Is it possible to add the possibility to incorporate flow control actions in WaterGEMS for pumps?
Hello Joeri,
Can you elaborate on how this would be setup? Can you provide an example case of how the pump would operate?
If you have supporting data on this please share.
Regards,
Yashodhan Joshi
Better yet Joeri, send an email to tom.walski@bentleycom, kristen.dietrich@bentley.com and rob.gurrieri@bentley.com describing what you are looking for. Thanks
Hi Yoshi,
We have pumping stations that are operated on dynamic flows, for example pumping station B always pumps a flow which relates to a percentage of the flow of pumping station A. Right now these pumping stations are modelled using "virtual" FCV valves in the model (of which the flow can be controlled using a control action). This is done dynamically using control scripting (which is defined in a separate .dll script file in the watergems installation directory). This control scripting leverages a single FCV control action per FCV valve, which is refilled with a new value after each timestep. However, this way we do not have any insight in the amount of energy used per pumping station or the actual operating setpoints of the pumps because they always operate at maximum rpm.
Joeri, what specifically do the pumps do in order to pump at a certain flow rate? Are they variable speed pumps that change their speed until the target flow is met? WaterGEMS has the ability to change target pressure or HGL settings as a control action, but not target flow yet, as described here: Is it possible to model a fixed flow VSP where the flow changes over time?
Perhaps you can correlated fixed head to fixed flow, or use one of the other workarounds mentioned in the article. If this does describe your situation, would having the ability to set VSP target flow as a control action satisfy your needs? (we could look into whether that is possible to add in a future release)
Jesse DringoliTechnical Support Manager, OpenFlowsBentley Communities Site AdministratorBentley Systems, Inc.
Hi Jesse, they're indeed variable speed pumps. Actualy, usually there are multiple variable speed pumps on at the same time within a single pumping station which all run at the same rpm for a given flow. Having the ability to set the vsp target flow as a control action is exactly what I need! This would also enable me to compare the calculated relative speed factor to the actual rpm in the WaterSight pilot we're currently preparing.