Water Hammer Elimination: A Case Study

Abstract

Any unplanned shut down of a continuous process plant is a big problem. Improving the reliability and system integrity is very essential to avoid unplanned shutdowns. Water hammer is a problem that threatens the reliability and integrity of steam systems. The causes of water hammer are dynamic and time dependent and could happen despite better initial design. Elimination of water hammer by identifying and fixing its root causes is essential to continuous process plants. This paper highlights the water hammer elimination efforts taken at a petrochemical complex in Southeast Asia. The condensate return system in this plant failed once, causing an unplanned shutdown. The water hammer in the condensate system was partially controlled by wasting part of the recoverable condensate and flash steam. Based on a total system approach, root causes are identified and actions were taken to eliminate the water hammer and to reduce energy wastes. The root cause analysis and the basic concepts of water hammer elimination are applicable to any steam system in improving its reliability and system integrity.