Dangerous pressure excursion incidents in industrial refrigeration systems have been caused by condensation-induced shock and vapour-propelled liquid slugging; however, some of the mechanisms responsible for initiating these hydraulic transients remain unclear. Simple descriptions of these shock-initiating conditions are given, and a thorough survey of the related technical literature is provided. The main contribution of this work is a literature database for practitioners and researchers interested in condensation-induced shock and vapour-propelled liquid slugging in refrigeration systems.

KEYWORDS: year 1997, Refrigeration, industrial, condensation, vapour pressure, bubbles, pressure, failure, water hammer, surveys