What is high-frequency pressure monitoring?

High-frequency pressure monitoring is an approach in pipe pressure monitoring related to increasing the frequency of pressure sampling in case of a pressure change. ThingsLog intelligent water solution is especially useful when you have to catch water hammer events that could damage your pipes and other infrastructure.

Water hammers

A water hammer (also known as hydraulic shock) is a pressure surge or wave caused when a fluid in motion is forced to stop or change direction suddenly. This phenomenon typically occurs in pipelines when a valve closes quickly or a pump shuts down abruptly, creating a shockwave that travels through the system.

Causes of Water Hammer:

  1. Rapid Valve Closure: Closing a valve too quickly can halt the flow of water, causing the kinetic energy of the moving fluid to convert into a pressure wave.
  2. Pump Shutdown: When a pump stops suddenly, the flow momentum changes, leading to pressure fluctuations.
  3. Air in the System: Entrapped air pockets can amplify the effects of water hammer.
  4. Long Pipeline Systems: Longer pipelines provide more room for the wave to travel and intensify the shock.

Effects of Water Hammer:

  • Pipe Damage: The intense pressure can cause pipes to burst or crack.
  • Joint Leaks: Repeated shocks can weaken pipe joints, leading to leaks.
  • Equipment Failure: Valves, pumps, and other system components may wear out or fail due to the repeated stress.
  • Noise and Vibrations: Water hammer often produces loud banging noises and vibrations, which are signs of potential damage.

Prevention of Water Hammer

  1. Detect water hammer: use high-frequency pressure monitoring
  2. Slow Valve Operation: Use valves that close gradually to minimize sudden changes in flow.
  3. Install Air Chambers or Surge Tanks: These devices absorb the pressure shock and prevent it from traveling through the pipeline.
  4. Water Hammer Arrestors: Specialized devices designed to absorb shock waves in plumbing systems.
  5. Pipe Supports: Ensure pipes are adequately secured to handle vibrations and pressure surges.
  6. Regular Maintenance: Inspect and maintain valves, pumps, and other system components to ensure proper functioning.

How high-frequency pressure monitoring can detect water hammers

ThingsLog LPMDL-110X data loggers can perform high-frequency pressure monitoring with frequencies up to 100 times per second. The data is aggregated and transmitted to the platform unless a water hammer is detected.

ThingsLog pressure monitoring - normal mode

If the hydraulic shock is detected the logger enters high-frequency mode.

High-frequency pressure polling

Our AI data loggers automatically triggers on the stroke event and start sampling on a much higher rate. The data is aggregated on per second values and

With ThingsLog such spikes are automatically detected and the pressure and flow monitoring frequency is automatically increased.

High-frequency pressure monitoring is automatically switched off once the logger detects that the pressure is back to the normal “average” value.

ThingsLog high-frequency pressure monitoring
ThingsLog low power pressure monitoring solution

ThingsLog pressure monitoring solution supports low power mode, is able to operate for years on batteries and still catches and transmits the most interesting events to our smart monitoring platform. Designed with speed and scale in mind ThingsLog smart monitoring allows water professionals to capture transient pressure events with our adaptive high-frequency monitoring data loggers.

If you are interested in contact us.

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