General
Wizards
These are small calculators included in DRAINS to assist tasks such as: defining inlet capacity relationships for on-grade and sag pits, determining diameters for orifice controls in detention basins, Other tasks are handled by the DRAINS Utility ...
View menu
This menu allows you to selectively view the information needed to carry out calculations with DRAINS, and the results of calculations.
DRAINS utility spreadsheet
Many calculations needed to set up inputs to DRAINS are best performed on a spreadsheet, with results being pasted into DRAINS using the Paste buttons available in many property sheets, for example, for rainfall patterns and for detention basins. The ...
Time step
This is the period between the times when the state of a system is calculated in DRAINS. Flowrates and hydraulic grade line (HGL) positions are calculated at each time step. DRAINS specifies a computational time which can be set in the Project ...
Stream and catchment roughness
The hydraulic equations used to describe flows and their characteristics include various roughness factors such as Manning's n, Chezy's C and the Colebrook-White e or k factor. The rougher the pipe or channel, the greater the friction losses and ...
Sensitivity analysis
Although this is simple, it is one of the most powerful techniques available to analysts. Sensitivity analysis involves the running of models with different inputs, allowing their effects on results to be assessed. This provides guidance on the ...
Run menu
The Run menu provides options for calculations using the Lite hydraulic model and the Full unsteady hydraulic model. Runs can be made using a set of minor storms for design and major storms for checking. This also appears in the Demonstration version ...
Project Options Property Sheet
Two versions of this property sheet are shown below. ARR Project Options Non ARR Project Options This window makes various choices about the methods to be used in DRAINS. In the first column, The calculation time step is the time interval at which ...
Project menu
This menu allows you to input or review some of the basic information needed to carry out calculations with DRAINS. The choices are: Hydrological Models opens a set of dialog boxes that define the hydrological rainfall-runoff model used for ...
Printing to dialog box
This box, called from the Print Diagram option in the File menu, gives you the choice of printing the full diagram or only the part displayed in the current window. If the former option is selected, the diagram is reduced so that it fits onto the ...
Nodes and Links
In a general sense, nodes are points or junctions at which links join together to form a network. In an urban stormwater drainage system, nodes can represent upper extremities of a pipe or channel system, junctions, places where the characteristics ...
Moving objects
DRAINS components can be moved by clicking on them. When 'handles' appear, the object can be moved by dragging and dropping, as shown below (to the left). The name of the object is moved with it. You can also move a pit or node and all links ...
Major-minor methods
This name refers to design and checking procedures in urban stormwater drainage practice that use two levels of storm event. The minor event is used to determine the layout and size of pipes and other elements for convenience and safety. For street ...
Introduction
DRAINS provides procedures recommended by Australian Rainfall and Runoff 2019, handling ensembles of design storms and performing designs and simulations based on upper median or upper mean outcomes. Check the Recently-added features for details. ...
Information, support and training
For information on DRAINS pricing, Software Support and Training, please contact Watercom: Watercom Head Office Office Address: Level 11, 66 Clarence Street,Sydney, NSW 2000 Postal Address: PO Box 199, Port Kembla, NSW 2505 Phone: (02) 6649 8005, ...
Help menu
This includes the options: Contents, which displays the Help System headings that lead to descriptions of various aspects of the program, together with an Index and Search facility. Check for Updates, which allows you to check whether you have the ...
File menu
You can use the File menu to open or close files and to save them. Some options should be familiar to you, since they are used in familiar Windows applications, such as word-processors and spreadsheets. The options available are: Selecting Open takes ...
Enhanced Design method
An improved design method for pipe systems has been added to DRAINS in 2014, in response to overdesign occurring in some models. This procedure is applied for all hydrological models and rainfall patterns. The first part of this method is the same as ...
Edit Menu
This menu provides tools that assist with the creation and inspection of a drainage system diagram. There are eight options: The option Undo can be used to undo the one or more drawing operations. The option Redo reverses an Undo. The Copy Data to ...
Draw menu
This is an alternative to the Toolbar. Here you can select any of the drawing tools used to define drainage system components and connections. If you click any of these entries, your cursor will change from a pointer to a pencil, which can be used to ...
DRAINS menus
These are the main means of operating DRAINS. They appear at the top of the Main Window. You can select from the following menus: The File menu The Edit menu The Project menu The View menu The Draw menu The Run menu The Help menu These menus are ...
Dialog box, property sheet
These are windows containing text boxes into which data can be entered and selection boxes and buttons of various types enabling options to be selected. When opening up a new dialog box or property sheet, most text boxes are likely to be blank and ...
Description property sheet
This window provides space for various comments on a project in DRAINS. The first panel allows three title block lines to be entered. These appear, right-justified, in the bottom right corner of the drawing of the system in the Main Window. They can ...
Customise Text dialog box
This window displays a number of choices for displaying data for five types of component on the Main Window drawing. Only one choice is possible for each type of component. The displayed information will be in a purple colour. You can use this ...
Culverts
This refers to a system involving a headwall, pipes and an outlet that is used to convey water under earthworks or structures that fill a waterway, such as a road embankment. The headwall on the upstream side of the culvert usually has side walls or ...
Copy Shape
DRAINS has facilities for copying an object - a sub-catchment, pit, channel, etc., and pasting this in the Main Window. This can be useful when setting up systems where components have repeating characteristics, such as inlet capacity relationships. ...
Calibration
This is a process by which the outputs from a model are made to match some real, observed data, by altering model parameters that can be used to tune the model. For example, using a Horton (ILSAX) model, pavedand grassed area percentages, depression ...
Baseflow property sheets
In urban drainage applications, baseflows are constant flows discharging into a pipe or channel system. In DRAINS, they can be introduced at any pit or node. The flows caused by rainfalls being converted to stormwater runoff are superimposed onto ...
Analysis runs
(a) General Analysis is the main mode of operation of DRAINS, in which the program performs a simulation of the operation of a drainage system during some rainfall-induced event or events, but does not change any aspects of the system that are ...