How to Make a Break Node in SWMM5 and InfoSWMM for Force Mains with Emojis

🔍 The central issue being highlighted is ensuring Force Mains are kept full (or d/D equal to 1) when the pumps activate. Achieving this in SWMM 5 can be a challenge due to its single Q link solution, compared to the 4 or more flow points in the IWCS solution. 🔄 There have been past suggestions to add a break node at the end of force mains to ensure they remain full. However, this doesn't always work, especially when a gravity main exists at the end of the rising force main. The gravity main instantly takes up the flow from the long force main, keeping the downstream node depth minimal, which results in the force main not being fully filled – leading to customer dissatisfaction. 😤 A potential solution is to amplify the gravity main roughness, simulating the transition from the force main to the gravity main, which keeps the depth elevated and the force main filled most of the time.

📝 Here are the eight suggestions:

1. ⚙️ Use a Flap Gate for the rising main with HW Force Main Coefficients.
2. 🔧 Add a Break Node at the end of your longer Force Mains with a Surcharge Depth using the Insert Manhole Tool.
3. ⛓️ The d/D values for the force main usually being less than 1 is due to the downstream node of the Force Main having a low depth. Adding a Break Node ensures it remains fuller.
4. 🌊 Change the link AFTER the Break Node to a Gravity Main, and increase the roughness n value (2 to 3 times rougher) to simulate the transition losses.
5. 📈 This action will boost the node's depth at the Force Main's downstream end, ensuring it remains full most of the time.
6. 📊 As highlighted, the force main link has a single Q and three depths. The d in the d/D graph is derived from the midpoint depth or the average of the link's upstream and downstream depths.
7. 🚰 In model reality, the force main is always full at the link's upstream end but is affected by the low downstream depth.
8. 🌟 Increasing the roughness in the gravity main makes results align more closely with user expectations for the d/D value, offering a realistic representation.

🌩️ Use a Flap Gate for the rising main with HW Force Main Coefficients.
🌩️ Introduce a Break Node at the end of longer Force Mains with a Surcharge Depth using the Insert Manhole Tool.
🌩️ The typical d/D values for the force main are less than 1 due to the downstream node's low depth. Adding a Break Node ensures it remains fuller.
🌩️ Post the Break Node, change the link to a Gravity Main. Increase the roughness n value for a realistic transition.
🌩️ This ensures the node's depth at the Force Main's downstream end remains high.
🌩️ The force main link has one Q and three depths, with the d in the d/D graph derived from the midpoint depth.
🌩️ In model reality, the force main remains full at the link's upstream end.
🌩️ Increasing the gravity main's roughness offers results that align closely with user expectations and offer a touch of reality.

Advanced Force Main Solution and Gravity Main Attenuation in InfoSewer for better Pump, Force Main, Gravity Main Simulations

This blog is about using the Advanced Force Main Solution and Gravity Main Attenuation in InfoSewer for better Pump, Force Main, Gravity Main Simulations  

1. Select Advanced Force Main Solution and Flow Attenuation the Run Manager
2. The overall Continuity Error will be Better
3. Gravity mains will be closer to the Force Main Flows
4. Force Main Flows will be closer to the Pump flows 

5. Select Advanced Force Main Solution and Flow Attenuation the Run Manager	Force Main Flows will be closer to the Pump flows
   The overall Continuity Error will be Better	Gravity mains will be closer to the Force Main Flows

Advanced Force Main Solution and Gravity Main Attenuation in InfoSewer for better Pump, Force Main, Gravity Main Simulations

Steps to Import data into InfoSewer Using GIS Gateway

Here are the steps from the beginning for importing data into InfoSewer:

Make a new InfoSewer Model and add in the layers you want to import

Initialize the InfoSewer Arc Map to the Coordinates of the Layers you have added

Look at the Attributes of the of the Layers in Arc Map by using the command Open Attribute Table in Arc GIS – right mouse click on the Arc Map Table of Contents (TOC)

Turn off the Alias names as InfoSewer GIS Gateway only read the “real” column names

Use the InfoSewer GIS Gateway Tool

Load the Nodes 1st using the PR_ID as the Mapping Field

The map fields for the X, Y Coordinates

Import the Diameter (Diam_Tamp) and Rim Elevation (PR_COT_TAP) for the Node

Load the defined GIS Gateway Layer

If the nodes were imported there should be a log message file and the nodes will be seen on the Map and in the InfoSewer Attribute Table Exchanging data on 'NODEIMPORT'...

Turn off the Field Aliases for the Links so we can see the actual column names

Use TT_ID as the GIS ID Mapping Field

a. Gis Data Source:  C:\Users\ … \tram_tub b. InfoSewer Data Source Type: Pipe Tables c. Relate Type: Tabular Join d. Update Direction: 0:Bi-Direction e. Exchange Options: Create New Records f. Tabular Join – GIS ID Mapping Field: TT_ID g. Field Mapping: i. PIPE->TYPE : TT_TIPO_SE ii. PIPE->MATERIAL : TT_MATERIA iii. PIPEHYD->LENGTH : TT_LONG iv. PIPEHYD->DIAMETER: TT_DIAM

Load the Links from the GIS Gateway and you should have your links on the Map and in the Attribute Browser, I did not import the From and To Nodes and the From and To Invert as I was not certain of the Attribute Tables.

3D and 2D Bar graphs of the Process Components in InfoSWMM

The new InfoSWMM and H2OMap SWMM v13  graphics allow you to easily make 3D and 2D Bar graphs of the Process components in the model.  The possible processes and the output of the processes can be seen in the Routing Continuity Output Table (Figure 1).  You can make both 3D Bar Graphs (Figure 2) and 2D Bar Graphs (Figure 3) from the data an any other tabular data.

Figure 1. Continuity Flow Routing Output Table (right mouse click to see graphics options)

Figure 2.  Log Scale with 3D Bar Graphs using the Continuity Flow Routing Output Table.

Figure 3.  Log Scale with 2D Bar Graphs using the Continuity Flow Routing Output Table.

You can also make these Bar Graphs with the the Summary Tables (Figure 4).

Figure 4.  2D Bar Graphs for the Storage Summary Table.

InfoSWMM and H20Map SWMM and their Relationship to FEMA Approved SWMM 5 Engines

The purpose of this note is to show how InfoSWMM is related to various SWMM 5 engines. InfoSWMM is a ESRI Arc Map Interface to the properties of the SWMM 5 engine using model development tools created by Innovyze for InfoWater and InfoSewer. It uses a recompiled SWMM 5 engine for the purposes of integration with Arc GIS but the underlying engine code is the EPA SWWM 5 code. InfoSWMM has very good import and export tools for reading and writing SWMM 5 files. InfoSWMM does not have to be on the official FEMA list as it uses and exports the FEMA approved current SWMM 5 engine.

SWMM 5 has been approved by FEMA since 2005. Figure 1 shows the versions of SWMM that have been approved by FEMA. It is approval that continues each time a new EPA SWMM 5 is released. Innovyze InfoSWMM and H2OMap SWMM use a recompiled SWMM 5 engine based on the current version of EPA SWMM (Figure 2). The match between the EPA Engine and InfoSWMM is shown in Figure 2. EPA SWMM 5.x was produced by the Water Supply and Water Resources Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Risk Management Research Laboratory with assistance from the consulting firm of CDM Inc under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) in 2004. Innovyze released the first version of InfoSWMM at the same time and keeps up to date with the latest SWMM 5 releases. The EPA SWMM 5 version used in the current version of InfoSWMM is listed at the top of the text output file (Figure 3).

We will show in the rest of this note how you compare the InfoSWMM engine results to the EPA SWMM 5 engine results. There are many processes to compare: RDII, Runoff, Groundwater, Snowmelt, Quality, Routing (Figure 4). The InfoSWMM model is exported to SWMM 5 (Figure 5) with the message board showing any problems in the export (Figure 6). The exported file can be immediately imported into SWMM 5 (Figure 7). Any files created by InfoSWMM such as RDII, Runoff or Hot Start files have the same format as SWMM 5 and can be used immediately in SWMM5 (Figure 8 and Figure 9). The process flows are the same in InfoSWMM and SWMM 5 (Figure’s 10, 11 and 12) as the underlying engine is the same (Figure 13) for the compared model (see Figure 14 for a comparison view of InfoSWMM and SWMM 5).

Figure 1. Time History of FEMA and SWMM Versions

Figure 2 InfoSWMM Versions and Corresponding EPA SWMM 5 Engines

Figure 3 The Version of the SWMM 5 Engine Used in InfoSWMM is shown at the top of the Text Output File.

Figure 4. The SWMM 5 Engine has many Processes as shown in this InfoSWMM Dialog.

Figure 5. The export of an InfoSWMM Model to a SWMM 5 Inp file is a One Step Command

Figure 6. The InfoSWMM Message Board shows Any Export Messages.

Figure 7. The import of the Exported InfoSWMM File into SWMM 5 is also a One Step Command

Figure 8. All Files Created in InfoSWMM can be used directly in SWMM 5 - it has to be the proper SWMM 5 engine corresponding to the InfoSWMM Version.

Figure 9. All Files Created in InfoSWMM can be used directly in SWMM 5. This is the SWMM 5 dialog that is equivlennt to the InfoSWMM Dialog.

Figure 10. RDII, Runoff and Water Quality compared in the InfoSWMM Output (left) and SWMM 5 Output (right). The Process Values are the same.

Figure 11 Groundwater, Flow and Water Quality Routing compared in the InfoSWMM Output (left) and SWMM 5 Output (right). The Process Values are the same.

Figure 12 LID Process Components compared in the InfoSWMM Output top) and SWMM 5 Output (bottom). The Process Values are the same.

Figure 13. InfoSWMM uses the SWMM 5 C code for the Current Version of EPA SWMM in a Recompiled C++ Shell.

Figure 14. The Model discussed here has 232 Links. InfoSWMM (left) and SWMM 5 (right).