# Connecting a pipe

Click on the pipe group tab and select a pipe from the pipe icons. There are 14 different pipe, tube and duct materials/types to select from. As you move the cursor over the flowsheet area the cursor changes shape to a pipe and if you have ortho or iso snap on, then you will also see cursor crosshairs as you move around the flowsheet. Pipes can be "rubber banded" across the flowsheet as follows (after selecting the desired pipe type): 1.Lone pipe: Click, drag and click: pipe starts and ends with an Open Pipe Boundary. 2.Connect to an existing pipe end: click existing pipe end (open pipe), drag and click. 3.Connect to any position along an existing pipe: hover over existing pipe - click, drag and click. 4.Connect to a component: hover over existing component - click, drag and click. You can press the Escape (Esc) key at any time while rubber-banding in order to cancel the pipe connection operation. Unless connecting to an existing pipe or element, a pipe will terminate with an open pipe. Essentially this is a special type of Junction (i.e., one with a single connecting pipe). Open pipe junctions adjust themselves automatically depending on the number of connecting pipes (maximum four), i.e., two connecting pipes generate an elbow of bend; three a tee or a wye; four a cross. If you place a specific junction from the Junctions component tab onto the flowsheet (say a bend) then this item will always remain a bend and must have 2 pipe connections before it can be included in any calculation. If you are connecting a pipe, and move the cursor outside of the visible flowsheet area, the flowsheet automatically scrolls. This enables you to connect to elements outside of the visible flowsheet region. When creating a pipe-on-pipe connection, notice that the cursor shape changes to indicate the fact that the pipe will be split. If you click whilst in this position a junction component is automatically inserted into the pipe. How the pipe is split is determined by the setting in the flowsheet options dialog. Either the pipe will split in two equal lengths, each length having the same properties as the original pipe or the original length will be retained and a new pipe added - the new pipe copied from the default setting. The flowsheet options dialog may be accessed as follows: ▪Right mouse button click via the flowsheet popup menu ▪From the main menu option - Options -> Flowsheet ▪From the toolbar button... FluidFlow traps and prevents unallowed connections, for instance, more than two pipes to a pump or more than four pipes to a cross. The cursor changes shape as shown. Note: For a junction of more than four pipes use a Connector No Resistance; For a boundary of known or assigned pressure requiring more than one pipe use a Reservoir.