36

S
General
Any change in water fow velocity creates a transient
phenomenon which manifests itself as pressure oscillation
in the network, more commonly called surges or water
hammer. These surges are an array of alternating pressure
waves, higher and lower than normal pressure conditions.
High pressure surges may rupture the pipe and potentially
cause damage to various accessories (e.g. check valves,
water meters, air valves etc.).
Low pressure conditions may reach negative values causing
pipe to collapse due to the external load of atmospheric
pressure and soil, damage joints, create introduction of
contamination through the joints and cavitation damage to
some types of pipes.
One of the most common causes of pressure surges is a
sudden halt in pumping. This assay will review this event.
Sequence of surges created by a
sudden pumping cessation
Following the sudden stop of the pump(s), the pressure at
the discharge of the station drops below the static head at
the pump location (downsurge).
This low-pressure propagates as a wave at a sonic speed
into the downstream network, reducing the head of the
entire system.
At local high-points along the pipeline, the hydraulic
gradient may be lower than the pipe-elevation. In these
sections a system water-column separation may occur
as the water mass is separated by gas pockets, which
are either flled by vapor or by air (introduced by an air /
vacuum valve).
At this stage, since the hydraulic gradient is reversed, a
returning fow is generated by the head of the receiving
reservoir or the highest point in the network.
The return fow reflls the gas pockets and is eventually
Surge- Anticipating valves
A Comparison to Air Vessels as surge-
preventing means in pumping systems
Case Study
Assaf Heiman*
* Director of Application Engineering at DOROT CONTROL
VALVES
dorot.indd 36 5/2/14 7:40 PM
37
stopped by the now closed Check valve(s) of the
pumping-system.
Both events - the re-joining of water columns and the abrupt
fow stop at the check-valves generate a change of velocity
and consequently, a high pressure wave (Upsurge). The
high pressure is refected as waves, initiating a water
fow in the original, normal-direction which consequently
causing a low pressure wave, etc. .
The above sequence may continue to oscillate several times
until, eventually, the friction of the network dissipates the
energy and the system rests at static pressure conditions.
Surge-anticipating valve
operation
The surge-anticipating valve is located on a branch of the
main pipe, downstream the check valve(s) in the pump
station. It opens instantly when the initial downsurge
Surge-anticipating valve Air vessel
Negative pressure
prevention
Does not prevent negative pressures, requires
design of proper air valves and / or one-way
flling tanks
Prevents negative pressurewhen air valves are
ositioned for the pipe flling stage.
Accessories Does not require any external accessory, except
a drain pipe
Requires a compressor, a backup compressor,
a sophisticated control system to maintain the
proper water volume in the tank
Check valve slam Prevents mechanical slam of check valve Increases mechanical slam of the pump`s check
valve
System Cost Lower cost for larger systems- valve size is
reduced, mostly, as the pipe is longer. (Long
mains have higher friction, minimizing the return
fow).
High cost for larger system. The tank size
increases with capacity of the pipe, so longer
pipes require larger vessel. Cheaper for small
system protection
Maintenance Low maintenance- requires only periodical tests High maintenance-compressor, control system
Test Enables periodical test of operation, without
stopping pumping
Does not allow testing without complete stopping
the pumping
Space Requires minimal space Requires large amount of space
Relief function Included in the standard valve Not included, cannot prevent abnormal high
pressure in the network through pumping
Water loss Releases water from the network Does not release water
System Comparisons
Surge-Anticipating electrically operated valves
protecting an waterworks system
dorot.indd 37 5/2/14 7:40 PM
36
S
General
Any change in water fow velocity creates a transient
phenomenon which manifests itself as pressure oscillation
in the network, more commonly called surges or water
hammer. These surges are an array of alternating pressure
waves, higher and lower than normal pressure conditions.
High pressure surges may rupture the pipe and potentially
cause damage to various accessories (e.g. check valves,
water meters, air valves etc.).
Low pressure conditions may reach negative values causing
pipe to collapse due to the external load of atmospheric
pressure and soil, damage joints, create introduction of
contamination through the joints and cavitation damage to
some types of pipes.
One of the most common causes of pressure surges is a
sudden halt in pumping. This assay will review this event.
Sequence of surges created by a
sudden pumping cessation
Following the sudden stop of the pump(s), the pressure at
the discharge of the station drops below the static head at
the pump location (downsurge).
This low-pressure propagates as a wave at a sonic speed
into the downstream network, reducing the head of the
entire system.
At local high-points along the pipeline, the hydraulic
gradient may be lower than the pipe-elevation. In these
sections a system water-column separation may occur
as the water mass is separated by gas pockets, which
are either flled by vapor or by air (introduced by an air /
vacuum valve).
At this stage, since the hydraulic gradient is reversed, a
returning fow is generated by the head of the receiving
reservoir or the highest point in the network.
The return fow reflls the gas pockets and is eventually
Surge- Anticipating valves
A Comparison to Air Vessels as surge-
preventing means in pumping systems
Case Study
Assaf Heiman*
* Director of Application Engineering at DOROT CONTROL
VALVES
dorot.indd 36 5/2/14 7:40 PM
37
stopped by the now closed Check valve(s) of the
pumping-system.
Both events - the re-joining of water columns and the abrupt
fow stop at the check-valves generate a change of velocity
and consequently, a high pressure wave (Upsurge). The
high pressure is refected as waves, initiating a water
fow in the original, normal-direction which consequently
causing a low pressure wave, etc. .
The above sequence may continue to oscillate several times
until, eventually, the friction of the network dissipates the
energy and the system rests at static pressure conditions.
Surge-anticipating valve
operation
The surge-anticipating valve is located on a branch of the
main pipe, downstream the check valve(s) in the pump
station. It opens instantly when the initial downsurge
Surge-anticipating valve Air vessel
Negative pressure
prevention
Does not prevent negative pressures, requires
design of proper air valves and / or one-way
flling tanks
Prevents negative pressurewhen air valves are
ositioned for the pipe flling stage.
Accessories Does not require any external accessory, except
a drain pipe
Requires a compressor, a backup compressor,
a sophisticated control system to maintain the
proper water volume in the tank
Check valve slam Prevents mechanical slam of check valve Increases mechanical slam of the pump`s check
valve
System Cost Lower cost for larger systems- valve size is
reduced, mostly, as the pipe is longer. (Long
mains have higher friction, minimizing the return
fow).
High cost for larger system. The tank size
increases with capacity of the pipe, so longer
pipes require larger vessel. Cheaper for small
system protection
Maintenance Low maintenance- requires only periodical tests High maintenance-compressor, control system
Test Enables periodical test of operation, without
stopping pumping
Does not allow testing without complete stopping
the pumping
Space Requires minimal space Requires large amount of space
Relief function Included in the standard valve Not included, cannot prevent abnormal high
pressure in the network through pumping
Water loss Releases water from the network Does not release water
System Comparisons
Surge-Anticipating electrically operated valves
protecting an waterworks system
dorot.indd 37 5/2/14 7:40 PM
38
materializes, and is kept in a fully open position until the
returning fow reaches its location.
The return-fow gets discharged out of the system instead
of slamming to a halt at the closed check-valve, thus
preventing the sudden velocity change that generates the
high pressure wave. As the pressure rebuilds, the valve
slowly closes so as to gradually reduce the returning fow
in the system.
The valve does not prevent the low pressure waves and
the negative values. Therefore, it should be combined with
air/vacuum valves, designed to prevent these conditions
when sized and positioned properly.
Air Vessel (Surge Tank) Operation
The air vessel is a tank that is connected to the main pipe
downstream the check valve(s).
The tank is partially-flled with water and the rest of its
volume is flled with air that is compressed to the pumps
normal operation pressure value.
When the down surge materializes, the air expands and
the water in the tank is discharges into the mains, instead
of the fow from the pump (which has now stopped). If sized
large enough, it maintains the pressure in the pipeline to
the value that prevents the creation of negative values
anywhere in network.
The returning fow re-compresses the air, which dissipates
the energy of the returning water mass, much like a spring.
Summary
Though air-vessels are the most common method of surge-
protection used nowadays in design of pumping system,
it is the authors opinion that using Surge-Anticipating
Valves should be seriously considered due to its low cost,
ease of maintenance (cost of ownership) and reliability.
Combination of Air Release Valves with Surge-Anticipating
valves, if properly sized and adjusted, will supply an equal
level of protection for large systems, at a much lower cost
and smaller footprint.
www.dorot.com
Surge-Anticipating valves protecting
an untreated sewage-pipeline