Study on Influence of Branch Blind Pipe on Hydraulic Transients in Loading System of Launch Site

Influence of branch blind pipe in propellant loading system of rocket launch site on hydraulic transient in pipes is studied using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and effects of branch blind pipe's existence, geometrical size as well as its location on hydraulic transient is analyzed, results reveal that (1) the influence of branch blind pipe on hydraulic transient is significant, and (2) relatively short branch blind pipe would increase the transient pressure peak, but longer the branch blind pipe is, less the increasing magnitude is, and slower the pressure fluctuation damping is, (3) meanwhile smaller diameter of blind pipe would also lead to higher transient pressure peak, but faster pressure fluctuation damping, (4) additionally, the branch blind pipe's location on the main pipe has limited effect on hydraulic transient. This study is meaningful for optimizing the configuration and pipe distribution of loading system, and controlling pressure fluctuation in pipes as well as ensuring the security of loading process.