runs At Constant Speed And Glove Box 2 Develops a
Leak
Consider the case in which Glove Box 2 contains a hole.
As part of the process for modelling the leak, a pipe is added to the network in the area of Glove
Box 2. The new pipe begins at a new node (Node 21) and ends at Node 3, as is shown in the
diagram below.
Suppose that the thickness of the glass in the glove box is 25 mm, and the diameterof the hole
is 100 mm. Then the properties of the new pipe, which virtually represents the hole, are as
follows: diameter – 100 mm, length – 25 mm:
Note that, to create the “LEAK” text, select the Text Tool, click on the Schematic Diagram above
the new pipe, and change the properties of the text entity to those shown below.
Change the operation of the fan by resetting the specification at the pump information node
(Node 20) to be a constant time function of value 1.
In order to study the dynamic effect of the break occurring, add an operating valve at the input
node of the leak. The opening of the valve will virtually represent the formation of the hole.
Choose the valve to be of type flow coefficient, give it a linear opening profile, and set the flow
coefficient to be 100 m³/h, Pa1/2.
Define Node 22 to be an input/output node, and set the specification on it to be a constant value
of 0 Pa G.
Enter a power-ramp specification on the information node of the valve (Node 23), and make the
valve open between 5 and 6 seconds.
Select all output results for Glove Box 2 (by right-clicking on Pipe 13, then choosing “Select
Results”, followed by “All Time Graphs”). Also, select all results for the operating valve. The
schematic should then appear as follows (in which green entities are those for which results
have been selected).
Change the names of the output files (using Calculation | Options… | Output) and then run
the simulation (by clicking on the OK Button, on the same page).
Open the graph viewer (using either the Graph Viewer Button or Output | Graphs…), and plot
graphs of (a) the setting of Valve 1 with time and (b) the pressure at 0.1 metres along Pipe 13.
Note that the directory tree must be opened, and the two relevant graph boxes must be ticked.
Then, include a title (“Glove Box Leaks”), add annotations (“Leak Size” and “Pressure in Glove
Box 2”), and remove the legend.

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PIPENET VISION

DYNAMIC MODELLING OF VENTILATION SYSTEMS -

Revision 2.5, September 2017

We assume that the fluid is air at 15 degrees Celsius. In this case,

Density = 1.184 kg/m3,

2. Calculation of the Bulk Modulus

3. Creating the Network

Display the overall system options by selecting Options | Module options.

Density = 1.184 kg/m3,

Select the following display options.

Flow Rate Air Pressure (Pa)

Pipe Number Fitting

4. Case 1: Steady-state Operation

 Ensure that the Time Graphs Tab is selected.

Other graphs can be viewed using a similar procedure.

The graph of the inlet pressure of Pipe 1 with time is as follows.

5. Case 2: Change the Pump Speed From 100% to 80%

The resulting graph is as follows.

At this stage, the screen for the graph viewer is as follows.

A red rectangle appears in the clicked point.

The graph now appears as follows.

The resulting graph is as follows.

The resulting graph is as follows.

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