PIPELINE PROFILE IMPORT FROM AutoCAD

1. Open AutoCAD and open the pipeline profile you wish to import to ARIavCAD The ARIavCAD icon and menu (called AriCAD) appear in the AutoCAD screen

2. Make sure the line you wish to follow (preferable the pipeline invert) is an open, continuous polyline

If the line is not a polyline, make it one. If it is a closed polyline, explode it. If the line is made of a number of polylines, it is recommended to join them, but it is not a must.

3. Measure the horizontal distance between two stations on the profile, and

compare the measured distance with the distance printed on the drawing

In this particular example, the measured distance is equal to the printed distance, so the distance multiplier is 1.

4. Measure the distance between two elevation lines, and compare the measured value with the printed value

in this example, the printed value is one tenth the value of the measured distance, so the elevation multiplier is 0.1.

5. Determine the distance and elevation of the beginning of the pipeline

In this case, the starting point is 40.94 ft. before the accumulated distance of 17,500 ft. = 17459.06 ft., and the starting elevation is 840 + (0.1x 23.92)=842.392 6. Click the ARIavCAD icon to open ARIavCAD and, then, click Profile data

7. Click Import profile and enter the data

The first four values are the values we measured and calculated above. The 5th item, (Smoothing slope (deg.), is a tool to filter out insignificant stations and/or peaks in a very long profile that, probably, has a very large number of stations. The level of “smoothing” is determined by specifying a minimum slope change required for keeping a station (slope change is cumulative). This value is usually 0 or very low (decimal). In this case we will start with a smoothing slope of 0.

Most pipeline profiles progress and are measured from left to right, and the flow is usually in the same direction. ARIavCAD also works from left to right, and assumes the flow is in the same direction. In cases where flow direction is opposite to the direction of progress of the profile, from right to left, this should be indicated here.

7. Click OK and

Click the polyline (the line representing the pipeline – usually the pipeline invert)

The profile table will form in ARIavCAD.

8. From here, proceed the same as in Stand-Alone after importing from Excel

PIPELINE P OLYLINE IMPORT FROM AutoCAD

Sometimes you don’t have a pipeline profile, but you do have an AutoCAD map with the pipeline drawn on it. In this case ARIavCAD can help by importing the line with at least partial data, to be completed by the designer.

1. After opening the AutoCAD map drawing, click the ARIavCAD icon, and then, click Import polyline

2. If the pipeline in question begins at distance 0, leave starting distance as is and click OK. If not, enter the starting distance and click OK.

3. Click the pipeline

and Enter

The profile appears without elevations. All missing data,, including additional data, should be added by the user.

PIPELINE ENTRY AND IMPORT BY “DIGITIZING” IN AutoCAD

Another very useful way of importing and producing profiles from pipelines drawn on a contour map is by digitizing. Lets see how to “Digityze” the section of the pipeline, above, from Station 1+182.8, crossing the contours, to the end.

1. In the Profile data screen, click Digityze

2. Enter the starting distance and click OK

3. Click the start of the pipeline segment, points along the pipeline crossing contour lines, and other important points along the line, in order, and in

direction of flow, and, then press enter

Now we have the pipeline partial profile, including all the points where the pipeline crosses the contour lines, and where, therefore, we know the elevation. It is quite easy to enter elevations and complete the profile data table. From this point, the Stand-Alone instructions hold.