Skeletonize the model by trimming dead-end pipes

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InfoWater Pro’s Skeletonizer app can reduce the number of elements and the complexity of a model

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while maintaining its hydraulic equivalency.

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The Skeletonizer app offers highly sophisticated and fully customizable trimming reduction, merging,

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and network skeletonization based on user-specified criteria.

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The sequence of skeletonizing is important to maintain a representative hydraulic model.

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The first step is network trimming, followed by network reduction and network merging.

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Network Trimming allows you to identify and trim out dead-end pipe segments meeting specific criteria,

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such as hydrant branches and pipes that are smaller than a diameter deemed useful for the model.

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If nodes at the end of dead-end pipes have demands assigned to them,

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the Skeletonizer will reallocate that demand to the next upstream node so that no demands are lost during the Network Trimming operation.

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To begin Network Trimming, from the InfoWater Pro ribbon, Project group, open the Skeletonizer App.

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The main Skeletonizer window opens.

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In general, it is best practice to create a Domain of a smaller portion of your model to which the Network Trimming operation will be applied.

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Click the Edit Domain button and the Domain Manager appears.

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Add your model elements to a desired Domain using the Domain Manager tools.

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Once you create your Domain of elements, close the Domain Manager and the Skeletonizer window reappears.

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Click the Options button in the Skeletonizer window to open the Network Skeletonization Options window.

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Choose from the four available Dead-End Trim Options and specify the desired criteria.

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Trim Diameter Smaller Than and Trim Length Shorter Than are self-explanatory.

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Maximum Trim Levels refers to the number of iterations to be performed on pipes in series meeting the other specified criteria.

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Elevation Difference prevents trimming of pipes between dead-end nodes

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and those immediately upstream whose elevation differences are greater than the specified criteria.

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The Common Options at the bottom of the Network Skeletonization Options window

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are typically checked to ensure continuity and reduce the risk of deleting pipes with either simple or logical controls.

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Once the Pipe Trimming options are set, click OK to close the Network Skeletonization Options window.

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Click Trim in the Skeletonizer window, then OK at the prompt.

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Close the Skeletonizer when the operation is complete.

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Spot check to verify that the desired dead-end pipes were trimmed,

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and that demands were automatically transferred from trimmed nodes to the main line node

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to which the dead-end pipe originally connected.