Water Hammer Steam Boiler

A water hammer commonly occurs when a valve closes suddenly at an end of a piping system and a pressure wave propagates in the pipe.

Water hammer steam boiler. The most obvious symptom is the hammer like noise it creates but when left unchecked water hammer can cause serious damage to vents traps regulators and piping. Sudden condensation of steam 2. It is also called hydraulic shock. There are two types of water hammer that can occur in steam systems one type is usually caused by the accumulation of condensate water trapped in a portion of horizontal steam piping.

The rate of condensate formation can be particularly high during startups. In addition to water transport piping systems water hammer also occurs in steam and condensate recovery i e. Dirty water or water that has a too high ph high can do it as well. Note that as steam is involved this type of water hammer is also sometimes referred to as steam hammer.

Water hammer is a troublesome but commonly occurring issue that can plague a steam system. There are two types of water hammer. Water hammer slug in a line where steam is subject to loss of energy such as traveling away from a boiler the steam can condense inside the pipework. After consulting a few other boiler guys i was told its.

This type of water hammer usually happens during the middle of the firing cycle. I tried replacing the steam valves for the system based on the recommendation from the technician that installed the new boiler. Or backflow from the condensate main can be driven by deaerator pressure and perhaps flash steam through malfunctioning steam traps or check valves. The velocity of the steam flowing over the condensate causes ripples in the water.

What is water hammer. The quality of the steam greatly affects water hammer. It s not just faulty near boiler piping that can throw water up into the system. Condensate buildup is common to both types of water hammer.

Water hammer is a wave loud hammer like sound caused when a fluid in motion is forced to stop or change direction suddenly. Water 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 momentum change.