Validation of CATHENA MOD-3.5c/Rev0 for Single-Phasewater Hammer

Abstract

This paper describes work performed to validate the system thermalhydraulics code CATHENA MOD-3.5c/Rev0 for single-phase water hammer. Simulations were performed and are compared quantitatively against numerical tests and experimental results from the Seven Sisters Water Hammer Facility to demonstrate CATHENA can predict the creation and propagation of pressure waves when valves are opened and closed. Simulations were also performed to show CATHENA can model the behaviour of reflected and transmitted pressure waves at area changes, dead ends, tanks, boundary conditions, and orifices in simple and more complex piping systems. The CATHENA results are shown to calculate pressure and wave propagation speeds to within 0.2% and 0.5% respectively for numerical tests and within 3.3% and 5% for experimental results respectively. These results are used to help validate CATHENA for use in single-phase water hammer analysis. They also provide assurance that the fundamental parameters needed to successfully model more complex forms of water hammer are accounted for in the MOD-3.5c/Rev0 version of CATHENA, and represent the first step in the process to validate the code for use in modelling two-phase water hammer and condensation-induced water hammer.