Numerical Dissipation Compensation in Liquid Column Separation: An Improved DVCM Approach

Accurate water hammer mitigation simulation is crucial for designing and protecting pipeline systems. This study draws on the principles of the Muskingum method to develop an improved discrete vaporous cavity model (DVCM) that enhances computational accuracy. The key improvements include significantly reducing numerical dissipation by optimizing the Courant number (Cn) and adjusting the friction coefficient (f) to balance numerical and physical dissipation. Specifically, the predictive accuracy of the node water head was improved by 69.93%, and the accuracy of the liquid–column separation time was enhanced by 77.21%. These enhancements were achieved by proposing an equivalent treatment method for numerical and physical dissipation, ensuring that the model’s total dissipation matches actual physical conditions. The validation process involved simulating the liquid column separation process using data from the Simpson experiment. The results demonstrated a high degree of consistency with the experimental data, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed method.