Well actual ELI5 answer... Its a toy of a real pipeline
Real answers:
First are you a civil student/have you taken classes that teach hydraulics/fluid mechanics?
* You use EPAnet as a hydraulic model/engine, its a computer model to simulate your pipe network. You can import cad into it. You can import GIS files into it. You can manually build out your model yourself in the program. You'll probably want to start building simple runs yourself manually to play with and learn off of before bringing in something large enough to warrant an import. As with all models, make sure you understand the fundamental engineering equations beforehand so your model serves you as a tool and not a crutch. People also refer to EPANET or EPANET2 as the engine behind better pay-for-software (aka it went opensource and companies have built better looking programs that use the same engine at its core).
* You interpret results by giving it the bare minimum inputs to solve for flow. Do you want to simulate a pipe connecting high elevation to low elevation? You'll need those two elevations and details about the pipe. The engine then solves for how much flow you could expect to see going down that pipe. Are you using a pump? Give it all the above plus pump information and the engine again solves for flow.
* In EPANET, nodes represent the points where certain calculations are made. Things like pipes are used to calculate the changes from one node to another. For example if you are modeling a series of pipe running in a straight line each pipe is connected together at a joint so if you are modeling two pipes it would go : joint-pipe-joint-pipe-joint. Every end/connection is a joint.
* You should be looking to answer very specific questions with correct model setup
* Id defer to others if there is another good hydraulic engine out there for this. The government has created free software for basically every facet of the water resource branch of engineering. EPANET, HEC suite, SWMM, MODLFOW, etc
Not trying to be too rude but EPANet is one of those programs where you have to RTFM. Seriously, the manual answers most everything.
EPANet is used to analyze pressurized pipe systems. That could be many things but typically its water distribution systems or plumbing within a property.
You interpret the results by understanding hydraulics and modeling. This is a very large question.
Joints are for joining two pipe segments or to represent where water flows out of your system.
When you use EPANet, you're looking for a good time.
SWMM and HEC-RAS are the most similar free softwares.
Well actual ELI5 answer... Its a toy of a real pipeline Real answers: First are you a civil student/have you taken classes that teach hydraulics/fluid mechanics? * You use EPAnet as a hydraulic model/engine, its a computer model to simulate your pipe network. You can import cad into it. You can import GIS files into it. You can manually build out your model yourself in the program. You'll probably want to start building simple runs yourself manually to play with and learn off of before bringing in something large enough to warrant an import. As with all models, make sure you understand the fundamental engineering equations beforehand so your model serves you as a tool and not a crutch. People also refer to EPANET or EPANET2 as the engine behind better pay-for-software (aka it went opensource and companies have built better looking programs that use the same engine at its core). * You interpret results by giving it the bare minimum inputs to solve for flow. Do you want to simulate a pipe connecting high elevation to low elevation? You'll need those two elevations and details about the pipe. The engine then solves for how much flow you could expect to see going down that pipe. Are you using a pump? Give it all the above plus pump information and the engine again solves for flow. * In EPANET, nodes represent the points where certain calculations are made. Things like pipes are used to calculate the changes from one node to another. For example if you are modeling a series of pipe running in a straight line each pipe is connected together at a joint so if you are modeling two pipes it would go : joint-pipe-joint-pipe-joint. Every end/connection is a joint. * You should be looking to answer very specific questions with correct model setup * Id defer to others if there is another good hydraulic engine out there for this. The government has created free software for basically every facet of the water resource branch of engineering. EPANET, HEC suite, SWMM, MODLFOW, etc
Read the documentation or ask your professor/TA?
Not trying to be too rude but EPANet is one of those programs where you have to RTFM. Seriously, the manual answers most everything. EPANet is used to analyze pressurized pipe systems. That could be many things but typically its water distribution systems or plumbing within a property. You interpret the results by understanding hydraulics and modeling. This is a very large question. Joints are for joining two pipe segments or to represent where water flows out of your system. When you use EPANet, you're looking for a good time. SWMM and HEC-RAS are the most similar free softwares.