Pipe Network Features
Pipe Networks - New Conduit Shapes
Pipe networks now allows for many conduit shapes beyond circular. The full list of conduit shapes now includes: circular; box (rectangular); arch; low profile arch; high profile arch; ellipse (horizontal and vertical); semi-circular, and ConSpan (see figure below).
Pipe Networks - Results Profile Plot Improvements
Several improvements have been made in the pipe network results profile plot to make for easier visualization and analysis including, the addition of flow, velocity, and critical depth profile plots along the conduit, and easier access to the animation control bar.
Saved Lists are now available in the pipe network profile plot allowing users to save and quickly plot groups of conduits.
Pipe Networks - Property Tables and Cross-Section View
User's can now visualize the conduit cross-sections and property tables from the Hydraulic Tables menu as shown below.
Pipe Networks - Speed Draw Mode
In order to help draw pipe networks more quickly, the Speed Draw mode automatically places nodes at the ends of newly finished conduits. To turn on Speed Draw mode check the box in the conduit editing tool bar, then nodes will be placed at the ends of each newly completed conduits if one does not exist there already.
Pipe Networks - Split Selected Conduit and Add Node
With the Split Selected tool users can choose where to split a conduit, and at that location a new node will placed along with two new conduits that maintain the properties of the existing conduit.
Sediment, Mud, and Debris Features and Documentation
Automatic Hydraulic Updates for Morphological Acceleration
The Morphological Acceleration Factor provides the opportunity to explore 2D sediment transport and morphological change at a fraction of the full run times. But previous versions required users to compress their flow time-series manually (inverse to the morphological acceleration) to conserve time. This was an awkward and confusing process that also distorted results temporally.
Version 6.7 can now automate that process, applying the morphological acceleration factor to the specified time series, and applying the compression automatically for both input and output.
BSTEM (Bank Failure) Update and Tutorial
HEC fixed several bugs in the USDA-ARS bank stability and toe erosion model (BSTEM) included in the 1D, mobile-bed model - particularly in the multiple-layer algorithms.
As part of this testing and development process, we also developed a BSTEM tutorial.
Variable Concentration Mud and Debris Modeling: Features and Guide
The fixed-bed, non-Newtonian, approach to mud and debris flow modeling is a good level of complexity for many geophysical flows. But it is limited to a single concentration (spatially and temporally).
Some applications require mixing (e.g. dam failure into clear water or tributary debris flow into a clear-water mainstem) or downgradient deposition.
HEC has added several methods in recent versions intended to make variable-concentration, non-Newtonian modeling easier.
We developed a guide that describes several approaches to variable concentration non-Newtonian modeling at different levels of complexity, leveraging several of these new tools (Concentration Only Routing, Hindered Settling, Erodibility Multiplier, Global Depositional Threshold) and creative repurposing of existing tools (Excess Shear cohesive equation and Mixture Fall Velocity methods added for flocculation).