Technical Paper

Surge Transients Due to Check Valve Closure in a Municipal Water Pumping Station

Sep 03, 2025

1 minute read

Trey Walters, P.E.
Trey Walters is currently Principal, R&D, Engineering Software at Datacor. He previously founded Applied Flow Technology which is now part of Datacor. He has developed simulation software for pipe flow, system optimization, slurries, waterhammer, and pulsation modeling. He has 40 years of experience in thermal/fluid system engineering and has consulted in numerous industries including power, municipal water, oil & gas and chemicals. He holds both a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He sits on several standards committees of the Hydraulic Institute and is Chairman of their Waterhammer Committee, and he is a Fellow of the ASME.

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David Lozano Solé and Roger Bosch Segarra, Aquatec Proyectos para el Sector del Agua SAU (SUEZ Group), Spain; Trey Walters, Applied Flow Technology, USA - Presented at the 13^th International Conference on Pressure Surges 2018, Bordeaux, France, November 14-16, 2018 - Copyright © 2018, BHR Group

Abstract: The present study highlights the importance of proper check valve selection to mitigate water hammer and its associated problems. Two different check valves were installed in a pumping station in a municipal water transfer system: a swing check valve and a nozzle check valve. Measurements were taken of pipeline pressures after a pump trip and resulting check valve closure. The field data was compared to predictions from a model using a commercial water hammer tool. Commonly accepted methods for estimating reverse liquid velocity at check valve closure were utilized. Results were also compared to previous experimental test from other authors. The calibrated model results matched the field data quite well. Comparisons of inferred valve characteristics to previously published results for swing and nozzle valves were not in close agreement for either tested valve.