Hydraulic characterization of porous pipes

Abstract

Increased anthropic activity in the environment leads to degradation and increased waste generation that includes tires, which can be used for the manufacture of porous pipes by extrusion for irrigation or aeration. There are no defined methodologies for the hydraulic characterization of porous pipes; in addition, their performance is questionable because the permeability of the wall in contact with water seems to decrease with time. Thus, this study aimed to perform the hydraulic characterization of porous pipes. Experiments were performed to assess the variation in permeability over time, the head loss, the friction factor, and the roughness. Statistical tests were performed to investigate possible significant differences between treatments. The results showed that the permeability varies over time and tends to decrease with each application of water. After a certain period, the permeability tends to become constant, and a stable flux can be determined, being the lowest average permeability and flux values found 0.591 × 10−15 m² 0.109 m³·m−2·s−1. There is variability in the permeability between pipe samples from the same batch as well as variability within the same sample, as indicated by the fact that some samples are similar to each other while others differ when performing a pairwise multiple comparison. HIGHLIGHTS Permeability over time, head loss, friction factor and roughness of porous pipes were evaluated.; Variations in intrinsic permeability and flow depend on the service pressure.; The variation of permeability over time decreases with each water application.; Permeability stabilizes after some time, allowing the determination of a stable flow.; Stable flow can be used to determine when the water application becomes steady.;

Keywords

• friction factor
• permeability
• pipe wall roughness
• trickle irrigation