Abstract
In the early days of the petroleum industry in America, the long pipe lines through which oil was pumped gave constant trouble from bursts caused by “shock” pressures. The author traces pump and other developments through the years which were intended to reduce the surge problem. Practically all solutions were based upon the use of air chambers, equalizer lines, or otherwise designing piping to prevent these surges from becoming dangerous. With the pumps in use today, pressure swings of 50 to 60 per cent of the mean pressure are experienced. Steps taken to so arrange the flow in the pump that these pressure surges are held within a reasonable percentage of the theoretical value are outlined in the paper. These consist mainly of changes in the pump-valve system, which the author describes at some length, supported by mathematical and test data.
