In steady flows, where discharge is assumed to remain constant with

time, the operating pressure at any point along a penstock is equivalent

to the head of water above that point If a sudden change of flow occurs,
for instance when the plant operator, or the governor system, opens or
closes the gates too rapidly, the sudden change in the water velocity can
cause dangerous high and low pressures. This pressure wave is known
as water hammer and its effects can be dramatic; the penstock can burst
from overpressure or collapse, if the pressures are reduced below
ambient. Although being transitory, the surge pressure induced by the
water hammer phenomenon can be of a magnitude several times greater
than the static pressure due to the head.