Creating Hydraulic Schematics in Excel (or other programs)
Creating Hydraulic Schematics in Excel (or other programs)
(OP)
I am looking to develop hydraulic system schematics in Excel (feel free to suggest other software that can do this!!!). Im not looking for exactly how to do this, but rather different ideas to accomplish the end goal.
I created a basic sketch of what I want to achieve in the program, although the method of creating the design is flexible (fill in cells, using drawing symboles, etc).
In the diagram below we have 4 inputs/outs: AAAA, BBBB, CCCC, DDDD
The numbers in the hexagons are links (02 from AAAA links to 02 into V1)
There are 5 valves (V1, V2,...V5)
I want to designate which valves are closed and which are open, then see the fluid path based on this criteria.
In the attached image, we are putting pressure into the system at BBBB. It then enters through valve 3 (V3) and passes through the OPEN V2. All other valves are closed, so the green paths beyond those valves are where we check for leakage. So in this diagram we are testing that V1, V4, and V5 are completely sealed.
Red path is under pressure, and green path is not under pressure.
The next step would be to change which valve is being tested, and the pressure paths should change colors dynamically.
This may be too ambitious of a project to do in Excel, but I would like to know if it could be done (reasonably). The end product should be somewhat reasonably edited for different configurations and products.
I created a basic sketch of what I want to achieve in the program, although the method of creating the design is flexible (fill in cells, using drawing symboles, etc).
In the diagram below we have 4 inputs/outs: AAAA, BBBB, CCCC, DDDD
The numbers in the hexagons are links (02 from AAAA links to 02 into V1)
There are 5 valves (V1, V2,...V5)
I want to designate which valves are closed and which are open, then see the fluid path based on this criteria.
In the attached image, we are putting pressure into the system at BBBB. It then enters through valve 3 (V3) and passes through the OPEN V2. All other valves are closed, so the green paths beyond those valves are where we check for leakage. So in this diagram we are testing that V1, V4, and V5 are completely sealed.
Red path is under pressure, and green path is not under pressure.
The next step would be to change which valve is being tested, and the pressure paths should change colors dynamically.
This may be too ambitious of a project to do in Excel, but I would like to know if it could be done (reasonably). The end product should be somewhat reasonably edited for different configurations and products.





RE: Creating Hydraulic Schematics in Excel (or other programs)
This is not strictly relevant as it is electronic but I think it is the sort of thing you are aiming at http://www.virtualbreadboard.com/Main.aspx?TAB=Hom...
A google search turned up many possibilities including http://www.hypneu.com/ and http://automsim-premium.software.informer.com/8.9/
There are many languages and toolboxes around that support drag and drop GUIs, visual basic being the only one I have worked with.
Cheers
Greg Locock
New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: Creating Hydraulic Schematics in Excel (or other programs)
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. —Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist
RE: Creating Hydraulic Schematics in Excel (or other programs)
I abandoned the effort for the reasons noted above.
RE: Creating Hydraulic Schematics in Excel (or other programs)
- Steve
RE: Creating Hydraulic Schematics in Excel (or other programs)
As I stated in the first line of the topic, I am open to software package recommendations. I have not found one that would meet my basic requirements yet. I am biased and would prefer to do this in Excel or some other language.
The problem I have encountered over and over with off the shelf tools is that they almost never do exactly what you want. So you are either left with a tool that only does 80-90% of what you need, or you pay a whole lot of money to have custom code written on top of the software you just purchased. You end up paying for a lot you may not need.
RE: Creating Hydraulic Schematics in Excel (or other programs)
VB.net, or one of the other languages.net will introduce a much broader toolbox, while still allowing you to use Excel, Visio or other programs to do what they do well.
RE: Creating Hydraulic Schematics in Excel (or other programs)
Then you need to be able to parse an existing network, and write out a new one.
Now you can do the fun GUI bit. You could certainly do that in Excel, but by and large GUIs tend to be written in horrible languages, this thread helps,
http://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/15730/
you might like javascript since you do web development. All your GUI program is doing is moving icons around, it isn't rocket science. I'd have a grid and then just define connectivity in the grid.
Cheers
Greg Locock
New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: Creating Hydraulic Schematics in Excel (or other programs)
Tunalover
RE: Creating Hydraulic Schematics in Excel (or other programs)
We already do this^^. The initial schematic is easy. However when we go to setup our test procedure, we have to do 40-50 separate schematics showing each individual pressure test (we pressure test each component of the system). This is a very tedious process, and I am trying to semi-automate it.
What I want to do is be able to select which valve is being tested, then the script will automatically select the best input, pressure, and monitoring paths, and color them accordingly.
RE: Creating Hydraulic Schematics in Excel (or other programs)
I agree with Greg, the hard part is describing the network, for which there are already tools available I presume.
It seems to me that Excel would be a perfectly fine tool for generating a graphic like the one shown from the network description, whatever form that takes.
If you really want to end up with an engineering drawing, then yes, and an engineering drawing package would be better (but Excel might still be a good interface for generating it from whatever form the network description takes).
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Creating Hydraulic Schematics in Excel (or other programs)
I use Excel a lot. I also use crescent wrenches a lot, just not for turning screws or hammering nails. When I used to teach database theory in the 1980's, I made a major distinction between "sources of data" and "uses of data". Excel is an amazing use of data and a seriously crappy source of data. Looking at the OP's spreadsheet, it looks like a seriously crappy flow modeling tool as well.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. —Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist
RE: Creating Hydraulic Schematics in Excel (or other programs)
Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
RE: Creating Hydraulic Schematics in Excel (or other programs)