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Modeling Pump Transients with Reverse Flow is a Datacor webinar with two speakers: Trey Walters, P.E., founder of of Impulse, and Nelius Hubert, principal process engineer at Sasol. Walters explains what causes pump transients, including pump trips, startups and valve-driven system changes, and why reverse flow and reverse rotation happen in uphill and parallel-pump systems. Hubert then presents a case study from Sasol’s Secunda plant in South Africa. He used AFT Impulse to find the safest closing time for the non-return valves in a 100,000 m³/hr cooling water system with six large pumps. His simulation showed a trade-off. Valves that close in under 6 seconds risk slamming and valve damage, while valves that close in over 12 seconds risk tripping the remaining pumps, shutting down the whole plant, and damaging pumps when they restart. That confirmed the existing 6–12 second range was the right choice.
