Mastering Autodesk Revit MEP 2016 CHAPTER 11: Mechanical Piping

Mechanical Piping Pipe Settings Segments Size Catalog Fluids Table Create pipe segments based on material performance and size Size Catalog Specific to the pipe segment Fluids Table Temperature, viscosity, and density settings for various fluids Type Properties Fittings loaded into a project and assigned to a pipe type When setting up the mechanical piping to route, you need to apply the correct pipe material. The purpose of this is to provide a more accurate layout by showing the correct pipe sizes and fittings for that system. There are several areas you will have to adjust to set this up properly. These areas are system pipes, fittings, pipe material, pipe sizing tables, and fluids table. Once you set these areas, you can then concentrate on auto routing and/or manual routing of pipe.

Mechanical Piping Pipe Types Custom types can be created by duplicating others Parameters of the type can be adjusted for Material, Class, and Connection Type Naming by material makes for easier takeoffs Pipe types can be created by duplicating existing types and renaming them. It is a good idea to create pipe types for the materials you generally use. Once they are created, you can assign specific fittings to be used by a pipe type. The fittings must be loaded into your project to be used by a pipe type.

Mechanical Piping System Pipe Fittings Fittings can be set up to match with the pipe types and size they will be used in Lookup table can be assigned for proper sizing K Coefficient Table can be used, or a static value can be applied Under the Fitting Parameters there are Elbow, Preferred Junction Type, Tee, Tap, Cross, Transition, Union, and Flange. Before you can adjust the rest of your system pipe type parameters, you need create the fittings that go with your system pipe types. You’ll want to select the fittings that will be required for your pipe type parameters, right-click each of the family fittings, and duplicate standard generic Elbow, Cross, Coupling, Tee, and Transition. After duplicating each one of these, you’ll want to rename them to the associated material of each pipe that you previously duplicated to create your pipe types.

Mechanical Piping Material and Sizing Available materials and their sizes are defined in Mechanical Settings New materials can be created based on others Roughness, Connection type, and Schedule can be modified for new material Sizes can be added or removed for availability in project If you want to create a new pipe material, you can duplicate an existing pipe material and rename it to the new pipe material as required. You can change connection type and schedule of pipe. This is all done in the Mechanical Settings dialog box.

Mechanical Piping Fluids Table Viscosity and Density settings for specific fluids at various temperatures Custom fluid types can be created Custom temperatures can be added The Fluids Table in the Mechanical Settings dialog box determines the Viscosity and Density settings for fluids at specific temperatures. These settings are important for flow calculations. New fluid types can be created as needed for your projects. You can also create new temperature values.

Mechanical Piping Automatic Routing Routing Solutions Network – solutions with main running through center and branching off Perimeter – solutions with main running around components and branching in Intersections – pair of imaginary lines extending from each connector; perpendicular lines extend from connectors and intersections are potential junctions Custom – becomes available when you begin to modify any other solution type Slope value can be assigned prior to routing There are a couple of routing options when you set out to design your piping model: the auto-route option and the manual routing option. The smaller a system, the more beneficial the auto-route feature. If you have a large system you are designing, then manual routing will benefit you more due to the nature of designs changing more often.

Mechanical Piping Manual Routing Pipe drawn at specified elevation Slope value Manual Routing Pipe drawn at specified elevation Justification settings – Top, Bottom, or Middle of pipe Slope value for run applied if necessary Pipe can be drawn from connection points on equipment or fixtures Size acquired from connector data Vertical runs can be drawn in section view or plan views (by changing offset during run) Trim tool used for easy completion of runs Slope direction toggle Manual routing of pipe is similar to routing ductwork. You start by choosing a pipe type and size. You can then set the elevation of the pipe and the justification. The main difference for pipe is that you have the ability to apply a slope if necessary.

Mechanical Piping Placing Fittings Fitting Functions End Cap – placed at ends of pipe only Tee, Tap, Wye, or Cross – placed anywhere in-line with pipe runs Transitions, Couplings, or Unions – placed at pipe ends Flange – placed at pipe ends or at face of another flange Fittings will size according to pipe they are placed into Many fittings have grips that allow for change in direction or type

Mechanical Piping Pipe Visibility Colors by System Colors assigned to System for design visibility Filters used for documentation views Can be applied to whole systems Pipe visibility can be controlled with view filters either by pipe type or by system. If your pipes have been modeled so that each run is connected at some point to a connector, a view filter by system is the easiest way to override the display of the run because it will include any fittings. A view filter that is set up for pipe types is also easy to use but does not include the fittings in the runs. A separate filter for fittings is required when using this method.