Resources 2025

A Need for Guidelines and Standards Covering Pressure Surges – A Call to Community Action

Written by Jeff Olsen | Aug 14, 2026, 5:16:48 PM

Jeffrey A. Olsen, Principal, R&D, Datacor; Frederik J. Lingen; Software Director Dynaflow Software; Sam van der Zwan, Product owner WANDA, senior advisor pipeline hydraulics Deltares

Abstract:

There have been numerous reported accidents and incidents caused by surge events around the world. Such events can have a serious impact on companies, the environment, and sometimes even society as a whole. There is a clear motivation, therefore, to look at strategies for reducing the frequency of these events. A possible direction involves the development of guidelines and standards addressing various types of surge phenomena and requiring surge analysis according to accepted best practices. This is a call to the community to agree on these best practices and then take the lead in developing these guidelines and standards.