Have you ever turned off the tap on your kitchen sink, and heard a thud? That’s an example of water hammer, a pressure surge that is a common hazard in fluid systems. Take that scenario and apply it to hydroelectric plants, 市政供水或蒸汽系统, chemical plants or fossil fuel power plants and you can start to see how water hammer could have potentially dangerous consequences.
What Causes Water Hammer and What Are the Hazards?
那么，什么是水锤? 简单地说, water hammer is a pressure surge or wave caused by a fluid quickly stopping or changing direction inside a pipe. It can be caused by a rapid valve closure, 泵启动, valves opening or a relief device (rupture disk / relief valve) operating. The pressure surge or wave travels throughout the entire piping network potentially damaging the piping, supports and other pipe network components. The system response is acoustic, sending a shock through the system in a matter of milliseconds.
Water hammer can occur in household piping if no suppressor is installed and a valve is closed too rapidly. A simple example of a water hammer is shown in this video, where a column of accelerating water is rapidly brought to rest which results in water hammer. 水锤发生时, the impact can overstress pressure gauges, damage the supports of piping structures, and bend internal system mechanisms such as supports and snubbers getting jammed at the end of a stroke. If the water hammer event is large enough, piping systems can rupture.
如何防止水锤
Many different industries already address water hammer hazards, 包括美国核工业, where the regulator requires power plants to address potential operational issues related to water hammer events in pipes containing steam (GL 96-06) and non-condensable gas (GL 08-01). 尽管如此, there are still facilities using fluid systems that don’t properly address this hazard through water hammer protection.
Many facilities don’t have safeguards in place to prevent a water hammer event. Instead, water hammer occurs and prompts facility managers to come up with a plan. 从那时起, there are a couple steps they can take to reduce the risk of a water hammer event happening again. They can seek out the expertise of engineers and thermal-hydraulics experts, who can analyze the transient fluid and structural response of their system by utilizing information from pipe network drawings and operating procedures. Drawing on these results and operator interviews, the engineers can help identify potential water hammer scenarios. 另外, they can use software tools to model the system and scenarios susceptible to water hammer events. The water hammer analysis will determine if the system can tolerate the pressure, if modifications to operating sequences or hardware are needed, 设计缓解策略.
To learn more about our water hammer solutions as well as training opportunities, contact: waterhammer@jkchealthtech.com