Column separation refers to the bre
aking of liquid columns in fully filled pipelines. This m
ay occur in
a w
ater-h
ammer event when the pressure in
a pipeline drops to the v
apor pressure
at specific loc
ations such
as closed ends, high points or knees (ch
anges in pipe slope). The liquid columns
are sep
ar
ated by
a v
apor c
avity th
at grows
and diminishes
according to the dyn
amics of the system. The collision of two liquid columns, or of one liquid column with
a closed end, m
ay c
ause
a l
arge
and ne
arly inst
ant
aneous rise in pressure. This pressure rise tr
avels through the entire pipeline
and forms
a severe lo
ad for hydr
aulic m
achinery, individu
al pipes
and supporting structures. The situ
ation is even worse: in one w
ater-h
ammer event m
any repetitions of c
avity form
ation
and coll
apse m
ay occur.
This paper reviews water hammer with column separation from the discovery of the phenomenon in the late 19th century, the recognition of its danger in the 1930s, the development of numerical methods in the 1960s and 1970s, to the standard models used in commercial software packages in the late 20th century. A comprehensive survey of laboratory tests and field measurements is given. The review focuses on transient vaporous cavitation. Gaseous cavitation and steam condensation are beyond the scope of the paper.