Accepted Manuscript

Experimental investigation on the phenomenon of steam condensation induced

water hammer in a horizontal pipe

Lutao Wang, Xiaoyu Yue, Daotong Chong, Weixiong Chen, Junjie Yan

PII: S0894-1777(17)30342-4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2017.10.036
Reference: ETF 9260

To appear in: Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science

Received Date: 19 August 2017

Revised Date: 24 October 2017
Accepted Date: 29 October 2017

Please cite this article as: L. Wang, X. Yue, D. Chong, W. Chen, J. Yan, Experimental investigation on the
phenomenon of steam condensation induced water hammer in a horizontal pipe, Experimental Thermal and Fluid
Science (2017), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2017.10.036

This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers
we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and
review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process
errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
 Experimental investigation on the phenomenon of steam condensation
induced water hammer in a horizontal pipe
Lutao Wang, Xiaoyu Yue, Daotong Chong*, Weixiong Chen, Junjie Yan
State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering,
Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China

Lutao Wang, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 710049, PR China, wanglutao@stu.xjtu.edu.cn

Xiaoyu Yue, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 710049, PR China, yuexiaoyu@stu.xjtu.edu.cn
Daotong Chong*, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 710049, PR China, dtchong@mail.xjtu.edu.cn
Weixiong Chen, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 710049, PR China, chenweixiong@mail.xjtu.edu.cn
Junjie Yan, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 710049, PR China, yanjj@mail.xjtu.edu.cn
Corresponding author
Daotong Chong, telephone number: 86-29-82665359,
E-mail address: dtchong@mail.xjtu.edu.cn
Postal address: State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong
University, Xi’an 710049, PR China.

Abstract
The condensation induced water hammer (CIWH) phenomenon may cause serious damage to the
pipes and related system, which often occurs during the steam-water direct contact condensation
process. In this paper, an experimental investigation was performed to study CIWH phenomenon
caused by steam-water direct contact condensation in a horizontal pipe. The entire CIWH process was
captured by a high speed video camera and its pressure fluctuation was synchronously measured. Four
typical flow patterns were observed during CIWH process: stratification flow, wave flow, slug flow
and bubble collapse. Bubble collapse would generate a high pressure peak. Based on different
variations of steam-water phase interface and pressure fluctuation signals, three types of CIWH were
defined: non-periodic CIWH, periodic CIWH and no CIWH. A CIWH region map was given
considering the effect of steam mass flux and water temperature. In periodic CIWH region, the
generation frequency of CIWH was found to range from 0.19Hz to 0.39Hz, which decreased with the
rise of steam mass flux and water temperature. A dimensionless correlation was obtained to predict
Strouhal number of CIWH generation frequency. Predicted values corresponded well to the
experimental data with the deviation in the range of -16% ~+23%.

KEY WORDS: CIWH; horizontal pipe; region map; generation frequency; dimensionless correlation.

1. Introduction
Water hammer is a fast phenomenon which could instantaneously generate a high pressure peak.
It would cause serious damage to the pipes, relative equipment and personal safety [1,2]. According to
occurrence fields of water hammer, it could be divided into two types. One type occurs when valve
and pump are quickly opened or closed. The other type appears when steam directly contacts with
water to condense in a pipe. During steam-water direct contact condensation process, a slug flow may
appear, which would cause steam condensation induced water hammer (CIWH). Since slug flow could

1
form a low-pressure region and accelerate water streams to crash, CIWH could cause higher pressure
fluctuation than that of water hammer caused by valve’s and pump’s quick opening or closing [2]. In
the past decades, CIWH phenomenon has been observed and researched in various industrial fields,
especially emergency core cooling system and residual heat removal system in nuclear power [3]. Yow
et al. [4] identified basic mechanisms of CIWH occurrence into four types: (1) steam-water
counterflow in a horizontal pipe, (2) subcooled water with condensing steam in a vertical pipe, (3)
pressurized water entering a vertical steam-filled pipe, (4) hot water entering a lower pressure line.
Scholars carried out lots of investigations on CIWH caused by steam-water counterflow in a pipe,
and the research contents mainly focused on the pressure fluctuation. Barna et al. [5,6] experimentally
found the existence of multiple independent CIWH pressure peaks, and concluded that the first
pressure peak decreases with growing initial system pressure. Besides, they numerically studied
CIWH phenomenon and got the pressure fluctuation by WAHA3 method, which is a typical
two-phase flow calculation method based on two-phase flow six first-order partial differential
equations[7]. Prasser et al. [8] recorded the pressure peaks under different slug velocities and system
pressures. They found the pressure peak increases with the rise of slug velocity but varies irregularly
with system pressure changing. Nakamura et al. [9] found the pressure peak decreases with system
pressure increasing and is influenced by water flow rate. Urban and Schluter [10] performed 185
CIWH experiments and found that CIWH sometimes occurred and sometimes not. They concluded
that the occurrence frequency of CIWH is highest at Fr=0.6 and the pressure peak decreases with
water temperature increasing. Besides, they found that the occurrence position is farther away from
water inlet with water temperature increasing. In addition to pressure fluctuation, the steam-water
phase interface, phase and temperature distribution also attracted lots of attention. Chun and Yu [11,12]
experimentally captured the steam-water phase interface of the stratification flow and slug flow. And
they numerically found lower and upper bounds of critical water flow rate are influenced by steam
temperature and pipe diameter. Prasser et al. [8] obtained the corresponding relations of temperature,
phase and pressure fluctuation. Tiselj et al. [13] experimentally and numerically investigated the
temperature fluctuations and liquid volume fraction, but found that exact time and position of the slug
formation are stochastic. Chou and Griffith [14] found that CIWH is influenced by inclined angle and
length of pipe, and a CIWH map considering the influence of liquid velocity and water temperature
was proposed. Based on the above introduction, a summary of previous experimental work on CIWH
phenomenon is given in Table 1.
Seen from Table 1, except for CIWH caused by steam-water counterflow, other types of CIWHs
also attract the attention. For steam jets into water-filled pipe, He et al. [15] experimentally and
theoretically analyzed the steam bubble collapse process and captured the pressure peak at a certain
test condition. Perkins [16] found CIWH intensity is weakened with water temperature increasing.
Gruel at al. [17] found high back pressure and low flow resistance could lead to higher pressure
oscillation intensity and shorter bubble collapse time. Gregu et al. [18] investigated the process that
saturated steam discharged into stagnant water by a vertical pipe. They found there would exist CIWH
with a low water temperature and steam mass flux and proposed a chugging condensation map
considering the influence of water temperature and steam mass flux. Griffith and Silva [19]
experimentally studied hot water draining process and found that CIWH would not happen when
down slope angle of steam flow is higher than 2.4°. They proposed a map about hammer and no
hammer as a function of slope angle and draining velocity.
As mentioned above, CIWH phenomenon and its pressure fluctuations were investigated by
many researchers. However, most scholars only analyzed one CIWH event at each test condition and
concluded that it is highly stochastic. The rules of continuous multiple CIWH events at one certain
condition are not clear, but it is significant to get knowledge of continuous multiple CIWH events for
the avoidance of CIWH. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate CIWH process and find some laws of
continuous multiple CIWH events to offer reference for relative industrial fields. In this paper, the
experiment of steam-water direct contact condensation in a horizontal pipe was performed. Multiple
CIWH events and associated pressure fluctuation were discussed under different water temperatures
and steam mass fluxes. This research work could help understand CIWH phenomenon and offer the
test validation for the development of numerical and theoretical methods.

2
 Table 1 Previous experimental investigations on CIWH phenomenon

Pipe orientation/ Water

Researchers Flow type Steam amount Water amount Measured contents Notes
size temperature

Steam-water Horizontal, Captured the pressure peak with width of

Barna et al. [5] 1.45MPa 0.242m/s 22℃ Pressure peak 2ms, appeared decaying peak.
counterflow Ф73mm
Steam-water Horizontal, Multiple pressure peaks in 40s, pressure
Barna et al.[6] 2.8MPa 0.088m/s 32℃ Multiple pressure peaks peak with width of 2ms.
counterflow Ф193mm
Pressure peak, number of
Steam-water Horizontal, pressure peaks and 35 experiments, 4800Hz for pressure
Prasser et al. [8] 0.98-4.0MPa 0.16-0.41m/s 17-140℃
counterflow Ф73mm slugging record, micro-thermocouple of 500Hz.

Three Gamma-ray densitometer for the liquid

Nakamura et Steam-water Horizontal, Pressure fluctuation, level, pressure peak is the average of eight
0.3-7.0MPa qualitative
al.[9] counterflow Ф63mm temperature distribution pressure sensors.
rates
Maximum pressure peak, 5 high-speed pressure transducers of
Urban and Steam-water Inclinded, Fr=0.3,0.6,0.9, 50000Hz, 8 thermocouples of 4 Hz,
0.37MPa 40,60℃ occurrence probability
Schluter [10] counterflow Ф51.3 mm 1.1 inclination 1.4°.
and position
Chun and Yu Steam-water Inclined, Photographs of slug Phase interface in slugging, small-sized
4.555-7.67m/s 0.02-0.1m/s bubble and elongated bubble.
[11,12] counterflow Ф83mm formation
Wire-mesh sensor for distribution of vapor
Steam-water Horizontal, Phase and temperature volume fraction, Four local void probes
Tiselj et al. [13] 3.5MPa 0.17, 0.24 m/s 110, 123℃
counterflow Ф73mm distribution with integrated thermocouple.
Chou and Steam-water Inclined, The effect of slight downward and upward
counterflow Ф49mm 0.1MPa 0.15-0.8m/s 20-100℃ Water hammer map
Griffith [14] inclination, and pipe length.
Steam Vertical,
discharging Pressure at upper pipe, Steam flows into water-filled pipe when
He at e al.[15] horizontal, 0.17MPa stagnant 30℃
into water photos of steam bubble value is open with a certain condition.
60*20mm
Steam jet into Water level in the reservoir (18.415,
stagnant water Upward, Average pressure peak,
Perkins[16] Incontinuous Stagnant 16-80℃ 6.35cm), open and close values in different
by a tee pipe Ф12.2mm number of CIWH
positions.
Steam jet into Photographs of water The effect of back pressure and flow
stagnant water Downward,
Gruel at al. [17] Incontinuous Stagnant 20-25℃ hammer cavitation resistance on pressure peak, frames of
by a tee pipe Ф19mm
bubble, pressure peak 1000-2000fps, tiny bubble appeared.
Steam
Gregu et al. Downward, Chugging, pressure 5000 Hz for pressure record, 1000-5000fps
discharging 5.5-19.5kg/m2 s Stagnant 19-46.5℃
[18] into water Ф27mm fluctuation for photos, a chugging map.

Hot water and Horizontal, Pressure sensor to represent the occurrence

Griffith and Pressure fluctuation in the of hammer, a map of hammer and no
cold water inclined, 0-0.2m/s
Silva[19] orifice plate hammer.
counterflow Ф50.4mm
Pipe bridge Phase and temperature
Dudlik et al. Hot water Wire mesh sensors with thermocouples, a
system, 1-5m/s 20-150℃ distribution, pressure
[20] movement fast pressure sensor of 2000Hz.
Ф110mm fluctuation

2. Experimental system and procedure

2.1 Experimental system
A schematic diagram of experimental system is shown in Fig.1(a). Experimental system mainly
consisted of a steam generator, buffer tank, steam pipes, cylinder water tank, data acquisition system
and high speed video camera.
Steam was continuously generated in the steam generator. Then steam flowed through adiabatic
pipes after being stabilized in the buffer tank. Finally, after passing a vertical pipe, it flowed into the
horizontal pipe to directly contact with water and condensed. The horizontal pipe connected with the
water tank at 1/3 height of water tank and the pipe outlet was located some distance from the free
water surface. The horizontal pipe comprised a visual pipe (polycarbonate material) and a stainless
steel pipe by flange connection. The visual pipe was set for the observation of condensation process
and taking pictures. And the stainless steel pipe was chosen to install the pressure sensor to measure
pressure fluctuation when steam condensed. Fig.1(b) marks detailed connection methods and relative
dimensions. There was an observation window in a side of water tank wall to monitor water level.

3
 The steam mass flux was measured by a Coriolis mass flowmeter (range of 0 to 100kg/h and
accuracy 0.15%FS) and it was controlled by a control value. The pressure fluctuation signals caused
by steam condensation were measured with a fast dynamic pressure transducer (range of -0.1MPa to
3.9MPa and accuracy of 0.15%FS). It was installed in the bottom of steel pipe, 250 mm from the pipe
exit, as shown in Fig.1(b). Water temperature in the water tank was measured by four T-type
thermocouples well distributed in the water region. Then the average value of water temperature was
adopted. A high speed video camera was applied to capture the condensation process from the visual
pipe and a LED flat lamp was used to provide the uniform light. The pressure measurement and
photograph record were synchronized by a synchronous triggering system. All signals were processed
by the data acquisition system consisting of PC and A/D converter.

(a) Experimental system

(b) Horizontal pipe

Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of experimental system

2.2 Experimental procedure

The experimental procedure could be divided into two parts, which are the prepared work and the
experimental work.
Experimental prepared work included generating steam in the steam generation and removing the
air in steam and pipe. Firstly, water in the steam generation was heated to about 0.15MPa by electrical
heaters. Then the blowdown valve was opened to remove the remaining water in the pipe and air in
the pipe and steam until pure steam flowed out of blowdown pipe for 5mins. Afterwards, the steam
was heated to 0.2MPa and kept the pressure nearly unchanged. Opening the control valve, the pure
steam flowed into water tank by the horizontal pipe and pushed out the residual air. Finally, the water
in the water tank was heated to experimental required temperature by steam with a high mass flux.
When water was heated to 20℃, the experiment began. At first, the steam mass flux was
controlled to be 1.0 kg/m2s, then the pressure fluctuation signal and the photograph were recorded

4
synchronously for about 35s. In this period of time, due to the high speed of CIWH phenomena,
dozens of CIWH events were recorded. During the process, on one hand, water temperature changed
little for the big enough water tank; on the other hand, extra cold water was pumped into water tank to
control the rise of water temperature. Thus, water temperature was thought as constant. Afterwards,
controlled control valve to increase steam mass flux to the required value and repeated the experiment.
Finally, when the experiments of different steam mass fluxes were finished at a certain water
temperature, the water was heated again to the required temperature to continue the experiment. The
detailed test conditions are given in Table 2.
Table 2 Operating conditions in experiment
Parameters Values
Steam inlet pressure, kPa 98.9-100.4
Steam mass flux, kg/m2s 1.0,1.5,2.0,2.5,3.0,3.5
Water temperature, ℃ 20,30,40,50,60,75
Pipe inner diameter, mm 50
Length of horizontal pipe, mm 1400
Pipe outlet submerged depth, mm 200
Pressure sample frequency, Hz 2000
Frame speed of camera, fps 2000
Cylinder water tank, diameter×height, mm 2000×1500

3 Results and discussion

3.1 CIWH phenomenon
Condensation behavior of steam-water could greatly help understand the entire condensation
process in the pipe. The entire process of one CIWH event was captured by a high speed video camera
and the typical one is given in Fig.2(a). It was performed under water temperature of 20℃ and steam
mass flux of 2.5kg/m2s. The pressure fluctuation signal was synchronously measured as shown in
Fig.2(b). It is obvious that there appear different flow patterns during the entire CIWH process, and
the different flow patterns lead to different pressure fluctuations.
In the beginning, the pipe is partially filled with subcooled water and saturated steam (4.900s).
There forms a quite small smooth phase interface, and condensation only occurs at the phase interface.
In this moment, steam and water form stratification flow. With steam continuing to flow, the smooth
phase interface prolongs (5.830s), keeping stratification flow unchanged. Subsequently, the big phase
interface draws up waves due to the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability [21]. The smooth phase interface
changes into wave phase interface (6.800s and 7.000s). The flow pattern changes from stratification
flow to wave flow. It is obvious that there is not almost pressure fluctuation from 4.8s to 7.1s. This is
because that steam could condense relatively steadily when steam-water flow is in stratification flow
and wave flow.
As steam gradually condenses, the water level raises, which draws up wave high. When the wave
is high enough to seal the pipe, the water isolates a steam section (7.123s). At this time, an entrapped
steam bubble forms. The flow pattern transforms from wave flow to slug flow, which is treated as the
initiating condition of CIWH [22]. Due to steam condensation in the entrapped steam bubble, there
appears a local low-pressure region for the great density difference between steam and water. Under
the influence of the rapid condensation and the pressure difference to the ambient pressure, the
downstream and upstream water accelerates towards the low-pressure region. The entrapped steam
bubble reduces quickly (7.160s and 7.171s). After forming entrapped steam bubble, the pressure
begins to fluctuate slightly. With entrapped steam bubble reducing, the pressure fluctuation is
increasingly severe.
As a result of inertia forces of the accelerated water streams, the steam bubble is compressed and

5
collapses rapidly. CIWH happens here at about 7.175s as red circle marks. CIWH causes a high
pressure peak of 1200kPa, which was measured in the downstream direction. It is worth noting that
CIWH is a fast phenomenon and the time from entrapped steam bubble formation to collapse is very
short, about 52 ms in the present condition.

(a) Condensation behavior of CIWH

(b) Pressure fluctuation signal

Fig.2 Condensation behavior of CIWH and corresponding pressure fluctuation signal
(T=20℃, G=2.5kg/m2s)

3.2 CIWH and pressure fluctuation signal

As introduced in part 3.1, one CIWH event and its associated pressure fluctuation signal were
captured and analyzed. However, according to the investigations in references [8,10,13], CIWH has a
high stochastic nature. Thus, it is necessary to study the steam condensation process for a longer time
and analyze the rules of multiple CIWH events. Additionally, it is important to find the effect of steam

6
and water parameters on CIWH phenomenon. Thus, in this part, the condensation process was
continuously recorded and the corresponding pressure fluctuation signals were measured for 35s under
different water temperatures and steam mass fluxes. Three types of CIWH phenomena and pressure
fluctuation signal were found in total. We would give some typical cases to introduce each type of
CIWH.
3.2.1 Non-periodic CIWH
CIWH phenomenon under water temperature of 30℃ and steam mass flux of 2.5 kg/m2s was
researched. The condensation behavior and corresponding pressure fluctuation signals are shown in
Fig.3. Seen from Fig.3(b), it is obvious that there continuously appear multiple pressure peaks during
35s, representing the occurrence of multiple CIWH events.
Seen from Fig.3(a), entire steam condensation process mainly includes three parts: steam flows
into horizontal pipe, CIWH occurs and water fills the horizontal pipe. To analyze the condensation
process for a long time conveniently, we defined the process as a motion cycle. It is obvious that there
occur two CIWHs at different positions in the marked motion cycle. This is because that the steam
could reach a far position from steam inlet in the present test condition. Thus, there would tend to
generate an entrapped steam bubble far from steam inlet and CIWH occurs here (1.2445s). After
CIWH occurs, there still exists large steam section in the horizontal pipe. The instable back water
flows upstream and forms a new entrapped steam bubble near the steam inlet (2.494s). This causes the
second CIWH (2.5215s). Finally, the water fills the entire horizontal pipe and the motion cycle ends. It
is obvious that the first CIWH prompts the occurrence of the second and the positions of the two
CIWH events are quite far. Then steam flows into the horizontal pipe again as a new cycle and there
appears CIWH far away from the steam inlet again (6.083s).
The associated pressure signals in Fig.3(b) indicate that the pressure fluctuation signals are quite
irregular. The phenomenon represents a high stochastic nature of CIWH in the present test condition,
in which the time difference of two continuous CIWH events changed from 0.9s to 4.4s. We define
CIWH phenomenon that multiple CIWHs occur in a motion cycle and pressure fluctuates irregularly
as non-periodic CIWH.

(a) Condensation behavior of non-periodic CIWH (b) Pressure fluctuation signal

Fig.3 Non-periodic CIWH and corresponding pressure fluctuation signal
(T=30℃, G=2.5kg/m2s)

7
3.2.2 Periodic CIWH
In this part, CIWH phenomenon was studied under a relatively low water temperature, 20℃.
Fig.4(a) shows the steam condensation process for three motion cycles. Different from the result in
Fig.3(a), CIWH occurs quite regularly at present test condition, periodically at 2.8885s, 7.175s and
12.158s, respectively. The phenomenon could be explained as follows. On one hand, low water
temperature leads to high condensation capacity. After entrapped steam bubble forms, it would
collapse quickly. Thus, upstream and downstream water crashes violently, making upstream water
flows back with a high velocity. On the other hand, with low steam mass flux and high condensation
capacity, the remaining steam amount in the horizontal pipe is small after CIWH occurs. When back
water flows upstream violently, the remaining steam in the horizontal pipe would be pushed into
vertical pipe. There would not appear another entrapped steam bubble. Finally, water would fill the
entire horizontal pipe, representing the end of a motion cycle. Then steam flows into the horizontal
pipe as a new start of another cycle. As a result, there only occurs one CIWH event in each motion
cycle. But the occurrence positions are not fixed as red circle marks.
The corresponding pressure fluctuation signals are plotted in Fig.4(b). There appear multiple high
pressure peaks, which represents the occurrence of multiple CIWHs. Importantly, unlike the tendency
in Fig.3(b), the time between two adjacent pressure peaks is almost the same, which indicates that
CIWH almost occurs periodically under present test condition. Thus, we define the phenomenon that
only one CIWH occurs in a motion cycle and corresponding pressure fluctuation signals are nearly
periodic as periodic CIWH. Moreover, it is found that the measuring pressure peak values differ a lot
from each other. This result may be partly related to the stochastic occurrence positions of CIWH.
Compared the occurrence positions of CIWH and pressure peaks at 2.8885s, 7.175s and 12.158s in
Fig.4, it is obvious that the measuring pressure peak values increases with occurrence positions of
CIWH farther from the steam inlet, namely, nearer the pressure sensor.

(a) Condensation behavior of CIWH (b) Pressure fluctuation signal

Fig.4 Periodic CIWH and corresponding pressure fluctuation signal
(T=20℃, G=2.5kg/m2s)

8
3.2.3 No CIWH
Fig.5 shows CIWH phenomenon and its pressure fluctuation signals under water temperature of
75℃ and steam mass flux of 1.5kg/m2s. Seen from Fig.5(a), there also appears entrapped steam
bubble (9.907s and 10.309s). But the pressure signals do not appear fluctuation phenomenon as shown
in Fig.5(b), which indicates that although there forms entrapped steam bubble, CIWH does not occur.
This is because that, on one hand, the water temperature of 75℃ is very high, which has a rather low
condensation capacity. Most steam could condense steadily. On the other hand, the steam mass flux is
low and the velocity difference between steam and water is small, leading to a weak Kelvin-Helmholtz
instability and small wave intensity. Therefore, there only forms a long flat entrapped steam bubble
(9.907s). In addition, the entrapped steam bubble takes a long time, about 610ms, to condense, which
is greatly longer than that of steam bubble collapse leading to CIWH like section 3.1, 50ms. Thus, all
the steam could condense steadily and does not cause the pressure fluctuation. We define the
phenomenon as no CIWH that steam could condense steadily and pressure fluctuates little.

(a) Condensation behavior of no CIWH (b) Pressure fluctuation signal

Fig.5 No CIWH and corresponding pressure fluctuation signal
(T=75℃, G=1.5kg/m2s)

3.2.4 Region map of CIWH

According to above findings that there would appear different types of CIWHs, CIWH
phenomena under more test conditions, water temperature ranging from 20℃ to 75 ℃ and steam
mass flux ranging from 1.0 kg/m2s to 3.5 kg/m2s, were researched. The type of each CIWH was
recorded. According to statistical result, a CIWH region map was proposed considering the effect of
water temperature and steam mass flux.
Fig.6 shows the region map of CIWH. The region map is divided into three parts: periodic CIWH,
non-periodic CIWH and no CIWH. Seen from the region map, periodic CIWH occupies the region of
low water temperature and small steam mass flux. Low water temperature would cause rapid collapse
of steam bubble and fast back water. Small steam amount could make remaining steam in the
horizontal pipe fewer after a CIWH occurs. These two factors both have an effect on the occurrence of
one CIWH in each motion cycle. Besides, no CIWH region locates the part of high water temperature
and low steam mass flux. This is because that the condensation capacity is low, meanwhile, steam
amount is small. The steam could condense rather slowly and steadily. Finally, non-periodic CIWH
occupies the other region, in which the condensation process is in a complex state. With a relatively
high water temperature and steam mass flux, it is rather easy to form a long phase interface and CIWH
always occurs far from the steam inlet. When CIWH event far from steam inlet occurs, it could
prompt other CIWH events to occur quickly. Thus, CIWH generated irregularly. According to CIWH
region map, to avoid the generation of CIWH, the steam should be controlled to condense with a high
water temperature and low steam mass flux. CIWH region map could provide a reference to identify
and avoid CIWH event in different fields.

9
 Fig.6 Region map of CIWH

3.3 Generation frequency of CIWH

As researched above, there would occur periodic CIWH event under some special test conditions,
which was characterized with nearly same time between two CIWH events. Thus, it is necessary to
study the variation of generation frequency of periodic CIWH. The number of pressure peaks was first
counted for 35s for periodic CIWH, and then the frequency was obtained according to the average
time of two adjacent pressure peaks [23]. Fig.7 shows the change tendency of generation frequency
under different water temperatures and steam mass fluxes. The result indicates that the generation
frequency decreases with steam mass flux and water temperature increasing in the range of
0.19Hz-0.39Hz. The generation frequency of CIWH is exactly the frequency of the entire process that
steam flows into horizontal pipe, CIWH occurs and water fills horizontal pipe. With water
temperature increasing, the condensation capacity decreases, the entire process would be slowed down.
When steam mass flux increases, it would take more time to condense the steam of horizontal pipe
and complete the entire condensation process. Thus, the period of CIWH increases and the
corresponding frequency decreases with the rise of water temperature and steam mass flux. Based on
the change rules of generation frequency for period CIWH, to decrease the generation number of
periodic CIWH, the steam should condense with a high water temperature and a high steam mass flux.

Fig.7 Generation frequency of periodic CIWH

It would be significant to predict the generation frequency of CIWH for offering instruction to
relative industrial fields. According to present investigation results, the generation frequency of
periodic CIWH in horizontal pipe is mainly influenced by water temperature and steam mass flux. It is

10
 known that Jacob number is an important parameter to analyse the effect of water temperature on
steam-water direct contact condensation process [24,25]. Froude number is widely adopted to
represent flow state of fluid during CIWH researches [3,10]. Thus, a dimensionless correlation to
predict Strouhal number for the generation frequency of periodic CIWH, as a function of Jacob
number and Froude number, is obtained as follows:

S t 0 . 2 0 0 5
J 1a
( . 0 9) 2 1 ( F- r1 .) 0 6 1 6 (1)

Where St is the density weighted Strouhal number, fDl / SV . Ja is the Jacob number,
l C p (Ts  T ) /   s H f g  , which is the ratio of the specific energy absorption capability of the liquid
to the energy density of the steam. Fr is the Froude number, V / gD , representing the relation
between inertia force and gravity force.
A comparison of Strouhal numbers of the experiment and prediction is shown in Fig.8. Predicted
values correspond well to the experimental data and predicted errors are in the range of -16%~+23%.

Fig.8 Comparison of experimental St and predicted St

4. Conclusions
CIWH phenomenon may cause serious damage to pipes and related system. In this paper, the
experiment was conducted to investigate CIWH phenomenon and its pressure fluctuation in a
horizontal pipe with water temperature ranging from 20 ℃ to 75 ℃ and steam mass flux ranging from
1.0 kg/m2s to 3.5 kg/m2s. Some conclusions were obtained as follows:
(1) Four typical flow patterns were observed during CIWH process: stratification flow, wave flow,
slug flow and bubble collapse. CIWH phenomenon was closely related to the variation of flow
patterns, and a high pressure peak was obtained at the moment of bubble collapse.
(2) Based on different change rules of steam-water phase interface and pressure fluctuation signals,
three types of CIWH were defined. They were non-periodic CIWH, periodic CIWH and no CIWH.
A CIWH region map was proposed as a function of steam mass flux and water temperature.
(3) In periodic CIWH region, generation frequency of CIWH ranged from 0.19 Hz to 0.39 Hz, which
decreased with steam mass flux and water temperature increasing. A dimensionless correlation was
obtained to predict Strouhal number of generation frequency. Predicted values agreed well to the
experimental data with the deviation of -16% ~+23%.

Nomenclature

11
 Cp specific heat of water, J/(kg·K) T water temperature,℃
D inner diameter of pipe, m Ts saturation temperature,℃
f generation frequency of CIWH, Hz V steam speed, m/s
Fr Froude number Greek symbols
g gravitational acceleration, m2/s ρl water density, kg/m3
G steam mass flux, kg/m2s ρs steam density, kg/m3
Hfg latent heat at pool pressure, J/kg Subscripts
Ja Jacob number l water
St Strouhal number s steam

Acknowledgment
This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.51476128).

Reference
[1] Bjorge R W, Bjorge R W. Initiation of water hammer in horizontal or nearly-horizontal pipes
containing steam and subcooled water[J]. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1983.
[2] Kirsner W. Steam Condensation Induced Water hammer[C]// 2000.
[3] Griffith P. Screening reactor steam/water piping systems for water hammer[J]. Office of Scientific and
Technical Information Technical Reports, 1997.
[4] Yow W, Van D D, Chiu C. Analysis of root causes of water hammer[C]//The Third International
Topical Meeting on Nuclear Power Plant Thermal Hydraulics and Operations (NUPTHO-3). 1988:
103-109.
[5] Barna I F, Imre A R, Baranyai G, et al. Experimental and theoretical study of steam condensation
induced water hammer phenomena[J]. Nuclear Engineering and Design, 2010, 240(1):146-150.
[6] Barna I F, Ezsöl G. Multiple condensation induced water hammer events, experiments and theoretical
investigations[J]. Kerntechnik, 2011, 76(76):231-236.
[7] Tiselj I, Petelin S. Modelling of Two-Phase Flow with Second-Order Accurate Scheme[J]. Journal of
Computational Physics, 1997, 136(2):503-521.
[8] Prasser H M, Ezsol G, Baranyai G, et al. Spontaneous water hammers in a steam line in the case of
cold water ingress[J]. Multiphase Science and Technology, 2008, 20(3):265-290.
[9] Nakamura H, Watanabe T, Takeda T, et al. Overview of recent efforts through ROSA/LSTF
experiments[J]. Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 2009, 41(6): 753-764.
[10] Urban C, Schlüter M. Investigations on the stochastic nature of condensation induced water
hammer[J]. International Journal of Multiphase Flow, 2014, 67:1-9.
[11] Chun M H, Yu S O. KAIST-CIWH Computer Code and a Guide Chart to Avoid Condensation-Induced
Water Hammer in Horizontal Pipes[J]. Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 2000, 32(6): 618-635.
[12] Chun M H, Yu S O. A parametric study and a guide chart to avoid condensation-induced water
hammer in a horizontal pipe[J]. Nuclear Engineering and Design, 2000, 201(2):239-257.
[13] Tiselj I, Ŝtrubelj L. On Modeling of Condensation-Induced Water Hammer in Horizontal Pipe[C]//
ASME 2009 Fluids Engineering Division Summer Meeting. 2009:907-915.
[14] Chou Y, Griffith P. Admitting cold water into steam filled pipes without water hammer due to steam
bubble collapse[J]. Nuclear Engineering and Design, 1990, 121(3):367-378.
[15] He F, Yang J, Wang X. Condensation-induced steam bubble collapse in a pipeline[J]. Tsinghua science
and technology, 2000, 5(4): 424-427.
[16] Perkins G W. Peak pressures due to steam bubble collapse-induced water hammer[D]. Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, 1979.

12
[17] Gruel R, Hurwitz W, Huber P, et al. Steam bubble collapse, water hammer and piping network
response[R]. MIT Energy Laboratory, 1980.
[18] Gregu G, Takahashi M, Pellegrini M, et al. Experimental Study on Steam Chugging Phenomenon in a
Vertical Sparger[J]. International Journal of Multiphase Flow, 2017, 88:87-98.
[19] Griffith P, Silva R J. Steam bubble collapse induced water hammer in draining pipes[R].
Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge, MA (United States), 1991.
[20] Dudlik A, Prasser H M. Water hammer and condensation hammer scenarios in power plants using new
measurement system[J]. Forschung Im Ingenieurwesen, 2009, 73(2):67-76.
[21] Chun M H, Yu S O. Effect of steam condensation on counterflow flow limiting in nearly horizontal
two-phase flow[J]. Nuclear Engineering and Design, 2000, 196(2):201-217.
[22] Sukamta S, Indarto I, Purnomo P, et al. Experimental Investigation of Slugging as Initiating Water
Hammer Phenomenon through Indirect Contact Steam Condensing in a Horizontal Pipe Heat
Exchanger[J]. International Journal of Technology, 2015, 5:336-342.
[23] Youn D H, Ko K B, Lee Y Y, et al. The Direct Contact Condensation of Steam in a Pool at Low Mass
Flux[J]. Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 2003, 40(10):881-885.
[24] Simpson M E, Chan C K. Hydrodynamics of a Subsonic Vapor Jet in Subcooled Liquid[J]. Journal of
Heat Transfer, 1982, 104(2):271-278.
[25] Damasio C, Del T G, Fiegna G, et al. Experimental study on the unstable direct contact condensation
regimes[C]//Proceedings of third international topical meeting on reactor thermal hydraulics. 1985.

13
 Highlights
1. The entire CIWH process was captured and its pressure fluctuation was analyzed.
2. A CIWH region map including three types of CIWHs was proposed.
3. Generation frequency of CIWH decreased with steam mass flux and water
temperature.
4. A dimensionless correlation was obtained to predict Strouhal number.

14