TM

AFT Impulse   
Quick Start Guide
Metric Units

AFT Impulse Version 7

Waterhammer Modeling in Piping Systems

Dynamic solutions for a fluid world ™

CAUTION!
AFT Impulse is a sophisticated waterhammer and surge transient
modeling program designed for qualified engineers with experience in
waterhammer analysis and should not be used by untrained individuals.
AFT Impulse is intended solely as an aide for pipe flow analysis
engineers and not as a replacement for other design and analysis
methods, including hand calculations and sound engineering judgment.
All data generated by AFT Impulse should be independently verified
with other engineering methods.
AFT Impulse is designed to be used only by persons who possess a level
of knowledge consistent with that obtained in an undergraduate
engineering course in the analysis of pipe system fluid mechanics and is
familiar with standard industry practice in waterhammer analysis.
AFT Impulse is intended to be used only within the boundaries of its
engineering assumptions. The user should consult the AFT Impulse Help
System for a discussion of all engineering assumptions made by AFT
Impulse.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice. No part of this Quick
Start Guide may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of Applied Flow
Technology.

© 2018 Applied Flow Technology Corporation. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.
First printing.

"AFT Impulse", "AFT Fathom", "Applied Flow Technology", “Dynamic solutions for a
fluid world”, and the AFT logo are trademarks of Applied Flow Technology Corporation.
Excel and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Intelliquip is a trademark
of Intelliquip, LLC. Chempak is a trademark of Madison Technical Software, Inc.
CAESAR II, SmartPlant, CADWorx, and PDS are trademarks of Intergraph Corporation.
ROHR2 is a trademark of SIGMA Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH. AutoCAD Plant 3D is a
trademark of Autodesk, Inc.
Contents
1. Introducing AFT Impulse ............................................... 1 
Designing for waterhammer ..................................................................... 1 
Modeling capabilities ......................................................................... 2 
Add-on module capabilities (optional) ............................................... 2 
The steady-state solver ............................................................................. 2 
The transient solver................................................................................... 3 
Thermophysical property data .................................................................. 3 
Engineering assumptions in AFT Impulse................................................ 4 
AFT Impulse Primary Windows ............................................................... 4 
Input windows .................................................................................... 4 
Output windows ................................................................................. 5 

2. Valve Closure Example .................................................. 7 

Topics covered .......................................................................................... 7 
Required knowledge ................................................................................. 7 
Model file.................................................................................................. 8 
Problem statement .................................................................................... 8 
Step 1. Start AFT Impulse ........................................................................ 8 
The Workspace window ............................................................ 12 
Unpinning the Quick Access Panel ........................................... 13 
Step 2. Lay out the model ....................................................................... 13 
A. Place a Reservoir ......................................................................... 13 
Objects and ID numbers ............................................................ 13 
Editing on the Workspace .......................................................... 14 
B. Place the other junctions .............................................................. 15 
C. Draw a pipe between J1 and J3 ................................................... 16 
D. Add the remaining pipes.............................................................. 18 
Reference positive flow direction .............................................. 18 
Step 3. Complete the first three Checklist requirements......................... 19 
A. Specify Steady Solution Control ................................................. 20 
B. Specify System Properties ........................................................... 20 
ii AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
Step 4. Define the model components (Checklist item #3)..................... 21 
Object status............................................................................... 21 
Showing undefined objects ........................................................ 22 
A. Enter data for Reservoirs ............................................................. 23 
Using the tabs in the Properties windows .................................. 24 
The Inspection feature ............................................................... 25 
B. Enter Branch data ........................................................................ 26 
C. Enter Valve data .......................................................................... 26 
D. Enter pipe data for P1 .................................................................. 28 
The Pipe Properties window ...................................................... 29 
Wavespeed ................................................................................. 30 
E. Enter data for other pipes ............................................................. 30 
F. Check pipes and junctions............................................................ 30 
G. Review model data ...................................................................... 30 
Reviewing input in the Model Data window ............................. 31 
Step 5. Complete the last two Checklist requirements ........................... 31 
A. Specify pipe sectioning ............................................................... 32 
B. Specify Transient Control ............................................................ 34 
C. Save the model............................................................................. 35 
Step 6. Run the solver ............................................................................. 35 
The two solvers ................................................................................ 36 
The transient output file ................................................................... 37 
Step 7. Review the Output window ........................................................ 37 
Step 8. View the graph results ................................................................ 40 
Further review ............................................................................ 44 
Step 9. View the Visual Report .............................................................. 46 
Conclusion .............................................................................................. 47 

3. Pump Startup With Event Transients ......................... 49 

Topics covered ........................................................................................ 49 
Required knowledge ............................................................................... 49 
Model file................................................................................................ 50 
Problem statement .................................................................................. 50 
Step 1. Start AFT Impulse ...................................................................... 50 
Table of Contents iii
Step 2. Specify System Properties .......................................................... 50 
Step 3. Build the model........................................................................... 51 
A. Place the pipes and junctions....................................................... 51 
B. Enter the pipe and junction data .................................................. 51 
J1 - Reservoir ............................................................................. 52 
J10 - Reservoir ........................................................................... 52 
J11 - Reservoir ........................................................................... 52 
J4, J7 and J8 - Branches ............................................................. 52 
J2 and J5 - Pumps ...................................................................... 53 
J3 and J6 - Valves ...................................................................... 53 
J9 - Valve ................................................................................... 54 
C. Check if the pipe and junction data is complete .......................... 55 
Step 4. Section the pipes ......................................................................... 56 
Step 5. Specify Transient Control ........................................................... 56 
Step 6. Create scenarios to model the three startup cases ....................... 57 
A. Create scenarios ........................................................................... 57 
B. Set up scenarios ........................................................................... 59 
One Pump Start .......................................................................... 59 
One Pump Start With One Running .......................................... 59 
Step 7. Run the first scenario .................................................................. 60 
Step 8. Graph the results ......................................................................... 61 
Step 9. Animate the results ..................................................................... 66 
Step 10. Run the other scenarios and graph the results........................... 68 
Conclusion .............................................................................................. 70 

4. Pump Trip Example ...................................................... 71 

Topics covered ........................................................................................ 71 
Required knowledge ............................................................................... 71 
Model file................................................................................................ 72 
Problem statement .................................................................................. 72 
Step 1. Start AFT Impulse ...................................................................... 72 
Step 2. Specify System Properties .......................................................... 72 
Step 3. Build the model........................................................................... 73 
A. Place the pipes and junctions....................................................... 73 
iv AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
B. Enter the pipe and junction data .................................................. 73 
J1 and J2 - Reservoirs ................................................................ 74 
J10 - Branch ............................................................................... 74 
J20 and J40 - Branches .............................................................. 74 
J100 - Branch ............................................................................. 74 
J11 - General Component .......................................................... 75 
J21 and J31 - Pumps .................................................................. 75 
J22 and J32 - Valves .................................................................. 76 
J101 and J102 - Spray Discharges ............................................. 77 
C. Check if the pipe and junction data is complete .......................... 77 
Step 4. Section the pipes ......................................................................... 77 
Step 5. Specify Transient Control ........................................................... 78 
Step 6. Run the model ............................................................................. 78 
Step 7. Review results............................................................................. 78 
A. Graph the transient pressures at the pump ................................... 79 
B. Graph the pump speed decay ....................................................... 80 
Step 8. Create additional pump scenarios ............................................... 81 
Four Quadrant BEP.................................................................... 82 
Four Quadrant SSOP ................................................................. 84 
Step 9. Run the four quadrant scenarios ................................................. 84 
Step 10. Adjust the valve closure............................................................ 86 
Step 11. Specify Transient Control ......................................................... 86 
Step 12. Run the model ........................................................................... 86 
Step 13. Graph results ............................................................................. 87 
Conclusion .............................................................................................. 88 

5. Valve Closure With Force Sets Example .................... 89 

Topics covered ........................................................................................ 89 
Required knowledge ............................................................................... 89 
Model file................................................................................................ 90 
Step 1. Start AFT Impulse ...................................................................... 90 
Step 2. Open model file .......................................................................... 90 
Isometric Drawing Mode ........................................................... 90 
Step 3. Section the pipes ......................................................................... 91 
Table of Contents v
Step 4. Specify Transient Control ........................................................... 92 
Step 5. Run the model ............................................................................. 93 
Step 6. Graph pipe forces ........................................................................ 93 
Final notes ........................................................................................ 95 
Analysis summary .................................................................................. 95 

6. AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples ................... 97 

Topics covered ........................................................................................ 97 
Required knowledge ............................................................................... 97 
Model files .............................................................................................. 98 
SSL problem statement ........................................................................... 98 
SSL Step 1. Start AFT Impulse .............................................................. 98 
SSL Step 2. Specify System Properties .................................................. 98 
SSL Step 3. Build the model ................................................................... 99 
A.  Place the pipes and junctions .................................................. 99 
B.  Enter the pipe data ................................................................ 100 
C.  Enter the junction data .......................................................... 101 
J1 - Reservoir ........................................................................... 101 
J3 - Branch ............................................................................... 101 
J5 - Branch ............................................................................... 101 
J15 - Branch ............................................................................. 101 
J6 - Reservoir ........................................................................... 101 
J16 - Reservoir ......................................................................... 101 
J2 - Pump ................................................................................. 101 
J4 - Valve ................................................................................. 103 
J14 - Valve ............................................................................... 103 
D.  Check if the pipe and junction data is complete ................... 103 
SSL Step 4. Section the pipes ............................................................... 104 
SSL Step 5. Specify Transient Control ................................................. 104 
SSL Step 6. Run the model ................................................................... 104 
SSL Step 7. Review results ................................................................... 104 
A. Check the Transient Max/Min in the Output ............................. 104 
B. Graph the velocity ratio and pressures to Deposit #1 ................ 105 
C. Graph the velocity ratio over time ............................................. 108 
vi AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
SSL analysis summary .......................................................................... 109 
PFA problem statement ........................................................................ 110 
PFA Step 1. Start AFT Impulse ............................................................ 110 
PFA Step 2. Specify System Properties ................................................ 110 
PFA Step 3. Build the model ................................................................ 110 
A. Place the pipes and junctions..................................................... 110 
B. Enter the pipe data ..................................................................... 111 
C. Enter the junction data ............................................................... 112 
J1 and J2 – Assigned Flows ..................................................... 112 
J3 and J4 - Area Changes......................................................... 112 
J8 and J9 - Area Changes......................................................... 112 
J5 and J6 - Tees........................................................................ 112 
J10 - Spray Nozzle ................................................................... 112 
J7 - Dead End........................................................................... 113 
D. Check if the pipe and junction data is complete ........................ 113 
PFA Step 4. Define Pulsation Setup properties .................................... 113 
PFA Step 5. Section the pipes ............................................................... 115 
PFA Step 6. Run the model .................................................................. 116 
PFA Step 7. Review results .................................................................. 118 
Find excitation frequencies to study ........................................ 118 
Evaluate excitation frequencies ............................................... 120 
Determine the pressure response of the system at excited
frequencies ............................................................................... 121 
PFA analysis summary ......................................................................... 126 

7. Other AFT Impulse Capabilities ................................ 127 

Index ................................................................................ 131 

CHAPTER 1

Introducing AFT Impulse

Welcome to AFT Impulse™ 7, Applied Flow Technology's powerful

waterhammer modeling tool. With AFT Impulse you can model
transients caused by a wide range of pipe system behavior. This will
allow you to understand transient pressure extremes and, when
necessary, size and locate surge suppression equipment.
AFT Impulse includes a steady-state solution engine which solves for the
system initial conditions. These results are used to automatically
initialize the transient model. The engineer accesses these capabilities
through an advanced graphical interface, which includes built-in
expertise to guide the engineer through the modeling process.
AFT Impulse 7 has two available add-on modules which extend AFT
Impulse’s modeling capabilities into new areas.
 The Settling Slurry (SSL) module allows the engineer to perform
the complex property and system interaction calculations
associated with settling slurry flows.
 The Pulsation Frequency Analysis (PFA) module allows the
engineer to determine resonant frequencies that can result in
excessive vibration and damage to systems.

Designing for waterhammer

Waterhammer can cause catastrophic failure of pipe systems and damage
expensive equipment. Properly addressing such issues at the design stage
is essential. An AFT Impulse model allows the engineer to better
understand and predict the dynamic behavior of the pipe system. When
undesirable waterhammer transients are identified at the design stage,
different strategies to reduce surge pressures can be evaluated. These
2 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
may include using surge suppression equipment, modifying the design,
or modifying the system operation.
Sometimes the undesirable transients are not discovered until after the
system is built. In such cases, AFT Impulse can provide critical insight
into the cause of the problem and allow the engineer to assess design
and/or operational modifications to resolve the issue.

Modeling capabilities
AFT Impulse provides a broad array of features to model pipe system
transients. These include:
 Transients in open and closed (recirculating) systems
 Network systems that branch or loop
 Systems with valve transients
 Systems with pump transients
 Systems with turbine transients
 Systems with pressure or flow control valve transients
 Systems with transient cavitation and liquid column separation
 Systems with surge suppression devices such as accumulators, surge
tanks and vacuum breaker valves
 Systems with variable density and viscosity
 Multiple design cases in a single model file
 Non-Newtonian fluid behavior

Add-on module capabilities (optional)

 System performance for settling slurry calculations (SSL module)
 Identification of resonant frequencies (PFA module)
 Positive displacement pump speeds which excite resonant
frequencies (PFA module)

The steady-state solver

Before a waterhammer model can be run, the initial steady-state
conditions are required. AFT Impulse obtains the steady-state solution
Chapter 1 Introducing AFT Impulse 3
using a Newton-Raphson matrix solution algorithm to obtain a mass and
momentum balance. The algorithm is similar to that used in the
acclaimed AFT Fathom™.
If desired, AFT Impulse can be run in “Steady Only” mode where only
the steady flow pipe hydraulics are modeled. When run in “Transient”
mode, the steady flow solution is used to automatically initialize the
transient solution. This convenience helps the user avoid the often
error-prone process of manually setting up the initial conditions, and it
allows the user to quickly and safely modify and rerun the model.

The transient solver

AFT Impulse employs the traditional Method of Characteristics (MOC)
to solve the transient equations of pipe flow. A mass and momentum
balance is performed at all computing stations in each pipe, accurately
representing the propagation of transient pressure waves throughout the
system.
The MOC is an explicit solution technique, where the Solver marches in
time for a duration specified by the user.

Thermophysical property data

AFT Impulse derives physical properties from one of five sources. The
first is the standard AFT Impulse set of incompressible fluids which
contains data for about 10 common fluids (called AFT Standard).
The second is User Specified Fluid, for which data is provided by the
user. The third is water data from the ASME Steam tables.
The fourth is the NIST REFPROP database, first introduced in AFT
Impulse 7. REFPROP is licensed from the National Institute of Standards
and Technology and is included in AFT Impulse. REFPROP has a
database of approximately 150 fluids and supports user specified fluid
mixtures. AFT Impulse is restricted to non-reacting mixture calculations.
The fifth is the Chempak™ database. Chempak is licensed from Madison
Technical Software and is offered as an optional add-on to AFT Impulse.
Chempak has a database of approximately 700 fluids and supports user
specified fluid mixtures. AFT Impulse is restricted to non-reacting
mixture calculations.
4 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Engineering assumptions in AFT Impulse

AFT Impulse is based on the following fundamental fluid mechanics
assumptions:
 Liquid flow (liquid full)
 One-dimensional flow
 No chemical reactions
 Wavespeed remains constant during transients
 Non-condensable gas release is negligible
 Bubbles that form during transient cavitation do not move

AFT Impulse Primary Windows

The AFT Impulse window has five windows that work in an integrated
fashion. Each is located on a separate, movable tab. You work
exclusively from one of these windows at all times. For this reason, they
are referred to as Primary Windows.

Of the five Primary Windows, two are input windows, two are output
windows, and one displays both input and output information. Figure 1.1
shows the relationships between the Primary Windows.

Figure 1.1 Primary Window workflow in AFT Impulse

Input windows
The two windows that function exclusively as input windows are the
Workspace window and the Model Data window. These two windows,
Chapter 1 Introducing AFT Impulse 5
one graphical and the other text-based, work together to process model
input data with immense flexibility. The tools provided in these two
windows allow you to model a large variety of pipe networks.
The Visual Report window can function in support of both input and
output data. As an input window, it allows you to see the input data
superimposed on the pipe system schematic created on the Workspace.

Output windows
The two windows that function exclusively as output windows are the
Output window and the Graph Results window. The Output window is
text-based, while the Graph Results window is graphical. These two
windows offer a powerful and diverse range of features for reviewing
analysis results for modeling errors, gaining a deeper understanding of
the pipe system's flow behavior, and preparing the results for
documentation.
As an output window, Visual Report allows you to see the output results
superimposed on the pipe system schematic created on the Workspace.
The five Primary Windows form a tightly integrated, highly efficient
system for entering, processing, analyzing, and documenting transient
incompressible flow analyses of pipe networks.
Note: AFT Impulse supports multiple monitors. You can click and drag
any of the five Primary Window tabs off of the main AFT Impulse
window. Once you drag one of the Primary Windows off of the Impulse
window, you can move it anywhere you like on your screen, including
onto a second monitor in a dual monitor configuration. To add the
Primary Window back to the main AFT Impulse primary tab window
bar, simply click the X button in the upper right of the Primary Window.
6 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
CHAPTER 2

Valve Closure Example

This chapter is designed to give you the big picture of AFT Impulse's
layout and structure. Some of the more basic concepts will be used to
build a four-pipe, five-junction model which shows the waterhammer
transients that result when a valve is closed.
A number of other example model discussions are included in a Help file
distributed with AFT Impulse called ImpulseExamplesMetric.chm. It can
be opened from the Help menu by choosing "Show Examples" and
selecting “Metric Units…”.

Topics covered
 Model building basics
 Entering pipe and junction data
 Specifying System Properties
 Entering transient data
 Sectioning pipes
 Graphing output results

Required knowledge
No prior knowledge is required for this example.
8 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Model file
This example uses the following file, which is installed in the Examples
folder as part of the AFT Impulse installation:
 Valve Closure Metric.imp
This example is also provided in US customary units under the English
Units file name, Valve Closure.imp.
This example will require you to build the model from scratch to help
familiarize yourself with the steps required to build a complete model in
AFT Impulse. Therefore, use this example model file as a reference only.

Problem statement
For this problem, water flows from two separate supply tanks and
combines into a single 12 inch line before flowing to a downstream
reservoir. The flow is controlled by opening and closing a valve in the 12
inch line.
This model will simulate the closure of the valve over a period of 1
second. The valve will stay closed for the remaining simulation duration.
Graph the pressure at the inlet of the valve over the entire simulation
duration to determine the maximum pressure that occurs at the valve
during the transient.

Step 1. Start AFT Impulse

 To start AFT Impulse, click Start on the Windows taskbar, choose All
Programs, then AFT Products, and then AFT Impulse. (This refers to the
standard menu items created by setup. You may have chosen to specify a
different menu item).

As AFT Impulse is started, the AFT Impulse Startup window appears, as

shown in Figure 2.1. This window provides you with several options you
can choose before you start building a model.
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 9

Figure 2.1 AFT Impulse Startup window

Some of the actions available from the AFT Impulse Startup window are:
 Open a previous model, browse to a model, or browse to an Example
 Activate an Add-on Module
 Select “ASME Water” or a recently used fluid to be the Working
Fluid
 Review or modify Modeling Preferences
 Select a Unit System
 Filter units to include Common Only or Common Plus Selected
Industries
 Choose a Grid Style
 Select a Default Pipe Material
10 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

 Access other Resources, such as Quick Start Guides, Help Files, and
Video Tutorials
If this is the first time that you have started AFT Impulse, Modeling
Preferences will be expanded in the middle section of the Startup
Window, as shown in Figure 2.2. If this is not the first time that you have
started AFT Impulse, the Startup Window will appear with Modeling
Preferences collapsed, as shown in Figure 2.1.
When collapsed, you can view your current Modeling Preferences at the
bottom of Start a New Model. To further review or adjust your
preferences, click the “Modify>>” button (see Figure 2.1).

Figure 2.2 Startup Window with Modeling Preferences Expanded

With Modeling Preferences expanded, as in Figure 2.2, select “Both with

Metric Defaults” under Unit System. Select “Common Only” under
Filter to show only commonly used units, instead of “All Units”.
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 11
You can “Show Sample Units” to see which units will be included based
on your selections, as shown in Figure 2.3.

Hide Sample
Units

Figure 2.3 Show Sample Units with “Common Only” Selected

The other Filter option is “Common Plus Selected Industries”, which will
add units from the industries that you select. Once you have finished
modifying your Modeling Preferences, click “Remember My Preferences
and Hide”. Now that your unit preferences are set, click “Start Building
Model”.
12 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
The Workspace window is the initial active (large) window, as seen in
Figure 2.4. The five tabs in the AFT Impulse window represent the five
Primary Windows. Each Primary Window contains its own toolbar that
is displayed directly beneath the Primary Window tabs.

The Workspace window

The Workspace window is the primary vehicle for building your model.
This window has three main areas: the Toolbox, the Quick Access Panel,
and the Workspace itself. The Toolbox is the bundle of tools on the far
left. The Quick Access Panel is displayed on the far right. It gives easy
access to a variety of features such as the Scenario Manager, the
Checklist Panel, and viewing pipe and junction properties. The
Workspace takes up the rest of the window.

Primary Window Tabs Quick Access Panel

Float Toolbar Quick Access Panel Pin

Scenario Manager in
Toolbox Quick Access Panel

Checklist Panel
Workspace
Model Status light

Workspace Workspace
Zoom Tools Overview Map
Status Bar

Figure 2.4 The Workspace window is where the model is built. The
other four Primary Windows are found on the tabs
along the top of the Workspace. The Status Bar shows
the model status
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 13
You will build your waterhammer model on the Workspace using the
Toolbox tools. At the top of the Toolbox is the Float Toolbar. From here,
you can choose the location of the Toolbox in reference to the
Workspace by specifying Dock Left, Float, or Dock Right. Below the
Float Toolbar are two drawing tools. The Pipe Drawing tool, on the
upper left, is used to draw new pipes on the Workspace. Next to this tool
is the Annotation tool. The Annotation tool allows you to create
annotations and auxiliary graphics.
Below the two drawing tools are twenty-one icons that represent the
different types of junctions available in AFT Impulse. Junctions are
components that connect pipes and also influence the pressure or flow
behavior of the pipe system. The junction icons can be dragged from the
Toolbox and dropped onto the Workspace.
When you pass your mouse pointer over any of the Toolbox tools, a
tooltip identifies the tool's function.

Unpinning the Quick Access Panel

By default, the Quick Access Panel is pinned to the Workspace window
so that it is constantly displayed. The Quick Access Panel can be
unpinned so it is only displayed when the mouse is moved over the tab
displayed on the right edge of the Workspace window. Unpin the Quick
Access Panel by clicking on the pin icon displayed in the top right corner
of the Quick Access Panel (Figure 2.4). The Quick Access Panel will be
unpinned for the remainder of the examples in this guide.

Step 2. Lay out the model

To lay out the valve closure model, you will place five junctions on the
Workspace. Then you will connect the junctions with pipes.

A. Place a Reservoir
 To start, drag a Reservoir junction from the Toolbox and drop it on
the Workspace. Figure 2.5a shows the Workspace with one Reservoir.

Objects and ID numbers

Items placed on the Workspace are called objects. All objects are derived
directly or indirectly from the Toolbox. AFT Impulse uses three types of
objects: pipes, junctions and annotations.
14 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
All pipe and junction objects on the Workspace have an associated ID
number. For junctions, this number is placed directly above the junction
by default and prefixed with the letter “J”. Pipe ID numbers are prefixed
with the letter “P”. You can optionally choose to display either or both
the ID number and the name of a pipe or junction. You also can drag the
ID number/name text to a different location to improve visibility.
The Reservoir you have created on the Workspace will take on the
default ID number of 1. You can change this to any desired number
greater than zero but less than 100,000.

Editing on the Workspace

Once on the Workspace, junction objects can be moved to new locations
and edited using the features on the Edit menu. Cutting, copying, and
pasting are all supported. A single level of undo is available for all
editing operations.

Figure 2.5a Valve closure model with first junction placed

Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 15

B. Place the other junctions

If a new junction type you want to add already exists on the Workspace,
you have the option of duplicating that junction. You do this by choosing
Duplicate from the Edit menu. Either duplicate the first Reservoir or drag
a new Reservoir junction onto the Workspace. Place the new Reservoir
somewhere to the right of the first Reservoir junction (Figure 2.5b).

Note: The relative location of objects in AFT Impulse is not important.

Distances and heights are defined through dialog boxes. The relative
locations on the Workspace establish the connectivity of the objects but
have no bearing on the actual length or elevation relationships. The
Isometric Pipe Drawing Mode (see Chapter 5) can be used to visually
represent the three-dimensional nature of a system.

Drag a Branch, Valve and third Reservoir junction from the Toolbox and
drop them on the Workspace so that your model appears similar to
Figure 2.5b.
If the icons do not line up exactly, the calculations will not be affected.
However, your model may have a nicer appearance if the icons line up.
You can align the icons by using the Align features selected from the
Arrange menu.

Figure 2.5b Valve closure model with all junctions placed

16 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
Before continuing, save the work you have done so far. Choose “Save
As” from the File menu and enter a file name (Valve Closure perhaps)
and AFT Impulse will append the “.imp” extension to the file name.

C. Draw a pipe between J1 and J3

Now that you have five junctions, you need to connect them with pipes.

 To create a pipe, click the Pipe Drawing Tool icon on the Toolbox. The
pointer will change to a crosshair when you move it over the Workspace.
Draw a pipe below the junctions, similar to that shown in Figure 2.5c.
The pipe object on the Workspace has an ID number (P1) that is shown
near the center of the pipe.

Figure 2.5c Valve closure model with first pipe drawn

 To place the pipe between J1 and J3, use the mouse to grab the pipe in
the center, drag it so that its left endpoint falls within the J1 Reservoir
icon, then drop it there (see Figure 2.5d). Next, grab the right endpoint of
the pipe and stretch the pipe, dragging it until the endpoint terminates
within the J3 Branch icon (see Figure 2.5e).
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 17

Figure 2.5d Valve closure model with first pipe partially connected

Figure 2.5e Valve closure model with first pipe connected

18 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

D. Add the remaining pipes

A faster way to add a pipe is to draw it directly between the desired
junctions.

 Activate the Pipe Drawing Tool again, position the mouse pointer on
the J2 Reservoir, then press and hold the left mouse button. Stretch the
pipe across to the J3 Branch, and then release the mouse button.
Continue drawing pipes P3 and P4 as indicated in Figure 2.5f. After all
the pipes are drawn, all the objects in the model are graphically
connected. Save the model by selecting Save in the File menu or by
clicking on the “save” icon on the Main Toolbar.

Figure 2.5f Valve closure model with all pipes and junctions
placed

Reference positive flow direction

There is an arrow on each pipe that indicates the reference positive flow
direction for the pipe. AFT Impulse assigns a flow direction
corresponding to the direction in which the pipe is drawn.
You can reverse the reference positive flow direction by choosing
“Reverse Direction” from the Arrange menu or selecting the Reverse
Pipe Direction button on the Workspace Toolbar.
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 19
In general, the reference positive flow direction is used for reference
purposes only and need not be the actual flow direction. However, when
used with pumps and certain other junction types the pipes must be in the
appropriate forward flow direction because that is how AFT Impulse
determines which side is suction and which is discharge. If the reference
positive flow direction is the opposite of that obtained by the Solver, the
output will show the flow rate as a negative number.
Note: Some users find it desirable to lock objects to the Workspace once
they have been placed. This prevents accidental movement and
disruption of the connections. You can lock all the objects by choosing
Select All from the Edit menu, then selecting Lock Object from the
Arrange menu. The Lock Object button on the Workspace Toolbar will
appear depressed, indicating it is in an enabled state, and will remain so
as long as any selected object is locked. Alternatively, you can use the
grid feature and “Snap to Grid”, which is turned on by default when you
first start AFT Impulse. The grid options can be modified through the
User Options window from the Tools menu.

Step 3. Complete the first three Checklist requirements

 Next, click the checkmark on the Main Toolbar at the top of the AFT
Impulse window. This opens the Checklist window (Figure 2.6). The
Checklist window (also simply called the Checklist) contains five items.
Each item needs to be completed before AFT Impulse allows you to run
the Solver.
Note: The Checklist contains five items, but if you are running your
model in steady state mode only, the two items at the bottom of the list,
Section Pipes and Specify Transient Control, will appear faded and you
will be unable to open them because they pertain to the transient analysis
only. To change back and forth between the steady state and transient
analyses, choose either “Steady Only” or “Transient” from the Time
Simulation selection on the Analysis menu.

The state of each Checklist item can also be seen by clicking the Model
Status light on the Status Bar at the bottom right corner of the AFT
Impulse window (Figure 2.4). This will cause the Checklist to be
displayed in the Quick Access Panel window to the right of the
Workspace. The Checklist can also be shown from the View menu. Once
the Checklist is complete, the Model Status light in the lower right corner
turns from red to green.
20 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Figure 2.6 The Checklist window tracks the defined and undefined
model input

A. Specify Steady Solution Control

The first item, “Specify Steady Solution Control”, is always checked
when you start AFT Impulse because AFT Impulse assigns default
solution control parameters for the steady-state part of the analysis. In
general, you do not need to adjust these values. If necessary, you can
make adjustments by opening the Steady Solution Control window from
the Analysis menu.

B. Specify System Properties

The second item on the Checklist is “Specify System Properties”. To
complete this item, you must open the System Properties window. This
window allows you to select your fluid as well as the viscosity model,
gravitational acceleration and atmospheric pressure.
You can directly enter fluid data (using User Specified Fluid), select a
fluid from the standard AFT Impulse fluid database (AFT Standard), or
select Water Data from ASME Steam Tables. Additionally, you can
select from fluids and/or create mixtures using the NIST REFPROP
database (included in AFT Impulse) or the Chempak database (an
optional add-on to AFT Impulse). You can also add your own custom
fluids to the AFT Standard database.

 Select System Properties from the Analysis menu to open the System
Properties window (Figure 2.7). For this example, use the AFT Standard
database and select “Water at 1 atm” in the upper list, then click the
“Add to Model” button. Enter a temperature of 21 deg. C and click the
Calculate Properties button to obtain the Density, Dynamic Viscosity,
Bulk Modulus and Vapor Pressure.
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 21

Figure 2.7 System Properties window is where you specify the

fluid

 Open the Checklist by clicking the status light on the Status Bar and
you should now see the second item checked off.

Step 4. Define the model components (Checklist item #3)

The third item on the Checklist, “Define All Pipes and Junctions”, is not
as straightforward to satisfy as the first two. This item encompasses the
proper input data and connectivity for all pipes and junctions.

Object status
Each pipe and junction has an object status. The object status tells you
whether the object is defined according to AFT Impulse’s requirements.
To see the status of the objects in your model, click the light bulb icon on
the Workspace Toolbar (alternatively, you could choose “Show Object
Status” from the View menu). Each time you click the light bulb, “Show
Object Status” is toggled on or off.
22 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
When “Show Object Status” is on, the ID numbers for all undefined
pipes and junctions are displayed in red on the Workspace. Objects that
are completely defined have their ID numbers displayed in black. (These
colors are configurable through User Options from the Tools menu).
Because you have not yet defined the pipes and junctions in this example
problem, all the objects' ID numbers will change to red when you turn on
“Show Object Status”.

Showing undefined objects

Another useful feature is the List Undefined Objects window (Figure
2.8). This can be opened from the View menu by clicking on “List
Undefined Objects”, or by clicking on “Define All Pipes and Junctions”
on the Checklist. Here all objects with incomplete information are listed.
Clicking on an undefined pipe or junction will display the property data
that is missing. Click the close button to stop showing this window.

Figure 2.8 The List Undefined Objects window lets you see the
undefined properties for each undefined object
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 23

A. Enter data for Reservoirs

As shown in Figure 2.5f, the J1 junction is a Reservoir junction.

 To define the first Reservoir, open the J1 Reservoir Properties window

(Figure 2.9) by double-clicking on the J1 junction. The Pipe Depth
should now be enabled for entry, showing that Pipe 1 is connected to the
Reservoir.
Note: You can also open an object's Properties window by selecting the
object (clicking on it) and then either pressing the Enter key or clicking
the Open Pipe/Junction Window icon on the Workspace Toolbar.

 Enter the following properties into the J1 Reservoir Properties

window:
1. Set the Tank Model to “Infinite Reservoir”
2. Enter 15 meters for the Liquid Surface Elevation. You can assign
any unit found in the adjacent drop-down menu of units for the
parameter.
3. Enter 0 barG (0 kPa(g)) for the Liquid Surface Pressure
4. Enter 3 meters for the Pipe Depth (ensure that the radio button next
to Pipe Depth is selected)
Note: You can choose default units for many parameters (such as meters
for length) in the User Options window in the Tools menu under
Preferred Units.

You can give the object a name, if desired, by entering it in the Name
field at the top of the window. By default, the junction’s name indicates
the junction type. In Figure 2.9, the name of this Reservoir has been
changed to Supply Tank A. The name can be displayed on the
Workspace, Visual Report or in the Output.
Most junction types can be entered into a custom database allowing the
junction to be used multiple times or shared between users. To select a
junction from the custom database, choose the desired junction from the
Database List in the junction’s Properties window. The current junction
will get the properties from the database component.
24 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Figure 2.9 Properties window for Reservoir J1

The “Copy Data From Jct” list will show all the junctions of the same
type in the model. This will copy the user selected parameters from an
existing junction in the model to the current junction.

Using the tabs in the Properties windows

The information in the Properties windows is grouped into several
categories and placed on separate tabs. Click the tab to bring its
information forward. Figure 2.9 is an example of a Reservoir’s Properties
window.
If there is only one pipe connected to the reservoir, the depth can be
entered directly on the diagram on the Reservoir Model tab for
convenience. The depth can also be entered no matter the number of
pipes on the Pipe Depth & Loss Coefficients tab. The pipe table allows
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 25
you to specify entrance and exit loss factors for each pipe connected to
the tank (in this case there is only one). The default selection is for the
loss factors to be specified as zero. To change the loss factors later, click
within the pipe table and enter the loss.
The Optional tab allows you to enter different types of optional data.
You can select whether the junction number, name, or both are displayed
on the Workspace. Some junction types also allow you to provide a
guess for initial pressure or other junction-specific data.
Each junction has a tab for notes, allowing you to enter text describing
the junction or documenting any assumptions.
The highlight feature displays all the required information in the
Properties window in light blue. The highlight feature is on by default.
You can toggle the highlight feature off and on by double-clicking
anywhere in the window above the tabs or by pressing the F2 key. The
highlight feature can also be turned on or off by selecting “Highlight in
Pipe and Jct Windows” from the View menu. Note that the highlight
feature is turned off in the Examples models.

 Click OK. If “Show Object Status” is turned on, you should see the J1
ID number turn black again, telling you that J1 is now completely
defined.

 Next, repeat this process for junctions J2 (Supply Tank B) and J5

(Discharge Tank) with the following data for the Infinite
Reservoir tank model:
 For J2, use a Liquid Surface Elevation of 14 meters, a Pipe Depth of
3 meters, and a Liquid Surface Pressure of 0 barG (0 kPa(g))
 For J5 use a Liquid Surface Level of 1.5 meters, a Pipe Depth of 1.5
meters, and a Liquid Surface Pressure of 0 barG (0 kPa(g))

The Inspection feature

You can check the input parameters for J1 quickly, in read-only fashion,
by using the Inspection feature. Position the mouse pointer on the J1
Reservoir junction and hold down the right mouse button. An inspection
window appears, as shown in Figure 2.10.
Inspecting is a faster way of examining the input in an object than
opening the Properties window.
26 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Inspection window

Figure 2.10 Inspecting junction properties from the Workspace by

clicking and holding the right mouse button

B. Enter Branch data

 Open the J3 Branch Properties window and enter an elevation of 0
meters.

C. Enter Valve data

The J4 junction is a Valve junction. This junction will be the initiator of
the transient.
 Double-click the J4 junction icon to open the Valve Properties window
(Figure 2.11)
1. Enter an elevation of 0 meters
2. Choose the Loss Model as Cv and enter a Cv of 1000 (this is the
steady-state Cv)
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 27

Figure 2.11 Input data for Valve junction J4

3. Click the Transient tab and select Time under “Initiation of

Transient” to indicate that the valve closure will be initiated at the
time you specify, then enter the following Cv vs. Time data for the
valve’s Cv at various times during the simulation (Figure 2.12).
Time (sec) Cv
0 1000
0.4 400
0.8 100
1 0
2 0
The first data point (Cv = 1000 at time zero) must match the steady-
state value (entered in step 2). The transient data represents the valve
as initially open. The valve then closes over a period of one second
(a Cv of zero means the valve is closed). The valve then stays closed
for the rest of the simulation.
28 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Figure 2.12 Transient input data for Valve Junction J4

4. Click the OK button. There should now be a “T” symbol next to the
Valve junction in the Workspace, indicating that transient data is
entered for the junction.

D. Enter pipe data for P1

Data for pipes and junctions can be entered in any order. In this example,
the junctions were done first. The next step is to define all the pipes. To
open the Pipe Properties window, double-click the pipe object on the
Workspace.

 First, open the Pipe Properties window for Pipe P1. The Pipe Model
tab opens by default (Figure 2.13).
1. In the Pipe Material field, choose "Steel - ANSI"
2. In the Size and Type fields, choose "10 inch" and "STD (schedule
40)", respectively
3. Specify the length as 60 meters
4. For the Friction Model field, choose “Standard”
5. Choose the Pipe Support as “Thick-Walled Anchored Upstream”
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 29

Figure 2.13 Properties window for Pipe P1

The Pipe Properties window

The Pipe Properties window offers control over all important hydraulic
parameters that are related to pipes.
The Inspect feature can be accessed not only from pipes and junctions
located on the Workspace, but also from within the Properties window of
each pipe (and certain junctions). This is helpful when you want to
quickly check the properties of objects that connect to a pipe or junction
whose Properties window you already have open.
To Inspect a junction connected to a given pipe, position the mouse
pointer on the connected junction's ID number in that pipe’s Properties
window (located at the top right of the Pipe Properties window) and hold
down the right mouse button. This process can be repeated for any
junctions that state the upstream and downstream pipe in the junction’s
Properties window by holding the right mouse button on the pipe’s ID
number.
30 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
By double-clicking the connected junction number, you can jump
directly to the junction's Properties window. Or you can click the Jump
button to jump to any other part of you model.

Wavespeed
The wavespeed is a very important parameter in waterhammer analysis.
The wavespeed can be calculated with reasonable accuracy from fluid
and pipe data, or it may be available from test data or industry
publications. If the wavespeed is not known (which is typical), then the
Calculated Wavespeed option is the preferred option. In this case, data is
required for pipe wall thickness, modulus of elasticity, Poisson Ratio,
and pipe support details. Data for pipe wall thickness, modulus of
elasticity, and Poisson Ratio are built into the pipe material databases
supplied with AFT Impulse, and was automatically obtained when the
Steel - ANSI, 10-inch, STD (schedule 40) option was chosen. The
calculated wavespeed is 1279 meters/sec (Figure 2.13). Click OK.

E. Enter data for other pipes

Similar to Pipe P1, enter the following data for the other pipes:
Pipe Length Size Pipe Support Friction Model
(meters) (inches)
1 60 10 Thick-Walled Anchored Upstream Standard
2 45 10 Thick-Walled Anchored Upstream Standard
3 15 12 Thick-Walled Anchored Upstream Standard
4 12 12 Thick-Walled Anchored Upstream Standard

F. Check pipes and junctions

 Check if all the pipes and junctions are defined. If all data is entered,
the “Define All Pipes and Junctions” Checklist item on the Quick Access
Panel will have a check mark. If not, turn on the “Show Object Status”
from the View menu or Workspace Toolbar icon, and open each
undefined pipe and junction. The Status tab on each Properties window
will indicate what information is missing.

G. Review model data

 Save the model one more time. It is also a good idea to review the input
using the Model Data window.
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 31
Reviewing input in the Model Data window
The Model Data window is shown in Figure 2.14. To change to this
window, you can click on the Model Data tab, select it from the Window
menu, or press Ctrl+ M. The Model Data window gives you a text-based
perspective of your model. Selections can be copied to the clipboard and
transferred into other Windows programs, exported into Excel, saved to a
formatted file, printed to an AdobeTM PDF, or printed out for review.
Data is displayed in three general areas. The top is called the General
data section, the middle is the Pipe data section and the bottom the
Junction data section. Each section is collapsible using the buttons at the
top left of the section. Further, each section can be resized.
The Model Data window allows access to all Properties windows by
double-clicking on any input parameter column in the row of the pipe or
junction you want to access. You may want to try this right now.

General data
section

Pipe data section

Junction data
section

Figure 2.14 The Model Data window shows all input in text form

Step 5. Complete the last two Checklist requirements

After completing the first three Checklist items, sufficient information
exists to run the model in steady-state. The final two Checklist items are
for transient modeling. To run the model in steady-state, select “Time
32 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
Simulation” from the Analysis menu and then choose “Steady Only”. If
one does this, the final two Checklist items are grayed out and the model
can be run.
In general, it is a good idea to always run your model in steady-state first
before running the full transient analysis to make sure the model is
giving reasonable results.

A. Specify pipe sectioning

The fourth Checklist item is Section Pipes. This window cannot be
opened until sufficient data in the System Properties and Pipe Properties
windows has been specified. This required data includes that the fluid
must be selected (this was done in Step 3B when the System Properties
were entered). Additionally, all pipes must have a length and wavespeed
entered. After this data has been entered, the pipes can be sectioned. The
Section Pipes window helps divide the pipes into computation sections in
a manner which is consistent with the Method of Characteristics (MOC).
Select Section Pipes on the Analysis menu to display the Section Pipes
window (Figure 2.15). For this model, the controlling pipe is P4. This is
the pipe with the shortest end-to-end communication time (i.e., L/a – the
length divided by the wavespeed). To satisfy the MOC, the following
equation must be applied:
Li
ni 
ai t
where n is the number of sections in pipe i, L is the length, and a is the
wavespeed. The t is the time step. Since all pipes in the network must
be solved together, the same time step must be used for each pipe. With a
given length and wavespeed for each pipe, it can be seen from the above
equation that it is unlikely that the number of required sections, n, for
each pipe will be a whole number.
To address this situation, it is helpful to recognize that the wavespeed, a,
is the least certain input parameter. It is therefore generally considered
acceptable to allow up to a 15% uncertainty in wavespeed. By adjusting
the wavespeed for each pipe within this tolerance, the sectioning can be
made to come out as whole numbers for each pipe. The Section Pipes
window automates this process by searching for sectioning which
satisfies the required tolerance. While a 15% variance in wavespeed is
often acceptable, AFT Impulse uses 10% by default.
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 33

Results for one

to five pipe
sections

Details for all

pipes when 2
sections in the
controlling pipe is
selected above

Figure 2.15 The Section Pipes window automates the sectioning

process and calculates the time step

When the Section Pipes window is first opened, it will automatically

search for the best (least average variance) option for one to five sections
in the controlling pipe. The results will be displayed in the table at the
top. If more sections are needed, you can change the “Search up to”
quantity and click “Update Results”.
In this example model, the results when the controlling pipe has only one
section show a maximum variance of 11%. Since this is greater than the
default 10% threshold (shown when the Advanced Settings section is
expanded), the first row is colored red and was not automatically
selected. The option to have two sections in the controlling pipe is
selected since that has the fewest sections with an acceptable maximum
variance. The time step is shown to be 0.00433 seconds.
34 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
Note that if the number of sections in the controlling pipe is doubled, the
runtime increases roughly by a factor of four (twice the number of
computations per time step and twice the number of time steps for the
run). In this example, selecting four sections in the controlling pipe
would result in the smallest variance in wavespeed modifications out of
the options displayed, but the runtime would be four times that compared
to the case where two sections are selected (16 times longer than with
one section in the controlling pipe). Remembering that it is acceptable to
have up to a 15% uncertainty in wavespeed, and that there are other
uncertainties in the model, one would typically pick the option with the
fewest sections with an acceptable maximum variance.

B. Specify Transient Control

The fifth and final Checklist item is Specify Transient Control. This
window allows you to specify the time at which the transient starts and
ends, as well as how much data to include in the output file.
 Select Transient Control on the Analysis menu to display the
Transient Control window (Figure 2.16). Enter 0 seconds in the Start
Time field and 2 seconds in the Stop Time field.
The Transient Control window allows you to enable or disable transient
cavitation modeling and select which model to use. It also offers control
over how AFT Impulse should respond to artificial transients. Artificial
transients are a problem that can sometimes occur when steady-state and
transient conditions are inconsistent.
At the bottom of the window, the projected output file size is shown.
You should pay attention to this number, as the output file size can grow
very large. In this case, the output file will be 213 kB. If the output file
does become excessively large, you will want to limit the number of time
steps and pipe output written to disk. Note that the estimated file size and
computational time may vary between machines.
 Click OK to accept the current settings. The last Checklist item should
be completed. The model is ready to be solved.
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 35

Figure 2.16 The Transient Control window offers features to

specify the time span for the transient and what output
data is written to disk

C. Save the model

Saving the model immediately before running it is always a good idea.
Ensure that you save your model now.

Step 6. Run the solver

 Choose “Run Model…” from the Analysis menu or click the arrow
icon on the Toolbar. During execution, the Solution Progress window is
displayed (Figure 2.17). You can use this window to pause or cancel the
Solver's activity.
36 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Figure 2.17 The Solution Progress window displays the state of

the simulation

The two solvers

AFT Impulse has two Solvers. The first is called the Steady-State Solver,
which as its name suggests, obtains a steady-state solution to the pipe
network. The second Solver is called the Transient Solver. This solves
the waterhammer equations.
Before a transient simulation can be initiated, the initial conditions are
required. These initial conditions are the steady-state solution to the
system. After the steady-state solution is obtained by the Steady-State
Solver, AFT Impulse uses the results to automatically initialize the
Transient Solver and then run it.
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 37
When the solution is obtained, click the Output button on the Solution
Progress window to display the text-based Output window. The
information in the Output window can be reviewed visually on the
screen, saved to file, exported to a spreadsheet-ready format, copied to
the clipboard, and printed out.

The transient output file

When the Transient Solver runs, the transient output data is written to a
file. This file is given the same name as the model itself with a number
appended to the name, and with an “.out” extension appended to the end.
For all transient data processing, graphing, etc., the data is extracted from
this file. The number is appended because AFT Impulse allows the user
to build different scenarios all within this model. Each scenario will have
its own output file; thus, the files need to be distinguishable from each
other.
The output file will remain on disk until the user erases it or the input
model is modified. This means that if you were to close your model right
now and then reopen it, you could proceed directly to the Output window
for data review without rerunning your model.

Step 7. Review the Output window

The Output window (Figure 2.18) is similar in structure to the Model
Data window. Three areas are shown (including the General section, Pipe
Section, and Junction section), and you can expand or collapse each
section by dragging the boundary between the sections up or down, or by
clicking the arrow beside the section label. The items displayed in the
tables are those items you select in the Output Control window.
The Output window allows you to review both the steady-state and
transient results. The Pipes tab, All Junctions tab, and any specific
junction tabs in the Junction section (such as Branch, Reservoir, Valve,
etc.) show the steady-state results. A summary of the maximum and
minimum transient results for each pipe is given on the Transient
Max/Min tab in the Pipe section and is the active tab displayed in Figure
2.19.
38 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

General section

Pipe section

Junction
section

Figure 2.18 The Output window displays steady and transient

output in text form

Figure 2.19 The Output window displays maximum and minimum

transient data in the Transient Max/Min table

You can also review the solutions for each time step (i.e., a time history)
for which data was written to file on the Transient Output tab in the Pipe
section (Figure 2.20). Moving the slider along the bottom will change the
time step shown in the table.
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 39

Time step

Figure 2.20 The Output window displays transient data for each
time step in the Transient Output table

The Output Control window (Figure 2.21) allows you to select the
specific output parameters you want to display in your output. You also
can choose the units for the output. If you do not change any of the
Output Control settings, default Output Control parameters and a default
title are assigned.
Select the Reorder
output type output
using
this tool
The parameters
can be viewed
alphabetically or
by category
These are
These are displayed
parameters in the
that can be output
displayed

Select
units

Description
of terms can
be displayed

Figure 2.21 The Output Control window lets you customize the
output
40 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
Units for each column in the Output section can also be changed by
double-clicking the column header. This will open a window in which
you can select the units again if you prefer (Figure 2.22). These changes
are extended to the Output Control parameter data that is set.

Figure 2.22 The Change Units window is opened from the Output
window tables by double-clicking the column header

Step 8. View the graph results

For transient analyses, the Graph Results window will usually be more
helpful than the Output window because of the more voluminous data.
AFT Impulse’s Graph Guide feature, accessed by clicking on the “What
Would You Like to Do?” button located at the top right of the Graph
Area, provides assistance by guiding you through the creation of a
“Quick and Simple” graph, or an “Advanced” graph (Figure 2.23). You
can create a graph by following the prompts on the Graph Guide, or by
manually specifying the graphing parameters on the Graph Control tab
on the Quick Access Panel, or from the “Select Graph Parameters” icon
located in the top left corner of the Graph Results Toolbar. For the
remainder of this Quick Start Guide, the Graph Guide will be hidden, but
remember that you can use it whenever you would like assistance in
creating a graph.
Figure 2.24 shows the Graph Results window with the Graph Control tab
enabled on the Quick Access Panel.
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 41

Figure 2.23 The Graph Guide can be toggled on and off by clicking
the “What Would You Like to Do?” button on the
Graph Results window

Graph
List
Graph Guide Manager

Adjustable
Select Graph
split bar
Parameters
Parameters Parameters/
definition Formatting
Graph Area area area

Graph Control
tab

Quick Access Panel

Figure 2.24 The Graph Results window and Quick Access Panel
Graph Control tab is where various system parameters
(both steady-state and transient) can be graphed

AFT Impulse gives you the ability to create “stacked graphs”. These are
graphs that are displayed on top of each other with the same X-axis but
with different parameters on the Y-axis. This feature is very helpful
when you want to look at how multiple parameters change in the same
location of your model at the same time without having to create separate
graphs.
42 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
In this example, you will create stacked graphs of the pressures and
flows at the inlet and outlet of Valve J4 to see how these parameters
change as the valve closes.
 First, change to the Graph Results window by clicking on the Graph
Results tab, by clicking “Graph Results” from the Solution Progress
window after running the model, or by pressing Ctrl+G on the keyboard.
The Graph Results window offers full-featured Windows plot
preparation.
 Access the graphing parameters by opening the Graph Control tab
on the Quick Access Panel (this tab is automatically selected when
the Graph Results window is opened). Because you are interested in
seeing how the pressures and flows in specific pipe sections respond over
time, ensure that the Transient Pipe tab is selected in the Parameters/
Formatting area on the Quick Access Panel. Alternatively, you can open
the Select Graph Parameters window by clicking on the corresponding
icon on the Graph Results Toolbar (this is the first icon located above the
top left corner of the Graph area).
 Under the “Select Pipe Stations” on the Transient Pipe tab, expand
the P3 pipe stations and double-click on Outlet, which is the pipe
computing station at the valve inlet. Alternatively, you can click on the
right arrow button after selecting the pipe station you want to graph to
add it to the “Graph These Pipes/Stations” list. Also add the inlet of Pipe
P4 which is the valve exit.
 Select seconds for the Time Units and select “All Times” next to “Time
Frame”.
 In the Parameters definition area, select “Pressure Static” and
choose “barG” in the dropdown box under “Units” to graph the static
pressure in barG at the valve inlet and outlet over time.
 In order to add the stacked graph over the static pressure graph
showing the volumetric flowrate at the inlet and outlet of Valve J4,
click the “Add” button, which has the green “+” icon next to “Select
Parameter”. A new row under the Parameter definition area will appear
(See Figure 2.25).
 Choose “Volumetric Flowrate Upstream” in this new parameter row
and select units of “m3/hr”.
 Click Generate at the bottom of the Quick Access Panel to create the
static pressure and volumetric flowrate graphs at the inlet and outlet of
the valve over the duration of the simulation.
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 43
 To format the legend font size, right-click on each legend and use the
scroll bar next to decrease the font size to 14 for both graphs. Drag the
legend to the upper right corner of the graph.
 To format each axis font size, right click on each axis title and use
the scroll bar to decrease the size until the font size on each axis appears
as you want it.
Figure 2.25 shows the input in the Parameters/ Formatting area on the
Quick Access Panel.
Figure 2.26 shows the stacked graphs detailing the static pressures and
volumetric flowrates at the Valve J4 inlet and outlet over 2 seconds. Here
you can see that the maximum pressure at the valve inlet is about 1.1
barG. It should be noted that these graphs could also be made from the
Transient Jct tab. In this case, the inlet and outlet pressures at the valve
would be selected separately.

The “Add a
new Stacked
Graph” button
adds another
parameter to
your graph

Figure 2.25 The Graph Control tab on the Quick Access Panel
allows you to specify the graph parameters you want
to graph in the Parameters/Formatting area
44 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Figure 2.26 The Graph Results window offers full-featured plot

generation. Here the static pressure and volumetric
flow at the Valve J4 inlet and outlet are shown over 2
seconds.

The graph colors, fonts and other elements can be modified using the
Formatting area on the Graph Control tab on the Quick Access Panel.
The Graph Results window can be printed, saved to file, copied to the
clipboard, or printed to an Adobe PDF file. The graph’s x-y data can be
exported to file or copied to the clipboard.

Further review
Further review of the valve graph results in Figure 2.26 shows that at
time zero, the pressure difference between the top and bottom curves of
the pressure graph is about 1.1 barG. This is the steady-state pressure
difference across the valve, which can also be found in the Output
window to be 1.096 barG.
As time increases, one sees that the two curves move further apart, which
represents the increased pressure drop across the valve as it closes. At 1
second, the valve closes entirely and the pipes upstream and downstream
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 45
of the valve are isolated from each other and will decay to the steady-
state conditions which exist for a closed valve.
For the purpose of analysis, it would also be useful to view the
volumetric flow rate from each supply tank over time.
 Create a new graph tab by clicking the “New Tab” button which is the
green plus icon located on the bottom right, immediately below the graph
area (Figure 2.27)
 Open the Transient Pipe tab on the Graph Control tab of the Quick
Access Panel. Add the P1 and P2 inlet pipe stations to the “Graph These
Pipes/Stations” list.
 Select “seconds” in the Time Units section and “All Times” in the
Time Frame section to graph the volumetric flowrate over the entire
simulation duration.
 Select Volumetric Flowrate Upstream and specify the units as “m3/hr”.
 Click the Generate button to display the graph. A graph of these
stations shows the flowrates out of the two supply reservoirs. Note that
after the valve closes, the fluid in Reservoir J1 flows to Reservoir J2
(Figure 2.27).

The “New
Tab” button
creates a new
graph tab

Figure 2.27 Transient flowrates out of the reservoirs

46 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Note: AFT Impulse allows you to quickly generate several types of

graphs by right-clicking on pipes or junctions on the Workspace after
your model has output. To quickly generate the static pressure plot at the
Valve J4 inlet and outlet, you can right-click on Valve J4 on the
Workspace, then select “Create Transient Graph for connected pipes
(Inlet/Outlet)”, then select Pressure Static. To add the volumetric
flowrate stacked graph, or to modify any units or other graph parameters,
access the Graph Control tab on the Quick Access Panel and adjust the
graph parameters as desired.

Step 9. View the Visual Report

The Visual Report allows you to show text output alongside the model
schematic. This is useful to quickly show pertinent information in
relation to the location in the model. The Visual Report can also animate
the transient pipe results in a color animation overlaid on the model.

 Change to the Visual Report window by clicking on the Visual Report

tab, choosing it from the Window menu, or pressing Ctrl+I. This window
allows you to integrate your text results with the graphic layout of your
pipe network.

 Click the Visual Report Control button on the Visual Report

Toolbar (or Tools menu) and open the Visual Report Control window,
shown in Figure 2.28. Select “Max Pressure Stagnation” and “Min
Pressure Stagnation” in the Pipe Results area. Click the Show button.
The Visual Report window graphic is generated (Figure 2.29).
It is common for the text in the Visual Report window to overlap when
first generated. You can change this by selecting smaller fonts or by
dragging the text to a new area to increase clarity. You can also use the
Visual Report Control window to display units in a legend to increase the
clarity of the display. These adjustments have already been done in
Figure 2.29. This window can be printed or copied to the clipboard for
import into other Windows graphics programs, saved to a file, or printed
to an Adobe PDF file.
Chapter 2 Valve Closure Example 47

Figure 2.28 The Visual Report Control window selects content for
the Visual Report window

The Visual Report window also provides the ability to animate the
transient results as a qualitative tool to visualize the behavior in a
network. This option can also be accessed from the Visual Report
Control by selecting the Animate Display Mode at the top of the window
(see Figure 2.28). When using the animation mode, text results cannot be
displayed for the report. Instead, one parameter can be animated using
absolute values or values relative to the steady state, or a static map of all
maximum/minimum transient values can be generated. The animation
can be recorded to a file. The model setup for animating static pressure
can be seen in Figure 2.30.

Conclusion
The maximum pressure at the valve’s inlet during the valve closure is
approximately 5.1 bar. You have now used AFT Impulse's five Primary
Windows to build a simple waterhammer model.
48 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Click here to
open the Visual
Report Control

Units may be
displayed in a
legend

Click and drag text

to preferred
location

Figure 2.29 The Visual Report integrates results with model layout

Animation toolbar
provides controls
to play and adjust
animation

Legend and
Time boxes
can be moved

Visual Report
Animation tab
adjusts Animation
parameters and
scale

Figure 2.30 The Visual Report provides an animation feature as an

alternate way to view the transient results
CHAPTER 3

Pump Startup With Event Transients

This example looks at three pump startup cases for a water transfer
system. The objective is to determine the maximum pressures in the
system and to assess whether the system cavitates or experiences sub-
atmospheric pressure.

Topics covered
This example will cover the following topics:
 Starting one or more pumps
 Using steady-state and transient special condition features
 Using event transients
 Using Scenario Manager
 Adding graphs to the Graph List Manager
 Using Graph Animation

Required knowledge
This example assumes that the user has some familiarity with AFT
Impulse such as placing junctions, connecting pipes, entering pipe and
junction properties, and entering transient data. Refer to the Valve
Closure Example in Chapter 2 for more information on these topics.
50 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Model file
This example uses the following file, which is installed in the Examples
folder as part of the AFT Impulse installation:
 Pump Startup With Event Transient_Metric.imp

Problem statement
This problem contains two pumps in parallel that transfer water from a
supply reservoir to two process tanks downstream. The following three
different pump startup scenarios are to be modeled and evaluated:
1. Both pumps starting
2. One pump starting
3. One pump starting with the other pump already running
As the design engineer, you will evaluate these three scenarios to
determine the maximum and minimum system pressures, as well as use
the animation features in AFT Impulse to understand how the system
will respond in each case.

Step 1. Start AFT Impulse

From the Start Menu choose AFT Products and AFT Impulse.

Step 2. Specify System Properties

1. Open the System Properties window by selecting “System
Properties” in the Analysis menu.
2. On the Fluid Data tab, select the AFT Standard database and then
select "Water at 1 atm" in the “Fluids Available in Database”
window.
3. Click "Add to Model" to select water for use in this model.
4. Specify 16 deg. C in the Temperature field and click "Calculate
Properties". This calculates the fluid properties to use in the model.
5. Click OK
Chapter 3 Pump Startup With Event Transients 51

Note: The Fluid Data can also be specified in the Startup window when
AFT Impulse is first opened.

Step 3. Build the model

A. Place the pipes and junctions
At this point, the first two items are completed on the Checklist. The next
Checklist item is to "Define All Pipes and Junctions". In the Workspace
window, assemble the model as shown in Figure 3.1. The Add/Remove
Segments button on the Toolbar can be used to create the bend in pipes
P4 and P6. Segments are only visual, and do not affect calculations.

Figure 3.1 Layout of pipe system for pump startup example

B. Enter the pipe and junction data

The system is in place, but now the input data for the pipes and junctions
need to be entered. Double-click each pipe and junction and enter the
following data in each Pipe and Junction Properties window.
Pipes P1-P11 are Steel – ANSI, STD, Thick-Walled Anchored Upstream,
with the following properties:
52 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Pipe Name Length Size Friction

(meters) (inches) Model
1 Suction Pipe Pump #1 15 10 Standard
2 Discharge Pipe Pump #1 6 10 Standard
3 Pipe 6 10 Standard
4 Suction Pipe Pump #2 18 10 Standard
5 Discharge Pipe Pump #2 6 10 Standard
6 Pipe 6 10 Standard
7 Pipe 30 16 Standard
8 Line to Process #1 Tank 76 12 Standard
9 Line to Process #1 Tank 61 12 Standard
10 Line to Process #1 Tank 366 12 Standard
11 Line to Process #2 Tank 1524 12 Standard

J1 - Reservoir
1. Name = Supply Reservoir
2. Liquid Surface Elevation = 6 meters
3. Liquid Surface Pressure = 0 barG (0 kPa (g))
4. Pipe Depth = 6 meters

J10 - Reservoir
1. Name = Process #1 Tank
2. Liquid Surface Elevation = 30 meters
3. Liquid Surface Pressure = 0 barG (0 kPa (g))
4. Pipe Depth = 3 meters

J11 - Reservoir
1. Name = Process #2 Tank
2. Liquid Surface Elevation = 3 meters
3. Surface pressure = 0 barG (0 kPa (g))
4. Pipe Depth = 3 meters

J4, J7 and J8 - Branches

Elevation = 0 meters
Chapter 3 Pump Startup With Event Transients 53
J2 and J5 - Pumps
1. J2 Name = Transfer Pump #1
2. J5 Name = Transfer Pump #2
3. Elevation = 0 meters
4. Pump Model = Centrifugal (Rotodynamic)
5. In the “Reverse Flow” area choose “Never”, as the pump discharge
valves are designed to prevent reverse flow through the pumps.
6. Click the “Enter Curve Data” button and enter the following data:
Q (m3/hr) dH (m)
0 45.7
227 42.7
454 36.6
7. In the Curve Fitting area, click the “Generate Curve Fit Now” button.
Then click the OK button
8. On the Transient tab, select “Speed vs. Time” under “Without
Inertia” for the transient type
9. Enter the following data for pump speed to specify that the pumps
will come up to speed in two seconds:
Time (sec) Speed (%)
0 0
2 100
10 100
10. On the Optional tab, select the Special Condition as “Pump Off With
Flow Through”. This indicates that initially the pump is turned off,
but flow can go through it during steady-state. Valve junctions will
be used to prevent any steady-state flow

J3 and J6 - Valves
1. J3 Name = Valve #1
2. J6 Name = Valve #2
3. Elevation = 0 meters
4. Cv = 1000
54 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
5. On the Transient tab, enter the following data:
Time (sec) Cv
0 0
1 800
2 1000
10 1000
6. On the Optional tab, select the Special Condition as Closed. (When
you close the valves, the adjacent pipes are displayed with dashed
lines to denote that the pipes will have no flow.)

J9 - Valve
This valve will use what is called an event transient. This means that the
time zero in the Transient Data table is with respect to some condition
occurring in the system. If the condition is never reached, the valve
transient is never initiated. Here the valve should open when the pressure
at Branch J7 is sufficient to cause the water to flow into Reservoir J10.
There is no "Junction Pressure" for the “Initiation of Transient”, but there
is one for pipes. Use one of the pipes connected to Branch J7 as a basis
for the event.
1. Name = Valve to Process #1 Tank
2. Elevation = 0 meters
3. Cv = 500
On the Transient tab, enter the following data: (Figure 3.2)
Time (sec) Cv
0 0
2 400
3 500
10 500
In the “Initiation of Transient” area select “Single Event”
4. Event Type = Pressure Stagnation at Pipe
5. Condition = Greater Than
6. Value = 3.10 barG
7. Pipe = 7, Outlet
8. On the Optional tab, select the Special Condition as Closed
Chapter 3 Pump Startup With Event Transients 55

Note: Transients which have multiple event initiators can be defined

using Multi-Condition events, which are defined by selecting Multi-
Condition for the Event Type, then using the Multi-Condition Event
Manager to group the events.

Figure 3.2 Specifying an event transient for Valve J9

C. Check if the pipe and junction data is complete

Turn on “Show Object Status” from the View menu to verify if all data is
entered. If so, the third Checklist item will have a check mark. If not, the
pipe or junction number of any uncompleted pipes or junctions will be
shown in red. If this happens, go back to the uncompleted pipes or
junctions and enter the missing data.
56 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Note: Red is the default color that shows what objects are undefined in
your model when Show Object Status is active. This color is
configurable in the User Options.

Step 4. Section the pipes

Open the Section Pipes window from the Analysis menu. When the
Section Pipes window is first opened, it will automatically search for the
best (least average variance) option for one to five sections in the
controlling pipe. The results will be displayed in the table at the top.
Click OK to accept the displayed sectioning.

Step 5. Specify Transient Control

1. Open the Transient Control window from the Analysis menu
2. Enter the Start Time as 0 seconds and the Stop Time as 10 seconds
on the Transient Solver Control tab
3. Clear the checkbox for Model Transient Cavitation on the Transient
Solver Control tab (cavitation will be ignored until it becomes clear
that it should be modeled)
4. To minimize run time and output file size, the table on the Pipe
Station Output tab uses “Inlet and Outlet” for all pipes by default.
This will cause the output for only the inlet and outlet station of each
pipe to be saved to file. Data can be saved for all pipe stations or
only selected stations. Click the All button to select all the pipes in
the table. Drop down the list next to the “Change Selected Pipes To”
button and select “All Stations”. Then click the “Change Selected
Pipes To” button (Figure 3.3). This will save all pipe station data for
all pipes, which will be useful later for animation purposes
5. Click the OK button
Chapter 3 Pump Startup With Event Transients 57

Figure 3.3 Transient Control window pipe station selection

Step 6. Create scenarios to model the three startup cases

A. Create scenarios
In this model, the following three pump startup cases are to be evaluated:
1. Both pumps starting
2. One pump starts while the other pump stays off
3. One pump starts while the other is already running
Three scenarios need to be created to model the three cases.
The Scenario Manager is a powerful tool for managing variations of a
model, referred to as scenarios. The Scenario Manager allows you to:
 Create, name and organize scenarios
 Select the scenario to appear in the Workspace (the ‘current’
scenario)
 Delete, copy and rename scenarios
 Duplicate scenarios and save them as separate models
58 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

 Review the source of a scenario’s properties

 Pass changes from a scenario to its variants
You will create three scenarios to model these cases. Scenarios are
created using the Scenario Manager from the Tools menu or the Scenario
Manager on the Quick Access Panel. The Quick Access Panel, located
on the right side of the Workspace area, contains the Scenario Manager
on the Scenario tab. A scenario tree displays all model scenarios.
Click the "Create Child" button on the Scenario Manager on the Quick
Access Panel. Name the child “Two Pump Start”. A new scenario will
appear below the Base Scenario in the scenario tree. Select the Base
Scenario, create another child, and call it “One Pump Start”. Finally,
create a third child called “One Pump Start With One Running” (see
Figure 3.4). Note that the new child scenario is loaded when it is created
using the Scenario Manager on the Quick Access Panel.

“Create Child
Scenario” button

Figure 3.4 The Scenario Manager on the Quick Access Panel

displays the scenario tree that allows you to create
model variants (scenarios) and keep them organized
within the same model file
Chapter 3 Pump Startup With Event Transients 59

B. Set up scenarios
Child scenarios “inherit” data from their ancestors. As long as the data
has not been modified in a child scenario, data parameters in the child
scenario will have the same value as their parent. Since the Base
Scenario already has been setup with two pumps starting, the “Two
Pump Start” child does not need to be modified.

One Pump Start

Double-click the “One Pump Start” scenario in the scenario tree of the
Scenario Manager on the Quick Access Panel. This will load the “One
Pump Start” scenario onto the Workspace as the current scenario. The
currently loaded scenario is displayed in the scenario tree with a green
check mark (Figure 3.4).
Here, only Pump J2 will be started while keeping Pump J5 off. Deleting
the transient input data for Pump J5 and Valve J6 will keep these two
junctions turned off because their Special Conditions specify that they
are off. Alternatively, their transient data can be set to be ignored. The
second option is what will be done here.
 Open the J5 Pump window. Click on the Transient tab, then choose the
“Ignore Transient Data” option in the “Transient Special Condition” area
as shown in Figure 3.5 then click OK. Do the same with the J6 Valve.
The required input for this scenario is now complete.

Figure 3.5 Transient Special Condition section on the Transient

tab of the Pump Properties window.

One Pump Start With One Running

Double-click the “One Pump Start With One Running” scenario from the
scenario tree in the Scenario Manager on the Quick Access Panel. This
60 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
will load the “One Pump Start With One Running” scenario onto the
Workspace as the current scenario. This step can also be accomplished
by opening the Scenario Manager from the Tools menu, selecting the
“One Pump Start With One Running” scenario in the scenario tree and
then clicking the “Load As Current Scenario” button.
Here, Pump J2 will be running at 100% speed during the steady-state and
transient, and Pump J5 will be started.
 Open the J2 Pump window and select the Optional tab. Set the Special
Condition to “None”. This specifies that during the steady-state the pump
will be on and operate on its curve.
 Select the Transient tab and set the Transient Special Condition to
“Ignore Transient Data”, since this pump will run at 100% speed during
the transient. Alternatively, the speed data could be deleted.
The Special Condition for Valve J3 also needs to be set to “None”, and
the Transient Special Condition on the Transient tab set to “Ignore
Transient Data” by following the two steps above in the J3 Valve
Properties window.
The required input for this scenario is now complete.

Step 7. Run the first scenario

Double-click the “Two Pump Start” scenario from the scenario tree in
the Scenario Manager on the Quick Access Panel. Select “Run Model” in
the Analysis menu. The Waterhammer Assistant window may pop up
when the model is run. This window is a tool which provides advice to
help simplify and improve the model before it is run. Click OK to
dismiss the window. After the model has finished running, view the
results by pressing “Output” at the bottom of the Solution Progress
window.
Note that several warnings in red appear in the Output stating that several
pipes listed use constant friction factors, and that Variable Pipe
Resistance is recommended. The variable pipe resistance can be turned
on from the Transient Solver Control tab in the Transient Control
window.
As background to this warning, traditional waterhammer modeling has
ignored the effect of varying pipe resistance (i.e., friction) with flowrate.
This is for several reasons. First, for highly turbulent flow (i.e., large
Reynolds numbers) the pipe resistance does not depend on flowrate at
Chapter 3 Pump Startup With Event Transients 61
all. On Moody charts this is sometimes referred to as the "fully rough
zone". Second, for turbulent flows that are not in the fully rough zone,
the dependence of pipe resistance is weak. Third, the waterhammer
phenomenon is not affected very much by relatively small changes in
pipe resistance. And finally, introducing varying pipe resistance requires
more steps in the calculation process.
Therefore, accounting for varying pipe resistance is not important in
many waterhammer applications. One application where it is important is
when the initial steady conditions have no flow in some pipes. For
instance, when the transient being modeled is a pipe with a closed valve
which is being opened. In such cases, it is difficult to obtain the steady-
state pipe resistance because the flow is zero and thus no Reynolds
number exists. Thus, it is probably best to use variable resistance.
If you choose to not use variable resistance, the pipe frictional resistance
obtained in the steady-state part of the simulation will be used as a
constant in the transient part of the simulation. On the other hand, if you
allow the resistance to vary, the pipe friction will differ for each pipe
section because the flowrate (and hence Reynolds number) is varying
along the pipe due to the waterhammer transient. Further, the resistance
will vary with time as the flowrate changes.
If variable resistance is modeled, the required run time increases.
Experience suggests the run time increases by about a factor of three.
For the three scenarios in this chapter, using variable pipe resistance does
not significantly affect the results.

Step 8. Graph the results

Change to the Graph Results window by clicking on the Graph Results
Primary Window tab, by clicking “Graph Results…” from the Solution
Progress window after running the model, or by pressing Ctrl+G on the
keyboard.
1. From the Graph Control tab on the Quick Access Panel, select the
Profile tab
2. Next to Pipes, select “Plot Single Path”
3. Select pipes 1, 2, 3, 7 and 11 to specify the path from the supply
reservoir to Reservoir J11. Alternatively, you can select all these
pipes on the Workspace by holding SHIFT while clicking on all
pipes in the path, then returning to the Graph Results tab and
62 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
selecting “Workspace” to automatically choose all pipes currently
selected on the Workspace
4. Choose “meters” for the Length Units
5. In the Parameters definition area, select “Pressure Static” and specify
“barG” in the dropdown box under “Units”
6. Ensure that the boxes in the Mx and Mn columns are selected (these
indicate that your graph will display the maximum and minimum
pressures, respectively)
7. Click the Generate button
Results (shown in Figure 3.6) indicate that the peak pressure occurs at
the pump discharge, and that the minimum pressure is above atmospheric
pressure at all times.
You can show the location of junctions within the pipeline path that you
have plotted. Click the “Show Junction Locations” icon on the Graph
Results Toolbar (see Figure 3.6).

The “Show
Junction
Locations” icon
shows the
locations of
junctions along
the selected
flow path

Figure 3.6 Profile of the maximum and minimum pressures

through Pump #1 to Process #2 Tank for Two Pump
Start scenario
Chapter 3 Pump Startup With Event Transients 63
To easily recreate this graph in other scenarios or in the future, it can be
added to the Graph List. This can be done using the Graph List Manager
on the Quick Access Panel. After generating the graph, click the “Add
Graph To List” button on the Graph Results Toolbar (this icon is a blue
“+” sign on top of a file folder image). Give the graph a name like
“Pressure Profile Pump #1 to Process #2 Tank”. The graph will be added
to the currently selected folder in the Graph List Manager. Note that
graphs added to the Graph List Manager are not permanently saved until
the model itself is saved again.
The profile through the other flow paths (there are four paths altogether)
can also be plotted, and similar conclusions are obtained. Add the other
three paths to the Graph List.
Since the maximum pressure is at the pump discharge, it is of interest
here to plot the pressure vs. time. The volumetric flowrate vs. time at the
pump discharge is also of interest. You will use AFT Impulse’s dual Y-
axis graphing abilities to plot both the pressure and volumetric flowrate
vs. time on the same graph to observe how the pressure and flow change
at the same time.
1. From the Graph Control tab, choose the Transient Jct tab in the
Parameters/Formatting area and add pumps J2 and J5 to the “Graph
These Junctions” list.
2. Ensure that the Time Units is set to “seconds” and the Time Frame
is set to “All Times”.
You will need to decide what parameter you wish to plot on the primary
Y-axis and which parameter you want to plot on the secondary Y-axis. In
this example, we will plot pressure on the primary Y-axis and volumetric
flowrate on the secondary Y-axis.
3. To do this, select “Pressure Static Outlet” in the Parameters
definition area and choose “barG” as the units
4. Add a parameter by clicking on the “Add” button next to “Select
Parameter” in the Parameter definition area
5. Change this added parameter to “Vol. Flow Rate Outlet” and choose
“m3/hr” as the units
6. To specify that the volumetric flowrate will be plotted on the
secondary Y-axis, click the “Make Secondary Y-Axis” button, which
is the blue, right arrow icon located to the top right over the selected
parameters. Alternatively, you can double-click on the column in
front of “Vol. Flow Rate Outlet” in the Parameter definition area.
Note that “Vol. Flow Rate Outlet” becomes indented under “Pressure
Static Outlet”, and that the black arrow next to “Vol. Flow Rate
64 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
Outlet” turns to point towards the graph. See Figure 3.7 to see how
these graphing parameters are defined.

Figure 3.7 Parameter definitions for dual Y-axes graph of static

pressure (primary Y-axis) and volumetric flowrate
(secondary Y-axis) on the Graph Control tab on the
Quick Access Panel

Click the Generate button. You will see that the transient pressures at the
pump discharge are plotted versus time on the primary Y-axis, and the
volumetric flowrate vs. time is plotted on the same graph on the
secondary Y-axis.
As would be expected, the pressure and volumetric flowrate transients
are very similar for both pumps. The resulting graph is shown in Figure
3.8. Add this graph to the Graph List.
Chapter 3 Pump Startup With Event Transients 65

Figure 3.8 Pressure and volumetric flowrate transients at both

pump discharge locations for Two Pump Start
scenario

The flowrates into the two process tanks are of interest.

1. From the Transient Pipe tab on the Graph Control tab, click the
double left arrow button between the “Select Pipe Stations” list and
“Graph These Pipes/Stations” list to clear all selections from the
“Graph These Pipes/Stations” list
2. Then, add the outlet of Pipes P10 and P11 from the “Select Pipe
Stations” list to the “Graph These Pipes/Stations” list
3. Select “Volumetric Flowrate” from the Parameter list
4. Because you are only graphing the volumetric flowrate, ensure that
any other parameters are removed from the Parameter definition
area. If there are any other parameters here, be sure to select the
parameter and then click the red “X” remove button
5. Choose units of m3/hr
6. Click the Generate button
Results are shown in Figure 3.9. Add this plot to the Graph List.
66 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Figure 3.9 Flowrate transient at process tanks for Two Pump

Start scenario

Step 9. Animate the results

AFT Impulse can animate hydraulic parameters along pipeline paths in
your model. This feature is very helpful when trying to understand how
your system will respond when a transient event occurs. You can also
animate multiple graphs at the same time.
Here, you will animate the pressure and volumetric flowrate responses
along the path you previously graphed to gain an understanding of how
these hydraulic parameters respond as the pumps start up. To animate
these parameters:
1. Select the Profile tab under the Graph Control tab on the Quick
Access Panel. Alternatively, you can access the Select Graph
Parameters window by clicking on the “Select Graph Parameters”
icon located at the top left of the Graph Results window.
2. Select pipes 1, 2, 3, 7 and 11
Chapter 3 Pump Startup With Event Transients 67
3. Add a second parameter in the Parameters definition area, and
specify one parameter to be “Pressure Static” and the other to be
“Volumetric Flowrate”.
4. As was done in Step 8, specify that the volumetric flowrate will be
plotted on the secondary Y-axis by double-clicking on the column in
front of “Volumetric Flowrate” in the Parameters definition area.
Note that “Volumetric Flowrate” becomes indented under “Pressure
Static”, and that the black arrow next to “Volumetric Flowrate” turns
to point towards the graph (Figure 3.10)

Note: AFT Impulse provides the flexibility to simultaneously

animate stacked graphs, as well as graphs with dual Y-axes plotted.
In this example, you will animate the static pressure and volumetric
flowrate displayed on dual Y-axes.

5. Choose the Length Units to be meters

6. Next to Animate Using, specify “Output”, and specify “seconds”
next to Animation Time Units (see the following paragraph for an
explanation about this option)
7. Change the pressure units to barG and the volumetric flowrate units
to m3/hr
8. Specify for both the static pressure and volumetric flowrate graphs
that you want to see the maximum and minimum values plotted
along the length of the graphed path by placing a checkmark in the
boxes in the Mx and Mn columns next to each parameter (See Figure
3.10)
To use the “Animate Using: Output” option for animation, which is done
here, all pipe stations need to be saved in Transient Control (this was
done previously in Step 5: Specify Transient Control). This animation
option has the most flexibility to start, pause, and restart animation.
Another animation option in Figure 3.10 is “Animate Using: Solver”.
This option reruns the Transient Solver to generate the data for
animation, and thus does not need to read it from file. Therefore, it does
not require all of the pipe station data to be saved in Transient Control.
68 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Figure 3.10 Selecting animation in Graph Results for Two Pump

Start scenario

Click the Generate button. Additional animation control features appear

on the Graph Results window (Figure 3.11). Press the Play button and
watch the pressure waves and volumetric flowrate responses move
between the maximum and minimum values. This animation can also be
recorded to a file.

Step 10. Run the other scenarios and graph the results
Using Scenario Manager, load the other two scenarios and run them.
Reload the graph settings saved in Step 8 for the new scenarios by
double-clicking the graph names in the Graph List Manager. This will
reveal that the maximum pressure for the “One Pump Start” scenario
occurs at the pump discharge location, similar to the first scenario, but in
the “One Pump Start With One Running” scenario the maximum
pressure occurs in Pipe P11. Also, the pressure drops below atmospheric
pressure, but does not reach the vapor pressure of water.
Chapter 3 Pump Startup With Event Transients 69

Figure 3.11 Animating output in Graph Results for Two Pump Start
scenario

In the “One Pump Start With One Running” scenario, it should also be
noted that there is a warning given for the pump. This is indicated by the
red message in the status bar. The warning can be viewed in the top third
section of the Output window on the Warnings tab, and states that there
was reverse flow at pump junction J5. This warning message indicates
that though reverse flow was not expected at pump J5, the calculations
for the model found that reverse flow would occur at this point. It is
recommended to adjust the model to better account for this reverse flow.
Depending on the system, there are several actions that may be
appropriate. One change may be to adjust model inputs such as the
discharge valve opening profile to prevent reverse flow to the pump. This
is only acceptable if the changes are physically accurate for the system.
Otherwise, it will be necessary to choose an appropriate four quadrant
data set for the pump to accurately predict the head at reverse flow
conditions. This will be discussed further in the next chapter.
70 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Conclusion
The numerical maximum pressure can be found at the bottom of the
General data section in the Output window of each scenario and is
summarized in Table 3.1 for all three scenarios. For these cases, the
maximum pressures do not significantly differ from each other.
Table 3.1 Summary of maximum static pressure for the three
cases
Case Max. Static
Pressure
(barG)
Two Pumps Start 5.01
One Pump Start 4.92
One Pump Start With One On 5.01
CHAPTER 4

Pump Trip Example

This example evaluates two parallel pumps tripping in a cooling tower

system. Various discharge valve closure times are analyzed to examine
the impact on the system when the valves close quickly enough to
prevent reverse flow at the pump, and when the valves do not close
completely before reverse flow occurs in the pump.

Topics covered
This example will cover the following topics:
 How to specify a pump curve and power curve in the Pump
Properties window
 How to use one of the transient pump models which accounts for
pump inertia
 Use of Four Quadrant Data to model reverse flow and reverse
rotation in the pump.

Required knowledge
This example assumes that the user has some familiarity with AFT
Impulse such as placing junctions, connecting pipes, entering pipe and
junction properties, and entering transient data. Refer to the Valve
Closure Example in Chapter 2 for more information on these topics.
72 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Model file
This example uses the following file, which is installed in the Examples
folder as part of the AFT Impulse installation:
Pump Trip With Backflow_Metric.imp

Problem statement
In this problem, two parallel pumps in a cooling tower system lose
power, causing the pumps to trip. It is desired for the valves at the
discharge of the pumps to close quickly enough to prevent reverse flow
and rotation in the pumps. You will evaluate the maximum and minimum
pressures experienced in the system during this pump trip event.
Furthermore, you will look at the case where the minimum valve closure
time is 12 seconds, in which case reverse flow and rotation will occur at
the pump.

Step 1. Start AFT Impulse

From the Start Menu choose AFT Products and AFT Impulse.

Step 2. Specify System Properties

1. Open the System Properties window by selecting System Properties
in the Analysis menu
2. On the Fluid Data tab, select the AFT Standard database and then
select "Water at 1 atm" in the “Fluids Available in Database”
window
3. Click "Add to Model" to select water for use in this model
4. Specify 38 deg. C in the Temperature field
5. Click "Calculate Properties"
This calculates the fluid properties to use in the model.
Note: The Fluid Data can also be specified in the Startup window when
AFT Impulse is first opened.
Chapter 4 Pump Trip Example 73

Step 3. Build the model

A. Place the pipes and junctions
At this point, the first two items are completed on the Checklist. The next
Checklist item is to "Define All Pipes and Junctions". In the Workspace
window, assemble the model as shown in Figure 4.1. Note that the spray
discharge junctions can be rotated as shown by selecting the junctions in
the Workspace and clicking the “Rotate Icons…” button on the
Workspace Toolbar.

Figure 4.1 Workspace for pump trip example

B. Enter the pipe and junction data

The system is in place, but now the input data for the pipes and junctions
needs to be entered. Double-click each pipe or junction and enter the
following data in the Pipe or Junction Properties window.
All pipes in the model will have Material = Steel – ANSI, standard
roughness, and the pipe support as Thick-walled Anchored Upstream.
74 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Pipe Name Length Size Type

(meters) (inches)
1 Pipe 12 18 STD
2 Pipe 12 18 STD
11 Main Return 99 30 STD
12 Main Return 11 30 STD
21 CWP-1 Suction 3 20 STD(schedule 20)
22 CWP-1 Discharge 3 20 STD(schedule 20)
23 Pipe 3 20 STD(schedule 20)
31 CWP-2 Suction 3 20 STD(schedule 20)
32 CWP-2 Discharge 3 20 STD(schedule 20)
33 Pipe 3 20 STD(schedule 20)
41 Main Supply to CT 122 30 STD
101 Pipe 12 20 STD(schedule 20)
102 Pipe 12 20 STD(schedule 20)

J1 and J2 - Reservoirs
1. Name = CT #1 Basin and CT #2 Basin
2. Tank Model = Infinite Reservoir
3. Liquid Surface Elevation = 12 meters
4. Liquid Surface Pressure = 0 barG (0 kPa(g))
5. Pipe depth = 1 meter

J10 - Branch
Elevation = 11 meters

J20 and J40 - Branches

Elevation = 0 meters

J100 - Branch
Elevation = 15 meters
Chapter 4 Pump Trip Example 75
J11 - General Component
1. Name = Surface Condenser
2. Elevation = 0 meters
3. Loss Model = Resistance Curve
4. Click Enter Curve Data button and create a curve fit for the
following data:
Q (m3/hr) H (m)
0 0
4542 6.7
9085 26.8

J21 and J31 - Pumps

1. Name = CWP-1 and CWP-2
2. Elevation = 0 meters
3. Select Centrifugal (Rotodynamic) as the pump model, then click the
Enter Curve Data Button and enter the following data:
Q (m3/hr) H (m) Power (kW)
0 34.1 78.3
454 32.9 96.9
908 31.7 119.3
1363 29.9 141.6
1817 27.4 156.5
2271 23.8 164
2725 18.3 156.5

4. In the Curve Fitting area select the All button then click the Generate
Curve Fit now button. Then click the OK button.
6. In the Rated Pump Speed enter 1790 rpm
7. In the "Reverse Flow" area choose "Possible"
8. Select Standard Pump Curve as the Performance Curve
9. Check the box to Model Combined Check Valve and Pump, then set
the Forward Velocity and Delta Head both as zero (Figure 4.2)
10. On the Transient tab, select “Trip” under “With Inertia”
11. Under Total Rotating Inertia choose User Specified = 5.9 kg-m2
76 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Figure 4.2 Pump Model tab for Pump J21. The internal check
valve and flow behavior can be seen in the Flow
Directional Behavior section.

12. Set the Initiation of Transient to be "Single Event", for a Time

Absolute greater than or equal to zero
Note: When reverse flow occurs at the pump, the Four Quadrant Model
is recommended to obtain a better estimate for the head at reverse flow.
To simplify the input, we will define the pump with the Standard Pump
curve for now. In this case an internal check valve is required to prevent
reverse flow, since there is not enough data in the standard curve to
calculate the inertial pump trip if reverse flow did occur. We will come
back later and compare these results to the Four Quadrant option.

J22 and J32 - Valves

1. J22 is named Valve #1
2. J32 is named Valve #2
3. Elevation = 0 meters
4. Cv = 10,000
Chapter 4 Pump Trip Example 77
5. On the Transient tab enter the following data.
Time (sec) Cv
0 10000
3 1000
5 0
15 0

J101 and J102 - Spray Discharges

These junctions each represent numerous spray nozzles that are modeled
as a single nozzle for simplicity.
1. Name = CT #1 and CT #2
2. Elevation = 24 meters
3. Loss Model = Cd Spray (Discharge Coefficient)
4. Geometry = Spray Nozzle
5. Exit Pressure = 0 barG (0 kPa(g))
6. Cd = 0.6
7. Discharge Flow Area = 0.93 m2

C. Check if the pipe and junction data is complete

Turn on the “Show Object Status” button from the View menu to verify
if all data is entered. If so, the third Checklist item will have a check
mark. If not, the uncompleted pipes or junctions will have their number
shown in red. If this happens, go back to the uncompleted pipes or
junctions and enter the missing data.

Step 4. Section the pipes

Open the Section Pipes window from the Analysis menu. When the
Section Pipes window is first opened, it will automatically search for the
best (least average variance) option for one to five sections in the
controlling pipe. The results will be displayed in the table at the top.
Click OK to accept the displayed sectioning.
78 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Step 5. Specify Transient Control

Open the Transient Control window from the Analysis menu.
1. Enter the Stop Time as 15 seconds.
2. To minimize run time and output file size, select to Save Output to
File Every 10 Time Steps.
3. On the Junction Output tab ensure the pump speed for J21 (CWP-1)
is being saved by checking the box next to it.
4. Click the OK button.

Step 6. Run the model

The Checklist should now be complete and the model ready to run. Run
the model by pressing the “Run Model” green arrow icon on the
Workspace Toolbar, selecting “Run Model” in the Analysis menu, or
pressing Ctrl+R on the keyboard. This will open the Solution Progress
window. This window allows you to watch the progress of the Steady-
State and Transient Solvers. When complete, press the “Output” button
at the bottom of the window.

Step 7. Review results

Clicking “Output” from the Solution Progress window, selecting the
Output tab, or pressing Ctrl+U on the keyboard will take you to the
Output window, which will display any warnings (if they exist). There
should not be any warnings here after running this model. You will also
see several tabs in the top third of the window displaying the Event
Messages in the model. This tab only appears in the case where a
conditional transient has been activated, such as a check valve or relief
valve.
Click on the Event Messages by Time tab. You should see a message
stating that the internal check valve that we defined in pump J21 has
closed. This tells us that reverse flow will occur in the pump in the actual
system, but we prevented it with a check valve so that we could use the
Standard Pump Curve rather than defining a Four Quadrant Data Set.
The Graph Results window will be useful in evaluating the impact of this
check valve. We will graph the static pressure and volumetric flowrate at
Chapter 4 Pump Trip Example 79
the pump suction and valve discharge as stacked graphs to see how these
parameters vary with time.

A. Graph the transient pressures at the pump

1. Change to the Graph Results window from the Window menu, by
clicking on the Graph Results tab, or by pressing Ctrl+G.
2. Go to the Transient Pipe tab on the Graph Control tab and add Pipe
P21 Outlet and Pipe P23 Inlet under “Graph These Pipes/Stations”.
These locations represent the pump suction and valve discharge
piping, respectively.
3. Select the “Time Units” as seconds and ensure that the “Time
Frame” is showing “All Times”.
4. Add a second parameter to be graphed by clicking on the “Add”
button, represented with the green “+” icon. Select “Pressure Static”
as one parameter to be graphed and “Volumetric Flowrate Upstream”
as the second parameter to be graphed.
5. Move the Volumetric Flowrate Upstream to the secondary Y-axis by
clicking the “Make Secondary Y-axis” button, which is the blue,
right arrow icon. This parameter should now be indented.
6. Set the units to “barG” for the static pressure and “m3/hr” as the
volumetric flowrate.
7. Click the Generate button. The resulting pressure and flow transients
are shown in Figure 4.3.
8. Click the Add Graph to List button from the Toolbar to save this
graph to the Graph List Manager so that it can be regenerated later,
and name it “Pump Suction & Valve Outlet Pressures and Flows”.
In Figure 4.3 you can see that the pressure increases at the pump inlet
and decreases at the valve outlet until a maximum pressure of 2.23 barG
at the pump inlet and a minimum pressure of 1.08 barG at the valve
outlet is reached. The pressures then begin to oscillate once the discharge
valve becomes fully closed.
80 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Figure 4.3 Pressure and volumetric flow rate transients using the
standard pump curve data.

B. Graph the pump speed decay

You can graph certain junction properties for junctions in your model. To
generate these graphs, the junction output data will need to be saved to
file. You can specify which junctions you wish to save output data for by
checking the box next to the junctions of interest in the Junction Output
tab on the Transient Control window (Step 5: Specify transient control).
To graph the pump speed decay,
1. Return to the Graph Control tab on the Quick Access Panel.
2. On the Transient Junction tab, add Pump J21.
3. In the Parameter definition area, choose “Pump Speed” as the
parameter to be graphed.
4. Choose “Percent” in the Units column.
5. Click the Generate button.
The predicted pump speed is then shown in Figure 4.4 Click the Add
Graph to List button from the Toolbar to save this graph to the Graph
Chapter 4 Pump Trip Example 81
List Manager so that it can be regenerated later, and name it “CWP-1
Pump Speed Decay”.

Figure 4.4 The pump speed decay is shown. The speed decays
quickly at first, and then slows down after the check
valve closes and the flow goes to zero.

Step 8. Create additional pump scenarios

To check the validity of our results when using the standard pump curve
with an internal check valve to perform the pump trip with inertia, we
should now go back and run the model with the pumps specified using
four quadrant data for comparison. We will create three child scenarios,
one for the current pump configuration using the Standard Pump Curve,
and two using a Four Quadrant Data Set.
To do this, click the "Create Child" button on the Scenario Manager on
the Quick Access Panel. Name the child “Standard Pump Curve”. A new
scenario will appear below the Base Scenario in the scenario tree. Select
the Base Scenario, create another child, and call it “Four Quadrant BEP”.
We will later clone this scenario to create our third child scenario.
The “Standard Pump Curve” Scenario will use the pump settings that
were already defined, so no changes will be needed for this scenario.
82 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
Four Quadrant BEP
Load the “Four Quadrant BEP” scenario by double-clicking the name in
the Scenario Manager. Open the Pump Properties window for pump J21.
1. Select the option for “Four Quadrant Curve”. (Figure 4.5)
2. Uncheck the box to “Model Combined Check Valve and Pump” to
disable the internal check valve.
3. Uncheck the box to “Prevent Reverse Rotation”.
4. Under the “Four Quadrant Curve” option click the “Specify
Model…” button.
5. AFT Impulse provides multiple pre-defined Four Quadrant Data sets
which are characterized by specific speed. To choose a data set to
use, we will first estimate the specific speed for the pump, which
AFT Impulse will use to recommend a data set. To do this, click
“Suggest a Data Set” under “Four Quadrant Data Set”.

Figure 4.5 The Pump Model tab defined using the Four Quadrant
Curve. The Flow Directional Behavior section shows
the pump behavior for different flow and speed cases.
Chapter 4 Pump Trip Example 83
6. By default, AFT Impulse will select “Calculated from Standard
Pump Curve”, which allows most of the data to be automatically
populated from the Pump Properties window. In this case the pre-
defined data is accurate for the pump, so click Calculate.
7. The specific speed in this case is estimated to be 2.50, and the
suggested data set is therefore Ns = 2.48. Click “Select Suggested
Data Set and Close”. The Ns = 2.48 data set will now be selected,
and the dimensionalized curve will be displayed against the
previously entered Standard Pump Curve. (Figure 4.6)
8. Make sure that the Four Quadrant Curve Dimensional Reference
Point is set to use the Best Efficiency Point for this scenario. We will
select the Steady-State Operating Point option later for the third
scenario. Click OK on this window, then OK on the Pump Properties
window to accept the changes.
9. Repeat steps 1-8 for junction J31. The required input for this
scenario is now complete.

Figure 4.6 The Specify Four Quadrant Model window can be used
to select and view options for the dimensionalized
four quadrant data set
84 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
Four Quadrant SSOP
Clone the “Four Quadrant BEP” scenario by right-clicking the scenario
name in the Scenario Manager and choosing “Clone Without Children”.
Name this cloned scenario “Four Quadrant SSOP”. For pump J21 and
J31, open the Pump Properties window and click the Specify Model…
button under Four Quadrant Curve. Change the Four Quadrant Curve
Dimensional Reference Point to Steady-State Operating Point, then click
OK on all open windows to accept the changes. The required input for
this scenario is now complete.

Step 9. Run the four quadrant scenarios

Using the Scenario Manager load each of the four quadrant scenarios and
run them, then go to the Graph Results tab. For each scenario generate
the “Pump Suction & Valve Outlet Pressures and Flows” graph by
double clicking the graph name in the Graph List Manager on the Quick
Access Panel. The results for each of the scenarios can be seen in Figures
4.7 and 4.8. In comparing the transient results for the two four quadrant
scenarios, there are no major visible differences.
Now navigate to the Output window for each of the scenarios, then select
the Pump Summary tab in the top third section. Notice that for the Four
Quadrant SSOP and standard pump curve scenarios, the steady state flow
rate is about 2362 m3/hr, while the steady state flow rate for the BEP
scenario is 2287 m3/hr. This difference in the Four Quadrant BEP
scenario results from the fact that the pump is not operating exactly at
BEP, as is the case for most pumps.
While the difference in steady state and transient results for the two
dimensional points is minor in this case, it may become more
pronounced in other cases, and may lead to a trade-off between the
accuracy of steady-state and transient data, especially if the pump
operates further from BEP. Further details on this topic can be found in
the main Help file for AFT Impulse.
Comparison between the four quadrant graphs (Figure 4.7 & 4.8) and
standard pump curve graph (Figure 4.3) reveals that while the results are
similar, there is a visible difference of about 0.1 barG between the
maximum and minimum points in the four quadrant scenario graphs and
the standard pump curve scenario graph. These differences can be
attributed to the small flow oscillations that are neglected in the standard
pump curve scenario due to the internal check valve.
Chapter 4 Pump Trip Example 85

Figure 4.7 Pressure and volumetric flow rate transients using a

Four Quadrant Curve dimensionalized at the BEP

Figure 4.8 Pressure and volumetric flow rate transients using a

Four Quadrant Curve dimensionalized at the steady
state operating point
86 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Step 10. Adjust the valve closure

Now let’s consider the case where the valves at the discharge of the
pumps cannot be closed in 5 seconds, but instead will close fully at 12
seconds. In this case the reverse flow at the pump will be significant due
to the delay in the valve closure profile. We will need to use a four
quadrant data set to analyze the effects of the possible reverse flow and
reverse rotation in the pump, since the Standard Pump Curve does not
have sufficient data. We will use the default selection to use the pump
BEP as the dimensional reference point, though using the steady state
operating point as the reference point would produce similar results.
In the Scenario Manager, select the Four Quadrant BEP scenario and
create a child scenario named “12 Sec Valve Closure”. The new child
scenario should now be active. Pumps J21 and J31 will already inherit
the four quadrant model from the Four Quadrant BEP scenario, but we
will need to adjust the valves. For Valves J22 and J32 open the Valve
Properties window, then edit the Transient Data table found on the
Transient tab to reflect the following closure profile. This scenario
should now be complete.
Time (sec) Cv
0 10000
5 1000
12 0
30 0

Step 11. Specify Transient Control

Since the valve closure takes a longer time, it will be useful to extend the
run time. Open the Transient Control window from the Analysis menu
and change the stop time to 30 seconds, then click OK.

Step 12. Run the model

The Checklist should now be complete and the model ready to run.
Select “Run Model” in the Analysis menu. View the results by pressing
“Graph Results” at the bottom of the Solution Progress window.
Chapter 4 Pump Trip Example 87

Step 13. Graph results

Load the “Pump Suction & Valve Outlet Pressures and Flows” graph
from the Graph List Manager, as seen in Figure 4.9. Note that as
expected, a significant amount of reverse flow occurs at the pump from
about 6-12 seconds, requiring data beyond the standard data which is
typically used for forward flow with forward rotation at the pump. The
transient results show that the maximum pressures at the valve outlet and
the pump suction have been reduced.
The pump speed decay is shown in Figure 4.10. Note how the pump
speed decreases at a faster rate than Figure 4.4. Additionally, at about 10
seconds the pump begins to experience reverse rotation. This means that
from 6 seconds to 10 seconds, the pump will have forward rotation with
reverse flow, then from 10-12 seconds, the pump will experience reverse
flow with reverse rotation. Both of these situations can be accounted for
using the additional information provided by the Four Quadrant Curve.

Figure 4.9 Predicted transient pump suction and discharge

pressures and volumetric flowrates with a 12 second
valve closure rate
88 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Conclusion
For the valve closure of 5 seconds a minimal amount of reverse flow was
experienced at the pump. As a result, the standard pump curve with an
internal check valve was sufficient, since use of four quadrant data to
accurately model this reverse flow had only a small impact on the results.
Additionally, the choices of using the BEP or Steady State Operating
Point to dimensionalize the four quadrant data were shown to be very
similar in the transient, but to have an 80 m3/hr difference in the steady
state operating point. Changing the valve to close fully at 12 seconds
resulted in significant reverse flow at the pump which required four
quadrant data to be used. It was then found that increasing the valve
closure time reduced pressures at the valve and pump.

Figure 4.10 Pump Speed decay when the valves are modified to
close fully at 12 seconds
CHAPTER 5

Valve Closure With Force Sets Example

This example examines a gravity drain system which transfers water

from one tank to another through a filter and a valve in the connecting
pipeline. It is necessary to determine the transient forces that occur
when the valve is partially closed in order to analyze pipe stresses and
loads on the pipe supports.

Topics covered
This example will cover the following topics:
 Defining force sets
 Graphing transient forces
 Evaluating the effect of frictional losses on transient pipe forces
 Use of Isometric Pipe Drawing Mode

Required knowledge
This example assumes that the user has some familiarity with AFT
Impulse such as placing junctions, connecting pipes, entering pipe and
junction properties, and entering transient data. Refer to the Valve
Closure Example in Chapter 2 for more information on these topics.
90 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Model file
This example uses the following files, which are installed in the
Examples folder as part of the AFT Impulse installation:
Valve Closure With Pipe Forces_Metric – Quick Start.imp

Step 1. Start AFT Impulse

From the Start Menu choose AFT Products and AFT Impulse.

Step 2. Open model file

For this example, we will be starting from a pre-built model file which
has the first three checklist items completed to save time. From either the
startup screen or the File menu, browse to the model file name shown
above. The workspace should appear as shown in Figure 5.1.

Isometric Drawing Mode

The previous examples’ models were drawn using the default Pipe
Drawing Mode, 2D Freeform. However, AFT Impulse has two additional
available drawing modes, 2D Orthogonal and Isometric. Due to the
nature of this model the Isometric mode was used to visually interpret the
pipe layout and provide a better understanding of the system when
analyzing calculated forces.
For future reference when using this feature, the Isometric drawing mode
can be turned on in the Arrange menu under Pipe Drawing Mode. The
isometric grid can also be turned on or off from the Arrange menu. When
drawing segmented pipes such as P5, a red-dashed preview line will
show how the pipe will be drawn on the isometric grid. As you are
drawing a pipe, you can change the preview line by clicking any arrow
key on your keyboard or scrolling the scroll wheel on your mouse. You
can hold the “Alt” key while adjusting a pipe by the endpoint to add an
additional segment. This can be used with the arrow key or mouse scroll
wheel to change between different preview line options.
For junctions such as J5, it may be useful to rotate the icon to be aligned
with the isometric grid. This can be accomplished by right-clicking on
the junction and choosing “Customize Icon”.
Chapter 5 Valve Closure With Force Sets Example 91

Figure 5.1 Layout of gravity drain system with isometric grid on

Note: Pipe forces are typically calculated around pairs of pipe

direction changes or at single points where the pipe is interrupted (for
example, at an untied or non-pressure compensated expansion joint).
These locations must be determined from piping drawings showing
the physical arrangement of the piping, then related to the
corresponding pipe in the AFT Impulse model along with the length
along the pipe where the direction change or pipe interruption is
located. Intermediate elevations are not necessary but are included
here for later discussion.

Step 3. Section the pipes

 Open the Section Pipes window from the Analysis menu. When the
Section Pipes window is first opened it will automatically search for the
best (least average variance) option for one to five sections in the
controlling pipe. The results will be displayed in the table at the top.
Note that the default option under "Search Results" shows the number of
sections in the controlling pipe is 1.
92 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Note: The closer the computing stations are to the desired force
calculation location, the more accurate the force calculation will be.

 Click OK to accept the results of using one section in the controlling

pipe.

Step 4. Specify Transient Control

 Open the Transient Control window from the Analysis menu and enter
a Stop Time of 10 seconds.
 Select the Force Output tab and define a force set by clicking New,
then entering the data as shown in Figure 5.2. Repeat this process for the
second force set.

Figure 5.2 Force sets defined in Transient Control

Since the force sets in this example calculate the force imbalance
between adjacent pipe direction changes, the default force type of
‘Difference’ is used. The ‘Point’ type would be used for calculating the
force at a location where the fluid is leaving the system, such as an exit
valve. The additional difference methods are available to analyze forces
Chapter 5 Valve Closure With Force Sets Example 93
across more than two pipes, or for cases where a user defined exit area
would be useful, such as for forces across a nozzle.
For a specified length to start node and length to end node, AFT Impulse
will determine and display the nearest computing station number and
actual length from inlet of the start and end pipe to the node within the
pipe.
Sectioning has produced one section each in pipes P2 and P3 for the 150
m to 160 m force set and then 25 sections and six sections in pipes P4
and P5, respectively for the 160 m to 300 m force set. Section length is 5
meters for each pipe.
In our example, this sectioning conveniently results in computing
stations at the locations where we want to calculate forces. Where
computing stations do not coincide with the desired force calculation
locations, some loss in accuracy will occur. By increasing the number of
sections in the controlling pipe during sectioning, a greater number of
computing stations will exist, thus reducing the distance to the desired
force calculation locations, at the expense of longer run time.

Note: AFT Impulse will set Pipe Station Output automatically to

include only those stations required by the force set nodes up to five
stations, or all stations if more than five stations are required.

 Click the OK button to close Transient Control.

Step 5. Run the model

 Select Run Model in the Analysis menu. When completed the Solution
Progress window will indicate that the run has completed. View the
results in the Output window by clicking the Output button at the bottom
of the Solution Progress window.

Step 6. Graph pipe forces

 Go to the Graph Results window and select the Forces tab from the
Graph Parameters section on the Quick Access Panel. The force sets
defined in Transient Control will appear as available forces to graph.
Check the box next to the "150 m to 160 m" force set. This corresponds
to the elevation change between the branch junctions of 10 meters and 0
meters specified from pipes P2 and P3. Also check the box next to the
94 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
“160 m to 300 m” force set, which corresponds to the force over the
closing valve. Make sure that the boxes next to “Include Momentum”
and “Include Friction” are checked, then click Generate, and the
following force vs time graph is displayed (Figure 5.3).

Figure 5.3 Unbalanced Force vs. Time for force set "150 m to 160
m" with friction

Note that at time 0, which represents the initial, steady state results, there
is no force imbalance. This is the expected results for a system at steady
state.
Some traditional methods of analyzing force sets will not have this same
result, since they do not include the effects of friction or momentum in
their force balances. If the graph from Figure 5.3 is created with friction
and momentum ignored, the steady state values are actually calculated as
approximately -4790 N and -11940 N. Due to this effect, AFT Impulse
will always include both friction and momentum by default when
graphing force sets.
Chapter 5 Valve Closure With Force Sets Example 95
In summary, there are two important points to be observed here:

1. AFT Impulse calculates transient, or time varying hydraulic forces.

This does not include constant loads from fluid, piping and
component weight. A comprehensive analysis of pipe loading must
separately include these items.
2. In some cases, ignoring friction and momentum force balance
components will result in force imbalances that do not exist in
reality, since the frictional forces on the pipe exactly counterbalance
the force calculated from the pressure differential at the selected
locations.

Final notes
An AFT Impulse model does not contain directional data with regard to
the forces, it knows only pipe length and elevation. Since forces are
vectors with both magnitude and direction, the user must identify the
direction of the calculated forces using data in the pipe arrangement
drawing that defines the geometry of the pipe routing.

Analysis summary
In this example it can be seen that AFT Impulse is capable of predicting
transient hydraulic forces which occur in the system due to surge.
Including frictional results is important to avoid force imbalance in the
steady state. With the data that is obtained from the force sets in AFT
Impulse the engineer can then export this information to CAESAR II,
ROHR2, TRIFLEX or other pipe stress analysis software for further
analysis on the impact of forces on the structural support.
96 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
CHAPTER 6

AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples

This chapter covers the Settling Slurry (SSL) and Pulsation Frequency
Analysis (PFA) modules. The user can only perform these examples if
access to the relevant modules is available.

Topics covered
These examples will cover the following topics:
 Defining settling slurry properties
 Reviewing slurry output
 "Ringing" systems to find natural acoustic frequencies
 Finding system excitation frequencies
 Calculating pressure response of system at ‘worst case’ positive
displacement pump speeds

Required knowledge
These examples assume that the user has some familiarity with AFT
Impulse such as placing junctions, connecting pipes, and entering pipe
and junction properties. Refer to Valve Closure Example in Chapter 2 for
more information on these topics.
98 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Model files
These examples use the following files, which are installed in the
Examples folder as part of the AFT Impulse installation:
 Sand Transfer to Two Locations – SSL_Metric.imp
 PD Pulsation Study – PFA_Metric.imp

SSL problem statement

Sand is being transferred from a quarry sand pit to receiving deposits in
two different locations. There are two valves that control the flow to each
of these deposits by changing their opening position (modeled as Cv).
The ratio of the mixture velocity to the velocity at which the sand will
settle out of the liquid and form a stationary bed on the bottom of the
pipe (Vm/Vsm) must be kept above 1.2 to avoid potentially plugging the
pipe. Determine if the pipe size and velocity ratio is acceptable during
the transient where one valve starts to close while the other opens
further.

SSL Step 1. Start AFT Impulse

From the Start menu, choose AFT Products and AFT Impulse. On the
Startup window, select to activate the SSL module. If AFT Impulse is
already running, choose Activate Modules from the Tools menu and
select the SSL module.

SSL Step 2. Specify System Properties

1. Open the System Properties window by selecting System Properties
in the Analysis menu.
2. Select Basic Water Slurry Input at the upper right (this should be the
default selection). See Figure 6.1
3. Select “Detailed” under “Slurry Calculation Method”.
4. In the Solids Specifications area select the “User Specified Solids
Added” button.
5. Select Calculated M and Vt/Vts factor of 0.55.
Chapter 6 AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples 99
6. Enter a solids density of 2.65 S.G. water, a d50 of 0.07 cm, a d85 of
0.1 cm, and a Bulk Modulus of 16,000 MPa.
7. Enter a temperature for water of 21 deg. C.
8. Set the Concentration Type to “Volume Fraction”, and for the
Amount Solids Added field, specify 20%.
9. Select the Settling Slurry – Wilson, Addie, Clift model.
10. Select OK.

Figure 6.1 Data entry for sand slurry properties

SSL Step 3. Build the model

A. Place the pipes and junctions
At this point, the first two items are completed on the Checklist. The next
Checklist item is to “Define All Pipes and Junctions”. In the Workspace
window, assemble the model as shown in Figure 6.2.
100 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Figure 6.2 Layout of pipe system for Sand Transfer to Two

Locations example

B. Enter the pipe data

The system is in place, but now you need to enter the input data for the
pipes and junctions. Double-click each pipe and enter the following data
in the Properties window (or use the Global Pipe Editing window). All
pipes are Steel - ANSI, with standard roughness, thick-walled anchored
upstream and the following data:
Pipe Length Size Type
(meters)
P1 3 10 inch Schedule 40
P2 122 10 inch Schedule 40
P3 1.5 10 inch Schedule 40
P4 26 10 inch Schedule 40
P5 122 10 inch Schedule 40
P13 1.5 10 inch Schedule 40
P14 30.5 10 inch Schedule 40
P15 213 10 inch Schedule 40
Chapter 6 AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples 101

C. Enter the junction data

J1 - Reservoir
1. Name = Sand Pit
2. Liquid Surface Elevation = 0 meters
3. Liquid Surface Pressure = 0 barG (0 kPa (g))
4. Pipe Depth = 0 meters

J3 - Branch
Elevation = 1.2 meters

J5 - Branch
Elevation = 6 meters

J15 - Branch
Elevation = 9 meters

J6 - Reservoir
1. Name = Deposit #1
2. Liquid Surface Elevation = 6 meters
3. Liquid Surface Pressure = 0 barG (0 kPa (g))
4. Pipe Depth = 0 meters

J16 - Reservoir
1. Name = Deposit #2
2. Liquid Surface Elevation = 9 meters
3. Liquid Surface Pressure = 0 barG (0 kPa (g))
4. Pipe Depth = 0 meters

J2 - Pump
1. Name = Main Slurry Pump
2. Elevation = 1.2 meters
3. Choose the Centrifugal (Rotodynamic) model button
4. In the “Reverse Flow” area choose “Never”, since the discharge
valves are designed to prevent reverse flow through the pump.
102 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
5. Click the “Enter Curve Data” button and enter the following data
(Figure 6.3). Ensure that Power is selected in the Efficiency/Power
area):
Q (m3/hr) H (meters) Power (kW)
0 152 764
908 145 820
1590 122 894
2044 91 1006

6. In the Curve Fitting area, select the All button then click the
Generate Curve Fit now button. Then click OK

Figure 6.3 Pump J2 performance data

Chapter 6 AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples 103
J4 - Valve
1. Name = Valve to Deposit #1
2. Elevation = 1.2 meters
3. Cv = 500
4. Click the Transient tab, select “Time” under “Initiation of
Transient”, then enter the transient data as follows:
Time (sec) Cv
0 500
1 500
6 300
10 300

J14 - Valve
5. Name = Valve to Deposit #2
6. Elevation = 1.2 meters
7. Cv = 400
8. Click the Transient tab, select “Time” under “Initiation of
Transient”, then enter the transient data as follows:
Time (sec) Cv
0 400
5 500
10 500

D. Check if the pipe and junction data is complete

Turn on “Show Object Status” from the View menu to verify that all the
necessary data is entered. If so, the “Define All Pipes and Junctions”
Checklist item on the Quick Access Panel will have a check mark. If not,
the uncompleted pipes or junctions will have their number shown in red.
If this happens, go back to the uncompleted pipes or junctions and enter
the missing data. You can also open the List Undefined Objects window
from the View menu to see what data is missing.
104 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

SSL Step 4. Section the pipes

Open the Section Pipes window from the Analysis menu. When the
Section Pipes window is first opened, it will automatically search for the
best (least average variance) option for one to five sections in the
controlling pipe. The results will be displayed in the table at the top.
Click OK to accept the displayed sectioning.

SSL Step 5. Specify Transient Control

Open the Transient Control window from the Analysis menu. Enter the
Stop Time as 10 seconds, then click the OK button.

SSL Step 6. Run the model

The Checklist should now be complete and the model ready to run.
Select “Run Model” in the Analysis menu. This will open the Solution
Progress window. This window allows you to watch the progress of the
Steady-State and Transient Solvers. When complete, press the “Output”
button at the bottom of the window to view the results.

SSL Step 7. Review results

A. Check the Transient Max/Min in the Output
Clicking “Output” on the Solution Progress window will take you to the
Output window (Figure 6.4). As a design objective, the system is
required to have at minimum a Vm/Vsm of 1.2 to avoid the potential of
the sand falling out of the slurry and plugging the pipe.
By inspecting the Min Vm/Vsm column in the Transient Max/Min tab, it
can be seen that the minimum Vm/Vsm drops below this value in pipe
P4.

Note: A Design Alert could be defined in the Tools menu to

automatically evaluate if this design objective is met, and issue a
warning if the condition is not satisfied. A predefined Design Alert for
this model can be seen by opening the Sand Transfer to Two
Locations – SSL_Metric.imp model file which is installed in the
Examples folder in the AFT Impulse 7 folder.
Chapter 6 AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples 105
There are several factors that may be contributing to this low Vm/Vsm
value. Pipe P4 is sloped upward which increases the settling velocity and
decreases the velocity ratio of concern. Also, all pipes in the model have
a 10 inch diameter. However, the main pipes P1 and P2 are carrying
much more flow than the others so the pressure drop in these is greater.
This can be reduced by increasing the size. The size cannot be increased
too much because this would reduce the velocity ratio below the 1.2
minimum.

Figure 6.4 Design Objective violation in pipe P4 station 17

Return to the Workspace and change Pipes P1 and P2 to have a 14 inch

diameter. Since the size of the pipes was changed, the pipes need to be
re-sectioned by opening the Section Pipes window. Click OK to accept
the results. Then open Transient Control and click OK.
Rerun the model and view the Output. There should not be any warnings
now that the pipes were changed. The Graph Results window will be
more useful in understanding the results.

B. Graph the velocity ratio and pressures to Deposit #1

You will use stacked graphs to simultaneously view the maximum and
minimum velocity ratio and pressures in the system during the transient.
1. Change to the Graph Results window from the Window menu, by
clicking on the Graph Results tab, or by pressing Ctrl+G on the
keyboard.
106 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
2. Open the Profile tab on the Graph Control tab.
3. For the Pipes section, select “Plot Single Path”.
4. Select pipes P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5 (Figure 6.5). These represent the
flow path to Deposit #1.

Figure 6.5 Data selection to view the maximum and minimum

values of the velocity ratio and static pressure along
the flow path to Deposit #1.

5. Choose “meters” as the Length Units.

6. Because you are not animating these values in this example, ensure
that “None” is selected next to Animate Using.
7. In the Parameters definition area, ensure that there are two
parameters by selecting the green “+” icon to add a parameter to
graph. Choose “Velocity Ratio (Vm/Vsm)” for one parameter and
“Pressure Static” for the other.
8. Specify “barG” as the Units for the Pressure Static parameter.
Chapter 6 AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples 107
9. Check the boxes under the “Mx” and “Mn” columns for both
parameters to ensure that the maximum and minimum values are
being displayed for both graphs.
10. Click the Generate button. The resulting graphs are shown in Figure
6.6.
Recall that, before modifying pipes P1 and P2 to 14 inch pipe, the
minimum velocity ratio was below the design alert limit of 1.2 for a
portion of the path. Now with 14 inch pipe, the minimum is above the
1.2 limit along the entire path. You can also check the same parameters
for the flow path leading to Deposit #2.

Figure 6.6 Maximum and minimum velocity ratio and static

pressure values in the flow path to Deposit #1. Note
that the velocity ratio is above the minimum Design
Alert of 1.2 at all locations.
108 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

C. Graph the velocity ratio over time

A time comparison of the velocity ratio in the critical pipes along the two
flow paths is important to consider. To create this graph:
1. Return to the Graph Control tab on the Quick Access Panel.
2. On the Transient Pipe tab, select Pipes P4 Inlet and P14 Inlet and add
them to the pipe stations to graph (Figure 6.7). These are the two
sloped pipes which have the lowest velocity ratio
3. Specify the Time Units as seconds
4. Specify “All Times” as the Time Frame
5. In the Parameters definition area, choose Velocity Ratio (Vm/Vsm)
6. Click the Generate button

Figure 6.7 Data selection to view the velocity ratio over time
Chapter 6 AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples 109
The resulting graph is shown in Figure 6.8. This shows that, as Valve J4
closes and Valve J14 opens, the velocity ratios in the pipe immediately
downstream change but stay in the acceptable range.

Figure 6.8 The velocity ratio in the sloped pipes as the valves
change position

SSL analysis summary

A slurry of sand and water flowing to two deposits was modeled. The
velocity ratio was examined to ensure a minimum value was maintained
throughout the transient to avoid the danger of the sand settling out of the
slurry and plugging the pipe. The analysis showed that the initial pipe
diameter selected was not adequate. A larger size was selected to meet
the system requirements over the simulation time.
110 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

PFA problem statement

A system with positive displacement pumps has a known pulsation issue
in a section of piping with a closed valve. This issue is caused by the
system’s natural frequency resonating with certain PD pump frequencies,
resulting in severe pressure oscillations at the closed valve. A forcing
function will be placed on the PD Pump to discover the natural acoustic
frequencies, which will then be used to find the worst-case scenarios for
the system.

PFA Step 1. Start AFT Impulse

From the Start Menu choose AFT Products and AFT Impulse. From the
Startup window under the "Activate Modules" section in the middle
panel, select the PFA (Pulsation Frequency Analysis) option to activate
the PFA module. If AFT Impulse is already running, choose Activate
Modules from the Tools menu.

PFA Step 2. Specify System Properties

1. Open the System Properties window by selecting System Properties in
the Analysis menu
2. On the Fluid Data tab, select User Specified Fluid
3. Enter 0.92 g/cm3 as the fluid density
4. Enter 0.95 cP as the fluid dynamic viscosity
5. Enter 9653 bar as the fluid bulk modulus
6. Click OK

PFA Step 3. Build the model

A. Place the pipes and junctions
At this point, the first two items are completed on the Checklist. The next
Checklist item is to "Define Pipes and Junctions". In the Workspace
window, assemble the model as shown in Figure 6.9.
Chapter 6 AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples 111

Figure 6.9 Layout of PD Plunger Pulsation Study example

B. Enter the pipe data

The input data for the pipes and junctions now needs to be entered.
Double-click on each pipe to open the properties window and enter the
following data (or use the Global Pipe Editing window).
All pipes use user-specified material with the following inputs.
Throughout the model a User Specified Wavespeed of 915 m/s is used,
and the roughness is 0.00152 cm.

Pipe No. Inner Diameter Length

(cm) (m)
1 30.5 1
2 30.5 1
3 5.5 12
4 5.5 17
5 8.3 10
6 4.3 6
7 8.3 15
8 4.3 1
9 8.3 9
112 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

C. Enter the junction data

Double-click each junction and enter the following data in the Properties
window (or use the Global Junction Editing window).

J1 and J2 – Assigned Flows

For the sake of simplicity, assigned flow junctions are being used to
represent the PD pumps with the information listed below. The Pulsation
Setup window will be used later to place the necessary transient data in
the assigned flow junction for the pump being analyzed.
1. Elevation = 0 meters
2. Volumetric Flow Rate = 8 m3/hr

J3 and J4 - Area Changes

1. Elevation = 0 meters
2. Type = Abrupt Transition (K factor is automatically calculated)

J8 and J9 - Area Changes

1. Elevation = 0 meters
2. Type = Conical Transition (K factor automatically calculated)
3. Angle = 90 degrees

J5 and J6 - Tees
1. Elevation = 0 meters
2. Loss Model = Simple (no loss)

J10 - Spray Nozzle

1. Elevation = 0 meters
2. Loss Model = Cd Spray (Discharge Coefficient)
3. Geometry = Spray Nozzle
4. Exit Properties = Pressure
5. Exit Pressure = 1.01 bar
6. Cd (Discharge Coefficient) = 1
7. Discharge Flow Area = 0.148 cm2
Chapter 6 AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples 113
J7 - Dead End
Elevation = 0 meters

D. Check if the pipe and junction data is complete

Turn on Show Object Status from the View menu to verify that all the
necessary data is entered. If so, the “Define Pipes and Junctions”
Checklist item on the Quick Access Panel will have a check mark. If not,
the incomplete pipes or junctions will have their number shown in red. If
this happens, go back to the incomplete pipes or junctions and enter the
missing data. You can also open the List Undefined Objects window
from the View menu to see what data is missing.

PFA Step 4. Define Pulsation Setup properties

Defining the initial pulse or “ring” is an important step in determining
the natural frequencies that different stations in the model will respond
to. This is the numerical equivalent of hitting the system with a hammer
to see how it responds at different frequencies. This first step does not
represent a realistic operating condition, but rather reveals what
frequencies of real-world operation may present operational problems.
Open the Pulsation Setup window from the Analysis menu. The
Pulsation Setup window is the main interface for specifying input
regarding the initial pulse and other information about the pulsation
source. There are two tabs on the Pulsation Setup window directly
associated with the PFA module: the Pulsation Setup tab and the PD
Pump Settings tab. The PD Pump Settings tab only requires input if the
source of pulsation is a positive displacement pump. Because the source
of pulsation in our model is a positive displacement pump, we will need
to complete the input on both of these tabs as shown below:
1. Define the Pulse Properties on the Pulsation Setup tab (see Figure
6.10 for all input on the Pulsation Setup tab in the Pulsation Setup
window).
a. Applied At = J2 (Assigned Flow)
b. Start Time = 0 seconds
2. Check the box next to Use Variable Pipe Resistance.
3. Verify that the Magnitude is being calculated automatically. This is
equal to twice the steady-state flow. In this case, the Peak is 16
m3/hr.
114 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
4. Define the Pulsation Source:
a. Select Positive Displacement (PD) Pump
b. Enter 3 for the number of heads
c. Enter 250 rpm for the pump speed
d. Select 15% for the speed buffer
5. Verify that the Low-Pass Filtering defaults are applied:
a. Filter Type = Chebyshev
b. Order = 10
c. Ripples Allowed = 1 dB
6. Verify that the Cutoff Frequency is calculated automatically using
the PD Pump Characteristics. In this example, the Cutoff Frequency
is calculated to be 86.25 Hz.

Figure 6.10 Pulsation Setup window with input

7. Now that all required input has been entered in the Pulsation Setup
tab, enter the following information on the PD Pump Settings tab
(see Figure 6.11).
a. Minimum Pump Speed = 125 RPM
Chapter 6 AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples 115

b. Bore Diameter = 7.6 cm

c. Stroke Length = 5.2 cm
d. Rod Length = 25.4 cm
e. Clearance = 70 Percent (%)
f. Suction Pressure = 4.5 bar
g. Discharge Pressure = 415 bar
8. Click OK to keep the changes and close the Pulsation Setup window.

Figure 6.11 PD Pump Settings tab with input

PFA Step 5. Section the pipes

Open the Section Pipes window from the Analysis menu. While using
the AFT Impulse PFA module, the pulsation setup needs to be completed
prior to sectioning the pipes in the model. To section the model’s pipes
for the simulation, complete the following:
1. Select the significant pipes that should consider error. In our
example, we will consider the error in all modeled pipes, except for
pipe P8. You can see that this pipe has been excluded in Figure 6.12.
Pipe P8 is excluded because it represents a flow meter and not an
116 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
actual pipe. Units such as flow meters and dampeners may be better
modelled with a pipe than with a junction if they have significant
length and associated acoustic interaction aspects in the physical
system. Ensure that the box next to each pipe is selected under
Consider Variances, except for pipe P8.

Figure 6.12 Section Pipes window excluding the variance at P8

2. Select 1 section in the controlling pipe by clicking on 1 section in the

table under Search Results.
3. Select Show Pulsation Graphs located at the bottom left of the
Section Pipes window. A graph of the pulse will appear (see Figure
6.13). You can also view graphs for the FFT of the Pulse, the LPF of
the Pulse FFT, and the FFT of the LPF in the Graph Parameter graph
that appears. After you are done viewing these graphs, click Close.
4. Click OK to close the Section Pipes window, and click OK for the
pop-up window notifying you that the forcing function has been
placed on J2 (the junction that was selected in the Pulsation Setup
window) as transient data.
5. Open J2 to verify that the numerical “ring” has been applied to the
transient (see Figure 6.14 for the transient input). This transient is a
brief jump in flow rate at junction J2.

PFA Step 6. Run the model

The Checklist should now be complete and the model ready to run.
Select Run Model in the Analysis menu. This will open the Solution
Progress window. This window allows you to watch the progress of the
Steady-State and Transient Solvers. When complete, click the Graph
Results button at the bottom of the Solution Progress window.
Chapter 6 AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples 117

Figure 6.13 Graphs of Pulse and LPF of Pulse in this example

118 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Figure 6.14 Assigned Flow Properties with forcing function

applied to J2. Choosing “Show Graph…” under the
data shows this in graphical form.

PFA Step 7. Review results

Find excitation frequencies to study
1. On the Graph Control tab on the Quick Access Panel, click the
Frequency tab to begin generating an Excitation Frequency Analysis
graph.
2. We need to determine which frequencies excite the pump speeds
within the pump speed range we have specified. For the purposes of
this example, we will graph the Excitation Frequency graph for 10
different pipe stations. Note that it is the engineer's responsibility to
evaluate all pipe stations that could be excited by various frequencies
and to perform the necessary analysis.
Chapter 6 AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples 119
3. On the Graph Results tab, select the Frequency tab and select the
inlet and outlet stations for the following pipes: 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6.
4. Click Generate. The resulting graph (shown in Figure 6.15)
represents the frequencies that are excited by the pulse defined in the
Pulsation Setup window .
From the graph in Figure 6.15, we see that there are several frequencies
that produce a large pressure magnitude. Points on the plot with a large
response magnitude are easily identified by finding local maxima on the
graph. These maxima are the acoustic natural frequencies that are
potentially the most damaging when excited by the identified pump
speeds.
Note that the graph in Figure 6.15 can quickly be changed to display the
magnitude on a logarithmic scale in order to allow for easier viewing of
the magnitude behavior changes with a changing frequency. To view the
Excitation Frequency Analysis graph with the magnitude displayed on a
logarithmic scale, generate the frequency graph as discussed above.
Right-click on either axis and select the box next to Logarithmic.

Figure 6.15 Excitation Frequency Analysis graph

120 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
Evaluate excitation frequencies
The identified frequencies can now be evaluated to determine pump
speeds that would cause them to be excited. These natural frequencies
need to be evaluated to examine potentially problematic pump speeds.
Follow the steps below to select the excitation frequencies:
1. Left-click near the frequency of around 33 Hz and drag the mouse
over the peak on the graph near this frequency. This will highlight
and flag the local maximum.
2. Right-click on the dialog flag that appears on the peak of this
frequency, as demonstrated in Figure 6.16
3. Select "Evaluate Excitation Frequency" to add this frequency to the
Pump RPM Evaluation panel, which is labeled with "Excitation
Frequencies and Pump Speeds (RPM)". Repeat steps 1 through 3 for
the local maxima at the frequencies of 29.17 Hz and 6.79 Hz. The
panel should now appear as shown in Figure 6.17.

Figure 6.16 Excitation Frequency Analysis with Dialog Flag. Right-

clicking on the Dialog Flag provides the option to
Evaluate Excitation Frequency.
Chapter 6 AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples 121

Figure 6.17 Pump RPM Evaluation Panel with Excitation

Frequencies and their Harmonic Multiples Displayed
in the bottom of the Quick Access Panel

When choosing low or high frequencies on the graph, it is possible to

select a frequency which is excited in the system but does not have a
pump speed within the minimum and maximum pump speeds for the
analysis. The minimum pump speed is defined directly in the PD Pump
Settings in the Pulsation Setup window, while the maximum is calculated
using the Pump Speed and Speed Buffer defined under “Pulsation
Source” in Pulsation Setup. For example, try selecting the largest
maxima, which occurs at 6.1 Hz. The message in Figure 6.18 appears.

Figure 6.18 Message Indicating No Excitation Pump Speeds

Between the Min and Max Pump Speeds Exist

Determine the pressure response of the system at excited

frequencies
In the Pump RPM Evaluation panel, corresponding pump speeds can be
selected for study. At these speeds, the pressure response is important to
characterize. By default, all speeds in the Pump RPM Evaluation panel
are pre-selected and must be clicked to be turned off. Child Pump Speed
122 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
scenarios can then be created that will have the Flow vs. Time profile at
the selected speed (RPM) that will excite the evaluated frequencies.
We will create child scenarios for all three Excitation Frequencies in the
Pump RPM Evaluation panel. To do this, ensure that the pump speeds of
135.8, 194.5, and 222.1 RPM are selected (not italicized).
1. Click “Create Scenarios Based On Selected Pump Speeds…”
2. A dialog box will appear stating that three scenarios will be created
based on the selected speeds in the Pump RPM Evaluation panel.
Click Yes to continue creating the child scenarios.
3. Double-click on the "135.8 RPM (6.8 Hz)" child scenario to load it
as the current scenario.
The scenario will now have different transient information in J2,
modeling the pump performance at 135.8 RPM. Go to the Workspace
and open the Properties window for J2. On the Transient tab click Show
Graph under the Transient Data table to verify the Pump Flow Forcing
Function has been applied, as shown in Figure 6.19.

Figure 6.19 New Assigned Flow transient representing the PD

Pump operating at 135.8 RPM
Chapter 6 AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples 123
Run the "135.8 RPM (6.8 Hz)" scenario to see the pressure response.
Often, the most noticeable pressure response will occur in stagnant
branched lines. For the purposes of this example, we will evaluate the
pressure responses through pipe P6. However, engineers must ensure that
all pipes that could experience significant pressure responses are
analyzed.
1. To create a pressure profile graph in pipe P6, go to the Graph Results
tab and in the Graph List Manager, select Profile for the graph type
2. Check the box for Pipe P6
3. Select Pressure Stagnation for the Parameter
4. Use bar for the units
5. Click Generate
6. Right-click on the y-axis to adjust the y-axis scale by unchecking the
Auto Scale box, then changing the Minimum to 240 and the Major
Val to 20
Figure 6.20 shows the profile plot for Pipe P6 at a pump speed of 135.8
RPM.

Figure 6.20 Max/Min Pressure Profile of Pipe P6 for 135.8 RPM

124 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
The pressure vs. time can be displayed for any pipe station. Plot the
pressure vs. time for pipe P6 by following the directions below:
1. In the Quick Access Panel, select Transient Pipe for the graph type
2. Add the outlet and inlet of Pipe P6 to the “Graph These
Pipes/Stations:” list
3. Select Pressure Stagnation for the Parameter
4. Use bar for the units
5. Set the Time Frame to User Specified with a Start Time of 0 and a
Stop Time of 2 seconds
6. Click Generate (see Figure 6.21)

Figure 6.21 Pressure Oscillations at Inlet and Outlet of Pipe P6 for

135.8 RPM

After looking at these graphs, return to the Output tab and make note of
the message in red at the bottom right of the screen that states that
Warnings Exist. These warnings are reported in the upper third of the
output window and warn the user of potential issues with the model.
Chapter 6 AFT Impulse Add-on Modules Examples 125
The PFA module will check the Peak-to-Peak pressures and compare
them to the permissible values in the API-674 standard. If the limits from
the standard are violated in the model, a warning will appear like in this
case, where the Peak-to-Peak pressures exceeded the allowable limits.
Additionally, the vapor pressure margin is checked. This is the margin
between the minimum pressure and 10% over the vapor pressure, per the
API-674 standard. More information on this can be seen on the Applied
Standards and Pulsation Summary tabs.
For the purposes of this example, we will repeat these steps for the pump
speed of 222.1 RPM because analysis was performed beforehand to
determine that this pump speed causes the largest pressure oscillations.
We will show these graphs here. When performing an analysis on your
system, all pump speeds that excite the system should be evaluated.
Figure 6.22 shows the Max/Min Pressure Profile for P6 for the pump
speed of 222.1 RPM.

Figure 6.22 Max/Min Pressure Profile of Pipe P6 for 222.1 RPM

Notice the large difference between the maximum and minimum

pressures at the end of the pipe, located next to the Dead End junction.
126 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
The large pressure oscillation in Pipe P6 can be seen in Figure 6.23. It is
important to note that the inlet of Pipe P6 does not exhibit as large of a
response as the outlet does. This oscillation, if allowed to continue, can
lead to mechanical and support fatigue and thus failure. It should be
noted in the Ouput that this scenario also violates the API-674 standard.

Figure 6.23 Pressure Oscillations at Inlet and Outlet of Pipe P6 for

222.1 RPM

PFA analysis summary

AFT Impulse and the PFA (Pulsation Frequency Analysis) module were
used to discover the problematic pump frequencies occurring in a system
with a known pulsation issue. The software was used to identify these
frequencies, and after the frequencies were identified, a corresponding
pump operating speed was examined to find the pressure response of the
system. Using graphing features, the pressure response was plotted and
studied. The steps followed lead to the successful pulsation analysis of
the system.
CHAPTER 7

Other AFT Impulse Capabilities

This Quick Start Guide necessarily omitted coverage of a number of

AFT Impulse capabilities. This chapter briefly describes some of the
important capabilities not covered.

Microsoft Excel™ data integration

AFT Impulse now includes enhanced Excel importing and robust Excel
exporting. An Excel spreadsheet can be used to vary selected input
parameters in multiple scenarios. Selected output can also be exported to
specified Excel sheets and cells.

Integration with other software and data standards

AFT Impulse includes a number of importing and exporting capabilities.
Piping layouts and dimensional data can be imported from GIS
Shapefiles (SHP) to build a model. CAESAR II Neutral Files (CII) can
be imported into AFT Impulse and EPANET Files (INP) can be both
imported and exported. Additionally, force files can be exported for use
in CAESAR II, TRIFLEX, and ROHR2.
Piping Component Files (PCF) from AutoCAD Plant 3D, SmartPlant,
PDS, CADWorx, and other software can be imported into AFT Impulse.
These options are all accessed from the File Menu.

Variable density and viscosity modeling

Systems that have variable density and viscosity can be modeled. The
density and viscosity can be assigned on a pipe by pipe base.
128 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Transient cavitation and liquid column separation

AFT Impulse offers the Discrete Gas Cavity model (DGCM) and the
Discrete Vapor Cavity model (DVCM) for modeling transient cavitation
(also known as liquid column separation). These models calculate vapor
volume size over time and account for pressure spikes when cavities
collapse. Vapor volume can be plotted in the Graph Results window.

Positive displacement pumps

AFT Impulse can model positive displacement pumps. Typically this is
done by modeling the pump as a known flowrate over time. Complicated
periodic flowrates from multiple pistons and/or multiple out of phase
pumps can also be modeled.

Pumps with viscosity corrections

When the liquid is sufficiently viscous, centrifugal pump performance
will be degraded. AFT Impulse models corrections to manufacturer
performance curves during steady and transient flow.

Pumps with variable speed controllers

Pumps with speed controllers can be modeled during steady and transient
flow. Transients caused by flow or pressure control level changes with
time can be modeled.

Pumps as turbines (PAT)

Pumps being operated as turbines can be modeled during steady and
transient flow using the Pump as Turbine model in the Pump junction.

Vacuum breaker valves

Vacuum breaker valves (also known as air inlet valves) are used to
protect against low pressure conditions. AFT Impulse can model vacuum
breaker valves, including different inflow and outflow geometries.
Chapter 7 Other AFT Impulse Capabilities 129

Surge tanks
Surge tanks are a surge suppression device used in low pressure systems
with non-volatile fluids. AFT Impulse can model surge tanks, including
transient surface pressure for enclosed tanks.

Relief valves
The Relief Valve junction allows flexibility in modeling relief valve
behavior by defining combinations of opening and closing profiles based
on different parameters, such as time or pressure. In addition to set
pressure, users can define a blowdown pressure for relief valves that
close at pressures lower than the set pressure. Relief valves can have
constant backpressure acting on the valve stem (hydraulically balanced)
so the set points can be defined as absolute upstream pressures.
Alternatively, the set points can be entered as a pressure difference
across the valve. For valves with pressure profiles, the Cv profile for the
valve can be entered by the user or automatically set according to the
valve set points. In addition, users can define opening and closing rate
limits for valves with pressure profiles.

Flow and pressure control valve transients

AFT Impulse can model flow and pressure control valves. AFT Impulse
accounts for control valves which lose and regain control during the
transient. Transients caused by changes in flow or pressure control
setpoints can also be modeled.

Non-Newtonian fluid modeling

AFT Impulse can model steady and transient flow of non-Newtonian
fluids which behave as Power Law, Bingham Plastic or Homogeneous
Scale-up viscosity models.

Pulp and paper modeling

AFT Impulse can model steady and transient flow of pulp and paper
stock using the Duffy method or Brecht & Heller method.
130 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide

Infinite pipe boundaries

Infinite pipe boundaries can be very useful for long, non-reflecting pipes.
Model run times can be significantly reduced with these elements. Both
Assigned Flow and Assigned Pressure junctions can be specified to
behave as infinite pipe boundaries during transients.

Repeat transient feature for periodic transient behavior

For elements which have periodic behavior (such as positive
displacement pumps), one cycle of data can be entered and then specified
to repeat once the cycle is finished.

Intermediate elevations for pipes

Typically, elevation changes along pipes do not affect the steady or
transient behavior of the system. Exceptions are high points which
cavitate. If desired, AFT Impulse can model varying elevations along a
pipe.

Fitting library
AFT Impulse offers a library of about 400 fitting losses which can be
added to pipes.

Design alerts
Design Alerts can be entered for pipes and then cross-plotted vs. system
behavior. A common use is maximum and minimum allowed operating
pressure. These can be entered as Design Alert for pipes and then plotted
against predicted pressure transients.

Network databases
Junction components and pipe materials can be saved to databases for
later reuse. Databases can be located on local PC's or deployed across
local or wide area networks. The Database Manager allows users to
connect to relevant databases for their specific pipe system design.
Cavitation See transient cavitation
Index Change Units window 40
Checklist 12
A  Chempak database 3, 20
AFT Fathom 3 Controlling pipe 32
AFT Impulse
D 
Engineering assumptions 4
Database Manager 130
Overview 4
Databases 130
Summary of capabilities 2
Defining objects
AFT Standard fluid
Undefined Objects window 22
Database 3, 20
Design Alerts 104, 130
Animation
Duffy method See Pulp and paper
Graph Animation 49, 66 modeling
Visual Report Animation 47
E 
Annotation tool 13
EPANET 127
Assigned Flow junction
Event transient specification 54
Infinite pipe boundaries 130
Excel 127
Assigned Pressure junction
Exporting 127
Infinite pipe boundaries 130
AutoCAD Plant 3D 127 F 
Fitting Library 130
B 
Flow Control Valve junction See
Bingham Plastic See Non-Newtonian Junctions:Flow Control Valve
fluid
Force sets 89
Brecht & Heller method See Pulp and
paper modeling
G 
C  Graph Guide 40
CADWorx 127 Graph List 62
CAESAR II 95, 127 Graph Results window 5, 40, 42, 61,
78, 79, 87, 105
132 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
Design Alerts 130 Valve 26, 76, 103
Forces tab 93
L 
Secondary Y-axis 63, 79
Liquid column separation See transient
H  cavitation
Lock 19
Highlight feature 25
Loss factor 25
I 
ID numbers 13, 22
M 
Method of Characteristics 3, 32
Importing 127
Mixtures 3, 20
Infinite pipe boundaries 130
Model Data window 4, 31
Inspection feature 25
Modulus of elasticity 30
Intermediate elevations 130
Isometric 15, 90 N 
J  Newton-Raphson method 2
NIST REFPROP 3
Junction Object 13
Non-Newtonian fluid 2, 129
Junctions
Area Change 112 O 
Assigned Flow 112 Open Pipe/Jct Window 23
Flow Control Valve 129 Output Control window 37
Gas Accumulator 2 Output file See Transient output file
General Component 75 Output window 5, 37, 78
Pressure Control Valve 129 SSL output 104
Pump 53, 75, 101 Overview of AFT Impulse 4
Relief Valve 129
Reservoir 13, 23, 24, 52, 74, 101
P 
PCF 127
Spray Discharge 77, 112
PDS 127
Surge Tank 2, 129
Periodic transient behavior 130
Vacuum Breaker Valve 2, 128
Index 133
PFA module 97, 110 Variable speed controllers 128
Excitation Frequency Analysis 118 Viscosity corrections 128
PD Pump Settings tab 114
Q 
Pulsation Setup window 113
Quick Access Panel 12
Pulsation Transient 118
Pinning 13
Pump RPM Evaluation 120
Pipe Drawing tool 16 R 
Pipe forces See Force sets Reference positive flow direction 18
Pipe Object 13 Relief Valve junction See
Junctions:Relief Valve
Pipe Properties window 28, 29, 30
Reservoir junction See
Design Alerts 130
Junctions:Reservoir
Intermediate elevations 130
Reverse flow See Reference positive
Poisson Ratio 30 flow direction
Power Law See Non-Newtonian fluid Reverse Pipe Direction 18
Preferred Units 23 Run Model 35
Pressure Control Valve junction See
Junctions:Pressure Control Valve S 
Primary windows 4 Scenario Manager 12, 57
Properties windows Section Pipes window 32, 56, 77, 104
Using tabs 24 Show Object Status 21, 22, 25, 30, 103
Pulp and paper modeling 129 Slurries
Pump junction See Junctions:Pump Viewing results in Output window
104
Entering pump curves 53, 102
SmartPlant 127
Four quadrant modeling 82
Solution Control window 20
Positive displacement pump modeling
128 Solution Progress window 35, 78, 104
Pump as turbine (PAT) 128 Special Condition 53, 54
Special Condition 53 SSL module
Transient data entry 53, 75 Setting up slurry a model 98
134 AFT Impulse 7 Quick Start Guide
Stacked Graphs 41 Visual Report Control window 46
Status Bar 12, 19 Visual Report window 5, 46
Steady Solution Control 20
W 
Steady-state solver 2, 36
Wavespeed 30, 32
Surge Tank junction See
Junctions:Surge Tank Assumption that it remains constant
4
System Properties window 50, 72, 98
Workspace window 4, 13, 99
T 
Toolbars 19
Toolbox 12, 13, 16
Transient cavitation 2, 128
Enabling model 56
Transient Control window 34, 56, 78,
86, 104
Force Output tab 92
Transient output file 37, 56
Transient solver 3, 36

U 
Undefined Objects window 22, 103
User Options 22

V 
Vacuum Breaker Valve junction See
Junctions:Vacuum Breaker Valve
Valve junction See Junctions:Valve
Event transient specification 54
Special Condition 54
Variable pipe resistance 60
Viscosity model 20