Autodesk Revit MEP

[#1]

I've gone thru the tutorials on connectors, supply and return, etc. I can connect, say, a boiler to a circ, and then on to some baseboard, and get flows, etc.  But what happens if you want to have an intervening primary loop, hydronic separator, etc, between the boiler and the heat emitters?  Is MEP able to do this?  Would like to design a primary loop with inputs thru closely spaced tees from a boiler, and outputs to various heat emitter circuits.  Can't seem to find any discussions on this, much less tutorials.   I must be missing something(?)  Maybe MEP is incapable of this level of detail?

[#2]

You might have to seperate the primary loop system from the secondary.  Could you post a schematic of what you are trying to do?  I have supply air systems with VAVs and FTUs, I have to separate the systems at the VAV or FTU.

[#3]

Sorry for the delay in responding...

Attached is a simple conceptual drawing.  I suppose that I could create a new "family" for the primary loop itself, with hydronic connectors at the closely spaced tees(?). 

[#4]

Next step...

I created a "primary loop" family (attached).  Onto it, I grafted several copies of a "Closely Spaced Tees" family (also attached) that I made from scratch, with connectors designated with directions/flowrates.   I still need to create the circulator family, and graft it in.

Do you think I'm on the right path?

[#5]

Check your connection direction on those CSTs, The "arrow" is not flow direction, it is the direction the pipe/duct connects and should piont out from the part, and you specify "In" or "Out" flow direction when you select each connector.

As for the loop, that's a tough one.  The "In" and "Out" or as Revit would specify "Supply" and "Return" goes into the same loop.  The flows may cancel each other out.  I had a similar problem with a boiler system, I had to break and cap between the Supply and Return branches.  This may be the only way, I don't believe Revit understands this type of system.

I could be wrong, though...

[#6]

Thanks for the suggestion.  I figured out the arrow direction vs in/out after watching a tutorial, but thanks for pointing it out and confiriming this.

I guess I'll have to play around with the loop.  At this point, I'm thinking that the pipe between the CSTs will just be for "show" , and the individual connectors on the CST's themselves will have to be  assigned flow values (so flow from boiler won't automatically propagate through the CSTs). Doesn't seem to me to be the way to run an airline though.

I may post another question in another thread after I've played around with it for a while.  Can't believe someone else hasn't figured out how to run such a basic system.  Hate to reinvent the wheel (oops, I mean primary loop).

[#7]

Yeah, with the way Revit does calcs and flows, it wants everything to be in a parralel system.  If you had two loops (a supply loop and separate Return loop), it would work easily.  The Supply and Return in one loop definitely tripps it up, unless a magical update happens soon.

[#8]

Good observation.

I'll keep playing around with it as I get time.  WIll post anything significant that I find.