Problem

Can Bentley Support check my model and tell me if it is correct?

Can Bentley provide a consulting service to review hydraulic models?

Solution

Bentley Technical Support can assist with specific questions or problems that you may have. For example if you do not understand why the model is producing a certain result, Technical Support can explain the model assumptions for the specific case so that you understand why it is showing the result that you are seeing. Or, if you are seeing a specific problem, we can help resolve it or explain why it is occurring. Technical Support can also inform you of any "red flags" (obvious issues) with the model which you may need to check more closely, but it is not possible for us to find all problems without having a detailed understanding of your system, constraints and/or source data quality.

Bentley does have a Services team but in general Bentley cannot tell you if your model is "right" as that would require in-depth knowledge of the existing system (including topographical data and on-site observations for example) and/or knowledge of the design constraints specific to your project. Providing engineering advice would be a legal liability. It is up to you as the engineer to use the hydraulic modeling software to make engineering decisions, which will require a firm understanding of how the software works and any assumptions related to the software features that you use.

If you are encountering a specific issue or question that you need assistance with, contact Technical Support by posting on our active forum (which is monitored by Bentley support and enables you to potentially get multiple answers from different viewpoints) or by submitting a Service Request.

Beyond this, if you do not have time to learn, understand and perform the hydraulic modeling yourself with adequate confidence, consider contacting an outside engineering consulting company to perform the hydraulic modeling.

Resources

There are many resources to help you learn and understand the software so that you can be more confident in your hydraulic modeling. See the "New User Learning Resource Guide" link at the bottom of the OpenFlows Wiki Homepage corresponding to your product, for a list of learning resources.

The OpenFlows products also have many tools and features to help you check your model for issues such as connectivity or other obvious issues. Some examples can be seen in these articles:

• Using Network Navigator
• Using the Network Connectivity Reviewer
• How to troubleshoot system deficiencies in a hydraulic model, like flooding, low pressures, or tank or pipe size
• Water Model Calibration Tips
• Using Change Tracking for insights into model changes

Lastly, if you are seeing hydraulic results that you do not believe look correct, consider the following quick advice:

• WaterCAD and WaterGEMS
  • Check for an unbalanced network and follow this advice: Troubleshooting the Network Unbalanced or Cannot solve network hydraulic equations user notification
  • Low or negative pressures can be due to a number of possible issues. Review: Troubleshooting negative pressures at pumps, junctions, & other node elements
  • Problems with Controls can cause unexpected results. Review: Troubleshooting Controls in WaterCAD and WaterGEMS
  • Interesting results can sometimes occur in a water quality analysis. Review: Troubleshooting water age results
• HAMMER
  • Ensure that you animate the transient results to understand what is happening during your transient simulation: Using Transient Results Viewer animations for visualizing a transient simulation
• SewerGEMS or CivilStorm
  • Check the Continuity Error (mass balance error) in the Calculation Summary and follow the advice of the following articles:
    • Troubleshooting unstable SewerGEMS and CivilStorm results using the implicit solver
    • Troubleshooting unstable SewerGEMS and CivilStorm model results using the Explicit SWMM Solver
• SewerCAD or StormCAD
  • One needs a firm understanding of the limits and assumptions behind the constraint-based design feature. See: Troubleshooting Constraint Based Design Results