...
The Point of failure experiment will evaluate the point at which the diameter of the LFOM is too small to accomodate the flow throuhg the riser pipe. At a certain point the water will back up in the pipe and then there won't be free flow from the orifice into the riser pipe. The small diameter riser pipe will be tested at the pilot plant. The hypothesized results are a relationship taht is the same as the tearget realationship until failure and then a slope that is more vertical than the target line. The results showed a linear relationship that is more vertical than the target values for all flow rates. The hypothesis for these results is that instead of a point of failure there is total failure. If the pipe is inappropriately sized then the LFOM fails for all flow rates.
Introduction
In order to more accurately calcualte the optimal LFOM diameter it is necessary to know the point at which the diameter is to small and will achieve failure. The point of failure experiment will test a prototype design under predicted failure conditions. The point of failure is predicted assumeing a conservation of momentum.
...
The results of the experiment were contrary to the expected results. Originally it was assumed that there was a certain maximum flow rate for a pipe, if the flow rate exceeded a maximum value the water entering the riser pipe wouldn't be able to leave quickly enough and the water would back-up in the pipe. THe results showed an alternative situation. The pipe was sized to reach the failure point at 62.5 L/min (half the maximum flow rate of the pilot plant - 125 L/min). The results showed a linear relationship between flow rate and height for all of the flow rates, the difference was that the slope fo for the pipe had a different slope than the predicted values. Therefore the postulated constraints on the system do hypothesized system reactions not entirely represent the actual situation. Momentum is not the only driving force
Future Research
The perplexing results may be due to the fact that there we were not witnessing a point of failure, a flow rate at which a LFOM will fail, but a complete failure. If the pipe is sized too small to accomodate the flow rate which the orifice pattern is designed to support then the LFOM will fail for all flow rates. This hypothesis would agree with the results. It would be beneficial in future research to test the LFOM created above with a diameter of 1.5 inches with an orifice pattern designed to handle the maximum flow rate for the pipe, 62.5 L/min. It would also be interesting to apply a flow rate in excess of the 62.5 L/min and watch the system for evidence of failure.