Water Hammer & Cavitation in Long-Distance Energy Pipeworks - Measurement, Simulation and Prevention

The fraction of layout engineering costs on the total costs of a chemical plant is about 5 per cent. Layout engineering costs for long-distance energy networks are even higher. Therefore, the application of computer aided methods for fluiddynamic calculation of pipework becomes more important. Valve and fitting characteristics supplied by the manufacturer are valid for stationary conditions. Characteristics of valve opening positions less than 15 per cent, which are important for dynamic analysis, are mainly not available. However, knowledge of dynamic flowrate characteristics improves prediction accuracy significantly. Under these points of view Fraunhofer UMSICHT carried out investigations which are described in this paper. Moreover an innovative pipework modification to prevent cavitation hammer is presented.