Water Hammer Steam Boiler

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.

Water hammer steam boiler. After consulting a few other boiler guys i was told its. This type of water hammer usually happens during the middle of the firing cycle. 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. What is water hammer.

Note that as steam is involved this type of water hammer is also sometimes referred to as steam hammer. There are two types of water hammer. Sudden condensation of steam 2. 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.

This series of articles will focus on water hammer in these latter two systems. It is also called hydraulic shock. 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. 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.

Dirty water or water that has a too high ph high can do it as well. Or backflow from the condensate main can be driven by deaerator pressure and perhaps flash steam through malfunctioning steam traps or check valves. The quality of the steam greatly affects water hammer. The rate of condensate formation can be particularly high during startups.

It can be caused by boiler carry over depositing large amounts of boiler water into the steam main overwhelming the steam traps. It s not just faulty near boiler piping that can throw water up into the system. Condensate buildup is common to both types of water hammer. I tried replacing the steam valves for the system based on the recommendation from the technician that installed the new boiler.

Water hammer is a wave loud hammer like sound caused when a fluid in motion is forced to stop or change direction suddenly. The velocity of the steam flowing over the condensate causes ripples in the water.