When you quickly turn off a tap at home, you may hear a loud “bang” in the pipes or feel vibration in the pipeline. This is a typical example of water hammer. In industrial piping systems, water hammer can cause anything from pipe vibration and loose fittings to serious damage such as valve failure, pipe rupture, and production shutdowns. In this article, we will first explain what water hammer is and the risks it brings, then focus on why angle seat valves are effective in reducing water hammer.

What Is Water Hammer and How Dangerous Is It?

Water Hammer: Impact Caused by Sudden Flow Change

Water hammer (also known as hydraulic shock) is caused by the inertia of fluid. When liquid is flowing steadily in a pipeline and a valve is suddenly opened or closed, the flow velocity changes abruptly (from flowing to stopped, or from stopped to flowing). Because the fluid has inertia, this sudden change generates a shock wave that travels through the pipeline, repeatedly striking the pipe walls and valves like a hammer—hence the name water hammer.

In industrial systems with large diameter pipes (such as DN50 and above) and high pressure (over 1.0 MPa), the pressure generated by water hammer can be 3 to 5 times higher than normal operating pressure, making the damage much more severe.

Three Major Risks of Water Hammer

a. Damage to pipes and valves

Repeated impacts lead to worn sealing surfaces, deformed valve discs, loose fittings, and even cracked welds, noticeably shortening equipment lifespan.

b. System pressure instability

Instant pressure spikes disrupt normal system operation and may result in pump overload or inaccurate flow meter readings.

c. Safety hazards

In severe cases, water hammer may cause pipe rupture. If the medium is hot water or corrosive liquid, leakage can endanger personnel and the operating environment.

Water hammer is most common in systems that involve frequent valve operation, such as steam systems, water supply systems, and food processing pipelines.

Why Angle Seat Valves Reduce Water Hammer

Compared with many other valve types, angle seat valves show excellent performance in reducing water hammer—especially when the fluid flows from below the valve seat. The core reason is that they are designed to buffer fluid inertia more effectively.

Flow Direction: From Below the Valve Seat

The key advantage of angle seat valves lies in the position of the valve seat and valve disc. When the fluid flows from below the valve seat, the pressure acts upward on the valve disc before closing. As the valve starts to close and the disc moves upward, the fluid pressure provides a counteracting force that slows the closing speed. This prevents a sudden stop of the fluid and significantly reduces water hammer.

By contrast, in a globe valve where fluid typically enters from above the seat, fluid pressure actually pushes the disc downward, increasing closing speed and making water hammer more likely.

Angle seat valves use this reverse pressure balancing effect to control the closing process and minimize shock from the source.

Right-Angle Flow Path

Angle seat valves have a 90-degree flow path between inlet and outlet. After entering from below the seat, the fluid turns smoothly and flows out. This design promotes uniform velocity distribution and avoids unnecessary turbulence and localized impact during flow changes. As a result, the right-angle channel further reduces the conditions that cause water hammer.

Fast Operation with Soft Sealing

Angle seat valves typically open and close 2–3 times faster than globe valves. At the same time, they use soft sealing materials such as PTFE or Viton, allowing the valve disc to contact the seat gently rather than collide rigidly.

This combination of fast response and flexible sealing prevents sudden flow cutoff and dramatically reduces water hammer occurrence, even in applications with high-frequency operation.

Typical Applications of Angle Seat Valves

Because of their anti-water-hammer design, angle seat valves are especially suitable for:

·Pipelines with frequent on/off operation

    such as cleaning systems in food processing and intermittent feed systems in chemical plants.

·High-pressure fluid systems

    including hot water and steam systems above 1.0 MPa, where water hammer effects are intensified.

·Systems requiring high stability

    such as cooling pipelines for precision instruments and pharmaceutical fluid delivery systems, where vibration may affect product quality.

Our angle seat valves are designed with bottom inlet flow and equipped with PTFE soft sealing, ensuring fast operation while effectively minimizing water hammer.

Water hammer is an invisible threat in piping systems. Angle seat valves, with their bottom-entry flow design, smooth right-angle channel, and flexible sealing, offer an effective solution to this problem.

For systems involving high pressure, frequent switching, or strict stability requirements, angle seat valves are the ideal choice to protect equipment, improve reliability, and reduce maintenance and downtime.

If you also need to use any type of  pneumatic valves in your system, you can contact us directly.

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