Maximum Pressure Head Due to Linear Valve Closure

Abstract

The maximum pressure head resulting from one-speed closure of wide open valves is investigated. The dimensionless variables formulated in this study make the subtle effect of the initial valve head loss explicit and separate from that of the pipe frictional head loss. The maximum head is related to initial pipe frictional head loss, the initial valve head loss, the inherent flow characteristic of the valve, and the closure period by plots of dimensionless variables. The trends of the variation of the maximum pressure head are discussed. An example is used to illustrate the usage of the plots, and to show the advantage of having a global perspective of the phenomenon in the selection and sizing of valves from the water hammer point of view.