Industrial Pumps:

Selection, operation, and Maintenance

And with

American University at
Cairo - AUC
Engineering Services

Dr. Mohsen Soliman

Mechanical Power Eng. Dept

Presentation:
Water Hammer and Surge Control
in Pumping & Piping Systems

Introduction:
What is Water Hammer?: Generally Water hammer is series of pressure pulsations
of varying magnitude, above & below normal pressure of water in the pipe of length L.
Amplitude and period of pulsation depend on velocity, size, length and pipe material.

Wave-length
Valve closing

The wave-damping is due

to fluid viscosity and the
elasticity of pipe-walls.
Head

Time(L/a)

or
pressure

L: pipe length
a: wave speed
is nearly equal
to the speed of
sound in fluid
Valve opening

Relationship Between Valve-Closing and Water Hammer (or Pressure Surge)

Ideal (at the valve)

What is Water Hammer (in liquid flow): sudden hydraulic shock waves
(very high and very low pressure waves) transmitted through pipe-line at very
high speed (close to sonic flow). The large amplitude pressure waves travel
back & forth within the pipe until the kinetic energy is dissipated by viscous
shear & the pipe-elasticity. Water Hammer cause (if pipe is not protected)
destructive forces, pounding noises & vibration in a piping system when a
column of incompressible liquid flowing through a pipe line is stopped
abruptly (sudden change in flow velocity or flow inertia) as with the sudden
change in opening or closing of a valve in the pipe line. .

What other main causes of Water Hammer (sudden change of liquid velocity)
- Sudden starting and stopping of pumps;
-Sudden compression/condensation of large air and steam buckets in liquid pipes; plumbing design faults; - Sudden operation of automatic valves on sprinkler systems;

Can water hammer cause damage?

Yes. Destructive forces/hammer-blow sounds, associated with Water Hammer can cause
annoyances, inconvenience & costly damages. These shock waves impose undesirable stress
on piping (unless controlled). It can exist with or without noise. But the high noise is like an
alarm warning alerts to water hammer problems and damages that may happen in piping
systems. Water hammer can cause pipes or valves to burst if weakness exists in pipe work if
pipes are corroded or if the piping have weak joints. Water hammer can cause pipe to move
due to vibrations if they are not well secured - resulting in fatigue cracks or friction holes. To prevent potential damage, the shock waves related to water hammer need to be
eliminated. We must use surge tanks or some water hammer protection devices.

How to protect a pipe line from water hammer?

To reduce shock pressure and confine its action to the section of piping in which it occurs, a
suitable control must be provided to absorb and dissipate the energy causing the shock. Air
or gas (usually N2) is the most effective medium to be used for this purpose since it is highly
compressible. A water hammer suppression device usually refers to Hammer Arrester, Air
Chamber, Accumulator or Surge Tank. Water hammer arresters prolong the service life of
piping, valves, fittings, and other devices which are part of a water distribution system.

Surge
Tank

Accumulator

Surge control valve

Surge control valve

Water Hammer is also in

Steam Piping Systems!
-If condensate stands or collected in steam system
and is then picked up by high velocity steam to form
slug of water propelled down steam main at steam
velocity (25m/s).Water Hammer is the noise and
movement of pipe work due to slugs of condensate
colliding at high velocity into pipe work, fittings &
equipment. This can result in fracture of steam line
or fittings leading to hazardous conditions, loss of
steam, and downtime. It is important, to reduce the
risk of condensate build-up through using good
engineering practices of steam & condensate system.

Potential sources
of water hammer

Reverse gradient
on steam main
Steam off-take

Theoretical Modeling and Analysis of Water Hammer in Liquids

(The Tank-Pipe-Valve Model)
Any change in the liquid flow rate (closing/opening
a valve, regardless of rate or magnitude of change,
requires that the liquid be decelerated/accelerated
from its initial flow velocity Vo. A quick process of
closing/opening of valve must lead to sudden-very
large deceleration/acceleration of an incompressible
fluid. A pressure wave is generated (called Water
Hammer). Very high/low pressure due to a Water
Hammer may cause great damages to the pipeline.
How we do a simple analysis for Water Hammer?

Consider an ideal ( frictionless flow) tank-pipe-valve system in which a steady flow

with velocity V0 is stopped by an instantaneous valve closure. Elasticity of walls is
neglected. The valve closure generates pressure wave travels at the wave speed or
celerity, a, towards the tank at distance, L. Amplitude, P, of pressure wave is given
by Joukowsky formula P=(aV0) where is the density of the fluid. Note that if we
consider elasticity of walls, the wave speed (celerity) is less than sonic velocity, a.

What is sudden valve closure?

Closing a valve at downstream end of pipe line creates pressure wave/surge (sudden increase or
decrease in P). For rigid-wall system, pressure wave moves toward tank at sound velocity in the
liquid, a (for water a1500m/s). It takes time tc=(2L/a) for pressure waves to go from the valve to
the tank and get back to the valve. The time tc called critical valve closure time. Closing valve in
less than tc, is called sudden valve closure. To avoid water hammer, valve closure time should
be t >(2L/a). Sudden valve closure will change velocity quickly and can result in water hammer
or large pressure surges. In fact, water hammer is nothing more than the free vibration of the
liquid column. The natural frequency of the vibration is a/(4L) for the open-closed system of Fig.

This Process of the oscillating wave propagation continues (with the frequency t= 4L/a)
until the viscous effects act to damp out the motion to zero velocity.

Effect of pipe-wall elasticity on Pressure Wave of Water Hammer

Ideal (at the valve)

Wave speed for different

pipe wall materials

Values of E & K for different materials

Wave Speed, a

Propagation velocity of a pressure wave

in pipeline for varying air content.

Water Hammer in Pumping Systems (also called Surges or Hydraulic Transients)

Practical Examples for Water-Hammer (Surge) Control in Pumping Systems:

Causes & Effects: Sudden changes in flow velocity due

to: rapid valve closure, pump starts & stops, and
improper line filling as air expelled rapidly through
manual vent or throttled valve followed by water at high
velocity which is restricted by the outlet causing a surge.

Controlling Surges in Pumping systems

In Vertical Pumps: we are Using Well Service Air Valves

Using Check Valves

Using Fast Closing Check Valves

Using Pump Surge Control Automatic Valves

Example for Pump Control Valve Operation

Additional Surge Relief Equipments

Stand-Pipes and Surge Tanks

Example of Surge Relief Valves

Example of Anti-Slam Combination Air Valves

Example of Vacuum Breaker Valves

Some Practical Types of Automatic Control Valves (for Surge Control):

The following types of automatic control valves are used to protect against the Water
Hemmer effects in a pipeline .
- It is a fact that uncontrolled water hammer in a pipeline can explode pipes, bust
pumps, and blow pivots apart. Many operators will not start their system without
manually controlling a valve in an attempt to minimize water hammer.
- Water hammer pressure adds to the normal operating pressure of the system without
proper precautions. Pressure pulsations due to water hammer can exceed 400% of the
normal operating pressure of the system and can easily exceed the pressure rating of
the pipe. Note that water hammer produces large negative pressure pulses which can
collapse pipelines.

Many factors can affect the strength of water hammer pulses:

- short pipelines have less water hammer potential than longer pipelines.
- other factors include: the pipe size, pipe material, the flow rate, the fluid
velocity in the line, and wethere there is trapped air in the pipe.
Air pockets in a pipeline can cause water hammer when this air compresses and
moves along the line.
Pipelines that have set idle for even a few minutes will often have air in them due
to vacuum relief valves at high points. It is very important to have air release
valves where needed along the pipeline to safely discharge air.
-It is recommended that water velocity to be less than one foot per second when
filling pipelines.
- Maximum velocity once the line is full should be less than five feet per second.

Water hammer control can be designed for almost any system. Two general
solutions are available: various automatic valves or motor speed controllers.

Automatic solenoid controlled Valve:

A Roto-valve type:

Electronic control Valve:

Electronic control Valve:

Deep Well Pump Control Valve:

Control Valve Applications:

Pump Check Valve:

Advantages of Pump Check Valves:

Application of Check Valves:

Surge Relief Valves:

Types of Surge Relief Valves: Globe surge Relief Valves:

DANFLO Liquid Surge Relief Valves

VAPOUR PRESSURE

Cavitation (phenomenon in liquids only)

All liquids form vapors at their free surface, creating a pressure that is known as vapor pressure.
This pressure increases in value as the temperature of the liquid increases. In a closed system
completely filled with liquid, no vapors will form as long as the liquid is subjected to a pressure
that is greater than the vapor of the liquid at the existing temperature. However, should the
pressure exerted on the liquid be allowed to drop below the vapor pressure, some of the liquid will
flash into vapor.
This is an important factor to consider in a pumping system where the pressure on the suction
side of the pump could drop below the vapor pressure of the liquid. This drop may be caused by
insufficient head, high suction lift, excessive friction head or high liquid temperature. If the liquid
flashes, the formed vapor can partially or completely stop liquid flow into the pump. The pump is
then said to be vapor-bound or vapor-locked.

Cavitation
When the pressure at any point inside a centrifugal pump drops below the vapor pressure of the
liquid, vapor bubbles will form, creating cavities in the liquid flow. These bubbles are carried along
with the flow until they reach a region of higher pressure where they collapse, producing a shock
wave. This phenomenon is called cavitation. When the bubbles are carried onto the surface of the
impeller and collapse there, the impact of the liquid suddenly filling the void and hitting the metal
will damage the surface by gouging out small pieces. When this action is repeated in rapid
succession, it produces noisy operation and vibration. Prolonged operation under these
conditions may result in mechanical damage to the pumps impeller and/or casing.
Cavitation should not be confused with possible inclusion of air bubbles in the liquid flow.
Although air bubbles are not desirable in liquid flow, they do not have the same destructive
characteristics as do vapor voids. Air bubbles become smaller when they are compressed, but
vapor bubbles totally collapse, producing the shock wave referred to earlier.

Cavitation is caused by:

Suction velocity too high. / Too many sharp changes in direction of suction line. / Temperature of
pumped liquid too high./ Suction lift too high.

The 5 conditions to produce Cavitation:

Plug damaged by
cavitation

Cavitation
Indix, Kc :