Revit 2019 New Feature – Adding Hydraulic Separation to Circulating Pipe Networks
In Revit, when dividing a circulation piping system into primary, secondary, and tertiary circuits, the calculated flow rate and pressure loss for each circuit are displayed on the pump associated with that circuit. Additionally, the flow values for the entire system are shown on the pump or pump set in the main circuit. This means the pressure drop reported by each pump accurately reflects the portion of the network it supplies. For example, the pump in the main circuit reports the pressure drop of the main circuit, while the pump in the secondary circuit reports the pressure drop of the secondary circuit.
The definition of a circulating piping network includes the following key points:
- Single source equipment components, such as boilers and chillers.
- Each circuit (primary, secondary, tertiary, etc.) can have a single pump or pump set to calculate the flow rate and pressure drop, if required.
- Any number of loads on the secondary and other circuits, including radiators, fan coil units, etc. Radiators can be connected in series with other terminal units.
- Any number of pipe segments within the supply and return sections of the network.
- The main circuit can be configured and managed within the system.
The official website shows the loop before separation: the main circuit (left) and the main circuit with a low-loss manifold (right).
Circuits can be separated analytically. For example, the secondary circuit can be separated from the main circuit, and the tertiary circuit from the secondary circuit. Each circuit is assigned its own supply and return water systems. The primary and secondary systems use the same system type but can be specified as different system type instances.
Illustrations show the main circuit of the separated loop (left) and the main circuit with a low-loss manifold (right).
The network can be configured using parallel or series partitions:
If parallel partitions include pipelines, the main circuit can be divided into multiple cross-connected branch pipes, which navigate through partitions using tightly spaced T-shaped tees. In this setup, each secondary circuit shares a common pipeline.
An example of the main circuit with a crossover bridge is shown, where the selected pipeline—highlighted in red—is used for separation.
The flow rate in the main circuit’s single pipeline equals the maximum flow rate among the connected secondary circuits. Meanwhile, the flow rate in the common pipeline associated with the secondary circuit that has the highest flow rate is displayed as zero, while the common pipelines of the other secondary circuits show the flow difference between the main circuit and their respective secondary circuits.
Example of a main circuit with network secondary circuits using direct and reverse returns.
When a connector links the secondary circuit to the main pipe, the main pipe contains both the supply and return systems of the main circuit. These systems are divided at the center of the pipeline, as indicated by the following symbol:
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Revit 2019 New Features
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