The phenomenon of “water hammer” occurs due to large variations in the flow velocity of water in pipes. It is usually caused by the sudden opening or closing of a valve or pump and can lead to leaks, deformations, or even pipe ruptures.

The HammerSyn project sought to develop a methodology for identifying solutions and the ideal location for installing anti-water hammer devices.

The initial project objective was refined with the proposal to identify sites on the networks where the installation of devices would have a strong synergistic effect and where each proposed component could protect against multiple sources of water hammer.

As the number of possible combinations quickly became astronomical, an optimal location algorithm was developed, including numerical simulations and synergy measurements, demonstrating the robustness of the proposed systems under degraded conditions.

The development of this algorithm represents a first step towards solving the challenge. Before it can be operational, the algorithm still needs to be automated in the form of code. The level of meshing of each network will also have to be taken into account when adjusting the protection measures.