Pipe sizing and hydraulic calculator for clean water pipe applications.

Thank you for using Water Pipe Size Calculator SE, the standard edition of Water Pipe Size Calculator for Android!

Water Pipe Size Calculator SE, 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 catalog for various pipe materials compliant to certain standards.

There are currently two versions of Water Pipe Size calculator; a lite version and a Standard Edition (SE). The lite version is offered with minimal relevant features for free while the standard edition is also offered free on Google Play. The lite version features basic hydraulic calculations for pipe sizing, actual fluid velocity, specific head loss, and head loss gradient. The SE version offers additional features for pipe size optimization and a spreadsheet for population/consumer based design flow calculations for water network trunk lines.

Design Criteria:

In the “Demand Calculations” screen, a conservative Average Daily per capita potable water demand of 250 liters per day for regions with arid climate is the default value. The rest of the sample data for typical average daily demand per consumer class are also shown to provide basic calculation data for the user. The user shall change the sample typical average daily demand according to local requirements.

Max Daily Demand is 1.8 x average daily demand, and Peak Hourly Demand is 1.5 x Max Daily Demand. The Design Demand is the sum of 64 liters per second fire flow and the Max Daily Demand or the Peak Hourly Demand whichever is higher, plus the peak process water demand if applicable. Fire water flow is assumed to be 64 liters per second (500 GPM) for residential area external fire water requirement. Refer to AWWA, NFPA and IFC standards for more information.

Algorithms used in Water Pipe Size Calculator SE are based on principles of hydraulics for pressure pipes. Pipe sizing calculation is based on the discharge/continuity formula:

Eq. 1 Q = AV

Where: Q = Flow (m³/sec)

A = πD²/4 for circular pipe (m²)

V = Velocity (m/s)

D = Pipe Diameter (mm)

And:

Eq. 2 D = 1000 * sqrt(4Q / (πV)) (mm)

Head loss calculation is based on Hazen-Williams friction loss equation:

Eq. 3 Hf = 10.7L(Q/C)^(1.85 )/D^(4.87)

Where: Hf = friction loss in meters

L = pipe length in meters

C = Hazen-Williams friction loss coefficient

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 pipe corresponding catalogues for standard nominal pipe diameter selection.

Disclaimer:

Potable water, irrigation and fire water requirements vary according to geographic location, local standards and regulations. The user is assumed to be skilled in calculating design demands, flow in pipes and pressure loss based on local design criteria mandated by local authorities. The user is responsible in checking the accuracy of his/her own work and solely responsible for the results obtained from using this application.