Hello,
I'm new to WaterCad and I'm wondering if it can help me with my problem. I have a tank which has an exit line that branches into three lines and I want to know the flow that would exit my tank and the amount of flow that passes through each pipe. The three branches have different diameters and end at different elevations. Do anyone has any advice?
Thanks in advance.
Just run the model and vie the flows in each pipe.
But I don´t have demands. Can I just use tanks or reservoirs, with their respective elevations, at the end points of the three branches?
That's what I was thinking, but I was planning to use a tank in each end point in which their base, minimum and initial elevation are the same to simulate the HGL as the physical elevation and since it is a steady state simulation I don't have to worry about the tank getting filled. Does my approach makes any sense?
As Tom mentioned, there isn't a single answer, because there can be an infinite amount of flow through a given pipe at an infinite headloss.
Maybe you want to know how much flow can pass through the pipe without violating a minimum pressure constraint? If so, try right clicking on the downstream junction and choose "hydrant flow curve". This will show a range of flow and the corresponding pressure.
If you want to assume a certain diameter opening to the atmosphere at the pipe end, and see how much flow will pass through the pipe based on the capacity of the opening to discharge flow, then this is more of a pressure dependent demand (PDD) problem, and you can try setting up a PDD demand on the node, an emitter coefficient, or a Discharge To Atmosphere, depending on the data that you have.
Regards,
Jesse DringoliTechnical Support Manager, OpenFlowsBentley Communities Site AdministratorBentley Systems, Inc.
Jesse Dringoli said:As Tom mentioned, there isn't a single answer, because there can be an infinite amount of flow through a given pipe at an infinite headloss.
Hello Jesse
But if I know the diameter of the pipe, the material, the length and the elevations at the beginning and at the end of the pipe then I would have a headloss, right? And that would be enough to calculate a flow. My question is, could I put a tank that is at ground level with minimum elevation at ground level and initial elevation at ground level too to simulate my end points? Would WaterCAD then calculate the flow requiered to satisfy the HGL at the beginning and at the end of the pipe?
Yes, and that would be the answer for the case when you have no pressure at the end of the pipe. If you want to know the flow when you have say 20 m of head at the end, then just add 20 m to the water level t the downstream tank.
Answer Verified By: Jose Valladares
That makes sense. Thank you and Jesse for your replies.