WATER SYSTEM PRESSURIZATION

AND THE PRESENCE OF AIR

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

.Associate Prof. – Mechanical & Marine Engineering Dept
College of Engineering & Technology
Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport
AASTMT
www.drelsafty.com
E-mail: [email protected]
 :Contents
• Open and Closed water systems
• Hydronic Accessories
• Sizing Expansion Tanks

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Hydronic Systems
Open Hydronic System, Cooling Tower Side

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

Hydronic Systems
Closed Hydronic system

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

An expansion tank is required in a heating, cooling or air condition system to
avoid an unacceptable increase of the system pressure during heat-up.

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Net Expansion of Water
• The net expansion of water can be
expressed as
Vnet = (v1 / v0) - 1
– Vnet = necessary expansion volume of water
(gallon, liter)
– v0 = specific volume of water at initial (cold)
temperature (ft3/lb, m3/kg)
– v1 = specific volume of water at operating (hot)
temperature (ft3/lb, m3/kg)
Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty
Net Expansion of Water

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Water System Pressurization Control
• For an open water system, the maximum
operating gauge pressure is the pressure
at a specific point in the system where the
positive pressure exerted by the water
pumps, to overcome the pressure drops
across the equipment, components,
fittings, and pipes plus the static head due
to the vertical distance between the
highest water level and that point, is at a
maximum.
Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty
 Water System Pressurization Control
• In a closed chilled or hot water system, a variation in the
water temperature will cause an expansion of water that
may raise the water pressure above the maximum
allowable pressure.
• The purposes of system pressurization control for a
closed water system are as follows:
– To limit the pressure of the water system to below its allowable
working pressure
– To maintain a pressure higher than the minimum water pressure
required to vent air
– To assist in providing a pressure higher than the net positive
suction head (NPSH) at the pump suction to prevent cavitation
– To provide a point of known pressure in the system

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Expansion Chamber
• The expansion chamber (also called an expansion or
compression tank) serves both a thermal function and a
hydraulic function.
• In its thermal function the tank provides a space into
which the non-compressible liquid can expand or from
which it can contract as the liquid undergoes volumetric
changes with changes in temperature.
• To allow for this expansion or contraction, the expansion
tank provides an interface point between the system fluid
and a compressible gas.
• By definition, a closed system can have only one such
interface; thus, a system designed to function as a
closed system can have only one expansion chamber.

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Expansion Tanks
• Expansion tanks, pressure relief valves,
pressure-reducing valves for makeup water, and
corresponding controls are used to achieve
water system pressurization control.
• There are three types of expansion tanks for
water systems:
– Open
– Closed
– Diaphragm.

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

Expansion tanks are of three basic
:configurations
1. A closed tank, which contains a captured
volume of compressed air and water, with
an air water interface (sometimes called
a plain steel tank);
2. An open tank (i.e., a tank open to the
atmosphere);
3. A diaphragm tank, in which a flexible
membrane is inserted between the air
and the water.
Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty
Expansion Tank Types

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Open Expansion Tank
• An expansion tank is a device that allows for the
expansion and contraction of water contained in a closed
water system when the water temperature changes
between two predetermined limits.
• Another function of an expansion tank is to provide a
point of known pressure in a water system.
• An open expansion tank is vented to the atmosphere
and is located at least 3 ft (0.91 m) above the highest
point of the water system. Makeup water is supplied
through a float valve, and an internal overflow drain is
always installed.
• A float valve is a globe or ball valve connected with a
float ball to regulate the makeup water flow according to
the liquid level in the tank.
Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty
 Open Expansion Tank
• An open expansion tank is often connected to the suction
side of the water pump to prevent the water pressure in the
system from dropping below the atmospheric pressure.
• The pressure of the liquid level in the open tank is equal to
the atmospheric pressure, which thus provides a reference
point of known pressure to determine the water pressure at
any point in the water system.
• The minimum tank volume should be at least 6 percent of the
volume of water in the system Vs, ft3 (m3).
• An open expansion tank is simple, more stable in terms of
system pressure characteristics, and low in cost. If it is
installed indoors, it often needs a high ceiling. If it is installed
outdoors, water must be prevented from freezing in the tank,
air vent, or pipes connected to the tank when the outdoor
temperature is below 32°F (0°C).

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Open Expansion Tank
• Because the water surface in the tank is
exposed to the atmosphere, oxygen is more
easily absorbed into the water, which makes the
tank less resistant to corrosion than a diaphragm
tank. Because of these disadvantages, an open
expansion tank has only limited applications.

• An open expansion tank has the disadvantage of

allowing air to enter the system via absorption in
the water. In general it must be located in the top
of the building where it also may be exposed to
freezing.
Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty
Open Expansion Tank

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Closed Expansion Tank
• A closed expansion tank is an airtight tank filled with air or other
gases.
• When the temperature of the water increases, the water volume
expands. Excess water then enters the tank. The air in the tank is
compressed, which raises the system pressure. When the water
temperature drops, the water volume contracts, resulting in a
reduction of the system pressure.
• To reduce the amount of air dissolved in the water so as to prevent
corrosion and prevent air noise, a diaphragm, or a bladder, is often
installed in the closed expansion tank to separate the filled air and
the water permanently. Such an expansion tank is called a
diaphragm, or bladder expansion tank. Thus, a closed expansion
tank is either a plain closed expansion tank, which does not have a
diaphragm to separate air and water, or a diaphragm tank

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Closed Expansion Tank
• For a water system with only one air-filled space, the
junction between the closed expansion tank and the
water system is a point of fixed pressure. At this point,
water pressure remains constant whether or not the
pump is operating because the filled air pressure
depends on only the volume of water in the system. The
pressure at this point can be determined according to the
ideal gas law, pv = RT.
• The pressure in a closed expansion tank during the initial
filling process or at the minimum operating pressure is
called the fill pressure pfil, [psia]. The fill pressure is often
used as the reference pressure to determine the
pressure characteristics of a water system.
Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty
.Plain closed expansion tank

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

Diaphragm expansion tank in a chilled water system

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

Diaphragm expansion tank

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Pump Location
• The location of the pump in a water
system that uses a diaphragm expansion
tank should be arranged so that the
pressure at any point in the water system
is greater than the atmospheric pressure.
• In such an arrangement, air does not leak
into the system, and the required net
positive suction head (NPSH) can be
maintained at the suction inlet of the water
pump.
Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty
Diaphragm expansion tank in a hot water system
• A water pump location
commonly used for hot
water systems with
diaphragm expansion
tanks is just after the
expansion tank and
the boiler.
• In this arrangement,
the pressure at the
pump suction is the
sum of the water
pressure and the fill
pressure.

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Tank Pressure Related to “System” Pressure

• Expansion Tank serves as the reference

pressure point in the hydraulic system.
• Expansion Tank acts as a ground in an
electrical system
• The pressure equals the pressure of the
air in the tank plus or minus any fluid
pressure due to the elevation difference
between the tank liquid surface and the
pipe.
Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty
Tank Pressure Related to “System” Pressure

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Air in Water Systems
• In a closed re-circulated water system, air and
nitrogen are present in the following forms:
– dissolved in water,
– free air or gas bubbles, or
– pockets of air or gas.
• The behaviour of air or gas dissolved in liquids is
governed and described by Henry’s equation.
• Henry’s equation states that the amount of gas
dissolved in a liquid at constant temperature is
directly proportional to the absolute pressure of
that gas acting on the liquid,

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

Penalties due to Presence of Air and Gas
• The presence of air and gas in a water system causes
the following penalties for a closed water system with a
plain closed expansion tank:
– Presence of air in the terminal and heat exchanger, which
reduces the heat-transfer surface
– Corrosion due to the oxygen reacting with the pipes
– Water logging in plain closed expansion tanks
– Unstable system pressure
– Poor pump performance due to gas bubbles
– Noise problems
– There are two sources of air and gas in a water system. One is
the air-water interface in a plain closed expansion tank or in an
open expansion tank, and the other is the dissolved air in a city
water supply.

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Air in Water Systems
• Sizing the tank is the primary thermal consideration in incorporating
a tank into a system.
• However, prior to sizing the tank, the control or elimination of air
must be considered.
• The amount of air that will be absorbed and can be held in solution
with the water is expressed by Henry’s equation (Pompei 1981):

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

• Henry’s Constant
Versus Temperature
for Air and Water
(Coad 1980a)

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

• Solubility
Versus
Temperature
and Pressure
for Air/Water
Solutions
(Coad 1980a)

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Air Elimination
• Manual or Automatic Air Vent

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Air Elimination
Smaller Boiler System Using Dip tube and Tanks Connection

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Air Separator

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Compression Tank Piping with Air Separator

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

Diaphragm Tank Piping with air Separator

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Important Accessories for system operation:
Compression Tank piping with air Separator
• Relief valve: protects for
maximum system pressure
• Pressure Reducing Valve
(PRV) is set to provide
minimum system pressure
• Service Valve: permits
maintenance
• A manual three-way valve
permits draining excess
water from the expansion
tank
• A glass sight gauge: indicate
water level.
• Air separator should have a
blow down valve to drain
collected sediment to sewer.

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Expansion tank Location, Primary-Secondary system
• In primary-secondary or compound pumping systems, the tank should only
be at one location, preferably on the suction side of the source pump.

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

Effect of Expansion Tank Location with Respect to Pump
Pressure

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

Effect of Expansion tank location with respect to Pump Discharge pressure

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

Sizing for closed tanks with air/water interface

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

,Sizing For open tanks with air/water interface

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Size of Diaphragm Expansion
Tank
• If a closed expansion tank with its filled volume
of air is too small, the system pressure will easily
exceed the maximum allowable pressure and
cause water to discharge from the pressure
relief valve, thus wasting water. If the closed
tank is too large, when the water temperature
drops, the system pressure may decrease to a
level below the minimum allowable value and
cause trouble in the air vent. Therefore, accurate
sizing of a closed expansion tank is essential.
Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty
 Size of Diaphragm Expansion Tank

• For diaphragm expansion tanks, the

minimum volume of the water tank, Vt, gal
(m3), can be calculated by the following
formula, recommended by ASHRAE
Handbook 1996, HVAC Systems and
Equipment:

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

Size of Diaphragm Expansion Tank

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Size of Diaphragm Expansion Tank

• In a chilled water system, the higher

temperature T2 is the highest anticipated
ambient temperature when the chilled
water system shuts down during summer.
• The lower temperature in a heating system
is often the ambient temperature at fill
conditions (for example, 50°F or 10°C).

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 Example
• Size an expansion tank for a heating water
system that will be operated at a design
temperature range of 80 to 104°C.
• The minimum pressure at the tank is 170
kPa and the maximum pressure is 270
kPa.
• (Atmospheric pressure is 101 kPa.) The
volume of water is 10 m3. The piping is
steel.
Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty
 :Solution
1. Calculate the required size for a closed
tank with an air/water interface.

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

 :Solution
2. If a diaphragm tank were to be used in
lieu of the plain steel tank, what tank size
would be required?

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

Volume of Water in Steel Pipe

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty

Volume of Water in Copper Tube

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Flow Chart for Sizing Expansion Tank

Dr. Ahmed Farouk Elsafty