PIPENET and Pipe Stress Analysis
Introduction
One of the many unique features of PIPENET Transient module is its ability to calculate hydraulic transient forces. Transient flow in piping systems such as pressure surge and water hammer can cause both high pressures and high forces. Hydraulic transient forces can be both large and they could be oscillating.
In many cases the potential for piping systems to get damaged is more likely because of unbalanced hydraulic transient forces than because of simply high pressures. Unbalanced hydraulic transient forces can create unacceptably large reaction forces on pipe supports, vibrations in the piping system and unacceptably high stresses in the pipes. For example, the main steam line in a power station, both thermal and nuclear, can experience unbalanced forces of around 200,000 Newtons. Special pipe restraints need to be designed to withstand such high forces
