Create an mechanical equipment set when you want to utilize pumps operating in parallel conditions. To allow for more accurate pipe sizing, equivalent flow is calculated across two or more pumps, based on the number of on duty pumps in the set.
When you create a mechanical set, you can specify the number of on duty pumps and the number of pumps on standby. This information is used by the flow and pressure drop calculations for proper sizing of the branches and header of the pump set.
If the parallel pump set includes a header with caps at both ends, the flow along the entire length of the header is the same as the system flow. The header may be oversized by selecting only the components in the header and applying the sizing tool with a smaller velocity than is used in the rest of the system.
The Calculated Flow for the pump set matches the flow of the system. The Calculated Pressure Drop for the pump set is equal to the Calculated Pressure Drop of the pump branch piping critical path. Use the System Browser to view information about pump sets. Pump set information also displays in the pressure loss report for piping systems.
Before you create a pump set, be sure to enable analysis for closed loop hydronic piping networks in the Mechanical Settings dialog.
The selected pumps are added to the pump set.
When you create a pump set for the first time, or add pumps to an existing pump set (even if some are on standby), all pumps are on duty.
Remove pumps from a mechanical set when they are no longer needed. When you remove pumps from a set, you must leave at least two pumps in the set for it to remain valid.
When you remove a pump, all remaining pumps are on duty, even if some were previously on standby.