Running simulations

You can model the behaviour of a network under particular conditions by running a simulation. The simulation tests the effects of a given demand in the network over a period of time, allowing you to identify weaknesses in the system, such as areas where water supply is insufficient.

As for other parts of the system, you must start by creating a group. The runs group will contain one or more runs, each of which contains the data needed to set up the InfoWorks WS Pro simulation engine.

The run must be scheduled; this involves setting up the parameters for the simulation engine. The InfoWorks WS Pro simulation controller then performs the simulations.

When the model has been run, the run object (in the run group) will contain one or more simulation objects: depending on the type of simulation being run.

This stage assumes that you have started InfoWorks WS Pro and that the Model Group window is open, showing the Newtown icon.

The following steps allow you to run a simulation:

Set up a simulation:

Right-click the Run Group and select New | Run. The Schedule Hydraulic Run dialog is displayed.
Show image

In the Run Title box, enter the title as 'Newtown Run 1'.
Drag a network into the Network box. Let us select the following network as an example: Newtown Network.
Drag the Newtown Base Control object into the Control box.
Drag the Profiles demand diagram into the Demand Diagram box.
Show image

Change the Start date and time to 1 October 1998 00:00 and the End date and time to 2 October 1998 00:00. The Timestep (the frequency at which calculations are performed) should be 5 minutes. Change the Computational Accuracy to 0.5 l/s . To change the month, either click the arrow button at the right-end of the box to display the calendar functionality or click the text of the current month and use the Down Arrow or Up Arrow keys of your keyboard to scroll through .
Show image

Run the simulation:

Click Run Simulations. The Output window is opened, showing the progress of the run.

Click the button for the Runs group and you will see that it now contains the Newtown Run 1 run, which in turn contains the Newtown Base Control simulation. The simulation icon is green, indicating that the simulation was completed successfully. This does not mean, however, that the model run has not suffered from any instabilities.
Show image
You can change the dates and times over which the simulation is run:

Open the Newtown Network network.
Drag the Newtown Base Control icon onto the GeoPlan.
From the Network menu, select the Control time interval option. The Simulation Control dialog is displayed. This dialog allows you to change the start and end dates and times and the simulation timestep. All dates and times in the control data will be moved relative to the new start date and time. For these changes to take effect, the control data must be checked out. The data in the network is not affected, so the network does not need to be checked out.
Show image
Click Cancel to cancel the changes.

The simulation has created a large number of results, which you can now inspect.

Back to main flowchart