Design Alerts

Design Alerts are a powerful feature that can help speed up the modeling process and help verify that the model is behaving as expected. The creation of a Design Alert does not constrain or affect the operation of the model in any way. However, it automatically creates an output alert any time the design limit is violated. One common use case might be defining a maximum allowable pressure for the pipes in the model. While the output can be reviewed manually for these violations, this quickly becomes tedious as the model grows in size. Creating a Design Alert instead allows the engineer to spend less time reviewing output tables as any violation will be immediately identified.

The Design Alert Manager allows the user to create or modify Design Alerts. It can be accessed from the Tools Menu or in the Design Alerts tab in pipe and junction properties windows.

Design Alerts can also be created directly from the output, or can be imported/exported for use in other models.

The Design Alert Manager window.

Figure 1: Design Alert Manager

Creating and Applying Design Alerts

Click the green plus sign (New Design Alert) to add a new Design Alert to the model.

A Name, Object Type, and Parameter Type and Value can be specified. Depending on the Object Type, a different selection of Parameters are available, as shown below. To add a Parameter:

  1. Give the Design Alert a distinct and descriptive name.

  2. Select the Object Type the alert will be applied to.

  3. Select the Parameter Type the alter will monitor.

  4. Specify a value, unit if applicable, and companion.

    1. Use >= when the value shouldn't rise above the specified value (i.e. temperature shouldn't exceed a maximum value)

    2. Use <= when the value shouldn't fall below the specified value (i.e. pressure shouldn't drop below a minimum value)

  5. Select which Objects from the Workspace the Design Alert will be applied to.

  6. Click "OK" to save changes.

Creating a design alert in the Design Alert Manager window.

Figure 2: Creating a Design Alert

Table 1: Available Design Alerts

Pipes General Junctions Pump Valves Heat Exchangers Reservoirs

Mass Flow Rate

Pressure Gradient Stag. Total

Pressure Stagnation

Pressure Static

Submergence Inlet Margin

Submergence Outlet Margin

Temperature Stagnation

Vapor Pressure Margin

Velocity

Volumetric Flow Rate

Gradeline Energy Inlet (EGL)

Gradeline Energy Outlet (EGL)

Gradeline Hydraulic Inlet (HGL)

Gradeline Hydraulic Outlet (HGL)

Pressure loss Stagnation Total

Pressure Loss Static Total

Pressure Stagnation Inlet

Pressure Stagnation Outlet

Pressure Static Inlet

Pressure Static Outlet

Head Rise

Mass Flow Rate

NPSH Margin Absolute

NPSHA

Percent of BEP

Power Overall

Pressure Discharge Stagnation

Pressure Discharge Static

Pressure Rise Stagnation

Pressure Suction Stagnation

Pressure Suction Static

Speed

Volumetric Flow Rate

Cv

Flow Area

Head Loss

K

Kv

Mass Flow Rate

Open Percentage

Pressure Drop Stagnation

Pressure Static Inlet

Pressure Static Outlet

Volumetric Flow Rate

Head Loss

Heat Rate

Log Mean Temperature Difference

Mass Flow Rate

Pressure Drop Stagnation

Temperature Inlet

Temperature Outlet

Volumetric Flow Rate

Liquid Height

Liquid Surface Elevation

Mass of Liquid in Reservoir

Volume of Liquid in Reservoir

When running the model, the selected object's output values will be checked against the conditions that have been defined. If any of the Design Alert conditions are met, the user will receive a Design Alert warning on the Design Alerts tab in the general output section, and the violating parameters will be highlighted in the Output tables. Design Alert warnings can be double-clicked to take you to that object in the Workspace.

The Warnings tab and Pipes tab of the output window. The Warnings tab shows the design alerts in the model.

Figure 3: Design Alert Violations in Output

Design Alerts can be cross-plotted in the Graph Results window vs. the actual results. One good example where this is useful is for cross-plots of maximum and minimum allowed operating pressures.

Design alerts are visible in every scenario in a model, but can be turned off or on for specific scenarios. When creating a design alert for the first time it will be active in that scenario and all descendent scenarios. For more information about scenarios, please read the Scenario Manager help topic.