Effect of Surge Tank Elevation and Location on Water Hammer in a Water Distribution Network
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The high pressure resulting from the sudden closure of a valve in pressurized pipelines is referred to as a water hammer. Among the pipeline components used to prevent water hammer or dampen its effects, open water reservoirs are among the most important. These reservoirs are effective in maintaining the resulting high pressures within safe limits. The effectiveness of a reservoir in eliminating the danger of water hammer depends on factors such as the size, base elevation, and location of the reservoir. Therefore, the design of open water reservoirs is of great importance for implementing effective measures against the risk of water hammer. In this study, water hammer analysis was performed on the Tnet1 water distribution network to which an open water reservoir was added following the sudden closure of a valve. Water hammer analysis was performed using EPANET-CGGA, an open-source extension of EPANET 3, which is capable of performing hydraulic calculations based on both elastic and rigid water column approaches. Nine scenarios were generated by considering different base elevations of the water reservoir and distances to the valve. The results of these nine scenarios determined that both the base elevation of the tank and its distance to the valve had a significant effect on the severity of the water hammer. Specifically, raising the base elevation of the reservoir from 100 to 180 m increased the maximum pressure at the upstream side of the valve by approximately 20–30 m, whereas it decreased the pressure at the downstream side by approximately 20–30 m. Although not as significant as the base elevation, the distance from the reservoir to the valve was found to influence the severity of the water hammer. When the reservoir base elevation is 100 m, increasing the distance of the reservoir to the valve from 2000 to 2400 m increases the maximum pressure by 8 m and decreases the minimum pressure by 8 m. When the reservoir base elevation was 180 m, changes in distance had no effect on the pressure. The results obtained show that to dampen the destructive effects of the water hammer, it is appropriate to place open water reservoirs at the lowest possible elevation and as close as possible to devices such as valves and pumps that are the source of the water hammer.
Source: Turkish Journal of Hydraulic
DOI: 10.68369/tjh2026100
Author: Mehmet Melih Koşucu
Institution: Istanbul Technical University
Language: English
Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7197980223