KYPipe Time-Saving Tools

Tools are external applications that can be run from within the KYPipe interface. This means that the results from the tools must be manually copied and pasted into the appropriate menus or pipe/node input fields within the software.

A list of available tools follows:

1. 10 Year HW Coefficient. This tool calculates the value for the 10-year Hazen Williams coefficient required to utilize the KYPipe pipe aging feature. The inputs to this tool are the initial pipe Roughness and a second Roughness value at a known age.

2. Air Slam Pressure Surge. This tool estimates the surge pressures due to air expulsion from an air release/vacuum valve. Specifically, it calculates the pressure surge generated by the water column impact following the expulsion of all air from the valve. Users must enter an upper limit for the air pressure just prior to the slam, and the tool computes surge pressures for a range of air pressures up to the maximum specified pressure.

3. Air Valve Orifice Size. This tool calculates the orifice size required for an air valve to flow a specified volumetric flowrate at a specified pressure drop. This aids in air valve selection.

4. Bladder Precharge. This tool utilizes the results obtained for a closed surge tank to size a bladder tank and determine the required Precharge Pressure. Once it is appropriately sized, the bladder tank will provide the same analytical results as the closed surge tank during the transient simulation. The Initial Volume is input for the closed surge tank, and the Maximum Volume is determined by examining the Volume plot for the surge tank (users must make sure the initial Maximum Volume has been reached). The Initial Air Pressure is computed by running a steady-state analysis.

5. Calculator. This tool is for simple mathematical operations.

6. C-Factor Calculator. Users enter the discharge through a pipe, the pipe’s Length and Diameter, as well as the Headloss across the pipe, and the tool returns the Hazen Williams C-factor for that pipe.

7. Density and Viscosity Table. Users enter Temperature and Viscosity values over the range of temperatures expected in a Temperature Dependent Analysis, and save this table using the same filename as the model. Users may also use the enclosed hotwater.exe file to create/edit the viscosity/density-vs-temp file.  This program creates a file with the extension HOT. Note: This file must be in the same folder as the P2K file, and should have the same name (please limit the name to 8 chars).

8. DEM Elevations Import. This is a series of utilities for importing elevation information from a DEM file during model creation.

9. Force Calculations. This tool calculates unbalanced forces for straight pipe segments. A force file is generated (after which users can Print to File and utilize the View button). The file generated can also be used with third-party software to compute pipe stresses and forces at joints.

10. Lookup Properties for Gas. The user selects the Gas, the Units and the Temperature, and the tool generates the appropriate Gas properties.

11. Generate Intermediate Pump File. This tool creates a Pump File at an intermediate specific speed by interpolating the data from two standard Pump Files.

12. Headloss Calculator Tool. The user inputs the discharge through a pipe, the Length and Diameter, as well as the Roughness (as a Hazen Williams C-factor) of the pipe, and the tool returns the Velocity and Headloss through the pipe.

13. Hose and Nozzle Constants Tool. This is used to combine Hydrant and Hose Constants for fireflow calculations. This is done automatically when the Fireflow and Hydrant Analysis option for Hydrant Flow – Hose Attached is selected.

14. Modulating (Regulating) Valve Tool. For use with Pipe2006: Surge or later versions, when modeling modulating (regulating) valves. Normally, regulating valves are assumed to maintain their initial setting during the transient analysis. However, when using an active valve and the data provided by this tool, the valve will modulate from an initial setting to a final setting over a user-specified time period. Users should first run a steady-state analysis for both the initial and final conditions of the valve, and then input these operating conditions, after which the tool will return an initial Ratio and a final Ratio for the valve stem position.

15. Power (HP or KW) Calculations Tool. This tool calculates the useful power used by a pump under a user-specified operating condition.

16. Profile Data Import. Allows users to create a model by importing profile data in Excel spreadsheet format.

17. Pump Characteristic Curves Tool. This tool allows the user to input three head-flow data points and the tool will return a pump curve along with the coefficients for the pump’s quadratic equation.

18. Pump File Characteristics Tool. Based on specified pump file data, this tool generates torque and head data for the pump at any given speed and flowrate.

19. Pump Selection Tool. The user defines a pump head and flow; the tool then searches all existing pump curves entered by the user, or in default files, and finds the closest match. The curve is then displayed on the pump curve graph.

20. Residual Pressure Adjustment Tool. May be used when a fire flow test point is located apart from the location where a residual pressure value is desired.

21. Resistance Calculations Tool. This tool calculates the resistance for devices such as pumps, valves, piping, and connections to a tank.

22. Select Pump File Calculate Inertia Tool. This tool selects the appropriate pump file to use for a pump trip analysis based on rated pump data. This tool will also calculate the motor and pump inertia using the properties of the pump and fitted curves from the available data.

23. Spike Track Tool. This tool tracks the origin of pressure spikes following a Surge analysis. This helps identify the events and elements which produce the most extreme pressures. The tool is very useful for visually displaying where the largest changes occur.

24. Sprinkler or Blowoff Constant Tool. This tool provides several options for calculating the Constant (Cv) to be used for a sprinkler/blowoff element. The sprinkler/blowoff Constant is defined as the flow (in gpm or l/s) discharged through the device at a pressure drop of 1 psi or 1 kilopascal.

25. Turbine Data Converter Tool. This tool converts turbine data in Hill Chart format to the required Suter 4-quadrant format.

26. Units Converter Tool. This tool provides conversion factors for a variety of commonly-used parameters and units.

27. Valve Stroking Tool. This tool calculates the optimum 2-stage valve closure for a valve based on the pipeline characteristics and a user-input total closure time.

28. Wave Speed Tool. This tool calculates the speed of pressure waves in a pipe based on the physical characteristics of the pipe, the liquid type, and the restraint applied to the pipeline.

(Surge-Only)

1. Equivalent Surge Tank Converter Tool. This tool is used to find an equivalent diameter for when a surge tank is horizontal instead of vertical.

2. Generate Air Valve Locations Tool. This tool creates an Excel-compatible CSV file of the air valve sizes and locations present in the model.

3. Surge Tank Data. Once the user provides some initial tank operating conditions and pressure boundary conditions, this tool returns the total volume and operating parameters of a compressor-style or bladder-style surge tank.

(Gas only)

1. Cv Calculations Tool. This tool is used when modeling active valves. It generates a minor loss coefficient, K, or a flow coefficient, Cv. User inputs to this tool are the gas properties, flowrate, and the pressure drop across the valve.

2. K Calculations Tool. This tool is used when modeling active valves. It generates a minor loss coefficient, K. User inputs to this tool are the gas properties, flowrate, and the pressure drop across the valve.