Teaching Pipe and Pump Hydraulics: Hands-on Laboratory Exercises using the Aqualibrium Model

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

5:00 PM – 5:15 PM PDT

Room: La Sirena IV

Author(s)

Jakobus E. Van Zyl, PhD

Watercare Chair in Infrastructure
University of Auckland

Co-Author (not attending)(s)

CW

Colin Whittaker

Senior Lecturer
The University of Auckland
NM

Naser Mostashiri

University of Auckland
Kelly Cokorudy

University of Auckland
ZM

Zoe Martin

University of Auckland
ST

Santiago Trivino

University of Auckland
Claire Donald

University of Auckland

The Aqualibrium Water Competition was created in 2003 as part of a schools outreach programme developed by the South African Institution of Civil Engineering. An improved version of the competition was introduced in 2012 at the WDSA Conference in Adelaide and has become a frequent feature at WDSA and CCWI conferences. The competition is widely used as a teaching and outreach tool at institutions around the world.

In 2021, the authors embarked on a programme to develop new teaching applications for the Aqualibrium water competition equipment to better integrate laboratory exercises into the course material. Several new experiments were developed, including pipe friction losses, pipes in series and parallel, and pumped systems. New components were designed to allow these experiments to be assembled on a standard whiteboard using magnetic attachments. Students can assemble a large range of component configurations, longitudinal profiles, and head differentials.

This paper describes the different experiments that were developed and how they can be incorporated into a university course on pipe flow hydraulics. Manufacturing instructions for both the Aqualibrium competition and the new components will be shared under a Creative Commons license allowing institutions to create their own equipment and contribute to this project.