Use the Analytical Connections tool to create analytical connections to calculate flow and pressure drop in the network.
This video demonstrates the following:
During early stages of design, add analytical pipe connections between hydronic connectors on mechanical equipment and a main, or branch, pipe to calculate flow and pressure drop in the network. To add analytical pipe connections, you can select the equipment first, or the piping first.
In the first example, let's select the heat pump. On the Mechanical Equipment tab, click Analytical Connections. If the selected mechanical equipment contains two or more connectors that may be used for the selected system type, use the Select Connector dialog to select one or more connectors. Select one or more pipes. Analytical connections are added based on the system type.
Next, let's select the pipe first. Click Analytical Connections and select the equipment to connect to. Select the connectors, and click OK. Notice that analytical pipe connections connect to the equipment at a point perpendicular to the family connector or to an open end, whichever is closer. Use the Hide Analytical Model in the View Control bar to toggle the display of analytical pipe connections in the model. When you turn off the display of analytical pipe connections, flow and pressure drop properties from the equipment are still used in network calculations.
You can assign a value for pressure drop for analytical connections in the Type Properties dialog. By default, the pressure drop is set to zero. Add analytical connections to a hydronic piping model when you want to calculate flow and pressure drop for a hydronic piping network that is in the early stages of design.