In May 2024, we received information about a dangerous event that took place at one of the production area in the Pomeranian province. Due to the activation of the emergency shutdown system, a water hammer occurred, resulting in a significant increase in pressure in the system. This resulted in the displacement of the pipeline on the overpass, and as a result, the leakage of the flange connection and the leakage of a dangerous product into the environment.
As part of the order entrusted to us, our job was to detect the cause of the failure and then develop a solution to protect the installation from recurrence. For this purpose, we first performed a site inspection combined with an inventory of the existing condition. On site, we found significant displacement of the pipeline, which resulted in its damage. Using software for simulating the dynamic states of the system and stress analysis, we recreated the existing state before the phenomenon occurred. In this way, we managed to confirm the correctness of the calculation model we developed and the theory regarding the causes of the phenomenon.
In order to secure the installation, we did a series of considerations and analyses of the modernized system, using various, often unconventional preventive devices. After implementing the recommendations we proposed, together with the Ordering Party, we conducted a series of tests to verify our recommendations. During the tests, it turned out that the water hammer phenomenon was limited to a level that did not pose a threat. It turned out that once again we managed to choose the optimal solution to increase the safety of the institute, thanks to which we will not allow another serious industrial failure to occur.
