Smarter Water Distribution System Analysis

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1.7 Execute hydraulic simulations

Smarter Water Distribution System Analysis 1.7 Execute hydraulic simulations

Once you have finished creating the model, it is time to run a hydraulic simulation. We recommend  running  a single period simulation first to check that your model is working as expected. Subsequently perform a 24 hours simulation to get hydraulic results  for your network with 1 hour time step.

Furthermore, please, check units setting for the model you have created before starting a hydraulic simulation. Set the unit to liters per second (SI) We will obtain the results for  pressure in meters and flow rate velocity in meters per second. To modify these units, click on  “Project” in the toolbar menu, then  select “Defaults” (see figure below).

Figure 1.7.1: Project options - Defaults

After that, select “Hydraulics” from the “Defaults” editor window, and set LPS as a “Default Value” from the  “Flow Units” option (see figure below).

Figure 1.7.2: Hydraulic options for Defaults

Start the he hydraulic simulation by clicking the corresponding button on the toolbar (see figure below):

Figure 1.7.3: Running a hydraulic network analysis

In an extended period simulation, it is  crucial to adjust “Total Duration” time and “Hydraulic Time Step” to desired values. These parameters can be accessed from the Options section of the data browser  by selecting and then clicking “Times” to open  the property grid. Thereafter, you should  set the value for “Total Duration” time to 24 hr., the “Hydraulic Time Step” to 1 hr. and as a next step run the simulation again (see figure below):

Figure 1.7.4: Time options for running hydraulic simulations

To view the simulation results in a graph form, you need to select the node or link first, then find and click on  the graph  symbol in the toolbar menu. In the parameter section of the “Graph Selection” window, you have the option to choose between various plot parameters. Select a plot  parameter and then click “Ok” to confirm your selection (see figure below):

Figure 1.7.5: Configuring a graph to visualize simulation results
Figure 1.7.6: Graph showing demand at node 2 for a simulation period of 24 hours

Another option to view your results is to select a table view by clicking on the table symbol from the toolbar menu (see figure above):

In the “Table Selection” window you have then the possibility to specify the time resulting in a table showing  the information of all nodes or links at the selected time (see figure below):

Figure 1.7.7: Result table editor for all nodes at a defined time step

The figure below shows node demands at a specific simulation period , namely at the 6th hour time step.

Figure 1.7.8: Result table for nodes at a defined time step

An alternative is to select a time series for a specific node or link (see figure below):

Figure 1.7.9: Result table editor for all time steps at a defined node
Figure 1.7.10: Table Selection

The ”Table Selection” window offers you further options to customize your table view by giving you the possibility of selecting columns as well as the option to then filter values for the selected columns (see figure below):

Figure 1.7.11: Table Selection editor - Variable configuration to be displayed in a table

It is crucial to evaluate the results derived from your model. Does the model show plausible results? In case you are not happy with the output, now it is the time for revision. If you think your model is correct, then get ready to answer some questions and introduce your simulation results in the quiz.

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