Network Elements

This feature allows for the inclusion of hydrants in the model as distinct, locatable assets without adding unnecessary complexity to the hydraulic simulation. Hydrants remain as "virtual" elements that do not affect hydraulic calculations during normal simulations, keeping the model clean and fast. They are activated only when needed for specific analyses, such as performing an automated fire flow simulation at that location.

The General Purpose Valve (GPV) provides the flexibility to model complex or unique valve behaviors that are not covered by standard valve types like PRVs or FCVs. Users can define a custom headloss or flow-versus-head curve, allowing the GPV to simulate specialized control equipment or represent unique hydraulic conditions within the system. This ensures the model can accurately capture the performance of non-standard assets.

Similar to hydrants, isolation valves can be placed throughout the network as virtual elements. They do not impact the standard hydraulic simulation but are available as critical assets for operational analyses. This allows users to perform valve criticality assessments, simulating the impact of closing specific valves to identify customers who would lose service and plan for emergency shutdowns, all without cluttering the core hydraulic model.

To improve modeling efficiency, this tool allows users to instantly convert one element type into another, such as changing a junction into a tank or a pipe into a valve. This avoids the tedious process of deleting an element, creating a new one, and manually re-entering all associated data. It streamlines the model building and editing process, especially during the initial stages of network construction or when evaluating design alternatives.

Unlike valves that operate based on hydraulic parameters, the Position Control Valve (PCV) is controlled by its degree of openness. This allows modelers to simulate operations where a valve's position is manually set or controlled by an actuator on a time-based schedule. This feature is essential for modeling certain operational strategies and provides a higher level of control flexibility for advanced "what-if" scenarios.

Users can draw, import, and manage polygon objects directly on the map. These polygons serve as powerful organizational and analytical tools, visually representing areas like pressure zones, District Metered Areas (DMAs), or service areas. Beyond simple visualization, these polygons are integral to automated workflows, such as allocating water demands spatially across the network based on the enclosed customers.