Problem

What does the "Unified length" / "Length (Unified)" field represent in the OpenFlows applications?

Problem ID#: 41743

Solution

The unified length field shows you the length that the program is actually using in the calculations. The reason is because there are several length fields available, which can cause confusion. For example, if you choose to use  a user-defined length, the scaled length field will still show in the FlexTable and you may become confused as to which length each pipe is using.

When preparing a report, if the model had a mix of user defined and scaled length pipes, you would not be able to report on either the scaled or user defined length. So, the Length (Unified) field can be used, since it will change to reflect the length used by that pipe. Meaning, if the pipe is set to use scaled length, it will display the scaled length. if it is set to use user-defined length, it will show the user defined length of that pipe.

The other thing it does is round the pipe length based on the value entered under Tools > Options > Hydraulic Model. For V8i versions, this is found at Tools > Options > Project > "Round Pipe Lengths to the Nearest".

In summary, if your pipe is set to use scaled length, the unified length field will show that scaled length, rounded to the value set in the options. The slope is based on that.

If this field is not included in your FlexTable, you can add it by clicking the Edit button. More information on editing the FlexTable can be found in the following link: Customizing FlexTables for viewing and reporting data.