Essay On Water Hammering

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Water hammering is a wave of pressure that is caused by the kinetic energy of a fluid when it suddenly stops or changes direction. There is a change in momentum in the fluid as seen in the figure below.
Any fluid in motion contains kinetic energy. When the motion in a pipeline is suddenly stopped, the kinetic energy is converted into pressure energy. The pressure energy exists as a shock wave moving in the opposite direction to the original direction of movement of the fluid due to the fact that water has a mass at a certain velocity, for instance, when a tap or control valve is closed quickly the velocity of the water is suddenly reduced to zero. This can be explained trough Newton’s third law of motion. “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”. The buildup of pressure is caused by the water that is still moving, has momentum at the moment of closing the tap or valve. As the water is pushed against the closure, a pressure shock wave is formed, that pushes up the pipe in the opposite direction that the fluid …show more content…

Water hammer is a sudden increase in the pressure of a liquid due to an instantaneous conversion of momentum to pressure. A pressure surge or wave caused by the kinetic energy of a fluid in motion when it is caused to stop or change direction suddenly. The movement of liquid mass in a pipe is kinetic energy, which is proportional to the mass of liquid times the square of the velocity [2]. The noises are caused by a very fast moving pressure wave in a closed conduit, usually resulting from a sudden stoppage/block or change in the masses velocity.

In any system where change in momentum of the fluid occurs water hammering will be experienced, the larger the mass of the fluid the greater the resultant force. The greater the change in velocity the greater the force. The greater the force the greater the water

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