AUTONOMOUS PROVINCIAL AGENCY FOR AUTONOMOUS

PROVINCE OF TRENTO WATER RESOURCES AND ENERGY PROVINCE OF BOLZANO

UNIVERSITY OF TRENTO FREE UNIVERSITY OF BOLZANO

Department of Civil, Environmental Department of Science and
and Mechanical Engineering Technology

QEPANET plugin for QGIS

QGIS EPANET QEPANET

Daniel Gerola
 WORKING GROUP MEMBERS
Prof. Ing. Maurizio Righetti. Professor UniBZ. Supervisor and Resource Investigator.

Dott. Alberto De Luca. Software Developer.

Ing. Andrea Menapace. PhD Student UniBZ. Co-ordinator and Tester.

Ing. Giuseppe Pisaturo. Post Doc. UniTN. Co-ordinator and Tester.

Ing. Sez. B Daniel Gerola. Collaborator UniTN. Completer and Tester.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The project activities are made possible by:

✓ AUTONOMOUS PROVINCE OF TRENTO

funding “PAT AI APRIE, public water resources management”

✓ AUTONOMOUS PROVINCE OF BOLZANO

funding “AI_ALPEN Project, drinking water supply in alpine region (CUP: B26J16000300003)”

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 OUTLINE

A. INTRODUCTION

B. HOW TO INSTALL THE PLUGIN

C. WORKSPACE DESCRIPTION

D. HOW TO MODEL A WATER DISTRIBUTION NETWORK (WDN)

STEP BY STEP

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 A. INTRODUCTION

QGIS software

- Basic information about QGIS -

QGIS ...
 Is an open source software to represent, view, edit and analyze geographical
information.

 Is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL).

 Has an intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI) and it’s available on Windows,
Mac OS X, Linux and Android (experimental version).

 PLUGINS and TOOLS give the possibility to extend the functionalities offered by
the QGIS software.

We’ll use the QEPANET plugin

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 A. INTRODUCTION

EPANET software

- Basic information about EPANET -

EPANET ...
 Works:
INPUT SIMULATION OUTPUT
▪ Network Layout EPANET solver: ▪ Head at Nodes
▪ Object Properties "Gradient Method“ of ▪ Flow Rate in Pipes
▪ Analysis Options Todini and Pilati (1987) ▪ Chemical Species
▪ Management Rules Concentration
▪ ... ▪ ...

 Contains:
Controls
Links PIPES PUMPS VALVES
Physical Non-physical
Curves
objects objects
Nodes JUNCTIONS TANKS RESERVOIRS

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 A. INTRODUCTION

EPANET software
 Capabilities:
▪ Places no limit on the size of the network.

▪ Computes head loss using the Hazen-Williams (H-W), Darcy-Weisbach (D-W) or Chezy-
Manning (C-M) formulas.

▪ Models various types of valves including shut-off, pressure and flow regulating types.

▪ Allows storage tanks to have any shape.

▪ Considers multiple demand categories at nodes, with its own time pattern.

▪ Models pressure-dependent flow issuing from emitters.

▪ Models constant or variable speed pumps.

▪ Includes minor head losses for bends, fittings, etc.

▪ ...
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 A. INTRODUCTION

QEPANET plugin

- Basic information about QEPANET -

QEPANET ...
 Is a new plugin for QGIS implemented by the University of Trento and by the
Free University of Bolzano.
▪ It’s still under development, so it could contain some bugs and not all EPANET
functions are implemented.

 Allows to link QGIS to EPANET in order to perform a WDN simulation in a

georeferenced workspace.
▪ It helps drawing the WDN and analysing the results (with graphs and thematic maps).
▪ It helps creating an EPANET-compatible INP file to be used in EPANET.
▪ it can read EPANET INP files and rebuilds the networks inside QGIS.
▪ It provides tools to easily draw the network objects needed by EPANET.
▪ Its structure, operation and capabilities are familiar to EPANET users.
▪ it can run an EPANET simulation for you using the EPANET binaries.
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 A. INTRODUCTION

QEPANET plugin

QEPANET brings EPANET to QGIS:

QGIS

QEPANET EPANET
INP file

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 A. INTRODUCTION

QEPANET plugin

- Advantages of using QEPANET -

IN QEPANET ...
▪ The creation of nodes and links is easier and faster.

▪ The zoom level of the network is immediate (you can use the mouse wheel).

▪ The network is automatically georeferenced (in accordance with the Coordinate

Reference System).

▪ Through the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) you can assign the nodes elevation directly.

▪ You can assign the depth of nodes respect to the ground level (Delta Z).

▪ The length of pipes is calculated in 3D.

▪ You can assign the material of pipes to which is associated its roughness coefficient.

▪ ...

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 B. HOW TO INSTALL
THE PLUGIN

Installation of QEPANET
Open QGIS and select Plugins >> Manage and Install Plugins... from the Menu Bar.
Select All, search QEPANET on the list, select Install plugin and click Close. (give a look at slide 12)
QEPANET is available in
the “QGIS Python Plugins
Repository” standard.

QEPANET
is installed
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 C. WORKSPACE
DESCRIPTION
Settings under
some platforms

Workspace of QGIS and QEPANET

If QEPANET icon
isn’t displayed:
▪ Select View >>
Toolbars from the
Menu Bar and
check QEPANET.
Or:
▪ Right click on
Toolbars and check
QEPANET.
QEPANET
Menu Bar
Toolbars
Status Bar
Panels
Map View
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 C. WORKSPACE
DESCRIPTION

Workspace of QEPANET
QEPANET …
Provides shortcuts and commands to the EPANET 1)
operations:
2)
(QEPANET helps creating an EPANET-compatible INP file)
3)
Commands to 4) Layers section Section to create
create, open and non-physical 4)
1) save a project 7) objects and to
Sections to fix the
default objects define the snap
Commands to 5) tolerance
properties before
5)
2) create, move and you draw them
delete physical Section to run the
objects to the map Section containing 8) simulation and to
the options that view the output
3) Elevation of nodes 6)
6) control how
EPANET analyzes a 7)
network 8)
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 C. WORKSPACE
DESCRIPTION

Workspace of QEPANET
1) 5)

4)
2)

6) 8)
7)

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 C. WORKSPACE
DESCRIPTION

Workspace of QGIS
Menu Bar …
Contains a collection of menus used to control QGIS:

To export To view QEPANET icon To install To combine more DEMs or

DXF network (Settings under some QEPANET more topographic maps in a
platforms) single raster layer

Toolbars …
Provides shortcuts to the common operations of QGIS:

To switch on and off toolbars, select View

>> Toolbars from the Menu Bar or right To zoom and To open To identify To add raster layers To open attribute
click on Toolbars. pan on the map QEPANET features of (DEMs or table of objects
objects topographic maps)
Settings under
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 C. WORKSPACE
DESCRIPTION

Workspace of QGIS
Through it you can modify
The command Identify Features generally displays: the objects properties

▪ The objects properties of the network, only for the selected object (e.g.: Tank T1).

▪ The output of simulation, for all time step but only for the selected node or link
(e.g.: Node Pressure of Junction J115).

To use the
command:
select
and click or
right click on
object in the
map.

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 C. WORKSPACE
DESCRIPTION

Workspace of QGIS
Through it you can modify
The command Open Attribute Table generally displays: the objects properties

▪ The objects properties of the network, for all objects of a category (e.g.: Tanks).
- Junctions To use the
- Reservoirs command:
- Tanks select a layer
from the
- Pipes Layers Panel
- Pumps and select ,
- Valves or right click
on layer and
select .
▪ The output of simulation, for all time step and for all nodes or links (e.g.:
Node pressure).
- Node pressure
- Link velocity
- ...

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 C. WORKSPACE
DESCRIPTION

Workspace of QGIS
Status Bar …
Provides general information about the Map View, processed or available actions and
offers tools in order to manage the Map View:

Panels … To switch on and off widgets, select View >> Panels from the Menu Bar or right click on Toolbars.

Contains the widgets of QGIS. The Layers Panel contains the layers of our interest:

Right click on objects Settings under

layers of the network some platforms
(Junctions, Reservoirs,
Tanks, Pipes, Pumps and Right click on
Valves) raster layers
(DEMs or
Or double click topographic
on layers maps)

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 C. WORKSPACE
DESCRIPTION

Workspace of QGIS
After the simulation Layers Panel also contains the layers representing the output
of simulation (Node pressure, Link velocity, ...).
The output layers are dependent on the simulation time step and they are
represented with a chromatic scale in function of the assumed values.
Right click on
output layers
(node pressure,
link velocity, …)

Right click on
range of values
layers

Or double click
on layers

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 C. WORKSPACE
DESCRIPTION

Workspace of QGIS
Map View …
Digital Elevation
Contains the maps. In this case To zoom you can use
Model (DEM)
the network, the DEM and the the mouse wheel.
topographic map are displayed.
Network
New objects can be directly
added to the map and existing Topographic
objects can be deleted and map
repositioned.

To view the objects labels:

▪ Right click on objects
layers >> Properties >>
Labels
Or:
▪ Double click on objects
layers >> Labels
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 C. WORKSPACE
DESCRIPTION

Workspace of QGIS
After the simulation
the network becomes
coloured in function
of the output layers
and the simulation
time step.

To view the output

labels:
▪ Right click on output
layers >> Properties >>
Labels
Or:
▪ Double click on output
layers >> Labels
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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

QEPANET step by step

1. Open QEPANET
2. Open or create a project
3. (Optionally) Add DEMs and topographic maps
4. Define hydraulic analysis options
5. Draw the network
6. Assign and modify properties of the objects
7. Select a number of analysis options
8. Perform the analysis of the hydraulic behaviour
9. View the analysis results

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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

1. Open QEPANET
After the opening of QGIS, click on QEPANET icon to open the plugin.

A window appears giving the options to open

an existing INP file or create a new one ...
Existing
INP file

New
INP file
The network
is geo-
referenced

... and then another windows appears to select the

Coordinate Reference System (CRS).
For example, if you use the maps of Autonomous
Province of Trento, you can select:
ETRS89 / UTM zone 32N (EPSG: 25832)
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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

2. Open or create a project

You can open or create (or save) a project with the icons of QEPANET:

 To create a new project:

Click on New project from QEPANET.

 To open an existing project:

Click on Open project from QEPANET.

 To save a project under its current name: The project INP file is a
standard EPANET INP file
Click on Save project from QEPANET. with some extra information
(delta z, material of pipes...)
added after the [END] tag.
 To save a project with an another name:

Click on Save project as from QEPANET.

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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

3. (Optionally) Add DEMs and topographic maps

To add DEMs and topographic maps select Add Raster Layer on Toolbars of QGIS.
For example, in Autonomous Province of Trento topographic maps and DEMs can
be downloaded from the following web sites:
 Topographic maps:
Digit Portale Geocartografico Trentino and then select S.I.A.T. >> Carta
Tecnica Provinciale >> Accesso al Web GIS pubblico.
 Digital Elevation Models (DEMs):
Digit Portale Geocartografico Trentino and then select S.I.A.T. >>
Lidar >> Accesso al Web GIS pubblico.

▪ To combine more DEMs or more topographic maps in a single raster layer select Raster >>
Miscellaneous >> Build Virtual Raster (Catalog)… from the Menu Bar of QGIS.
▪ To modify the trasparency of DEM right click on raster layer >> Properties >> Trasparency,
or double click on raster layer >> Trasparency.
▪ To activate the DEM in the plugin you have to assign it to the field DEM of the Layers section (of QEPANET).
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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

3. (Optionally) Add DEMs and topographic maps

Download DEMs

Download topographic maps

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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

4. Define hydraulic analysis options

After the creation of a new project, QEPANET automatically displays the hydraulic
analysis options: SI METRIC US CUSTOMARY
LPS – liters per second CFS – cubic feet per second
LPM – liters per minute GPM – gallons per minute
MLD – million liters per day Chezy-Manning MGD – million gallons per day
CMH – cubic meters per hour Hazen-Williams IMGD – Imperial MGD
CMD – cubic meters per day Darcy-Weisbach AFD – acre-feet per day

The hydraulic analysis options can also

be modified in the section Options >>
Hydraulics of QEPANET.
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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

5. Draw the network

QEPANET provides tools to easily draw the network objects needed by EPANET (physical
objects that appear on the network map and non-physical objects that encompass
design and operational information), and quickly creates an EPANET-compatible INP file.
 Physical objects (nodes and links):
To create, move and delete nodes or links use the icons of QEPANET.
Junctions, Reservoirs, Tanks: click the button for the junction, reservoir
or tank, move the mouse to the desired location on the map and click.
- They can be created along a pipe → the pipe is automatically split.
- They have elevation and coordinates automatically assigned → in accordance with DEM and CRS.
- You can assign the depth of nodes respect to the ground level → Delta Z.

Pumps, Valves: click the button for the pump or valve, snap the cursor to a pipe and click.
- The junctions are automatically created at the ends of pumps or valves (distance of 1 meter).
- To flip the orientation right click on pump or valve >> Flip orientation.
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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

5. Draw the network

Pipes: click the button for the pipe, click the mouse on the start position and then on the
end position and right click to conclude the operation (press “Esc” to cancel the operation).
- Not necessarily they must start or end in a node → the junctions are automatically
created at the ends of pipes.
- You can connect a pipe along another pipe → the pipe is automatically split.
- Their length is calculated in 3D → the pipe follows the profile of the terrain.
- You can add intermediate vertices to a pipe → useful
in particulars configurations of the ground level.
- You can view and edit the pipe section: right click
Ground level
on pipe >> Section...

Vertices Pipe
To draw the network it is
convenient to use the Snap
tolerance command in the
Tools section of QEPANET.
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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

5. Draw the network

 Non-physical objects (curves and patterns):

To create, import, modify and delete curves and patterns,

use the Curve editor and Pattern editor in the Tools section
of QEPANET.

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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

6. Assign and modify properties of the objects

Properties of the objects can be assigned/modified before their creation and after
their creation.

 Before their creation:

To assign the properties of the objects before their

creation use the Objects properties section of QEPANET.

 After their creation:

To assign (and modify) the properties of the objects after their creation use:

- Command Identify Features from Toolbars of QGIS.

- Command Open Attribute Table from Toolbars of QGIS (or right click
on objects layers).
(give a look at slides 16 and 17)

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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

6. Assign and modify properties of the objects

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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

7. Select a number of analysis options

The options that control how EPANET analyzes a network can be found in the Options
section of QEPANET.

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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

8. Perform the analysis of the hydraulic behaviour

To run the hydraulic analysis click on Run in the EPANET section of QEPANET.
▪ To run the hydraulic analysis you have to select the INP file of the project.
▪ After each change you need to save the project before running the simulation.
▪ The hydraulic analysis generates an OUT file containing the results.

The progress of the analysis will be displayed in a Run Status window.

After the simulation

appears a Status Report
window.
Its content depends on the
settings assigned by
the Report of the Options
section of QEPANET.
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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

9. View the analysis results

To view the analysis results click on Output analyser in the EPANET
section of QEPANET.
▪ To view the analysis results you have to select the OUT file of the project.
▪ Make sure that the INP project loaded in QEPANET is consistent with the OUT
file you are loading.

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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

9. View the analysis results

 With a graph:
To view the results with a
graph click on Pick, select
one or more objects on
the map (e.g.: Tank T1),
select the output variable
(e.g.: Nodes Pressure) and
click on Draw. The graph shows the
values of the chose
variables (Demand,
Head, ...) over time.

2)

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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

9. View the analysis results

 On the map:
To view the results on the
map select the simulation
time step on Period (e.g.:
hour 23), select the
output variable (e.g.:
Node pressure) and click
Draw map.
A thematic map of the
network is created, where
the colours of links and
nodes represent the
selected variable.

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 D. HOW TO MODEL A
WDN STEP BY STEP

9. View the analysis results

 In a table format:
To view the results in a
table format select the
output layer from the
Layers Panel and select
on Toolbars of QGIS, or
right click on output layer
>> Open Attribute Table.

 With a list (for a single object):

To view the results with a list (for a single
object) select in the Attribute Table, or
select on Toolbars of QGIS and click or
right click on output layer of the object in a
map.
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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lewis A. Rossman. 2000. EPANET 2 Users Manual. EPA United States Environmental
Protection Agency;

QGIS User Guide, Release 2.14, QGIS Project.

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