Middle East College

Civil Engineering Department

Hydraulics-2 (CIVL 0018)

Pressure Surge/Water Hammer in Pipes

 Water Hammer
• In a pipe flow, if the fluid is suddenly caused to stop or to
change in direction, it causes the sudden momentum
change or generates the pressure rise inside the fluid.
This is called pressure surge or water hammer.
• This pressure rise propagates through the pipe line and
is called as pressure wave which move to and fro inside
the pipeline.
• This pressure rise because of sudden closure is several
time larger than the normal static pressure inside the
pipe line.
 Water Hammer
• Water hammer generates generally with the large
diameter pipelines when the fluid velocity is large and
the valve is closed suddenly.
• When it occurs, it may causes a loud sound and the
pressure wave travels to and fro inside the pipeline.
• The pressure wave may cause significant damage to the
pipe line such as bursting or cracking of the pipeline.
• Water hammer can be controlled by accumulators,
expansion tanks, surge tanks, blowoff valves and
other means.
Typical failures by water hammer
Water Hammer
 Water Hammer

Consider a pile line AB connected to a reservoir in which at end

‘A’ water level is of height ‘H’. At the other end of the
pipeline a valve is provided to regulate the flow.
• At certain point of time if valve is closed suddenly,
flow velocity will become zero and because of
momentum change, a pressure wave will be
generated which will move back and forth within the
pipeline.

This wave of high pressure:

1. Has a very high speed (called celerity, C ) which
may reach the speed of sound wave and may create
noise called knocking (Chadwick 2004),
2. Has the effect of hammering action on the walls of
the pipe and hence is commonly known as the water
hammer phenomenon.
• The kinetic energy of the water moving through the
pipe is converted into potential energy stored in the
water and the walls of the pipe through the elastic
deformation of both.
• The water is compressed and the pipe material is
stretched.
• The following figure illustrates the formation and
transition of the pressure wave due to the sudden
closure of the valve
 Propagation of water hammer
pressure wave
Consider a pipeline of length ‘L’, diameter ‘D’, wall thickness ‘e’ and
modulus of elasticity Ep

Steady state condition

Transient condition t < L/C

Transient condition t = L/C

Transient condition L/C >t >2L/C

Transient condition t =2L/C

Transient condition 2L/C >t >3L/C

Transient condition t = 3L/C

Transient condition 3L/C >t >4L/C

Transient condition t = 4L/C

 Analysis of Water Hammer Phenomenon
The pressure that is generated by water hammer depends
upon:
(a) Flow velocity inside the pipe,
(b) Length of pipeline,
(c) Time taken to close the valve,
(d) Elastic properties of both pipe material and flowing fluid.
The following cases of water hammer will be considered:
1. Gradual closure of valve.
2. Sudden closure of valve when pipe material is rigid.
3. Sudden closure of valve when pipe material is elastic.
• The time required for the pressure wave to travel from the
valve to the reservoir and back to the valve is:
2L
t
Where: C
L = length of the pipe (m)
C = speed of pressure wave, celerity (m/sec)

• If the valve time of closure is tc , then (Chadwick 2004)

 If t c  2 L the closure is considered gradual
C
2L
 If tc  the closure is considered sudden
C
The speed of pressure wave “C” depends on :
• the pipe wall material.
• the properties of the fluid.
• the anchorage method of the pipe.

Eb
• C if the pipe is rigid

• if the pipe is elastic
Ec
C

and
1 1 DK
 
Ec Eb E p e
Where:
• C = velocity (celerity) of pressure wave due to water hammer.
•  = water density ( 1000 kg/m3 ).
• Eb = bulk modulus of water ( 2.1 x 109 N/m2 ).
• Ec = effective bulk modulus of water in elastic pipe.
• Ep = Modulus of elasticity of the pipe material.
• e = thickness of pipe wall.
• D = diameter of pipe.
• K = factor depends on the anchorage method:
5
= (   ) for pipes free to move longitudinally,
4
= ( 1   2
) for pipes anchored at both ends against longitudinal
movement

.  ) for pipes with expansion joints.

= ( 1 05
• where  = poisson’s ratio of the pipe material (0.25 - 0.35). It may
take the value  = 0.25 for common pipe materials.
The Maximum pressure created by the water hammer
 Case 1: Gradual Closure of Valve

• If the time of closure t c  2 L , then the closure is said to be

C
gradual and the increased pressure is (Chadwick 2004)
 LV0
P 
t
where,
• V0 = initial velocity of water flowing in the pipe before pipe closure
• t = time of closure.
• L = length of pipe.
•  = water density.
• The pressure head caused by the water hammer is
P  LV0 LV0
H   
  gt gt
Case 2: Sudden Closure of Valve and Pipe is Rigid

• If the time of closure tc  2 L , then the closure is said to be Sudden.

C
• The pressure head due caused by the water hammer is(Chadwick
2004)
PCV0
C V0
H 
g

Eb V0 Eb
C H 
 g 

• But for rigid pipe V0 Eb 

Pso:
 Case 3: Sudden Closure of Valve
and Pipe is Elastic
• If the time of closure tc 
2L
, then the closure is said to be Sudden.
C
• The pressure head caused by the water hammer is (Chadwick
2004) PCV0 H 
C V0
g

V 1
Ec H  0
C g  ( 1  DK )
 Eb E p e

• But for elastic pipe 

PV0 so:
1 DK
(  )
Eb E p e
 Water hammer pressure head
• Applying the water
hammer formulas
we can determine P
H A 
the energy gradient 
Due to
line and the water
hydraulic gradient hammer

line for the pipe HA

system under steady
flow condition.
Water Hammer Pressure in a Pipeline

So the total pressure at any point M after closure (water hammer) is

PM  PM ,before closure   P
or
HM  HM ,before closure   H
To keep the water hammer pressure within
manageable limits, valves are commonly design
with closure times considerably greater than
2L/C.
 Example-1
• A cast iron pipe with 20 cm diameter and 15 mm wall
thickness is carrying water from a reservoir. At the end
of the pipe a valve is installed to regulate the flow. The
following data are available:
• Absolute Roughness = 0.15 mm ,
• L = 1500 m (length of pipe),
• Q = 40 l/sec (design flow) ,
• Eb = 2.1 x 109 N/m2 (bulk modulus of water),
• Ep = 2.1 x 1011 N/m2 (modulus of elasticity of cast iron),
•  = 0.25 (poisson’s ratio),
•  = 1000 kg/m3
• T = 150 C.
 Find  P ,  H due to the water hammer produced for the
following cases:
a) Assuming rigid pipe when tc = 10 seconds, and tc = 1.5
seconds.
b) Assuming elastic pipe when tc = 10 seconds, and tc = 1.5
seconds, if:
1. the pipe is free to move longitudinally,
2. the pipe is anchored at both ends and throughout its
length,
3. the pipe has expansion joints.
c) Draw the time history of the pressure wave for the case (b-3) at:
1. a point just to the left of the valve, and
2. a distance x = 0.35 L from the reservoir.
d) Find the total pressure for all the cases in (b-3).
 Example-2

What is the maximum permissible velocity in a cast iron pipeline 100 mm

diameter and 15 mm thick, which can be suddenly stopped by a valve at
the outlet end of the pipe without letting the rise of pressure in the pipe to
exceed 1.545 x 103 kN/m2. Take modulus of elasticity (Ep) for cast iron pipe
as 123.606 x 109 N/m2 and bulk modulus of water (Eb) 206.01 x 107 N/m2.
 References
Chadwick AJ and Morfett JC, (2004), Hydraulics in Civil and
Environmental Engineering, 4th Edition, E & FN Spon.