A detailed Surge analysis leads to a more economic system design compared to a Joukowsky estimate

A detailed Surge analysis leads to a more economic system design compared to a Joukowsky estimate

Performing a surge analysis is important to study the impact of transient changes on a system. For example, based on the Joukowsky equation, stopping a water flow of 1 m/s will result in a surge pressure of 10 bars. Since the typical design flow velocities vary between 2 and 6 m/s, there is a significant surge potential of 20 to 60 bars of pressure (300 to 900 psi).

In many cases this calculation is too conservative; yet it is useful to depict the severity of the surge potential in this manner. However, using Joukowsky to design or verify a piping system often results in an overdesigned system, i.e. the supports and piping will be too strong and cost more than necessary.

A more realistic approach is found in a surge analysis study. The piping system is imported into BOSfluids where it is then used to analyze all relevant transient flow scenarios. The calculated surge pressures are lower than using Joukowsky, since the transient actions (i.e. valves, pumps) are modelled in detail. Furthermore, the pressure surges will propagate through the pipeline resulting in more realistic and lower pipe supports.