The present review paper aims at collecting and discussing the research work, numerical and experimental, carried out in the field of Fluid–Structure Interaction (FSI) in one-dimensional (1D) pressurized transient flow in the time-domain approach. Background theory and basic definitions are provided for the proper understanding of the assessed literature. A novel frame of reference is proposed for the classification of FSI models based on pipe degrees-of-freedom. Numerical research is organized according to this classification, while an extensive review on experimental research is presented by institution. Engineering applications of FSI models are described and historical accidents and post-accident analyses are documented.

Water distribution networks have a significant water and energy demand and, therefore, must face the challenge of adopting measures that improve how these resources are used. Previous investigations have demonstrated the potential of micro-hydropower energy recovery in reducing both energy consumption and water leakage in urban water supply networks. In this work, the potential of hydropower energy recovery combined with leakage reduction has been evaluated in eight rural water distribution networks in Ireland. Two scenarios were evaluated. Scenario 1 consisted of replacing the devices currently being used to reduce pressure with a pump as turbine (PAT). In Scenario 2, potential new locations were proposed for existing sites with excess pressure, according to the flow and elevation of the network. The hydropower generated and leakage reduction due to lower pressure at the nodes were both estimated. The results showed that the estimated hydropower could reduce the net energy demand by 21% in Scenario 1 and by up to 23% in Scenario 2 in some of the networks. However, in many of the networks the amount of energy recoverable was low due to the relatively low water demand in these rural settings. In Scenario 1 three out of the eight rural water networks were found to have economically viable micro-hydropower sites. However, in Scenario 2 the significant water savings achieved as a consequence of leakage reduction made the installation of PATs feasible in all the networks evaluated. The results of this investigation highlight that while energy recovery using micro-hydropower in rural water supply networks produces only modest amounts of power in comparison with urban settings, this power can contribute significantly as a proportion of local energy demand. In addition, combining water savings with energy production greatly improves the economic viability of these micro-hydropower installations.

Transient events are frequent in water distribution systems. However, until now, most of the applications based on transient analyses are merely theoretical. Additionally, their implementation to real engineering problems is limited due to several physical phenomena accompanying transient waves, which are not accounted for in the classic approach, such as unsteady friction. This study investigates different unsteady friction models’ performance in terms of accuracy, efficiency, and reliability to determine the most-suited engineering practice. As a result of this comparison, Vítkovský’s unsteady friction model was found to be the best fit and was then implemented in WANDA commercial software. The implementation was verified with experimental data based on a reservoir–pipe–valve system. The model proved excellent performance; however, it was noticed that it fell short in simulating plastic pipes, where viscoelastic effects dominate. The upgraded software was then tested on different hydraulic networks with varying pipe materials and configurations. The model provided significant improvement to water hammer simulations with respect to wave shape, damping, and timing.