Containers are defined by their dimensions, shapes and the level of water and sediment. The pressure loss due to the connection with a tank can be adjusted in the Pipe Edit Box.
Pumpsim™ has 4 types of fluid container:
- Tanks – Tanks are liquid containers in a simple shape: round or rectangular. The height of the pipe connection will influence the pressure at the inlet of the pipe.
- User Defined – User defined containers are a complexly shaped body of water such as an aquifer. They are defined in tools and then the tank tools add a connecting point to the network.
- Receiver – Receivers are for air. It is common to have them after a compressor to store the compressed air before being used. The height of the pipe connection will not matter for this type of container.
- Dam – Dam are shapes more complex than tanks, for example a dam with a certain slope.
Tank
There are three methods for a pipe to connect to a tank:
- Below the water level – The water can flow in and out of the tank. Pressure head will be added to the pipe, except for a dam.
- Above the water level – The water can only flow into the tank.
- At the water level – The pipe will act like a drain and the flow will be the sum of the flow entering minus the flow leaving the tank by another pipe. If more water leaves than enters the tank or if no water enters the tank, then the flow in the drain will be 0. The flow in the drain cannot be higher than the capacity of the pipe.
Channels can only flow into a tank and be connected above the water level, otherwise a warning will say that the channel is overflowing. Water cannot flow from a tank straight into a channel; at least one pipe is needed between the channel and the tank.
Fig. 3.2.1.1: A tank with a pipe flowing into it below the waterline, with the tank editing window open.
- Options
- Hold Water Level – The water level of this tank will remain the same during a dynamic simulation.
- Name – Name of the tank.
- Dimensions
- Shape – Shape of the tank.
- Tank Height – Total height of the tank.
- Area – Tank area. Linked to the radius, changing the area will change the dimensions of the tank according to the shape.
- Radius / width / width2 – Tank dimensions. Linked to the area, changing the dimensions will change the area of the tank according to the shape.
- Content
- Water Level – Height of the water level in the tank. The pressure head will be calculated using this value and the height of the pipe connection with the tank.
- Sediment Height – Height of sediment, measured from the bottom of the tank.
- Height – Distance between the pipe connection and the bottom of the tank. Appears only when there is just one pipe connected to the tank. If changed, the tank position will adjust.
Dam
Dams behave in the same way as tanks, except that they can be more complex in shape, like the following shape. A common dam would be an underground sump with a slope.
Fig. 3.2.1.2: Rectangular shape dam with slopes on both sides.
To create a dam, add a container and select the Dam option. To edit the shape, click on the picture representing the cross view of your dam. Design of the dam is done by adjusting the height and width on each side.
Fig. 3.2.1.3: Edit box for the above dam
Fig. 3.2.1.4: Dam builder
Hint: Every pipe connected to a dam connects to its centreline, which is the vertical line in the center of the tallest part of the dam.
User Defined
A user defined container is a large body of water from which several different points connect. They can be used when the shape of the object is complex (pit) or unknown (aquifer).
To use them, first enter a volume vs pressure curve for a specific elevation. Also enter a water volume which will change during the simulation.
Fig. 3.2.1.2: Creating an aquifer.
Then add the user defined node where water from comes out of the aquifer. The resistance of the aquifer as the water flows down will need to be entered to each point, it is calculated knowing the size of the opening, the pressure at this point when the opening is closed and the flow when the opening is fully open.
Receiver
Air receivers are containers with a similar shape to a tank but the main difference is that the height of the connection does not matter, as it contains a pressurised fluid. The amount of air contained can be entered as the volume of free air or as a pressure. The dark green color in the graphics represents the percentage of pressure in the tank versus the maximum pressure that the receiver can contain.
Fig. 3.2.1.2: Receiver and its edit form.