Water Hammer Steam Boiler

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.

Water hammer steam boiler.

Dirty water or water that has a too high ph high can do it as well. The velocity of the steam flowing over the condensate causes ripples in the water. Water hammer is a wave loud hammer like sound caused when a fluid in motion is forced to stop or change direction suddenly. The rate of condensate formation can be particularly high during startups.

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. It can be caused by boiler carry over depositing large amounts of boiler water into the steam main overwhelming the steam traps. Or backflow from the condensate main can be driven by deaerator pressure and perhaps flash steam through malfunctioning steam traps or check valves. In addition to water transport piping systems water hammer also occurs in steam and condensate recovery i e.

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. It s not just faulty near boiler piping that can throw water up into the system. Water hammer is a troublesome but commonly occurring issue that can plague a steam system. 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.

The quality of the steam greatly affects water hammer. Sudden condensation of steam 2. Also water hammer noises in a few other pipes. There are two types of water hammer.

This type of water hammer usually happens during the middle of the firing cycle. This series of articles will focus on water hammer in these latter two systems. What is water hammer. Condensate buildup is common to both types of water hammer.

Note that as steam is involved this type of water hammer is also sometimes referred to as steam hammer. After consulting a few other boiler guys i was told its.