Looped vs. branched distribution layout, the Hardy Cross method for balancing looped networks, pipe sizing for a distribution system, and fire flow requirements that govern real-world main sizing.
A looped water distribution network cannot be solved pipe by pipe the way a single main can — the flow split between parallel paths is itself unknown, and it has to satisfy node continuity and loop energy conservation simultaneously. This module works through why looped layouts beat branched ones for reliability and fire flow, how the Hardy Cross method iteratively balances a network's flows (with a fully worked correction), and how pipe sizing and valve spacing are driven as much by fire flow and redundancy as by everyday demand.
By the end of this module you should be able to explain why a properly designed loop leg has to carry the zone's full peak demand on its own, and why fire flow — not peak-hour domestic demand — is usually the governing case that actually sizes a distribution main.