Optimizing a Segmented Transmission Line Model for Dynamic Flows in Arbitrarily Tapered Pipelines

Previous work by the authors has presented a new method of modeling dynamic laminar flows in pipelines with changing cross sectional area. This method utilizes a number of Transmission Line Models (TLM), each with a single linear taper, as segments to model the pipeline. The Segmented Transmission Line Model (STLM) allows for fast computation, especially with the use of a variable time-step ODE solver for a system-level simulation (typically required for modeling of fluid power components). This paper presents an optimized version, including best practices for segmenting the pipeline based on accuracy and computation time.