Over the years, modelers have developed a range of methods for taking limited demand data and developing well-calibrated models. For example, OpenFlows WaterGEMS’s Load Builder has 12 different methods for loading demands based primarily on the source of data.
Read Tom Walski’s blog to learn about inner, outer, and nominal pipe diameter and the differences these pipe diameters have in your hydraulic modeling. Various types of concrete pipe are the exception to this table in that such pipe is essentially designer pipe where the pressure class depends much more on the prestressing wire rather than the thickness of the concrete, which is really there to prevent the pipe from being crushed. For such pipe, the nominal diameter is close to the ID.
Disinfectants like chlorine and chloramines work by oxidizing chemicals and microbes in the water, and that’s why we use them. The problem is that by doing their job, their concentration decreases, and it’s possible to end up with low or zero levels of disinfectant residuals. You can’t continuously monitor residuals everywhere in your system. Your OpenFlows WaterGEMS and OpenFlows WaterCAD models can help you determine residual disinfectant levels throughout the system, identify problems and develop approaches to maintain residuals such as changing dosing, switching disinfectants, adding booster stations, flushing, and blowoffs, …
NPSHr is a property of the pump and is a function of the flow. This value is determined by testing done by the manufacturer and is usually presented as one of the pump characteristic curves. You want to ensure that the available NPSH (NPSHa) is greater than the required NPSH (NPSHr), or the water will vaporize in the pump and damage the pump.
Picking the right number of pumps and which ones to run at any time without wasting energy is tricky. The problem gets especially tricky when you have the potential to mix constant and variable speed pumps, and there is no storage in the system, so you can’t simply run pumps efficiently and turn them off when a tank is full.
Pumping energy is usually one of the largest components of operating costs for most water systems. And it’s not a trivial cost for wastewater utilities either.
Water and wastewater do a very good job preparing for what I’ll call “routine emergencies”—pipe breaks, short-term power outages, sewer blockages, pump mechanical failures, etc. There are standard operating procedures and frequent drills in well-run operations to make sure we can deal with such conditions. But what about the big emergencies? The ones that never happen until they do. We’ve had a taste of this with Covid, and the folks in Texas received an even stronger dose during last winter’s big freeze.
Beyond these advantages of the software, OpenFlows SewerGEMS also integrates seamlessly with the most popular CAD and GIS platforms (MicroStation, ArcGIS Pro, ArcMap, and AutoCAD). You choose whether you want to run OpenFlows SewerGEMS as a standalone platform or run it within the other platforms.
This robust solution provides engineers and sanitary network designers to reduce time and error in their projects. OpenFlows SewerGEMS combines constraint-based design routines, advanced scenario management with an easy-to-use user graphic interface, as well as easy-to-build and easy-to-maintain tools. It allows you to keep your hydraulic model accurate and up to date, saving time and effort in your critical decision-making processes.