Recommendations to overcome surge in a pipeline?

Depends on how big your pipeline is. If it is only a 3 inch terminal line, you can put a ballast bladder on it. That is a larger section of pipe with a rubber bladder filled with gaseous nitrogen that will compress and absorb slight to moderate surges.

If you are talking about a large transfer line, you may need a break-out tank with a high capacity surge relief valve that will open and release excessive surge pressures into the break-out tank.

The best method is to reduce surge at the source, there are many flow control valves that will automatically pinch down if excessive differential pressure is sensed across the inlet and outlet. They are installed downstream of pumps and open slowly to prevent the pump from surging the line downstream.

The non preventable surges from emergency valve closures can only be controlled with gaseous filled surge bladders or high capacity pressure relief valves.

Drew

Fit a hydraulic accumulator.

The simplest is a branch and an upstand in the pipe capped off at the end. It traps a small bubble of air.

The most complicated can be a large civils structure supporting a huge pressure vessel in a similar alignment.

Often, a diaphragm can be found inside the vessel, depending on its size, and a buffer pressure of either compressed air or nitrogen can be found on the top of the diaphragm.

You need the diaphragm inside on a high pressure pipeline, otherwise the liquid (fuel in my experience) will compress and absorb the air similar to how CO2 dissolves in soda water. We observe this when we have to drain a small section of pipe to replace something and cannot refill the pipe before returning it to service. I had asked the trainers at the time about what happened to the large slug of air rushing down the pipe, and he told me that the air filled 20 ft section of pipe we had just drained and couldn't refill with fuel would be absorbed when pressure was reapplied to that section of pipe.

Drew