Positioning and Locking Components

You can add components to Branches after they have been routed and control where the components are positioned. The effect that positioning and locking components will have when a Branch is re-routed is also considered.

Note:
You can set up rules to control the selection, positioning and orientation of components, for further information, refer to Routing Rules.

Deletable, Positionable and Locked Components

Pipe Router sees all piping components as deletable, positionable or locked. If the Branch Detail window is displayed for a Branch that has been routed by the Pipe Router, all the components are listed as deletable.

The components that Pipe Router creates in a Branch are described as Deletable. If the branch is re-routed, Pipe Router will delete all the components that it has created and re-create them.

After a Branch has been routed, components can be added manually in the normal way. Select the correct element in the Branch Members list and select Create > Component from the main menu bar. These components are described as Positionable. If the Branch is re-routed, these components will not be deleted, but they may be moved to fit on the new route.

Positionable components can be locked into a given position, in which case they will not be moved, even if the Branch is re-routed.

The order of Positionable components in the Branch Members list will be maintained, and so will their order relative to any constraints in the Branch. For example, if a Valve is added before a Locked Tee, the Valve will not be moved past the Tee.

You may wish to make changes to a Branch, and then re-route it, keeping some or all of the components that Pipe Router has added by making them positionable, rather than deletable. You can also lock them.

To change the status of a component, select it from the list on the Branch Detail window, and then select one of the options under the Modify menu on the window.

The choices are: Constraint, Toggle Head Lock, Toggle Tail Lock, Lock Position, Make Positionable, Make Deletable, Toggle Head/Tail Relative, Head W-P, and Tail W-P.

Positioning Relative to the Head or Tail

Each component in a branch is positioned relative to the head or tail of the branch. If a component is head relative, then Pipe Router will place that component as close as possible to the head of the branch, allowing for other components and any constraints. If a component is tail relative, then that component is positioned as close as possible to the tail of the branch.

Pipe Router routes a pipe from head to tail and so all components are initially created head relative.

You can change the head/tail relative property of any positionable component. Select it in the list on the Branch Detail window, and then select Modify > Toggle Head/Tail Relative.

Head and Tail Work-points

Each Branch has a Head Work-point and a Tail Work-point. You can insert components between the Head (or Tail) and its work-point, which can be used, for example, to position a Valve directly onto a Nozzle.

Moving the Head or Tail Work-point

You can position the Head W-P after a particular component in a Branch or position the Tail W-P before a particular component, which will enable you to position the Valve directly onto the Nozzle of vessel /VESS-1, then re-route the Pipe without affecting the position of the Valve.

From the Branch Detail window, select Modify > Tail W-P to display the Modify Tail W-P window.

From the Modify Tail W-P window, select VALVE 1, click OK.

From the Pipe Router window, select the Route: Selected option.

Pipe Router re-routes the Pipe from the Head Work-point to the Tail Work-point, which is now positioned before VALV 1, as shown below.

You can check the position of the valve, display the Branch Detail window for the branch, then scroll to the bottom of the Components/Constraints list. The details are displayed:

Note:
The Tail Work-point is now positioned after VALVE 1.

Locking and Unlocking a Component

Pipe Router enables you to lock piping components in position, to ensure that a branch component remains in its current position, even if the branch is re-routed.

To lock a component, from the Branch Detail window, select the component to be locked in position, select Modify > Lock Position.

To unlock a locked component, select Modify > Make Positionable for main piping components, or Modify > Make Deletable for Pipe Router generated components.

Manually Routing Non-orthogonal Sections

Pipe Router is an orthogonal router so if non-orthogonal sections of pipe in a branch are required. You will have to route these sections by hand and then lock all the components in the section (including the start and end bend or elbow) and route the remainder of the pipes using Pipe Router.

Aligned, Locked, Non-orthogonal Components

If two locked components with non-orthogonal arrive and/or leave direction are aligned, with no intervening components, so that a straight piece of tube can run between them without clashing, Pipe Router will use this route, which will also happen if the first component is aligned with the head or the last component is aligned with the tail. If the straight, non-orthogonal routes clash, only orthogonal routes will be considered to avoid the clash.

In all other cases Pipe Router will try to insert a bend or elbow to turn into an orthogonal direction as close as possible to the component.

Non-aligned Non-orthogonal Components

If non-orthogonal components are not aligned, only orthogonal routes between them will be considered.

Non-orthogonal Sections with Unlocked Components

If there are other, positionable, components between non-orthogonal locked components, orthogonal routing will be used. Pipe Router may add connection components on to the locked components, but note that no bore change (which would require the addition of a reducer) will be permitted.

You can lock several non-orthogonal components in a row. For example, you can lock two 45 degree elbows to give a non-orthogonal section of pipe and place a locked valve on this section of pipe. Pipe Router will then not route any part of the Branch between the elbows, providing that straight pipe does not clash; and it will add any necessary connection components to the valve. However, the valve must be locked: if it is positionable Pipe Router will route orthogonally between the elbows.

It may be better to continue in a non-orthogonal direction from a nozzle until a route has passed an obstruction, because this might give a shorter route with fewer elbows. You would lock the elbow at ‘A’ to give this route:

Using Rules for Minimum Tube Length

You may find that components such as Olets and Stub-in Tees will be positioned immediately next to another component, if your COCO tables allow. You can use the Upstream and Downstream Rules provided with Pipe Router to specify minimum lengths of Tube. for further information about using rules, refer to Routing Rules.