WaterCAD

Learn to set up a WaterCAD hydraulic model, configure units, and draw and connect pipes, junctions, tanks, reservoirs, pumps, and valves using layout tools and right-click commands.

Adjust colors, plot scale, and text sizes in WaterCAD using tools and more options. Move junctions and pipes, rename elements by double-clicking, and rotate or resize text to finalize drawings.

define a pipe prototype with 100 mm PVC Hazen Williams 150 before drawing the water supply network, then draw via layout or AutoCAD and import to WaterCAD, adding points.

Export the AutoCAD network as dxf, then import into WaterCAD, convert points and polylines to junctions and pipes, rename labels to J and P, and add a reservoir or pump.

Import the background from AutoCAD as a DXF into WaterCAD and draw the water supply network on it, setting units and pipe properties like diameter, material, and Hazen Williams coefficient.

Open network review from the analysis or view menus to check the drawing for pipes without junctions, orphaned nodes, missing intersections, and duplicates, with red highlights for issues.

This lecture demonstrates entering junction data for a WaterCAD model, including elevations and demands for 12 junctions (J1-J12), with pipe lengths and pump inputs derived from survey and AutoCAD elevations.

Calculate the demand for each junction in WaterCAD by defining and measuring AutoCAD areas, recording results in Excel, and converting areas to hectares.

Calculate future population from area-based density and growth rate using an exponential model, then compute per capita daily water demand to determine node demands in liters per day.

Insert junction elevations and demands using the flex tables in the home menu, align Excel data to junction order, and set units to cubic meters per day.

Assign firefighting demands in WaterCAD by placing 840 cubic meters per day at junctions 2 and 5. The total daily demand is 3267 cubic meters.

Import pipe lengths from AutoCAD into WaterCAD, measure lengths, and enter true lengths via flex tables and Excel; then set pipe diameter 100 PVC and Hazen Williams C150.

Input reservoir and pump elevations of 50 m and 40 m, set pump flow to 3300 cubic meters per day, and compute head as 105 m for analysis and design.

In WaterCAD, set hydraulic-only calculation type, pick Hazen Williams for friction, choose steady-state analysis with 40 iterations, then compute to verify supplied and demand flow match.

Review the results in WaterCAD by viewing velocities and demands in flex tables and on the drawing via element symbology, then label pipes with velocity and diameter data.

Use color coding in WaterCAD to review velocity and junction pressures, with blue for velocity ≤0.3 m/s, green for 0.3–3 m/s, red for >3 m/s, blue/green/red for pressures 30–80 m.

Design the network to achieve acceptable junction pressures and pipe velocities within the defined range by adjusting pump head and pipe diameters, then compute to verify.

Adjust pipe diameters from 100 to 50 mm to meet velocity targets, analyze results in Flex tables, and export to Excel for junction elevations, demands, and pressures in steady-state design.

WaterCAD uses extended period state to model hourly water consumption, showing daily 24-hour variation and how to insert the pattern into the program from steady state to EPS.

Learn to insert hourly consumption patterns in WaterCAD by converting chart data to Excel, creating hydraulic patterns, and applying them to demand junctions, including firefighting demand.

Analyze the network after inserting the pattern, and compute hour-by-hour results from the extended period state. Identify hours with unacceptable pressures or velocities and plan design-phase solutions.

Design the network manually in WaterCAD by diagnosing errors, deleting unconnected junctions, and adjusting pump heads and pipe diameters to keep pressures within range and velocities within limits across hours.

Manually design a water network in WaterCAD by adjusting pipe diameters and pump head. Address low and negative pressures at key junctions and hours through iterative changes and analysis.

Design the water network automatically in WaterCAD by enforcing velocity and pressure ranges and using the Darwin designer to define junctions, pipes, and cost properties.

Select PVC and set diameters from 100 to 400, run a 100000-trial optimization, and review pressures and velocities to prepare for adding a tank and pump hours in next lecture.

Design the elevated tank and pump in WaterCAD, connect the tank to a junction with a 100 mm pipe, and use Excel to set 3300 m3/day and 8-hour pump operation.

Analyze how the pump supplies water to the network during operation and how the tank provides water when the pump is off, outlining the pump-to-network and pump-to-tank relationships.

Design a cylindrical water tank in Excel for WaterCAD, compute diameter from volume and depth. Set ground elevation, base elevation, and minimum and maximum elevations for the model.

Control the pump conditions by defining on/off actions across 24 hours using time from start, clock time, and the pump graph in WaterCAD.

Automatically design WaterCAD network by fixing pipe diameters to 100 mm and applying pressure constraints 30–80 and velocity constraints 0.3–3 m/s for junctions and pipes.

Configure design option groups and pipe properties in WaterCAD, define PVC material, set diameter ranges and Hazen Williams, and run a new optimized design with up to 100,000 iterations.

fix input data errors to enable automated network design in WaterCAD, adjusting tank elevations and base elevations, running the Darwin designer to obtain optimized pipe diameters, pressures, and velocities.

Split residential demand from firefighting demand, time the pump for eight hours, adjust tank volume and elevations, run the Darwin design to improve pressures and velocities, and export scenario 2.

Select scenario two and recompute, review hourly results for pressure and velocity, and confirm flow directions from pump to tank and back; green indicators mean no errors.

Explore WaterCAD by creating multiple design scenarios with varied diameters, run simulations, export results, and compare hourly pressures and velocities to select the best design.