| Product(s): | SewerOPS |
| Version(s): | CONNECT Edition |
| Area: | Modeling |
Background
With OpenFlows SewerOPS, wastewater and storm water operators manage their collection systems using technology from SewerGEMS and OpenFlows FLOOD. SewerOPS uses a streamlined user interface that includes the tools needed for operators to analyze and compute the storm water and wastewater system. Among the tools available to the operator is the ability to model operational events and override existing controls or statuses or elements in the model.
Workflow
Two operational events are available in SewerOPS. Power Outages are used to model the impact on the system in cases where the power to the pump is cut off or if the pump needs to be taken offline for maintenance. Pipe Blockages are used to model the impact of blockages in conduits.
In addition to the operational events, you can use Control Overrides to change the settings or status of elements in the model for a given period of time. This can help account for unexpected changes of pump settings or to adjust the status of a pipe if it is taken offline for maintenance or repair.
Operational Events
Power Outages
The Power Outage operation event is mainly used to adjust the status of pumps in a system for cases where an unexpected power outage occurs, if the operator wants to check the status of the system if pump does go offline for future unexpected events or maintenance of the pump. To create a new power outage event, go to the Home tab and choose Events. The Operation Events manager may also be docked near the drawing.
In the Operation Events manager, create a new Power Outage event by either right-clicking on Power Outages and choosing "New Outage" or by clicking the New button and then "Power Outage Response." Either way will open a Select menu.
With the Select menu, you can choose elements in a number of ways, including using the Find option to enter the label for the element. You can also simply select the element from the drawing. Once you have selected the element, click the green checkmark icon. This will open a New Power Outage Response dialog where you can define when the power outage will occur and the duration of the outage. Consider a case where the power to a pump is suddenly out and the operator wants to see how the system will be impacted if power will not be available for one hour. In that case, the operator will enter the appropriate time and set the duration to one hour.
After clicking okay, the item will be added to the Operation Events manager. As long as the power outage event is active, if the operator computes the model, the pump will be offline at the time and duration entered.
If you want to edit the existing event, you can right-click on the event and choose Edit. This will open a new manager where you can edit the pumps in the Power Outage event, the start time, or the duration. If you want to disable the event, you can simply uncheck the box next to the event. If you do that, the pump will operate like normal and the power outage event will be ignored.
Pipe Blockages
The Pipe Blockage operational event can be used to model existing or anticipated blockages in conduits and the potential impact on the rest of the system as a result. Like the Power Outage event, this is available from the Operational Events manager.
n the Operation Events manager, create a new Pipe Blockage event by either right-clicking on Power Outages and choosing "New Blockage" or by clicking the New button and then "Pipe Blockage Response." Either way will open a Select menu. You can choose elements the same way you would the Power Outage event. Once you do this, a New Pipe Blockage dialog will open a New Power Outage Response dialog. Here you can define when the pipe blockage will occur as well as the duration of the blockage. If you wanted a pipe blockage that started at a given time and lasted for two hours, the setup would look similar to the screenshot below
After clicking okay, the item will be added to the Operation Events manager. As long as the pipe blockage event is active, if the operator computes the model, the pipe will be considered blocked to flow during the times and for the duration entered.
Like the power outage event, if you want to edit the existing event, you can right-click on the event and choose Edit. This will open a new manager where you can edit the pumps in the pipe blockage event, the start time, or the duration. If you want to disable the event, you can simply uncheck the box next to the event. If you do that, the pump will operate like normal and the power outage event will be ignored.
Control Overrides
Control Overrides can be used to change the status of different elements in a model for a given duration. The elements available for this are pump, conduits, and pressure pipes. To open the Control Overrides manager, go to the Home tab and choose Control Overrides.
In the Control Overrides manager, you can use the New button to add a row to the table that is available. When you click the New button, a Select dialog is opened, allowing you to choose the elements you want included in the table.
The Control Overrides can work in a similar fashion to the Operational Event. You will need to select an attribute, a value, a start date and time, and a duration. The attributes available will vary based on the element type. For pumps, you can select Pump Status, which will allow you to turn a pump off or on, or a Pump Setting, which will allow you enter a value for the relative speed factor. This can be useful for cases where pump will be off for a given period when the controls call for the pump to be on, or if you have a case where the pump is not running at the expected speed.
For conduits, attributes includes the conduit status, which allows you to define if the conduit is open or closed. In addition, you can adjust the settings and status included in parts of an existing control structure on the conduit. For pressure pipes, only the pipe status is available at this time.
The Priority column is available for cases where there may be control overrides that conflict with each other. If there are no conflicts, setting this "0 - None" is used. If there potential conflicts, the operator can choose the appropriate level.