Water Pipe Sizer Lite

1.0 About Water Pipe Sizer Lite

Water Pipe Sizer, a clean water pipe sizing application program for android devices is a handy tool for Civil Engineers, Designers, and other engineering professionals who are involved in clean water networks design. The app features quick pipe sizing and quick calculations for flow velocity and pipe head loss due to friction. It is intended for single pipe analysis or one pipe at a time for series of pipes and thus, may serve as a tool for design reviewers when verifying pipe sizes in hydraulic models. Pipe size selection is based on built in catalogues for various pipe materials compliant to certain standards.

2.0 Versions

There are two versions of Water Pipe Sizer. A lite version and standard edition (SE). Both versions are offered for free. The lite version features basic hydraulic calculations for pipe sizing, actual fluid velocity, specific head loss, and head loss gradient. The SE version includes additional features for pipe size optimization, node pressures, HGL output, and a spreadsheet for occupancy based bulk demand and design flow calculations suitable for designing water network trunk lines.

3.0 Design Criteria

Algorithms used in this program are based on principles of hydraulics for pressure pipes. Pipe sizing calculation is based on the discharge/continuity formula Q=AV, where Q = flow rate in liters per second, A = cross sectional area of pipe in millimeters, and V=velocity of water in the pipe . Head loss calculation is based on Hazen-Williams friction loss equation Hf=10.7*L*(Q/C)^1.85/D^4.87 where Hf =friction loss in meters, L=pipe length in meters, C=Hazen-Williams friction loss coefficient, and D=diameter of pipe in millimeters. Pipe sizes are based on standard specifications for the following materials: Ductile Iron (DI), IS0 2531, BSEN 545 & 598; Reinforced Thermosetting Resin / Fiberglass (RTR, GRP, GRE, FRP), AWWA C950-01; High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), SDR11, PN16, PE100; uPVC, PN16, Class 5, EN12162, ASTM1784. Inside pipe diameter or nominal bore for other standards may differ and not included in the built-in catalogues in this application. However, the user can still use the app to determine the required internal diameter for other pipes of different pressure classes and refer to corresponding pipe catalogues for standard nominal pipe diameter selection.

4.0 Instructions - Read before using the app.

It is assumed that the design flow in liters per second is already available for a particular pipe. The figure for design flow can be encoded manually. In the “Flow Q in liters/sec (lps)” data field, encode the design flow and press the “OK” button to add the data in the system. Encode the other relevant data for design velocity, length of pipe and Hazen-Williams friction loss coefficient C for the required pipe material. The default value of C is 0 for automated selection of the C value according to material type. The default can be overridden by encoding a required value not more than 150. Change it according to pipe material requirement or according pipe age. Press the corresponding OK button after encoding each data figure and press the “Press here to confirm data” button. To size the pipe, press the required pipe material button. The output will be displayed in the corresponding data fields at the right column. The reset button clears all variables and input/output data.

Please rate the app if you find it useful and also comment if you find a bug.