The "pipe" is a PVC conduit, 3 feet in diameter, wall thickness 3 inches, 100 feet long, laying horizontally, capped at one end, the other end is an open-ended 90 degree elbow 3 feet long. It is filled with fresh water. Ambient temperature is 20 below zero. Will the pipe burst or will the frozen water extrude from the open, uncapped end of the conduit (leaving the PVC undamaged)? (Any suggestions to prevent conduit rupture?)
2007-02-26 06:40:18 · 5 answers · asked by viajes2go 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
An educated guess -- it will take a long time to remove enough heat from that much water through 3 inches of PVC to freeze it, so it will likely freeze very slowly and not burst the pipe. If the open end is exposed to a breeze that carries heat away quickly (by conduction and by evaporation), it could freeze the end first, forming a plug. But then, the inside of a PVC pipe is fairly smooth, and expanding water in the pipe would likely just pop the ice plug out of the pipe. The best simple protection is insulating the open end of the pipe.
2007-02-26 13:52:51 · answer #1 · answered by Frank N 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it will burst and this is my reasoning. At the end, the water will freeze first while most of the water in the conduit is still a liquid. This frozen section will then begin acting like a cap, preventing the rest of the water from expanding out of the uncapped end. So, the water will slowly freeze and then rupture the conduit. This however, was not based on any calculations since I do not know the force freezing water exerts on its surroundings. With that info, I could calculate the point of failure of the PVC.
So, without knowing more about what you are doing, I cannot specifically help you keep the conduit from rupturing. Just reinforcing the pipe will not work. Ice is a very strong material and it is very difficult to prevent it from doing what it wants. However, water heaters and insulative blankets could possibly work. But at -20 degrees, it will require a lot of energy to keep the water above freezing, no matter the amount of insulation you use.
I'm curious, what is this pipe being used for? I cannot imagine why you would need a pipe 3 feet in diameter filled with water in -20 degree weather. I'm guessing this is a problem for school.
2007-02-26 06:52:57 · answer #2 · answered by Hatty 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well... maybe... if the water freezes at the opened end and cannot be pushed out, then yes, the pipe may burst. If it freezes evenly, then it wont burst.
2007-02-26 06:48:57 · answer #3 · answered by ryushinigami 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd think that the water would expand and push out of the open end, so it shouldn't burst.
2007-02-26 06:47:27 · answer #4 · answered by hcbiochem 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
complicated task. look into with search engines like google. it will help!
2015-03-24 17:06:02 · answer #5 · answered by jean 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋