Simulation of Valve Closure after Pump Failure in Pipeline

Abstract

Pump failure and subsequent valve closure produce rarefaction waves and pressure waves to be transmitted through a pipeline. This so-called water-hammer effect can cause much damage to pipes, valves, and other equipment. In this paper the numerical simulation of a method for valve closure is presented. This method entirely suppresses the aforementioned pressure surges. This effective technique throttles the valve quickly to a small leak at the time of flux reversal after pump failure, and progresses slowly toward complete closure after a certain amount of time. In spite of the near-incompressibility of the fluid, a small, time-limited backward flux through the leak is able to cause this damping effect, which is demonstrated by an example. Although this method has been known for many years, this sequence is not applied generally and it could be a useful addition to the literature.