Fluid Mechanics & Machinery: Topic: Water Hammer in Pipes

FLUID MECHANICS & MACHINERY
TOPIC: WATER HAMMER IN PIPES

REPORT
sumbitted by
N P JAGAN 20P904
BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
Branch: PRODUCTION ENGINEERING (SANDWICH)
DEPARTMENT OF PRODUCTION ENGINEERING
PSG COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
(Autonomous institution)
COIMBATORE-641 004
1
CHAPTER-1
INTRODUCTION
1.1INTRODUCTION TO WATER HAMMER IN PIPES:

water hammer refers to fluctuations caused by a sudden increase or decrease in flow
velocity. These pressure fluctuations can be severe enough to rupture a water main.
potential water hammer problems should be considered when pipeline design to
evaluated and a through surge analysis should be undertaken, in many instances, to
avoid costly malfunctions in a distribution system.
Every major system design change or operation change such as the demand for high
flow rates should include consideration of potential water hammer problems. this
phenomenon and its significance to both the design and operation of water system is
not widely understood, as evidenced by the number and frequency of failures caused by
water hammers
1.2 DEFINITION OF WATER HAMMER:

Water Hammer is a term used to define the destructive forces, pounding noises, and
vibrations which develop in a piping system when a column of non-compressible liquid
flowing through a pipe line at a given pressure and velocity is stopped abruptly. The
tremendous forces generated at the point of impact or stoppage can be compared in
effect to that of an explosion .
1.3 OBJECTIVES:
The objective of a water hammer investigation should be to suppress transient
pressures to acceptable limits and avoid pipeline bursts, leaks and/or damage to
equipment, such as pumps and valves.
CHAPTER-2
FEATURES
2.FEATURES OF WATER HAMMER:

 The undertaking of a water hammer analysis, and selection of protection
measures, should be an integral part during the design phase. There are now
propriety water hammer programs available, which can assist designers in
identifying potential water hammer problems and help in the selection protection
measures. The use of these programs should be limited to experienced
designers with intimate knowledge of water distribution systems.
 The magnitude of transient pressures (or water hammer) and the time duration of
the transient condition depends on the flow rate velocity, pipeline material and
the system boundary conditions such as tanks, pumps, air valves, control valves
and changes in pipeline diameter.
 Steel pipe has pressure wave speed of 1000 m/s compared to 250 m/s for
polyethylene pipe. The sudden closing of a valve with a pipe flow velocity of 1.0
m/s would generate a pressure change of 100m head in the steel pipe compared
to 25m head in the polyethylene.
CHAPTER-3
WORKING PRINCIPLE OF WATER HAMMER IN PIPES
3.1 WORK PRINCIPLE:
Hydraulic shock (colloquial: water hammer; fluid hammer) is a pressure surge or wave

caused when a fluid, usually a liquid but sometimes also a gas, in motion is forced to
stop or change direction suddenly; a momentum change. This phenomenon commonly
occurs when a valve closes suddenly at an end of a pipeline system, and a pressure
wave propagates in the pipe.
This pressure wave can cause major problems, from noise and vibration to pipe rupture
or collapse. It is possible to reduce the effects of the water hammer pulses
with accumulators, expansion tanks, surge tanks, low off valves and other features. The
effects can be avoided by ensuring that no valves will close too quickly with significant
flow, but there are many situations that can cause the effect.
CHAPTER-4
DAMAGE CAUSED BY WATER HAMMER
4.1FACTORS AFFECTING THE PRESSURE SURGE:
There are many factors that influence transient pressure surges, they include:
 Pipeline profile (particularly high points)

 Pipeline anchorage
 Type of pipe material (and presence of linings)
 Location of storage’s
 Type of check valves (some are vulnerable to valve slamming)
 Pump performance curves and operating speeds
 Rotational moment of inertia’s for pump/motor assemblies
 Pump station configurations
 Location and type of air valves
 Protection devices installed
 Configuration of piping network
 Valve types, sizes and their opening/closing speed Features Factors affecting the
pressure surge(Water Hammer)
4.2 DAMAGE CAUSED BY WATER HAMMER:

Waterhammer can cause serious damage to pipelines pipe joins gaskets, and all other
components of the system like flow meters and pressure gauges. Water hammer can
also cause leaks at the joints in the system, crack pipe walls and deform piping support
systems.
The mains damages are:

pipeline bursts and leaks:
 pipeline can fail by buckling resulting from excessive vacuum during transient
conditions in the case of thin walled large diameter steel pipe, low pressure rating
plastic pipe and plastic pipes exposed to high temperatures.
 cement lining is steel pipes has spalled off the pipeline in situations where the
pipeline is subjected to vacuum conditions accomplished by large pressure
fluctuations. The exposed metal surface corrodes resulting in accelerated
pipeline failure.
Damaged equipment:
 this may occur due to the violent movement of mechanical parts. examples of
these are check valves slamming shut following pump stoppages at multiple pump
stations and the sudden closure of large orifice air valves when filling pipelines.
CHAPTER-5
WATER HAMMER EQUATIONS
5.1 INSTANT VALVE CLOSURE ; COMPRESSIBLE FLUID:

The pressure profile of the water hammer pulse can be calculated from
the Joukowsky equation
So for a valve closing instantaneously, the maximal magnitude of the water hammer
pulse is
where ΔP is the magnitude of the pressure wave (Pa), ρ is the density of the fluid
(kg/m3), a0 is the speed of sound in the fluid (m/s), and Δv is the change in the fluid's
velocity (m/s). The pulse comes about due to Newton's laws of motion and
the continuity equation applied to the deceleration of a fluid element.
EQUATION FOR WAVE SPEED:
As the speed of sound in a fluid is , the peak pressure depends on the fluid
compressibility if the valve is closed abruptly.
where
a = wave speed,

B = equivalent bulk modulus of elasticity of the system fluid–pipe,
ρ = density of the fluid,
K = bulk modulus of elasticity of the fluid,
E =elastic modulus of the pipe,
D = internal pipe diameter,

t = pipe wall thickness,
c = dimensionless parameter due to system pipe-constraint condition on wave
speed.
5.2 SLOW VALVE CLOSURE;INCOMPRESSIBLE FLUID:
When the valve is closed slowly compared to the transit time for a pressure wave to
travel the length of the pipe, the elasticity can be neglected, and the phenomenon can
be described in terms of inertance or rigid column theory:
Assuming constant deceleration of the water column (dv/dt = v/t), this gives
where:
F = force [N],

m = mass of the fluid column [kg],
a = acceleration [m/s2],
P = pressure [Pa],
A = pipe cross-section [m2],
ρ = fluid density [kg/m3],
L = pipe length [m],
v =flow velocity [m/s],
t = valve closure time [s].
The above formula becomes, for water and with imperial unit,
For practical application, a safety factor of about 5 is recommended:

where P1 is the inlet pressure in psi, V is the flow velocity in ft/s, t is the valve closing
time in seconds, and L is the upstream pipe length in feet.
Hence, we can say that the magnitude of the water hammer largely depends upon the
time of closure, elastic components of pipe & fluid properties.
CHAPTER-6
METHODS TO ELIMINATE WATER HAMMER
6.1METHODS TO REDUCE WATER HAMMER:
VALUE OPENING AND CLOSING TIMES:
 If the time of the closure of the valve is less than the time a pressure wave to
travel from its point of initiation to the end of a pipeline and return then the valve
is described as having a rapid closure.
 Extending the closure time is often restricted two short pipelines. some facilities
employ the two stage closing process whereby the valve is closed to a 15-
20%nopen position rapidly and then the closure is over an extended period.
similarly the valve opening is a two stage process
LOWER FLUID VELOCITIES:

To keep water hammer low, pipe-sizing charts for some applications recommend flow
velocity at or below 5 ft/s (1.5m/s).
SHORTER LENGTHS OF STRAIGHT PIPE:

Add elbows, expansion loops. water hammer is related to the speed of sound in the fluid
and elbows reduce the influence of pressure waves.
VACUUM RELEASE VALVE:
It's often used to remediate low pressure at high points in the pipeline. though effective,
sometimes large numbers of air valves need be installed.
CHAPTER-7
CONCLUSIONS
 Pipeline velocities must be low to reduce the effects of water hammer.

 careful must be taken on closing or opening of valves.
 surge protection devices should be installed on an experimental basis because it
is not possible to accurately determine the magnitude of surges
A water hammer investigation should be an integral part during the design phase for a
new project and if potential water hammer problems are identified, then the most
effective selection of protection devices should be installed for that system.

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FLUID MECHANICS & MACHINERY

TOPIC: WATER HAMMER IN PIPES

Branch: PRODUCTION ENGINEERING (SANDWICH)

DEPARTMENT OF PRODUCTION ENGINEERING

PSG COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

1.1INTRODUCTION TO WATER HAMMER IN PIPES:

1.2 DEFINITION OF WATER HAMMER:

2.FEATURES OF WATER HAMMER:

Hydraulic shock (colloquial: water hammer; fluid hammer) is a pressure surge or wave

 Pipeline profile (particularly high points)

4.2 DAMAGE CAUSED BY WATER HAMMER:

The mains damages are:

5.1 INSTANT VALVE CLOSURE ; COMPRESSIBLE FLUID:

EQUATION FOR WAVE SPEED:

a = wave speed,

D = internal pipe diameter,

5.2 SLOW VALVE CLOSURE;INCOMPRESSIBLE FLUID:

Assuming constant deceleration of the water column (dv/dt = v/t), this gives

F = force [N],

For practical application, a safety factor of about 5 is recommended:

METHODS TO ELIMINATE WATER HAMMER

6.1METHODS TO REDUCE WATER HAMMER:

VALUE OPENING AND CLOSING TIMES:

LOWER FLUID VELOCITIES:

SHORTER LENGTHS OF STRAIGHT PIPE:

 Pipeline velocities must be low to reduce the effects of water hammer.

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