WATER TABLE: SECONDARY HYDRAULIC & FILTRATION CIRCUIT

Fluid dynamics calculations, system design, and physical construction of an auxiliary water treatment & drainage circuit for supersonic shockwave simulation.

THE CONTEXT (WHAT IS THE WATER TABLE?)

A water table uses the shallow water analogy (hydraulic-gas dynamic analogy) to simulate supersonic aerodynamic shockwaves in a thin, flowing layer of water. When water flows over a test geometry (like a supersonic wedge), the resulting surface waves and light-refraction lines mimic shockwave patterns around supersonic aircraft and missiles without needing an expensive supersonic wind tunnel.

THE CHALLENGE

A water table uses flowing water over test geometries to visually simulate supersonic aerodynamic shockwaves. However, standing water in the setup quickly became contaminated, scratching the acrylic (PMMA) bed and distorting optical camera tracking.

The goal was to design, calculate, and build a secondary hydraulic circuit that continuously filters water down to 25 µm and allows easy, automated reservoir draining.

HOW

System Design & Components: Designed an independent closed-loop auxiliary circuit using an electronic DAB circulation pump, a Honeywell dual-stage filter , ball/butterfly valves, and galvanized steel piping. Integrated a flexible rubber hose section to allow mounting tolerances, and prevent galvanic corrosion.

Pipe Fabrication & Assembly: Piped the entire secondary system under the main frame. Measured, cut, deburred, and manually machine-threaded 5 major galvanized steel pipes, sealing all threaded joints with hemp and jointing compound for a 100% leak-tight seal.
Structural Pipe Supports: Designed custom structural pipe clamps attached to the main frame to support pipe weight and withstand dynamic forces when the table tilts (up to 6.5°).

HYDRAULIC CALCULATIONS & CAVITATION ANALYSIS

Pressure Loss Calculations: Determined flow velocities, turbulent Reynolds numbers (Re > 4000), pipe friction factors (via Moody Diagram), and minor losses across all elbows, valves, and filters.

Duty Point Optimization: Plotted the system resistance curve against the pump curve to find the optimal, cavitation-free operating point.

THE RESULTS

Fabricated, integrated, and leak-tested the complete secondary circuit under the main table frame.

PORTFOLIO