Spray - Chapter 4 - Advanced Topics

PIPENET VISION
TRAINING MANUAL
SPRAY/SPRINKLER MODULE
CHAPTER 4
ADVANCED TOPICS
Revision 2.0, November 2015

PIPENET VISION TRAINING MANUAL SPRAY: CHAPTER 4
PAGE 1 OF 72 REVISION 2.0, NOV 2015
1. HOW DO I DECIDE WHETHER TO USE AN OUTPUT NODE OR A ‘VIRTUAL NOZZLE’ FOR

MODELLING A DELUGE SYSTEM? ............................................................................................................... 2
1.1. DELUGE VALVE OF THE ELASTOMERIC TYPE WHICH CAN CONTROL THE FLOW RATE. ................................ 2
1.2. W HERE IT IS NECESSARY TO SIZE ORIFICE PLATES ACCURATELY ............................................................ 5
1.3. A VIRTUAL NOZZLE TO REPRESENT A ‘CLACK’ OR OPEN/CLOSE TYPE OF DELUGE VALVE......................... 11
1.4. W HEN MUST I NOT REPLACE A DELUGE SYSTEM BY A VIRTUAL NOZZLE................................................ 13
2. HOW DO I COMBINE SUB-SYSTEMS, FOR EXAMPLE A DELUGE SYSTEM AND A FIREWATER
RINGMAIN, TO FORM ONE SYSTEM? ......................................................................................................... 17
3. DEBOTTLENECKING METHODS ......................................................................................................... 30
3.1. SORTING IN THE DATA WINDOW.......................................................................................................... 31
3.2. CREATING AND USING A PATH ............................................................................................................ 33
3.3. USING COLOURATION RULES ............................................................................................................. 35
4. HOW DO I ELIMINATE ELEVATION ERRORS? .................................................................................. 37
5. HOW DO I BLOCK PIPES? ................................................................................................................... 43
6. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO BREAK A PIPE? I WANT TO KNOW IF MY SYSTEM WILL WORK
EVEN WITH A BROKEN PIPE. ...................................................................................................................... 45
7. NFPA COMPLIANT REPORT ................................................................................................................ 52
7.1. NFPA REPORT FOR A DELUGE SYSTEM .............................................................................................. 52
7.2. NFPA REPORT FOR A FIREWATER RINGMAIN SYSTEM ......................................................................... 57
8. HOW DO I SWITCH PUMPS ON AND OFF? ........................................................................................ 59
9. AUTOLAYOUT CAPABILITY: ............................................................................................................... 61
10. BATCH RUNNING .................................................................................................................................. 71
1. How do I decide whether to use an output node or a ‘virtual nozzle’

for modelling a deluge system?
While performing firewater ringmain calculations experienced fire engineers often replace
a whole deluge system by an equivalent ‘virtual nozzle’. As we saw in earlier chapters the
best practice methodology is to perform the design of deluge systems separately from the
design of firewater ringmains. Replacing deluge systems by virtual nozzles enables the
fire engineers to perform calculations for different scenarios quickly. In PIPENET the
virtual nozzle can be switched on or off as required to activate deluge systems. An outflow
from a firewater ringmain system can also be defined as an output in PIPENET. The
question is how one decides whether to use a virtual nozzle or an output.
There are two circumstances in which outputs can be used.
 When the deluge valve is of the elastomeric type which controls the flow rate going
into the deluge system. In this case the flowrate through the deluge valve will be
known.
 When it is necessary to size orifice plates accurately. Here again the required
flowrate will be known, because the objective is to size the orifice plate in order to
achieve the required flowrate. Typically an orifice plate is used with a ‘clack valve’
with no control function when the inlet pressure available is significantly higher than
the required inlet pressure.
There are two cases where a virtual nozzle can be used.
 A ‘clack’ or open/close type of deluge valve with no control function. With a clack
type deluge valve the flowrate will depend on the inlet pressure and these values
will not be known in advance.
 A monitor, hydrant or hose reel. In these cases the flowrate will generally depend
on the inlet pressure.
We will consider these four circumstances below one by one.
1.1. Deluge valve of the elastomeric type which can control the flow
rate.
Typically such valves have an elastomeric sleeve, which will automatically adjust its
position in order to control its downstream pressure. In a deluge system controlling the
downstream pressure to its set point is equivalent to controlling the flowrate. So we can
assume that the flowrate through such a valve is fixed. The flowrate through a nozzle
changes as the inlet pressure changes. So a known flowrate can only be set by defining
an output node and fixing the flowrate through it. It cannot be defined by using a virtual
nozzle.
Suppose the known flowrate is 12000 l/min, then the specification at the relevant node will
be input as follows. Typically, in such a case, the purpose of the calculation is to check if
the available pressure generated by the fire pumps at the inlet of the deluge valve is higher
than the minimum required pressure. So, we simply check the following.
The pressure at the output node calculated by PIPENET is higher than the minimum inlet
pressure required from the deluge system calculation plus the minimum pressure drop in
the elastomeric valve. As long the available pressure is higher than the required minimum
pressure the elastomeric sleeve will adjust its position in order to control the downstream
pressure.
The schematics below and the data files explain this.

After a calculation we will see the following window. We just have to check that the
pressure available is higher than the required minimum pressure. As long as this condition
is satisfied the deluge valve will adjust its position in order to achieve exactly the required
flowrate. If the pressure available is less than the required value, the deluge valve will fully
open and the required flowrate will not be achieved.
1.2. Where it is necessary to size orifice plates accurately

This section is description of how to size orifice plates accurately. It is not intended to
endorse or otherwise the use of orifice plates. If the use of orifice plates is permitted and it
is necessary to size them this is the way to do it.
In the above network it is necessary to size the orifice plate when (i) two pumps are
working (ii) one monitor is working (iii) the deluge system is working and it should satisfy
the most remote minimum flowrate requirement and (iv) all other systems are not working.
The reason for installing the orifice plate is that without it the nozzles will flow too much
water. This can be seen the results below without installing the orifice plate. The nozzles
are delivering around 30% more than required. The orifice plate is to be sized in such a
way that the most remote nozzle will flow the required minimum flow.
This is achieved in 4 steps.
Step 1: Most remote nozzle calculation for the deluge system.

We note that the inlet flowrate is 600.1 l/min and the required pressure is 3.911 Bar G. We
also note that the equivalent K-factor for this deluge system is K = 600.1/√3.911 = 303.44.
Step 2: Pressure available from the ringmain
In order to calculate this, we remove the deluge system and define the resulting output to
have a flowrate of 600.1l/min. See below.
Output
node
We note that the pressure available at the output is 6.523 Bar G. The required minimum
pressure at this output node is 3.911 Bar G. This shows that the excess pressure which
must be dropped in the orifice plate is 6.523 – 3.911 = 2.612 Bar G.
Step 3: Size the orifice plate
We can now insert the orifice plate and input the required pressure drop as 2.612 Bar G.
After calculation we can see that the orifice plate diameter required in 30.41903 mm. We
also note that the outlet pressure is 3.911 Bar G.
Step 4: Fix the size of the orifice plate
After calculating the orifice plate size it is important to fix its size. Otherwise, it is possible
that the orifice plate size could change as different scenarios are being considered.
The new data for the orifice plate is shown below.

As a check we can now perform a calculation and check the results for the nozzles. The
results below show that the nozzles deliver exactly the minimum required flowrate because
the nozzle deviation is 0.
We are ready to perform other scenarios.
Consider the effect of shutting off the monitor. To do this, simply switch off the nozzle.
The dialog box and the results are shown below.
It is clear that the nozzles are delivering more than the required flowrate. The total
flowrate into the deluge system is 607.6 l/min as can be seen below.
1.3. A virtual nozzle to represent a ‘clack’ or open/close type of deluge

valve.
In section 1.2. step 1 above we calculated the equivalent K-factor to be 303.44 (l/min.
Bar1/2). This of course does not include the orifice plate. So the deluge system after the
orifice plate can be replaced by a virtual nozzle whose K-factor is 303.44. This K-factor
includes the resistance of the deluge system itself and not only the valve. Please note that
the minimum and maximum pressures for the nozzle can be set to any reasonable values.
It is also usual to set up this nozzle as a ‘user defined’ type because it is not going to be
used repetitively.
On performing the calculation the following result was obtained.
It can be seen that the virtual nozzle behaves very similar to the actual deluge system.
Let us see what happens if the monitor is closed. It can be seen that the result is very
close to what we obtained in above section 1.2 step 4 with the monitor closed. The
flowrate is 607.4 instead of 607.6. Please see the screen shot below. This is the reason
why experienced fire engineers often replace a deluge system with a clack valve by a
virtual nozzle.
1.4. When must I NOT replace a deluge system by a virtual nozzle

A virtual nozzle assumes that the relationship between the flowrate and the pressure is
quadratic. So we are able to use the equation 𝑄 = 𝐾 √𝑃.
There are two circumstances under which a Virtual nozzle must not be used to replace a
deluge system even with a clack type deluge valve.
 If inlet pressure is significantly different from the pressure at which the K-factor was
calculated.
 If the pressure loss in the deluge system has a significant static head component.
Case 1: inlet pressure is significantly different from the pressure at which the K-
factor was calculated.
The Hazen-Williams equation is shown below. It can be see that the relationship between
the pressure and the frictional loss is not an exact quadratic relationship. So if the
pressure at which the virtual nozzle is operating is significantly different from the pressure
at which the K-factor is calculated, it is possible that there is a significant departure from
the nozzle equation. It may be necessary to recalculate the K-factor.
Hazen-Williams Equation:
6.05 × 105 (𝐿 + 𝐿𝑒 )𝑄1.85

𝑃fric =
𝐶 1.85 𝐷4.87
where
𝑃fric is the friction loss in Bar,

𝐿 is the pipe length in metres,

𝐿𝑒 is the equivalent length of any pipe fittings in metres,
𝑄 is the (volumetric) fluid flow rate in l/min,
𝐷 is the pipe diameter in mm,
𝐶 is the Hazen-Williams constant (or C-factor) for the pipe.
Nozzle Equation:
𝑃fric = 𝐾𝑄2
where
𝐾 is the nozzle friction factor in l/min, Bar1/2,

Case 2: Where the pressure loss in the deluge system has a significant static head
component
The second situation in which a virtual nozzle should not be used is the following. If the
pressure loss in the deluge system has a significant static head component then the
quadratic assumption will be invalid. The static head loss or gain does not depend on the
flowrate.
Let us consider a network such as the one shown below which might occur inside the leg
of an offshore platform.
The most remote nozzle option is used for the calculation. After the calculation the
pressures are as shown below. It is clear that the static head is a significant aspect of the
behaviour of the system. This is because the pressure increases as we go further down
the network.
The pressure and the flowrate can be obtained from the Properties window as shown
below:
The K-factor is therefore K = 624.9/√2.736 = 377.79. The table below shows the
comparison between the flowrate which is obtained by using the K-factor and the actual
deluge system for pressures of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Bar G. The flowrate using the K-factor was
calculated manually and the flowrate using the deluge systems was calculated using
PIPENET.
Inlet Flowrate using K-factor, Flowrate using Difference,

pressure, virtual nozzle method, deluge system, l/min
Bar G l/min l/min
1 377.8 470.4 92.6
2 534.3 564.6 30.3
3 654.4 645.1 -9.3
4 755.6 716.4 -39.2
5 844.8 781.3 -63.5
2.736 624.9 624.9 0.0
In order to show how good the comparison is if the static head was not an important
component we can perform the following calculation. The comparison if the deluge system
was completely horizontal (0 elevation change) is shown below. Here again the most
remote nozzle option is used. The K-factor of the equivalent virtual nozzle is 311.35 with
the flowrate being 600.1 l/min and the pressure 3.715 Bar G. It can be seen that the
virtual nozzle behaves in a way which is very similar to the way the actual deluge system
behaves. The difference between the flowrates is almost 0 l/min.
Inlet Flowrate using K-factor, Flowrate using Difference,

pressure, virtual nozzle method, deluge system, l/min
Bar G l/min l/min
1 311.4 311.2 -0.2
2 440.3 440.2 -0.1
3 539.3 529.2 -0.1
4 622.7 622.6 -0.1
5 696.2 696.2 0.0
3.715 600.1 600.1 0.0
2. How do I combine sub-systems, for example a deluge system and a

firewater ringmain, to form one system?
The running theme throughout the training manual is that the best practice methodology,
which has evolved over a long period of time, is to perform the calculations for deluge
systems separately from the calculations for firewater ringmains. This is the best way of
optimising the design of a firewater system. So, the question arises as to why it might
become necessary to combine systems.
Consider the following scenario. We have an offshore platform complex with bridge
connections. The different platforms may have been designed by different engineering
companies. Typically not all platforms will have fire pumps. There are basically three
reasons for wishing to build a complete model of the whole system.
 The operating company needs to have a complete model of the whole

system
 We wish to see how the whole system will work when it is put together
 We need to consider the case where fire pumps on one platform may start in
response to a fire in another platform.
PIPENET has facilities for using copy/paste to combine sub-systems. Let us consider how
these can be applied to the following network. The following material shows the four steps
involved in this process.
We will follow the 4 steps shown below.
Step 1: Perform the deluge systems calculation.
We input the deluge system, optimise it and run the most remote nozzle option. The main
purpose of the calculation is to determine the input pressure and flowrate. We make sure
that the most remote nozzle has a nozzle deviation of 0%. We note from the window
shown below that the inlet pressure was 4.5224 Bar G and the flowrate was 4315.7 l/min.
These are the required optimum conditions.
Step 2: Perform the firewater ringmain calculation.
In order to balance the system it is essential to calculate the pressure and flowrate at the
node upstream of the deluge valve. This is the ringmain part of the calculation. We define
this as an output node and set the flowrate to 4315.7 l/min. PIPENET will then calculate
the pressure available at this node.
Output node
After the calculation we note that the pressure made available by the pumps at the output
node (input node to the deluge system) at a flowrate of 4315.7 l/min is 8.556245 Bar G.
This is significantly more than the pressure required by the deluge system. So we
conclude that there is sufficient pressure. However, that is not sufficient if we were using a
clack type deluge valve. We have to estimate what excess flowrate will go into the deluge
system and ensure that
Step 3: Copy/Paste the deluge system and connect to the firewater ringmain.
In order to do this, first open two copies on PIPENET on your computer. Then open the
firewater ringmain system on one and the deluge system on the other. The two copies
should be arranged to look somewhat like the layout shown below.
PIPENET PIPENET
copy 1 copy 2
Now go to the copy with the deluge system and capture it using the ‘area tool’. Please see
below.
Move it as low as possible on PIPENET drawing area. Please see below. Also make sure
that the cursor button is active in the copy with the firewater ringmain.
Choose Edit/Copy as shown below.

In the copy containing the firewater ringmain choose Edit/Paste as shown below
Cursor button must

be active
The result in the copy with the firewater ringmain should be the following:
Now the deluge system can be captured by the area tool and moved to the desired
position. Once it is moved and connected it should look as follows. It is important to
merge the nodes.
Once the nodes are merged it is important to convert the common node into an internal
node as follows:
Performing a calculation of the combined system shows that the most remote nozzle is
delivering some 36.7% more than the required minimum flowrate. It also shows that the
flowrate in the feeder pipe is 5787.6 l/min instead of the required 4315.7 l/min. This could
give rise to a number of problems.
 Excessive flow through one system can starve other systems which may be
working at the same time.
 This wastes water
 In an extreme case this could result in the need for a bigger fire pump
because the system has a bigger demand than expected.
It is clear that it is necessary to reduce the excess flow by (i) using an orifice plate in the
case of a clack type deluge valve (Step 4a below) or (ii) proper selection of the elastomeric
type of deluge valve (Step 4b below).
Step 4a: Using an orifice plate to reduce the excess flow.
Once again it is important to stress that it is not within our province to suggest whether or
not an orifice plate should be used. This section shows how to size the orifice plate if its
use was permitted. We note from the results of above steps 1 and 2 that the pressure
require across the orifice plate is 8.556245 – 4.522445 = 4.0338 Bar.
The orifice plate is input as follows:

The screen shot below shows that the orifice plate diameter needs to be 69.07418 mm
and this would force the most remote nozzle to deliver exactly the minimum required
flowrate (0% nozzle deviation).
If we are happy with this orifice plate diameter we should fix the orifice plate diameter as
we saw in section 1 above.
Step 4b: Using an elastomeric valve to reduce the excess flow.
In order to do this we have to explode the node where the elastomeric valve is to be
located.
The calculated results to show that the elastomeric valve must give a pressure loss of
4.033 Bar, when the flowrate is 4315.7 Bar. Such an elastomeric valve will reduce the
flowrate through the most remote nozzle to exactly the minimum required value (0%
nozzle deviation). This enables us to make sure that the elastomeric valve is correctly
chosen.
3. Debottlenecking methods
For the purpose of illustration we consider an onshore system. The system uses clack
type deluge valves and so the deluge systems have been replaced by equivalent nozzles.
In particular, three deluge systems (represented by virtual nozzles) are working and they
are under scrutiny. The following screen shot shows that two of the three systems are
underperforming. We wish to debottleneck the system in order to increase the flow
through. PIPENET can be used very effectively to identify the problem areas quickly. The
corrective action is up to the fire engineer. However, a lot time can be saved by being able
to identify problem areas quickly.
There are several methods for debottlenecking. We shall consider three of them here.
 Sorting in the data window
 Creating and using a path
 Using colouration rules
We will consider the above problem and see how to use debottlenecking methods.
3.1. Sorting in the data window

This relies on the use of the data window and is very quick. It does not involve looking at
big tables and searching in the network. It will pinpoint the problem with just a few mouse
clicks.
Step 1: With pipes selected in the data window click the results tab
Results tab
Step 2: Click on the ‘Friction loss’ heading twice

Step 3: Hold the ctrl button on the keyboard and click on the numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4
The above is not an essential step but it will show us the problematic pipes on the
schematic.
Step 4: Click on the data tab in the data window
This will show what pipe sizes need to be increased. We increase the pipe sizes as
shown below.
Step 5: We recalculate to make sure that debottlenecking is complete

This completes debottlenecking the system by using sorting.
3.2. Creating and using a path

We can create a path from the pump to the virtual nozzle and look to see how the pressure
changes and where there is a sudden drop in the pressure.
First click on the output node of a pump. Then press and hold the ctrl button on the
keyboard. Holding the ctrl button down click the left button of the mouse on a selection
3.3. Using colouration rules

4. How do I eliminate elevation errors?
PIPENET allows the user to input the elevation changes in two different ways.
 Use pipe/duct elevations
 Use node elevations
Which the user chooses is a matter of preference to a large extent. There are advantages
and disadvantages to both options and it is worth discussing them.
PIPENET does not permit more than the allowed mismatch in elevations in loops.
Basically, the elevation change while going around a loop must be within the tolerance
specified under Calculation/Spec for calculation.
The default value for the Height Check Tolerance is 0.5 m.
Let us deliberately introduce an elevation error into a complex network and see how we
can use the tools which are available in PIPENET to identify the pipe with the elevation
error as quickly as possible.
Click on button
5. How do I Block pipes?
A blockage of a pipe can occur because of the following
 A technician can close some valves for maintenance purposes and forget to open
them. This may not be immediately apparent because a firewater system is not in
constant operation unlike a cooling water system.
 It is not unknown for living organisms like mussels to grow inside the pipes of a
firewater system and block the pipe.
It is important to stress that blocking pipes does not lead to completely disconnected sub-
sections. If this happens it is unlikely that the system can be solved.
In order to block a pipe simply point to the relevant pipe and specify that the pipe is
blocked under status.
6. What is the best way to break a pipe? I want to know if my system

will work even with a broken pipe.
It may be surprising that it is sometimes important to model the case of a pipe breaking.
After all, the question is “How can we expect anything to work if a pipe breaks?” In fact in
offshore systems this is particularly relevant. It is possible for a critical deluge system in
one of the lower decks to work in an acceptable manner if a pipe in the helideck breaks.
The static head may be sufficient to enable the deluge system to work to an acceptable
extent under the circumstances. It may be important to show this.
We must note that the exact impact of a pipe breaking will depend on the position where it
happens. In this way it is different from a blocked pipe. The system will behave in the
same regardless of the exact position on a pipe where it is blocked. However, when it
comes to break the behaviour depends on the position on the pipe where it breaks. The
‘break’ in PIPENET does not take into account the position of the break. For this reason it
would be better to take the following approach.
In order to illustrate this we go back to our offshore firewater system because it has
significant elevation changes.
We run the calculation and note the results for the deluge system we have been
considering. The most remote nozzle is delivering around 37% more than the minimum
required.
In order to illustrate the point we choose a pipe close to the helideck. The pipe is indicated
in red in the schematic below. We have to go through a few steps on order to break this
pipe at a desired point.
First we insert a node close to the helideck riser as shown below, by pointing at the
position and right clicking.
PIPENET does not know the exact position of the break and it assigns the attributes to one
of the resulting pipes.
We assign the position by giving the lengths of the two resulting pipes. Please remember
to allocate the fitting and elevation change as appropriate. The dialog boxes below show
how the attributes have been assigned.
Having created a node in the position, we need to break it at that position. We do that by
right clicking and using ‘Explode Node’.
We have to then create an open end. We do this by giving a specification of 0 Bar G at

both the nodes and designate them as output nodes.
We can see from the screenshots below that the most remote nozzle is delivering more
than the required minimum flowrate even though considerable flow is going out through
the broken pipe. The high flow causes high friction loss. That in conjunction with the high
static head maintains sufficient pressure in the lower parts of the ringmain. In this case the
deluge system works satisfactorily even though a pipe in the helideck system is completely
broken.
7. NFPA Compliant Report
The output report from PIPENET is widely accepted and is convenient for design
optimisation. However, when it comes to project reports some operating companies prefer
to see the NFPA complaint report. In this section we will see how to generate the NFPA
submittal including the supply/demand curve. Please note that PIPENET can even
optionally insert the schematic drawing into the NFPA report.
The report has the following sections:
Summary sheet
Supply analysis
Node analysis
Pipe information
Water supply/demand curve
PIPENET schematic
7.1. NFPA report for a deluge system

In this section we consider the supply/demand curve for a deluge system. Let us start with
the deluge system in Chapter 2 of PIPENET Spray/Sprinkler Training Manual. The
schematic is shown below.
Let us consider the most remote nozzle option case. The required inlet conditions are
shown below.
In order to produce the NFPA compliant report, including the supply/demand curve, the
following steps are necessary. If the supply/demand curve is not necessary then these
steps are not necessary.
First open the Calculation/Spec for calculation dialog box.

Then complete the right hand section of the dialog box as follows:
Some sections from the NFPA report are shown below:

It is clear that this system will not work because the demand point lies above the supply
curve. So we check the velocities in the pipes.
We can see that the velocity in pipe is too high at 19.98 m/sec. So we increase the
diameter to 50 mm from 25 mm. The graph below shows that the system will function as
required.
7.2. NFPA report for a firewater ringmain system

In this section we consider the supply/demand curve for a firewater ringmain system. Let
us start with the deluge system in Chapter 3 of PIPENET Spray/Sprinkler Training Manual.
The schematic is shown below. In order to keep things simple we can modify the network
to have just one fire pump.
When the pump is part of the network it is clear that the operating point will lie on the pump
curve. The following graph will be shown on the NFPA report automatically.
8. How do I switch pumps on and off?
PIPENET offers the ability to switch pumps on and off. It is as simple as switching the
status of a pump on and off as required. Please see the dialog box below.
Pump status
Please see below for the case with all four pumps working.
Case with the two diesel pumps working is shown below. Please note the ‘dot’ in the
pump symbol when a pump is switched off.
Pump status off
Pump status off

9. Autolayout Capability:
The autolayout capability of PIPENET is in the early stages of development. It is based on

the principle that in certain applications such as the protection of tanks the NFPA rules are
specific enough to enable automatic generation of the nozzle layouts and pipe
configuration. Oil companies also have their own design rules. This feature is in the early
stages of development and the potential development for the future is great. In this
section we consider the steps necessary for generating the basic network and the spray
impact pattern. There is a certain amount of repetition of what was learnt in the previous
chapters.
This capability is in its early days. We rely on customer feedback for improving it. We
would welcome suggestions for improvements from PIPENET users.
Input nozzle data into the library as usual but make sure that the nozzle spray divergence
angle is input.
Note Spray
divergence angle
Select the pipe type as usual.

Click on Autolayout
Object to be
protected
Size of object
Preliminary nozzle
calculation
Click on model preview button.

Model preview button
Use the scroll bars to examine the shape of the network.
Scroll bars
Click on Generate Spray Diagram button.

Generate Spray Diagram button
See the enlarged screenshot which shows the variation in the density and the overlap.
View the spray cones as shown below.

Use the cursor to rotate the object and examine it in more detail. See below.
Change colours as shown below:
Change colours
buttons
Examine the opened out spray diagram as shown below:
Hover the cursor over different parts of the spray diagram to check how the flow density
varies.
10. Batch Running
The term batch running comes from the fact that the facility enables a batch of calculations
to be performed one by one, without intervention by the user. It is used when a batch of
calculations need to be done overnight or during a meeting. Batch running cannot be
done from within PIPENET but the following notes show how it can be done.
If several scenarios need to be modelled on a network, batch calculation can save the
engineer a lot of time as it can be done without human intervention. Here we discuss how
to implement batch calculation step by step.
1. Build the desired network, and set up the required scenarios, ensuring that no errors
occur at the checking stage.
2. Create a new text document and convert it to an empty batch file by changing its
extension to .bat.
3. Right-click the batch file to pop up a quick menu, click “Edit” to open the file.
4. Set the program name and the path. For PIPENET Vision 1.6 in a 64-bit PC, set as
SET PIPENET="C:\Program Files (x86)\Pipenet\PIPENET Vision 1.6\PIPENET
program\Exec\uic.exe"
5. Give the desired model files in the batch list one by one, e.g.
%PIPENET% "C:\Customers\AAA.sdf" –batch
%PIPENET% "C:\Customers\bbb.sdf" –batch

6. Save the batch file and exit.
7. Double click the batch file to run the calculation.
The following is a typical batch file for PIPENET Transient Module. The command “echo”
can report the calculation state when it is finished.
ECHO OFF
REM
REM -- Example PIPENET batch calculation script
REM
REM Available from PIPENET VISION 1.40 to run PIPENET from the command line
REM Only intended for use by Transient, simply run UIC.EXE with the SDF
REM filename and the command line option -batch.
REM
REM
REM -- Turn on Delayed Expansion
REM
SETLOCAL ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSION
REM
REM -- Set the executable path
REM
SET PIPENET="C:\Program Files (x86)\Pipenet\PIPENET Vision 1.6\PIPENET program\Exec\uic.exe"
REM
REM -- Optionally set texts for error messages - see ECHO stmts. below for use.
REM
SET MESSAGE0=Successful calculation
SET MESSAGE1=Warnings in calculation

SET MESSAGE2=Error in calculation
SET MESSAGE3=Error - graph file open from previous calculation
SET MESSAGE4=Error - Missing or illegal input file
ECHO ON
REM
REM -- Run the calculations, displaying a status message after each run
REM
%PIPENET% "C:\Customers\AAA.sdf" -batch
ECHO !MESSAGE%ERRORLEVEL%!
%PIPENET% "C:\Customers\bbb.sdf" -batch
ECHO !MESSAGE%ERRORLEVEL%!
REM
REM -- Signal all done
REM
echo "All done"

Spray - Chapter 4 - Advanced Topics

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PIPENET VISION

Revision 2.0, November 2015

1. HOW DO I DECIDE WHETHER TO USE AN OUTPUT NODE OR A ‘VIRTUAL NOZZLE’ FOR

1. How do I decide whether to use an output node or a ‘virtual nozzle’

There are two circumstances in which outputs can be used.

There are two cases where a virtual nozzle can be used.

We will consider these four circumstances below one by one.

The schematics below and the data files explain this.

1.2. Where it is necessary to size orifice plates accurately

This is achieved in 4 steps.

Step 1: Most remote nozzle calculation for the deluge system.

Step 2: Pressure available from the ringmain

Step 3: Size the orifice plate

Step 4: Fix the size of the orifice plate

The new data for the orifice plate is shown below.

We are ready to perform other scenarios.

1.3. A virtual nozzle to represent a ‘clack’ or open/close type of deluge

On performing the calculation the following result was obtained.

1.4. When must I NOT replace a deluge system by a virtual nozzle

6.05 × 105 (𝐿 + 𝐿𝑒 )𝑄1.85

𝑃fric is the friction loss in Bar,

𝐿 is the pipe length in metres,

𝐾 is the nozzle friction factor in l/min, Bar1/2,

Inlet Flowrate using K-factor, Flowrate using Difference,

Inlet Flowrate using K-factor, Flowrate using Difference,

2. How do I combine sub-systems, for example a deluge system and a

 The operating company needs to have a complete model of the whole

We will follow the 4 steps shown below.

Step 1: Perform the deluge systems calculation.

Step 2: Perform the firewater ringmain calculation.

Choose Edit/Copy as shown below.

Cursor button must

 This wastes water

Step 4a: Using an orifice plate to reduce the excess flow.

The orifice plate is input as follows:

Step 4b: Using an elastomeric valve to reduce the excess flow.

 Sorting in the data window

 Creating and using a path

 Using colouration rules

3.1. Sorting in the data window

Step 2: Click on the ‘Friction loss’ heading twice

Step 4: Click on the data tab in the data window

Step 5: We recalculate to make sure that debottlenecking is complete

This completes debottlenecking the system by using sorting.

3.2. Creating and using a path

3.3. Using colouration rules

4. How do I eliminate elevation errors?

 Use pipe/duct elevations

 Use node elevations

The default value for the Height Check Tolerance is 0.5 m.

5. How do I Block pipes?

A blockage of a pipe can occur because of the following

6. What is the best way to break a pipe? I want to know if my system

We have to then create an open end. We do this by giving a specification of 0 Bar G at

7. NFPA Compliant Report

The report has the following sections:

Water supply/demand curve

7.1. NFPA report for a deluge system

First open the Calculation/Spec for calculation dialog box.

Some sections from the NFPA report are shown below:

7.2. NFPA report for a firewater ringmain system

8. How do I switch pumps on and off?

Pump status off