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CadreFow and Pipe Flow can replace OpenFlows WaterCAD Pipe Network Analysis

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CadreFow and Pipe Flow can replace OpenFlows WaterCAD Pipe Network Analysis

The two best alternative software which can be treated as the WaterCAD for independent researchers

Mrinmoy Majumder
May 14, 2023
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OpenFlows WaterCAD is a user-friendly hydraulic and water quality modeling application for water distribution systems, with features ranging from fire flow and constituent concentration analyses to energy cost management and pump modeling. You can effectively design new water systems and manage existing water networks to reduce disruption risks and energy consumption. You can use OpenFlows WaterCAD from within MicroStation or AutoCAD, or you can use it as a stand-alone application for more flexibility.

But its cost is USD 789.33 for a 12-month subscription. A network with only 250 pipes can be analyzed. Renewal of the subscription is also the same and you have to renew once the 12 month is over.

What is WaterCAD?

WaterCAD is an easy-to-use software that is a reliable, resource-saving, decision-support application for your water infrastructure. You can quickly analyze, design, and optimize your water distribution systems from fire flow and water quality analysis, to energy cost management and pump modeling. The built-in water quality features help you perform constituent, water age, tank mixing, and source trace analysis to develop comprehensive chlorination schedules, simulate emergency contamination events, visualize zones of influence for different water sources, and improve turbidity, taste, and odor by identifying water blending problems in your water distribution systems.

This software is a pioneer in graphical user interface-based pipe network analysis software where the user can also analyze the impact of water quality and energy on the flow output. This software has numerous features like :

  1. Stand-alone application

  2. Ability to run from within MicroStation (MicroStation license required)

  3. Seamless compatibility with WaterGEMS and HAMMER

  4. Unlimited undo and redo

  5. Element morphing, splitting, and reconnection

  6. Merge nodes in close proximity tool

  7. Automatic element labeling

  8. Scaled, schematic, and hybrid environments

  9. Element prototypes

  10. Aerial view and dynamic zooming

  11. Named views library

  12. Multiple background-layer support

  13. One of the major alternative

  14. Shapefile, DXF and DGN file, spreadsheet, database, and ODBC connections

  15. Oracle Spatial support

  16. GIS-ID property to maintain associations between records in the data source/GIS and elements in the model

  17. SCADAConnect for live data connections to and from SCADA systems (available for an additional fee)

  18. Graphical SCADA element

  19. Customer Meter element

  20. Lateral link (no need to split pipes)

  21. Automatic demand allocation from geospatial data

  22. Geospatial demand allocation from customer meters

  23. Demand allocation from lump-sum geospatial data

  24. Geospatial-based water consumption projection

  25. Daily, weekly, monthly, and superimposed patterns

  26. Unaccounted for water and leakage estimation

  27. Composite demands global edition

  28. Area, count, discharge, and population-based loading

  29. Pipe length-based demand loading

  30. Elevation extraction from DEM, TIN, and shapefiles

  31. Elevation extraction from CAD drawings and surfaces

  32. User-data extensions, including formula-based

  33. Bing Maps support

  34. Model sync In/Out, update a model or sync out to an external file

  35. hematic mapping with property-based color-coding, symbology, and annotations

  36. Dynamic, multi-parameter, and multi-scenario graphing

  37. Scenario and element comparison

  38. Shapefile contouring

  39. Advance profiling

  40. Advanced tabular reporting with FlexTables

  41. Creation of Google Earth (KML) files

  42. Publishing of i-models in 2D or 3D, including Bentley Map Mobile

  43. Video recording of result animation

  44. Customizable reports

The first alternative: Pipe Flow Expert

One of the first major alternatives to WaterCAD has most of the features that WaterCAD offers and is inexpensive compared to Water CAD.

This software has the following features :

The Pipe Flow Expert program allows users to design, model, and solve complex pipe systems, to calculate the flow rates and pressure drops in the pipes throughout their system. Pipe Flow Expert was first released in 2006 and became an instant success with engineers that needed a powerful but easy-to-use software program to model open-loop and closed-loop pipe systems with multiple tanks, multiple pumps, and multiple components.

As a software application for modeling pipe system flows and pressure drops you'll find it hard to beat. It can model both open-loop and closed-loop piping systems, with multiple supply tanks and discharge points, multiple pumps in parallel or pumps in series, and it comes with its own pipe database, fittings database, and fluids database. And most important of all, it is easy to use, taking the pressure out of piping design, pipe flow calculations, and pipe pressure drop analysis.

The cost of the annual subscription is USD 595 for 25 pipes only but renewal is USD 195.

This two software can be referred to as the most similar alternative to Water CAD.

The Second Alternative: Cadre Flow

CADRE Flow is an application for fluid system flow analysis used for simulating flow networks based on finite element principles. It will determine flow rates and pressures throughout a system accounting for friction and discrete losses. CADRE Flow determines pump and turbine parameters; power required and extracted. It also provides fluid momentum and pressure forces on joints and fittings. These forces can be exported for subsequent import to CADRE Pro for structural analysis of piping support systems. Besides the software has the following features and cost of the product.

Cadre Flow’s Features

  1. Flow rates, pressures, losses, and velocity

  2. Hydraulic grade lines, energy lines

  3. Power available, required, and lost

  4. Forces on joints and fittings

  5. Joint and fitting losses

  6. Pump requirements

  7. Turbine requirements, unit discharge

  8. Cavitation detection and evaluation

  9. Vary viscosity, temperature, and vapor pressure within the system

  10. Unrestricted variations of the Reynolds number within the system (laminar, turbulent, transition)

  11. Unlimited complex 3D networks and piping layouts

  12. Automatic environmental conditions and fluid setups for common fluids in any system of units

  13. Easily handle low-speed flow systems (biofilters)

This software has some bugs but the price of this software is: USD150 and all upgrades are free. This software also uses the Finite Element Concepts.

Besides a higher resolution of the reports and some advanced programming techniques, this two alternative software is a copy of the original software. From the way the pipe networks need to be drawn to the way the analysis report is generated these three software is exactly the same.

Conclusion

The price of an annual subscription and renewal for WaterCAD with 250pipes is USD789.33 every year whereas the same price for Pipe Flow Expert with 25 pipes is charged as USD766, 2.96% less compared to Water CAD. Cadre Flow on the other has an annual subscription for an unlimited number of pipes against a cost of USD150. No cost for renewal. So Cadre Flow is the cheapest software that can perform the flow analysis objectives.

After Cadre Flow the next expensive software is Pipe Flow followed by Water CAD.

Else You may browse the following :

  1. Very Short-Term Courses: Application of Analytical Hierarchy Process in Water Resource Management

  2. Read the book: Probability and Statistics for Data Science & Machine Learning

  3. Read the book: Statistics 101: From Data Analysis and Predictive Modeling to Measuring Distribution and Determining Probability

  4. Become an Affiliate of other related books, courses, and products

  5. Guest Posting to this newsletter

  6. New but peer-reviewed journals

  7. Become a Reviewer: Contact EIS

  8. Learn about data science with simple examples

  9. Evaluate the suitability of a journal with respect to your article

  10. Host your own App

  11. Read the book: Lecture Notes on MCDM

  12. Preorder: GIS in One Page

  13. Preorder: 50 Project Ideas on MCDM and GIS

  14. Recommend papers, software, instruments, case studies, etc. for inclusion in the newsletter

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