Need Recommendation on Water System Network Software 5

[sportsnut44]

I need to model a water system where there is a tap off the City distribution network and then I create a separate looping water system network on private property serving fire hydrants building, etc. on a 200 acre site. What software would you suggest for doing this modeling to ensure the size of water piping I am using is correct and water quality will be maintained, provided the City will give me the available static / dynamic pressure of the line I will be tapping. Thanks.

 

[stanier]

Epanet is freeware and can do this sort of networking. It can also be used to model chlorine decay.

Bentley (nee Haestad Methods) use the same engine but have an improved front end.

AFT's Fathom can model networks and has a module for extended period simulation for use in sizing reservoirs a and distribution networks.

There are many others out there.

 

[hydrae]

EPAnet its free, many others have said so in the past.

http://www.epa.gov/NRMRL/wswrd/dw/epanet.html

Hydrae

 

[scwaterguy]

I am the engineering manager for a large water utility and we just switched from WaterCAD to EPANET. We recently overhauled our network from about 800 pipes to over 4,000. The primary reason for the switch was cost. EPANET also provides all the analysis and reporting features we ever used. WaterCAD is a good program and has a lot more bells and whistles, but we found we weren’t using them. With EPANET, you will find yourself moving your raw data between the application and Excel for editing and massaging, so you have to be comfortable with that. There is no “official” help with EPANET, but there is a manual and there are a few user forums and server lists specific to it where I have received help in the past.

 

[sportsnut44]

Thanks all. I have downloaded EPANET and putting together the system layout is fairly straight forward. I have two follow-up questions. These may seem basic, so please have patience:

1. If I am tapping into large diameter City transmission and distribution mains at two locations that will serve a grid of mostly fire protection piping to hydrants across a 200 acre site, should the taps to the existing system be modeled as reservoirs with an elevation that is consistent with the pressure at the main? If not has should this connection be modeled?

2. Most of demands across the site would be for fire, both hydrants and building sprinkler systems. There are also minor domestic demands. So, obviously all the hydrants will not be flowing at the same time and all the demands will not be simultaneously occurring at once. How do I decide on what demand occurs when, or is that something dictated by the City and/or Fire Marshal?

3. If the domestic demands are very low, should a separate piping network be used for domestic and fire? Using "age" as a water quality indicator, how old is too old for water serving domestic needs?

Thanks so much in advance for your help.

 

[cvg]

ask the city to provide the criteria for your analysis. They will have to approve it anyway, so best to be up front with them and get the information you need. By the way, they will probably do their own analysis to review your design. Ask if you can meet with their engineer to exchange notes.

 

[hydrae]

1) To most correctly model the tap I would put the taps at the hgl with zero flow then the first link would be control valve with 'special' flow restriction where you can map the flow vs headloss to match what is available.

2) The city fire department would have that criteria.

3) Separating the fire and domestic is typical for private systems I have worked with, as for what age is ok, check with the City, who will know the charateristics of the source. There are many variables here, temperature, how the disinfectant behaves with time, the type of disinfectant, (free chlorine, monochloramine, chlorine dioxide), the about of chlorine demand, regrowth potential, has the water been exposed to air or light since treatment, type and age of pipe ect.

Hydrae

 

[tkall]

The only software to consider for this task is KY Pipe from the University of Kentucky. Compared to KY Pipe everything else is a childs toy.
Tom

 

[cvg]

Tom
tell us what can KYpipe do that epanet cannot?