Utilizing siphon for effective management of air in gravity-fed water pipelines

Abstract

A novel siphon design has been invented and continuously optimized by Mr. Weng to adapt various pipe diameters since 1990. Within the past 30 years of practical experience, although its success is in increasing transmission capacity, delivering water to higher elevation, and longer distance without additional power input has drawn wide social attention. But this technology has not obtained the industrial acceptance so far due to the lack of theoretical knowledge to explain how the head loss is reduced significantly. This paper presents the experimental findings in the laboratory from an undulating water pipeline with a novel siphon inlet, and reveals the excellence of this design for air management in the pipeline. Together with the experimental findings and relevant literature, two engineering projects utilizing this novel siphon are investigated in detail to illustrate its superior hydraulic performance.