Water Hammer Steam Boiler

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 steam boiler.

I tried replacing the steam valves for the system based on the recommendation from the technician that installed the new boiler. 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. What is water hammer.

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. In addition to water transport piping systems water hammer also occurs in steam and condensate recovery i e. Also water hammer noises in a few other pipes. The rate of condensate formation can be particularly high during startups.

Water hammer is a troublesome but commonly occurring issue that can plague a steam system. Condensate buildup is common to both types of water hammer. 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. Dirty water or water that has a too high ph high can do it as well.

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. 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. This type of water hammer usually happens during the middle of the firing cycle. It s not just faulty near boiler piping that can throw water up into the system.

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. This series of articles will focus on water hammer in these latter two systems. Sudden condensation of steam 2. The velocity of the steam flowing over the condensate causes ripples in the water.

The quality of the steam greatly affects water hammer. Or backflow from the condensate main can be driven by deaerator pressure and perhaps flash steam through malfunctioning steam traps or check valves.