Automated Pipe Routing?
Hi Solidworks gurus,I've read about SW's automated-goal-based-optimization features with FEA, but haven't found anything similar w/ piping.Does anyone know if Solidworks (or plug-in tool) can create an optimum piping route based on a minimizing pressure-drop goal if one specifies the following?:
1.Inlet and Outlet locations of the pipe in 3D space
2.Boundary walls the pipe cannot hit within this 3D space
3.Pipe diameter
4.minimum bend radius (so any bends do not go below the inner pipe diameter) To start off, I think water should be used in the calculation becuase H20 is regarded as an incompressible fluid at standard conditions.Perhaps, keep the calculation simple in the beginning like this:
http://www.pressure-drop.com/Online-Calculator/index.html
and modify the code for more detailed input options later down the road.My guess, is the pressure drop calculation and results for each piping-route can be listed in an excel file as it goes through each iteration.I'm stuck on how to automate all this together and which algorithm to use that cycles through good alternative piping routes before converging to the one that yields minimum pressure drop.
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