Waterhammer and Surge Analysis

Waterhammer and surge in pipe flow systems can have a significant impact on the design and operation of production lines.


Typical Problem Areas

  • Peak pressures due to air valve closure, air-to-water flow transitions, fast valve closure, pump startup, etc.
  • Waterhammer due to liquid column separation
  • Pump speed versus time during startup and shutdown
  • Low pressure event in response to a system transient (e.g. trip)
  • Large pipe movements due to a fluid flow related event

Our Expertise

SVT provides a full range of services for waterhammer and surge analysis of pipe flow systems.

Our ability to simulate plant response to system transients such as ESD valve closure or feedwater pump trip, combined with our experience in plant design and operation allows us to develop practical solutions to your problems.

Specific services include:

  • Sophisticated waterhammer and surge transient modelling
  • High-resolution measurements of dynamic pressure time histories
  • Simultaneous recording of pump speed and sequence events such as valve opening/closing
  • Commissioning tests to verify peak dynamic pressures
  • Analysis for hydraulic/acoustic resonance and pulsation problems
  • Flow rate measurement using bolt-on ultra-sonic flow meters
  • Testing for cavitation and liquid column separation
  • Event-sequence modelling with full transient fluid analysis
  • Analysis of cyclic events