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Mud pumps used on offshore installations for drilling operations have been known to experience unpredictable breakdowns, including during critical stages of drilling. The fluid end has been identified as requiring more maintenance work due to component failure, compared to the power end. The most common maintenance strategies in use include breakdown maintenance, time-based maintenance and condition monitoring. Time-based maintenance, based on running hours, is the most commonly preferred method by most, if not all, mud pump operators. However, the nature of drilling operations require pump performance with variable loads (pressures), variable speed characteristics and time-based maintenance would not be able to account for the different operating conditions within any identical time frames. To address this shortcoming, this research looked at the postulation that material wear loss is related to the energy expended and developed a dedicated reciprocating wear test system to identify and investigate the effect of operating variables on the wear loss of piston rubbers, which was considered to be the most problematic of the fluid end components.

The current generation of Airbus long-range civil transport aircraft actively control the centre of gravity of the aircraft by adjusting the fuel distribution between the horizontal tail surface and the forward tanks in order to minimise cruise drag. Here, it is proposed that the current on-off control method could be replaced by a variable flow rate, provided by a variable speed centrifugal pump. The impacts of this at the aircraftlevelintermsof cruisefuelburnreduction,valveoperationcycle reductionand power consumption are investigated here using an extension to an existing fuel system simulationpackage and ageneric aircraftfuel systemdefinition. Itis shownthat using such a control system reduces fuel burn and the number of valve cycles, which could translate into a reduction in operating costs. The benefit of changing the controller to use tailplane trim angle directly rather than inferred centre of gravity position is assessed, and is shown to further reduce the fuel burn. It is suggested that such centre of gravity could provide significant benefits over the existing method. Steady-state anddynamic models ofcentrifugalpumps,ACinductiondrives andtypical aircraft fuel system pipework components are developed. These are validated against experimentaldatafrom a test rig of a representative system. Test rig simulation results areshowntoagreewell with thosefromexperimentation. Anewsecondary noisesource is developed for the dynamic analysis of the centrifugal pump, and a new acoustic experimental method is developed for the prediction of fluid inductance in pipework components. The results are compared against an existing CFD based method and showgood agreement. Thenewmethod representsamuch simplerexperimental means of determining the effects of fluid inertia than the existing secondary source method. Itisdemonstrated thatthedynamicbehaviourof thecentrifugalpumpis, asexpected, insignificant when considering systems containing long pipes, and that steady-state pump models are sufficient for analysing their behaviour. Thepumpmodels aregeneralisedby non-dimensionalisation,in order to maximise their applicability to analysis of aircraftfuel systems. They are applied to ageneric aircraft fuel system simulation, in order to model the behaviour of the system during a trim transfer. Thisisused todemonstratethe application of theproposed variable flowrate trim control system. The results of these simulations agree well with those used to demonstratethebenefitsof thecontrol systemattheaircraftlevel. Conceptsof system health monitoring tools are discussed with reference to the system simulations.

The use of reverse-running pumps as turbines (PATs) is a promising technology for small-scale hydropower. This thesis reviews the published knowledge about PATs and deals with some areas of uncertainty that have hampered their dissemination, especially in 'developing' countries. Two options for accommodating seasonal flow variations using PATs are examined and compared with using conventional turbines (that have flow control devices). This has been done using financial parameters, and it is shown' that, under typical conditions, PATs are more economic. The various published techniques for predicting the turbine-mode performance of a pump without expensive tests are reviewed; a new heuristic one is developed, and it is shown (using the same financial parameters and a large set of test data in both modes of operation) that the cost of prediction inaccuracy is negligible under typical circumstances. The economics of different ways of accommodating water-hammer are explored. Finally, the results of laboratory tests on a PAT are presented, including cavitation tests, and for the latter a theoretical framework is exposed.

A semi-empirical method is developed to describe the dynamic behaviour of check valves in pipeline systems. The method is based on parameterized valve models and dimensionless valve characteristics, which may be obtained from experiments. The check valve is considered as a black box with certain input and output characteristics. The check valve closure and associated pressure surges are the dominant phenomena. Undamped check valves may be considered as a special case of damped check valves. Much attention is paid to the description of the hydrodynamic (fluid) forces on the internal, moving valve elements. These elements may be considered as translating or rotating bodies with (at least) one plane of symmetry. The equations of motion for the constrained, unsteady motion of such a body in an unconfined, unsteady fluid flow are based on the dynamical theory of Kirchhoff, extended to an unsteady fluid flow. The equivalent equations for a body in a confined fluid are based on Lagrange's method of generalized coordinates. A general (dimensionless) valve equation of motion is developed, which is valid for most of the existing check valve types. Basic differential equations are derived for the transient flow in a pipe with constant initial flow deceleration. The equations are applied to describe the check valve closure under reflection free and reflecting boundary conditions in the form of dimensionless, analytical equations. The theory is based on conventional waterhammer theory. The pipe and valve equations are coupled via the integral form of the momentum equation. The uncoupled and coupled, (dimensionless) pipe and valve equations show formally which (dimensionless) variables and valve, system and fluid parameters are relevant to the dynamic behaviour of check valves in pipeline systems. In that sense they are used in a dimensional analysis to develop (dimensionless) valve characteristics and dynamic scale laws. Based on the dimensionless valve characteristics, models for undamped and damped check valves are developed and implemented in the waterhammer computer code CVWP (Check Valve Waterhammer Program). Experiments are performed in the test facility at Delft Hydraulics to measure several valve characteristics of weakly and strongly damped check valves. The dynamic scale laws are validated by means of numerical simulations. The valve models are validated against experimental data. The study has been performed within the Check Valve Research Project (CVRP).

Although there are many computer codes available for analysis of fluid transients, only. a few are known to be applicable to line break situations and their scope is limited. There is therefore,s till a big potential for development work in the subject. Discrepancies between different models which have been developed have mainly centred on the assumptions used in developing the basic partial differential equations of flow, and subsequent simplifications; the thermophysical model used; representation of various terms in the equations such as the friction term; and the numerical method of solution of the basic partial differential equations. A previous model developed by Tiley (1989), overestimated the actual wave speeds and had problems of instability of the solution. A new approach, in which the three basic partial differential equation of flow are derived, based on the assumption of an unsteady quasi-one-dimensional flow of a real gas through a rigid constant cross-section area pipe, and using the Gamma Delta method is used. No further simplification is made on the basic equations. Significant improvements have been made on the type of equation of state, thermodynamic model, heat transfer approximation and friction factor representation. The QUANT software for thermodynamic and transport properties of real gases is used. A flow dependent explicit equation of Chen (1979) is used to calculate the frictional force and heat transfer is calculated using the concept of recovery factor and adiabatic wall temperature. Numerical solution of the basic equations is performed using the third-order Warming- Kutler-Lomax method, the second-order MacCormack method and the method of characteristics. A pc based computer coding with the C language is used. The QUANT software has successfully been incorporated with the programme. The full benefits of the software could not be realised with linebreak problems due to limitation of the range within which it gives output at present, but satisfactory results have nevertheless been attained. An improved and more accurate way of calculating the break boundary condition has been used. A non-uniform grid spacing has been used, which allow fine grid spacing in the vicinity of the break in order to enable accurate modelling of the rapid transients occurring in that part. Two different models for calculating the heat transfer i. e. one for the case of pipes exposed to the atmosphere and buried pipes have been incorporated with the model. Experimental data from full-scale pipeline tests is used to validate the computer models. Results from the computer model simulations show good agreement with the experimental data. The MacCormack method has been found to be unsuitable for modelling transient flow following linebreak in high-pressure gas pipelines. The method of characteristics has proved to be the method of solution for such applications. A better understanding of the flow following a break in high-pressure gas pipes is achieved, especially the decompression behaviour at the break boundary. Data gathered from feasibility studies conducted in the late 1980's for a pipeline in Tanzania is used to validate the steady state analysis model and to simulate a linebreak in the pipeline. Results of the computer simulation are discussed and recommendations made on the suitability the pipeline design. Additional work is recommended on refining and further testing of the computer programmes and using the Gamdeleps method which covers all the three phases region i.e. gas, liquid and gas/liquid.

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