SynerGEE Water

Design Pipe Networks

The Pipe Design module allows users to rapidly select least-cost pipe lay-outs for new network design or rehabilitation programs. The new module applies sophisticated optimization techniques to select the lowest cost design subject to the quality of service constraints.

The user provides a table of the design pipes, each specifying a pipe diameter, a replacement cost per unit length, and friction characteristics. Users also provide design constraints such as minimum and maximum pressures and velocities that must be maintained in the resulting design. Each constraint can be weighted so that some constraints are given greater consideration than others in determining a final design.

Control Design Parameters

Going beyond the mathematical fundamentals, the Pipe Design Module also offers practical controls over the outcomes. For example, the mathematical optimum may result in a pipeline that "telescopes" up in size. An engineer would rarely accept this outcome, so users can instruct the analysis to minimize occurrence of telescoping. Similarly, users can prevent reduction of multiple pipe sizes in a single step, which may be impractical or unadvisable practice though mathematically providing a reduced cost.

Given this information, the Pipe Design Module will seek to find the lowest cost pipe design solution for a specified group of pipes that will satisfy the given constraints. The pipe design analysis can be run in a steady-state mode at a specified simulation time, or in a time-varying mode from a specified start time to end time. Typically, you will want to run at the time of peak loading in your model.

Compare Solutions

By specifying a "batch" of analyses, the module can provide a set of varying designs to choose from, offering alternatives for the engineer to compare and contrast, enabling selection of the most practical alternative. By storing a suite of design settings and applying them separately, users can compare designs resulting from different potential design standards.

By enabling rapid consideration of numerous alternatives, the Pipe Design Module will significantly improve the effectiveness of design and rehabilitation planning efforts.

less

Isolate Mains

The Area Isolation Module (AIM) allows you to quickly determine the impact of isolating a main in your distribution network. Using existing and user-defined valves, AIM also allows you to import information about valves not in the current model or from a Geographic Information System (GIS) to quickly evaluate all available options for isolation.

Tell AIM which point in the system requires isolation and AIM geographically identifies the valves that need to be closed and displays the total area impacted by loss of service. Specific sets of isolation valves can be considered in the analysis.

When isolation areas are identified, they can be automatically excluded from a simulation to determine the hydraulic impact of the isolation on the rest of the network. AIM and the Customer Management Module (CMM) can work together to identify those customers affected by a total loss of service or a decrease in the level of service.

Applications

AIM offers many benefits in both the off-line and online modelling environments, including:

Main isolation for planned maintenance
Before main maintenance or replacement work, AIM can be used to determine the valves that need to be closed to isolate the main.

Main isolation for emergencies
Following a main break, AIM can provide you with a list of valves that need to be closed to isolate the break.

Identifying isolated pipes and nodes
When a pipe is isolated in a model, AIM identifies other pipes and nodes that are isolated due to the positioning of isolation valves relative to the pipe to be isolated.

Determine isolation impact on network level of service
Following an area isolation, the area can be temporarily removed from the model and you can perform a steadystate or time-varying analysis to determine the impact of the isolation on the network hydraulics and water quality.

Identify customers affected by the isolation
Using AIM with CMM, you can identify customers affected by planned and emergency isolation. A list of affected customers can be exchanged with another application such as an automated messaging service.

less

Calibration Module provides you with the ability to significantly reduce the time and money it takes to calibrate a model. The Calibration Module uses sophisticated genetic algorithm technology to evaluate thousands of possible calibration scenarios and move toward a solution. Calibration of pipe friction, roughness and diameter, as well as system demands including leakage, can be performed for user-defined groups, areas or whole models.

Field Test Data

Field and SCADA data can be quickly imported through SynerGEE's enhanced data exchange capabilities. Reference sets are created to allow you to group data for time periods or areas and apply them individually or in groups to calibration analyses.

Calibrate

SynerGEE makes creating calibration runs easy. Each run is retained in a scenario that you can return to, edit and rerun at a later date. SynerGEE provides you with a choice of calibration methods to allow you to evaluate the sensitivity of a particular attribute or complete macro, micro and specialised leakage calibrations.

With each calibration, you control the process's effectiveness, determine field measurement calculation impact and define solution windows that stop thec calculation when a suitable solution is reached. Calibration runs can be batch processed to reduce user interaction; Individual models can be run with different settings or multiple models run in sequence for later review.

Compare results

You can quickly compare different calibration solutions with observed field data through SynerGEE's powerful new graphing and reporting capabilities. When you obtain an acceptable calibration, you can commit the results to the base model or store them as a scenario for future use.

less

CalPrep improves the speed and reliability of the way SynerGEE users calibrate water models, calculate leakage and derive un-metered domestic consumption using logger and telemetry data.

CalPrep can seamlessly import SynerGEE data together with field data and standard demand profiles in order to generate leakage and un-metered domestic curves using the minimum night flow methodology.

Benefits

Ability to handle dual component leakage so background and burst leakage components can be individually modelled for each District Metered Area (DMA)

• Derivation of un-metered domestic demand and leakage profiles using the industry standard minimum night flow methodology
• Ability to aggregate multiple DMAs in to 'calculation zones' in cases where metered boundary flows are missing
• Resultant profiles can be easily exported directly to SynerGEE along with standard demand and pressure profiles
• Ability to adjust leakage values based upon zonal pressure conditions and network infrastructure quality thereby increasing accuracy of the results
• Efficient import, storage and classification of large volumes of pressure and flow field data
• Field data can be easily and intuitively associated with DMAs and model nodes using drag and drop functionality thereby reducing the overall model build time
• Configured CalPrep models can be periodically rerun with the latest field data and SynerGEE model resulting in significant time savings
• Auto generation of reference data and calibration charts

less

Connect to Your CIS

Customer Management Module (CMM) allows you to create a link between your Customer Information System (CIS) and SynerGEE. When the link is established, customer information can be viewed at individual (or groups) of pipes and nodes within SynerGEE.

With SynerGEE's advanced hydraulic and water quality modeling capabilities and CMM's customer assignment and analysis capabilities, you can have a set of powerful network operations tools that can be used on a day-to-day basis to proactively analyse and manage network events affecting your customers.

Assign Customers

CMM assigns customers to pipes or nodes using customer XY coordinate information. In addition to customer XY coordinates, CMM will consider pipe diameter or material during the assignment process if the information is available from the CIS. CMM can use the data to identify the proper main when multiple mains are in close proximity to a customer coordinate. CMM can also accept customer assignment information from other sources such as a Geographic Information System (GIS), if available.

Assign Customer Demand

CMM also enables you to quickly transfer demand information from your CIS to your SynerGEE model. Using SMM's demand transfer capability, you can completely populate a model with the correct demand loading scenarios to increase your modelling speed. You can use time-varying profiles to distinguish customers with varying water usage patterns and distribute demand data.

Display Information

By accessing CMM's database in the SynerGEE environment, you can quickly obtain a list of customers assigned to pipes and nodes. When you have selected either individual or groups of pipe (and nodes), CMM presents you with a list of the assigned customers. Having the ability to display customer data provides you with a tool to identify major demands in a selected area as well as to identify customers affected by service interruptions or system changes.

Reporting

CMM provides a wealth of predefined reports that keep you informed of all processes and results. CMM lets you view a pipe or node to which customers are assigned in a model by highlighting the customer in the CMM editor and requesting SynerGEE to locate and highlight the corresponding pipe or node in the model. This can be done for individual or groups of pipes (and nodes).

less

GL offers distribution operators comprehensive software tools and consulting services to manage underground infrastructure assets. Through decades of experience in providing consulting services to water distribution utilities we are able to precisely model hydraulic transients. Our LIQT product, industry recognised for its accuracy and versatility, delivers a quick cost-effective solution to specific hydraulic problems.

LIQT is an advanced, interactive, simulation software product that can be used to perform transient analysis of closed conduit liquid piping networks of any complexity. It models liquid piping systems composed of pipelines, pumps, valves, reservoirs, accumulators, surge devices, and other typical pipeline hardware.

The LIQT solution helps you to manage the condition of underground infrastructure assets, improve pipeline system design, conduct operations and optimisation studies, increase system capacity, test procedure changes and simulate incidents, complete network surge analyses and simulate the physical profile of your pipeline network

Analysis provided by LIQT gives the information needed to make accurate decisions concerning materials, cost, operating procedures and construction alternatives all resulting in decisions which will help insure the reliable service of the water system.

Typical applications of LIQT include:

• Analysing normal or emergency pump start-up and shutdown procedures
• Analysing the effect of a sudden pump power outage
• Modelling various turbine operations such as system start up or load rejection
• Modelling effects of valve operation
• Designing surge management systems
• Optimising system dynamic controllers
• Assessing the effectiveness of pipeline hardware such as air inlet/air relief valves, accumulators, surge tanks or relief valves
• Developing realistic system pressure envelopes
• Determining probable causes of system failure during upset conditions
• Training operators by simulating real system response

less

Integrate External Data

Model Builder provides a seamless integration between SynerGEE Water and your Geospatial Information System (GIS) data. Its robust and flexible data management capability allows you to import data into SynerGEE from a variety of external sources, including shape files, CAD files and ArcInfoT coverages, as well as personal and enterprise ArcGIS® geodatabases.

Model Builders easy to use functionality converts GIS point data, such as valves and regulators, into linear, non-pipe facilities. Model Builder's GIS integration capability provides you with an automated process for efficient model maintenance and revision.

Control Your Model

Model Builder lets you filter and query data from external sources so that you can build your model using only the data you need from each source. You can import multiple pipe and facility source model layers at once, rather than importing each layer individually.

You can also map source file attributes to SynerGEE facility data and supplement any missing or incomplete GIS attributes with your model data. This includes regulator station details, internal pipe diameters, pipe roughness values, source node properties, customer demands and specific node names. Save your imported model attributes and configurations to rebuild your model whenever you choose, including weekly and monthly.

Validate and Enhance Data

Model Builder validates imported facility and node data and lets you make necessary corrections to ensure proper functionality. Its spatial and attribute tools can be used to clean topology, identify bottlenecks and report missing attribute data. Reported errors are saved to a browser file and can be viewed and corrected in GIS.

Model Builder also drastically streamlines the time required to build your SynerGEE models. After converting your initial GIS data, SynerGEE Model Builder stores your settings so that you can re-build your models with the simple click of a mouse.

less

Transfer Data into SynerGEE

The OnLine Module (OLM) allows you to automatically transfer operational and reference data from your SCADA system into SynerGEE to perform steady-state and time-varying network simulations.

Let OLM help you:

• Provide operator decision support
• Generate extended-time model data
• Supplement SCADA data
• Automate simulation and results generation using many sets of operating data

OLM looks for an updated set of operational and reference data (including hydraulic and water quality parameters) at a predefined location and frequency. The data loads into SynerGEE through a comma-separated value (CSV) file import and the new operating condition simulation is preformed automatically. OLM and SynerGEE communicate with each other so that OLM can make online simulation control decisions based on the models state within SynerGEE. Model results can be used to generate alarms and to alert you to system anomalies. The results of both successful and unsuccessful simulations are archived.

Get Useful Results

Results from SynerGEE can be transferred to a database. You can select and graph system parameters in the database to assist in system monitoring, decision making and forecasting.

Operating data will be archived in a suitable format so that past operating conditions can be used as the basis for offline simulation of a particular event or an extended period of network operation.

Benefits of OLM

OLM provides many benefits in both the off-line and online modelling environments, including:

• Faster recognition / response to system anomalies and emergency situations.
• SCADA data quality testing / assurance
• Improved timelines and confidence in modelling data and calibration
• Improved system operations through better information and reporting
• Better interdepartmental staff activity coordination

less

Assess System Behaviour

The Reliability Analysis Module enables you to determine how your system will respond to pipe failure and measure the resulting impact on your system's water supply. You can run analyses using steady-state peak hour analysis or time-varying analysis to find the impact of failure on every facility within your system or within a selected subset. Using these results, you can determine your ability to deliver the required demand at each node.

Reliability Analysis also helps you simulate the importance of different pipes in meeting system demand by allowing you to remove a pipe (indicating failure) and solve the model. Every analysis generates a score between 0 and 100 for each pipe within the model or selected subset and identifies the pipe as having either 'failed' or 'passed' the analysis. The analysis ranking enables you to measure the importance of selected pipes within your system.

View Results

Results for both steady-state and time-varying analysis are automatically displayed in the results log. You can also review selected reliability analysis data including the number of impacted customers, pipe reliability score, pass/fail identifiers and the requested or supplied demand or volume calculations using SynerGEE's map annotations, color-bys and charts.

Increase Performance

The Reliability Analysis Module significantly reduces the time required to assess the impact of pipe failures and report on pipes' strategic value within your system. It enables you to evaluate the service of assets throughout your system and generate consistent, auditable results. The Reliability Analysis Module provides unique insight into network performance and risk that can be used to drive greater value from your assets.

less

Extract and Merge Subsystems

Models may be extracted hydraulically based on existing subsystems or spatially based on geographic area or a selected group of nodes and facilities. Extracting and saving subsystems to separate files makes updating your model fast and easy and lets you concentrate on specific areas of your model that need attention.

The updated tool also enables you to automatically account for time-varying boundary conditions during extractions allowing accurate zonal models to be quickly created from a master model.

Create a Skeletal Model

Skeletonisation allows you to develop a simplified or strategic model from a detailed model to help you save valuable time and focus only on critical model features. SMM uses criteria that you define to automatically determine which facilities are insignificant to the overall system hydraulics, excludes them from the skeletal model being created and automatically reallocates upstream model demands. Skeletonise has been enhanced to further simplify models by identifying and removing low and no flow model loops.

SMM offers a number of modelling enhancements that allow you to:

• Extract individual modelled zones from a master model to avoid processing a large model
• Merge two or more zonal models together to create a new master model
• Reduce the level of graphical and hydraulic model detail to create a simplified model version

less