Water Supply Pipe Design Methods Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions, design methods, and calculations for sizing water supply pipes and water meters.

Flow Rates

The volume of a substance that passes through a point per unit of time.

Water Consumption

Refers to the used water that is not returned to its original water source after being withdrawn.

Water Demand

The amount of fluid requested by the user.

Design Load

Refers to the peak instantaneous demand or the maximum amount of water being simultaneously used by a group of fixtures, expressed in gpm, L/min, or L/s.

Water Pressure

The driving force behind the fluid flow, which drops along the supply line when passing through fixtures or backflow preventer devices.

Pressure Difference

The driving force of the fluid that causes water to flow in designing a supply line.

Pressure Difference Constant (English)

The pressure change per foot of elevation change in English units, equal to $-0.433\,\text{psi}$.

Pressure Difference Constant (Metric)

The pressure change per meter of elevation change in Metric units, equal to $-9.8\,\text{kPa}$.

Simple Empirical Design Method

A pipe sizing method based on rules of thumb or through observation and experience.

Fixture Units

The water supply per fixture based on the rate of discharge, time of operation, and usage frequency of a fixture.

Water Supply Fixture Unit (WSFU)

A measure used to determine the total supply load in a given system for each fixture connected to it.

Total Maximum Developed Length

The actual length between the supply source and the farthest situated fixture multiplied by a factor (usually $1.2$) to account for fitting losses.