10-Jun-19

PIPE NETWORK ANALYSIS

Reading: Water Resources Engineering by David Chin

PIPE NETWORK ANALYSIS

The performance of distribution systems is typically specified in terms of

Minimum flow rates and Pressure heads that must be maintained at specific
points.
Pipe networks may be analyzed for;
1. Designing new network
2. Designing a modification to an existing network
3. Evaluating reliability of an existing or proposed network.
The procedure for the analysis aims at finding the flow distribution within
the network, with the pressure distribution being derived from the flow
distribution using the energy equation.
Boundary conditions will consist of inflows, outflows and constant-head
boundaries like storage reservoirs.

1
 10-Jun-19

PIPE NETWORK ANALYSIS

Network Requirement
Basic equation to be satisfied are the continuity and energy equations.
The continuity equation requires that at each node, the sum of inflow is
equal to the sum of outflows, i.e.
The net flow into any junction must be zero

The energy equation requires that the heads at each of the nodes in the
network be consistent with the head losses in the pipes connecting the
nodes.
Two principal methods are used for pipe network analysis
Nodal method and the Loop method

PIPE NETWORK ANALYSIS

Node, Loop, and Pipes Node

Pipe

Loop

2
 10-Jun-19

NODAL METHOD
The energy equation is expressed in terms of the head at the network nodes.
The energy equation is written for each pipe, and is given by
 fL  QQ Q
h2  h1     k m   hp
D  2 gA
2
Q
Where h2 & h1 are heads at the upstream and downstream ends of the pipe, the
terms in parenthesis measure the frictional head loss, and local losses respectively,
hp is head added by pump (if any),
This eqn has been modified to account for the fact that flow direction is in many
cases unknown, in which case a positive flow direction in each pipeline must be
assumed.
In the above energy Eqn, the direction of flow is assumed to be from node 1 to 2.
Application of this method is limited to simple networks.

NODAL METHOD
Equations for frictional head losses
The Hazen-Williams, The Manning’s roughness coefficient and the
Darcy-Weisbach equation.
In many cases of pipe network analysis, the friction head loss is
calculated using Darcy-Weisbach eqn. fLV 2
hf 
2 gD

f =Darcy-Weisbach friction factor, L=length of the pipe, D= diameter

of the pipe, V=velocity

3
 10-Jun-19

NODAL METHOD

If the flowrate in Pipe 1

is 2 m3/s & the pressure
at point A is 900kPa,
calculate the pressure at
point D.
Assume that the flows
are fully turbulent in all
pipes.

NODAL METHOD
• The equivalent roughness ks for ductile pipe is 0.26mm, the pipe and flow characteristics
are as follows. Darcy weisbach friction factor, f is obtained from the Moody chart.

4
 10-Jun-19

NODAL METHOD

5
10-Jun-19

6
 10-Jun-19

LOOP METHOD

• The energy equation is expressed for each loop within the pipe network.
• The algebraic sum of head losses within each loop is equal to zero. This is
expressed by the relationship

 h  h p ,ij   0, i  1,..., NL
NP ( i )

L ,ij
j 1

• Where NP(i) =no of pipes in loop i; hL,ij =head loss in pipe j of loop i; hp,ij= head
added by any pump in line ij & NL=no of loops in the network.
• The complete flow equations for flow distribution, yield complicated non linear
equations that require solutions using numerical methods

Loop Method
Hardy Cross Method
A simple iterative technique for manual solution.
It assumes, in each pipe hL is proportional to Q hL  rQ n
Where, r is proportionality constant
If all hL are due to friction, and Darcy-Weisbach eqn is used to calculate the hL,
then; for D-W; n=2, Hazen-W; n=1.85. For DW r will be fL
r ,n2
2 gA2 D

 if the flow in each pipe is estimated as Qˆ , and Q is the error in the estimation,
then the actual flow rate is given as; Q  Qˆ  Q
And the frictional loss in each pipe is; h f  rQ n

n  1, corresponds to viscous flow


 r Qˆ  Q 
n

 nn  1 ˆ n  2 n
n  2, corresponds to fully turbulent flow  r Qˆ n  nQˆ n 1Q  Q Q   ...  Q  
2

 2 

7
 10-Jun-19

NETWORK ANALYSIS

HARDY CROSS METHOD

h f  r Qˆ n  nQˆ n 1Q
• For small errors in the flow estimate, higher order terms can be neglected, thus  

n 1 n 1
hL  rQˆ Qˆ  rn Qˆ Q

• The requirement; the algebraic sum of head losses within each loop is equal to zero can be
written as; NP ( i ) NP ( i )
n 1 n 1
 rij Q j Q j  Qi  rij n Q j  0, i  1,..., NL
j 1 j 1

NETWORK ANALYSIS
• HARDY CROSS METHOD
NP ( i ) NP ( i )
n 1 n 1
rQ
j 1
ij j Qj  Qi  r nQ
j 1
ij j  0 , i  1,..., NL

NP ( i )
n 1
rQ j 1
ij j Qj
Qi   NP ( i )
, i  1,..., NL
n 1
 r nQ
j 1
ij j

This Eqn forms the basis for the Hardy cross method.

8
 10-Jun-19

NETWORK ANALYSIS

NETWORK ANALYSIS

9
 10-Jun-19

NETWORK ANALYSIS

NETWORK ANALYSIS

10
10-Jun-19

11
10-Jun-19

12