
	Applies To

	Product(s):	AutoPIPE,
	Version(s):	2004, XM, & V8i
	Environment:	N/A
	Area:	Warning Message
	Original Author:	Bentley Technical Support Group

Problem:

The following is displayed in model consistency check report:

W726-6: Near zero length element at point XXX

Solution:

This warning message is displayed whenever the distance between 2 node points is very very very small or actually Zero. Insert some space between the node points so they do not occur in the same exact coordinates.

Option #1:

Select the indicated node point, move / stretch it a small distance away from the next nearest node point.

Option #2:

Each bend is comprised of 4 node points (Near, Far, Mid, and TIP). The Far and Near node points on a bend are easily adjusted by changing the bend's radius to a smaller value.

Note: with back to back elbows that are fitting bound, only solution is to reduce the radius on one elbow slightly as to not cause the Far point of the 1st elbow to be exactly atop the Near point of the 2nd elbow.

Option #3:

Select the indicated node point and decide if it is really necessary to be modeled, consider deleting it completely from the model.

Example

In the following image is an elbow with a fitting bound reducer that is 0.67 ft long from BO04 to BB00, and then 1.00 feet from BB00 to BO06 (See input grid below).

The problem here is that the reducer is from 12" dia pipe reducing down to an 8" dia. pipe with a long radius 90 deg bend that has a bend radius = 1.5*Pipe Dia = 1.5 * 8 = 12 inches or 1 .00 ft. Note, that this is the same distance that BB00 is from BO06. Therefore, BB00 is directly atop of BO06 N, or there is 0.00 ft distance between these two point, which prompted the application to display the "W726-6: Near zero length element at following point(s)" warning.

Furthermore, if a measurement is taken from BO06 N to BB00, the distance would be = 0.00

As indicated in the input grid, the same issue is occurring at the bend's Far point, BO06 F is atop of BO07. Sometimes these types of issues are better looked at in line mode as shown below:

In Line Mode, the 3 bend points have been highlighted in a red shaded square. However, now there is a new problem that is visible, but does not result in a warning. The piping is not correctly connected to the up stream side of the valve but appears to be connected correctly to the downstream side of the valve. Further clarity can be seen by reviewing this piping with colored segment turned on, View> Show Options> Segment enable, press OK button to continue.

As can be clearly seen in image below, highlighting the segments by color, this model is comprised of multiple segments.

Lastly, using the keyboard arrows Up/down and Left/Right, the current node point can be changed on connected segments. Another words, place the cursor at BO02, use the right arrow to move the current point downstream to the next segment point, use the Left arrow to move the current point up-stream and Up/down arrows to switch between segments. Using this method transfer to segment BJ and back but cannot progress down segment BO to segment BB. Therefore these segments, BO to BB, are not correctly connected.

Fixing the issues:

1st address the Reducer being too close to the bend,

1. Highlight the reducer pipe between BO04 and BB00, select Edit> Move/Stretch> Dx = 0.0, Dy = 0.0, Dz = 0.1 inches.

2. Confirm fix by measuring the distance between BB00 and BO06 N is > 0.00 and warning message no longer appears when performing Tools> Model Consistency Check.

2nd address BO07 is atop BO06 F

3. Select BO07, this point serves no purpose in this model. Therefore the point is deleted.

4. Confirm fix by performing Tools> Model Consistency Check., warning message no longer appears for this node point.

3rd address the extra pipe length of segment BO that was seen to be modeled inside the valve.

5. As shown in the image above there was a short part of segment BO that was modeled inside of the valve. To correctly connect this segment BO to the valve, locate the last point on segment BO. See image above, node point was found to be "0.34" (also see this node point in the input grid of the first image of this example).

6. Select node point, "0.34" and delete it.

4th attach segment BO to the valve.

7. Make node point BB03 the current point and press Insert> Run> "Add Point Before/After" = Before, set Length = 0.2 ft, and press OK button to enter the new run.A shor trun of pipe as been added before the valve.

8. Make BO06 the current point, press Insert> Run> Name of point = BB02, and press OK button to connect the bend to the valve.

9. A bit of segment clean up, the piping is now correctly connected but there is no reason to have the valve as a different segment name from the surrounding piping,BO and BC. With the current node point = BB02, press Edit> Segment > Join>