SIC^2: Simulation and Integration of Control for Canals

Create a video file from a graphic animation

Pierre-Olivier Malaterre — 2017-04-27T13:53:08Z

For results with several time steps (calculation with a succession of permanent regimes or transient computation), the data displayed for a set of objects can be animated as a function of time.

Here is a method that allows to save all the images of the animation in a folder and make a video (.AVI file).

Save animation images in EdiSIC

To start the animation, each graphic has a "play" button.

To save the JPG animation images to the disc, press the [Ctrl] key when the play button is clicked. At this time, EdiSIC proposes to choose a folder where to save the images. Then animation and recording start simultaneously. Animation and recording can be stopped at any time by clicking anywhere on the screen.

Convert images to a video file with MakeAVI

Once the images have been recorded, a program must be used to convert this series of images into video. The rest of this documentation proposes to use MakeAVI a minimalist program and free software downloadable at the following address:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/makeavi/files/latest/download?source=files

MakeAVI is very simple to use, it needs in this order:

Click on "Add files", select all the image files (Ctrl + A to select all the files of a directory) with which one wants to make a video
Choose the "Playback frame rate", that is, the number of frames per second of the video. (Eg for a simulation of 100 steps of time, we will put a frame rate of 10 fps to get a video of 10 seconds)
Click on "Begin!" To choose the location and name of the created .AVI file, choose the codec [1] used and creating the video file.

[1] If this term does not mention anything for you in the list, choose "Intel Indeo" or if it is not present "Radius Codec Cinepak" by leaving the default settings

Flags meaning

David Dorchies — 2017-04-27T13:38:36Z

Meaning of the codes "Error flag" at the offtake

The error flag at the offtake is used to control the results of a target discharge regulation at an offtake. Its meaning is as follow:

Code	Meaning
-4	Non convergence
-3	Downstream elevation superior to upstream elevation (the offtake is closed!)
-2	Sill elevation or downstream weir elevation superior to the upstream elevation
-1	The required discharge cannot be satisfied
0	The required discharge is null (the offtake is closed!) or there are no regulation at the offtake
1	The required discharge is satisfied

Meaning of the codes "Error Flag" at a section

The error flag (IF1 variable in results and/or XML file) has the following meanings:

Code	Meaning
10	Targeted water elevation at the regulator < downstream water elevation
9	Targeted water elevation at the regulator too high
8	Targeted water elevation at the regulator too low
7	Non convergence of regulator calculation
6	Device oversized relative to the geometry of the river (water depth < critical depth)
5	The surface width varies too quickly: unaccuracy calculation. Froude number is >1 while the calculation is located on a branch of the specific head HS(Y)
4	Large variation of elevation after calculation with small steps and slope of the water line still steep
3	Water line slope steep with small steps calculation
2	Passing by the critical depth in the first section
1	Subcritical flow
0	Supercritical flow
-1	Water elevation less than bottom elevation
-2	Enormous water level in the section
-3	Non convergence of critical depth calculation
-4	Negative discharge in the section
-5	Non convergence of water level calculation
-6	Non convergence of cross-structure calculation

Meaning of the "Type of flow" codes at a device

The type of flow (ITEC variable in the XML file) has the following meanings:

Code Meaning

-2 Free flow, open surface flow

-1 Submerged flow, open surface flow

0 Nil flow rate

1 Free flow, piped flow

2 Submerged flow, piped flow

8 Free flow, open surface flow with overflow

9 Submerged flow, open surface flow with overflow

11 Free flow, piped flow with overflow

12 Submerged flow, piped flow with overflow

Meaning of "Gec gates errors" codes at a device

The error codes of the GEC gates (IERR variable in the XML file) has the following meanings:

Code Meaning

0 OK

-1 J = Z1-Z2> JM for AVIS gates

-2 Closed gate - Water level below the level to be regulated - Increase Z1 (AMIL) or Z2 (AVIO / S)

-3 Fully opened gate - Water level above the level to be regulated - Decrease Z1 (AMIL) or Z2 (AVIO / S)

-4 Gates AMIL, ZMAX is not between 0 and D

-5 If R=<0 or HA-ZR>R or D=<0 or H=<0 or HA-H-ZR<-R (all gates except mixed gates)

-5 If R=<0, D=<0 or H=>0 (all mixed gates)

-6 AMIL with overflow (Z1>ZR+W+EC)

-7 Problem with the targeted flow too high for the selected gate

-8 AVIO with overflow (normally case not possible)

-9 AVIS with overflow (Z1>ZR+W+EC)

-10 If J = Z1-Z2 <0

Code	Meaning
-2	Free flow, open surface flow
-1	Submerged flow, open surface flow
0	Nil flow rate
1	Free flow, piped flow
2	Submerged flow, piped flow
8	Free flow, open surface flow with overflow
9	Submerged flow, open surface flow with overflow
11	Free flow, piped flow with overflow
12	Submerged flow, piped flow with overflow

Code	Meaning
0	OK
-1	J = Z1-Z2> JM for AVIS gates
-2	Closed gate - Water level below the level to be regulated - Increase Z1 (AMIL) or Z2 (AVIO / S)
-3	Fully opened gate - Water level above the level to be regulated - Decrease Z1 (AMIL) or Z2 (AVIO / S)
-4	Gates AMIL, ZMAX is not between 0 and D
-5	If R=<0 or HA-ZR>R or D=<0 or H=<0 or HA-H-ZR<-R (all gates except mixed gates)
-5	If R=<0, D=<0 or H=>0 (all mixed gates)
-6	AMIL with overflow (Z1>ZR+W+EC)
-7	Problem with the targeted flow too high for the selected gate
-8	AVIO with overflow (normally case not possible)
-9	AVIS with overflow (Z1>ZR+W+EC)
-10	If J = Z1-Z2 <0

Color status used in results tables

David Dorchies — 2015-12-20T14:28:58Z

Colors used for nodes

The information about the nodes can appear in three colors according to calculation method for the reaches adjacent to the node:

Blue: All the reaches are in water elevation equality mode.
Green: All the reaches are in head equality mode
Red: Some reaches are in water elevation equality mode some others in head equality mode.

Colors used for the sections

Information on sections can appear in three colors considering the water level in the section:

Green: the water level is less than the bank level and the overflow level of the minor / medium bed if it exists.
Orange: the water level is between the overflow level of the minor / medium bed and the bank level.
Red: the water level is higher than the bank level.

Advanced settings of results tables

David Dorchies — 2015-12-20T14:21:02Z

At the bottom of the results window for objects of the same type or the results of time serie window for a selected object, the button "Advanced Settings" allows to change the data format, in particular, one can choose to:

Select the number of decimal places used for the display.
Convert length in different units: m (metric system, ISU=International System of Units), feet (UK, USA).
-* Convert discharges in different units: m³/s (ISU), Ml/day (Mega liters per day, Australia), cfs (cubic feet per second, USA).

Warning, these units are modified only in these hydraulic results (not in the edition of geometric or hydraulic data which remain in metric units, nor in the storage of the results in the xml project file or binary files if applicable). The longitudinal abscissas remain in meters (m). The results in m² (areas, surfaces) and m³ (volumes) are kept in metric units (we can change it in a next version if you wish). On the tables there is no reference to the unit that has been changed, in the label at the top of the columns. On the other hand, on the graphs the units are correctly mentioned on the legend of the y-axis (m, feet or pieds, m³/s, Ml/day or cfs, etc.). You must therefore be very careful when using this option, which is stored in the Edisic settings (Edital.ini, in the exe subdirectory, with for example UnitLResults=2, UnitQResults=3), and is therefore retained between different uses of Edisic. A warning and confirmation request is made at the opening of a project to clarify this option. Exports of results by the regulation modules (e.g. PRINT module) or by SicExport remain in metric units.

In this window you can also choose not to display some columns and display additional data derived from existing data.

For sections, we will be able to calculate:

Water depth and free-board;
Discharge and hydraulic surface of the minor bed in the case of a minor-medium bed;
The speed of wave (c) and V+c and V-c where V is the flow velocity (V=Q/S). To get these variables the calculation must have been done with calculation of wetted area (for c and V) and top width (for c);
DTVPC: The time (in seconds) needed to get a Courant number of 1 (dt=dx/(V+c)). Please note that DX is calculated only based on the display sections; this should be done for the calculation sections. Therefore, all calculation sections should first be switched to display sections;
The lateral discharge;
The Manning of minor and medium beds.

In the case of displaying the list of an object type on several time steps, it is possible to display the minimum and maximum for each variable over time and elapsed volume. For all the volumes calculated, the window offers to define the begin time and end time to be used for the calculation.

For the offtakes additional indicators are available:

The volume requested calculated from the integration of reference discharge at offtakes;
The effective volume (the lower and excess tolerance compared to the requested discharge can be parametrized in this same window);
Different ratios: supplied / requested, efficient / requested, effective / supplied;
The time index.

The method of calculating volumic indexes and the time index are described in the theoretical documentation.

Results time series for a selected object

David Dorchies — 2015-12-20T12:13:40Z

These time series are available in either double-clicking the tree of network objects or on the objects of the network graph or else by double clicking on a line of results tables for an object type of Network.

For the possibilities offered by the results tables in general, see the dedicated documentation.

The upper part of the window lets you navigate between objects on the same location or nearby. In the example above, we can see the Node results, or the one on the offtakes or devices located in the various structures of the node. One can also easily view the data of adjacent nodes using the arrows surrounding the logos and and the data of the upstream section of diffluent reaches and the data of the downstream section of the confluent reaches by double-clicking on a row of the table of adjacent reaches to the node.

Results for objects of the same type

David Dorchies — 2015-12-20T11:59:23Z

Results are available for different types of objects in SIC²:

The Sections
The Singular Sections
The Devices in Cross-Structures
The Nodes
The Intakes
The devices in Intakes

You can view the results of all or part of these objects by making a selection on the network graph.

To view the results for a particular type of object, possibly select a network portion, and click this drop-down list in the toolbar:

The results are displayed for the selected object type:

If the simulation result includes several time steps, the first time step is displayed by default. You can display other time steps using a scroll bar and a drop down list:

This function is also available for graphics displayed from this window. The play button and the potentiometer to its right allow to launch a dynamic animation of the results over time. It is also possible to record the animation of a graphic in the form of a video.

In addition to the common options present on the tables of results, this viewing mode offers different actions:

Directly select another type of object to be displayed using this drop-down list at the top of the window.
The ability to switch between the display of all objects and selection using the checkbox "Only the elements in the selection" at the top of the screen.
The ability to display the time serie result for an item by double-clicking the item from the list or by selecting it and clicking the "local results" button at the bottom of the window.

The results tables

David Dorchies — 2015-12-20T11:43:38Z

Simulation results are presented in the form of tables on which multiple actions are available.

Export data

Export the table displayed to an Excel 2003 file is done with the button . The button allows to copy the contents of the table into the clipboard and then, it can be pasted into a spreadsheet or text editor.

Data sorting

By clicking on any column header, you can sort them in ascending or descending order.

Display graphics

At the bottom of the window, a combo "Display graph" is available to display graphics for the different variables in the columns of the table.

Example for a flow time serie to a section:

In the case of display results for objects of the same type for one time step, the minimum and maximum encountered during simulation appear respectively in light and dark green lines on the graph.

Example for discharge at Intakes:

Other possible actions

The windows of the results tables are also provided with a button "Advanced Settings" that lets you change the display format and delete columns or add new columns containing data computed from the existing results.

For tables of Sections, color code is used to represent the overflow states.

Finally, help is available to know the meaning of status and error codes on different Network objects.

Data available in the results

David Dorchies — 2015-12-20T10:45:51Z

Recorded data during simulations and available in results mode are those defined in Settings for results writing.

In addition to the variables defined in these settings, all variable subject to regulation (Time laws, Offtake regulation for obtaining an objective discharge, regulation at a cross structure for obtaining a target upstream elevation, Variable regulated by a regulation module) will added to the results and available for display.

Time steps available will be those defined in the simulation time settings.

Longitudinal profiles of water elevation and discharge

David Dorchies — 2015-12-20T10:35:21Z

The display of longitudinal profiles is done using the buttons or from the Tools > Discharges or Tools > Elevations menus. Before the selection of the tool or during its use, one should select the desired part of the network to display. A graphic is then shown at the bottom of the main window with the desired profil.

In case of diffluence or confluence that is part of the selection, a window opens with the list of the available upstream-downstream paths of the water. The selection of a path displays this path in red color on the network graph and the corresponding longitudinal profil.

In case of an unsteady flow or succession of steady flows simulations, discharges and elevations for different time steps are available through the tools located in the bottom of the profil window.

For example, the discharges profil allows to locate the intake or outake points:

Water elevation profils allow to locate zones of singular headlosses and overflows:

Overview of results

David Dorchies — 2015-07-23T18:40:56Z

After performing a simulation in steady flow (FLUVIA) or unsteady flow (SIRENE), the result is available from the Project Explorer.

For a scenario or a scenario variant, a single result is saved. Running a simulation overwrites the previously result saved.

The use of the result mode is achieved by selecting a row of result in the Project Explorer and clicking "Edit result".

Several visualization modes are available:

Longitudinal profil of water elevation and flows
Results for objects of the same type time step by time step
Chronicle of results for a selected object
Calculation of water volume for a channel portion (Calculation of average delay)