Pipe Accessory Part Types Explained

The part type properties and functionality of Revit MEP elements are quite often at the center of debates. What does the part type settings mean, and how does it behave when inserted into a project?

This entry will explain the part type functionality within Revit MEP, focussing on the Pipe Accessory category.

For this exercise, I have created a square extrusion that I have added connector elements to. This will be my pipe accessory. Both the primary and secondary connectors have the following properties:

Flow Configuration: Calculated
Flow Direction: Bidirectional
System Classification: Global

The Part Type settings one will find in the instance property panel of the pipe accessory family. There are quite a lot of part types one can select, each with different behaviours. Please note that the behaviour of these part types differs according to the placement of the pipe accessories on the pipe segment.

(The pressure drop tag extracts the pressure drop per pipe segment length, not the accumulative pipe pressure loss for an index run).

Pipe Accessory part type: Attaches To
 
Any pipe accessory with this part type property will attach itself to the face of any pipe in Revit. No pressure drop will take place, as the pipe accessory is not breaking into the pipe, effectively creating two pipe segments.
 

 

Pipe Accessory part type: Breaks Into
 
Any pipe accessory with this part type property will break the pipe it is placed on into two separate pipe segments. Pressure drops will take place, as the pipe accessory breaks into the pipe, causing two pipe segments to be created.
 

 
Pipe Accessory part type: Endcap
 
Any pipe accessory with this part type property will attach (Snap) itself to the end of a pipe. No flow or pressure drop will take place on the pipe segment on which the Endcap is attached. Flowrates and pressure drops will however show on a pipe segment before a branch on the piping system, as indicated in the image below.
 

 
Pipe Accessory part type: Inline Sensor
 
The Inline Sensor Any pipe accessory with this part type property will attach itself to the face of any pipe in Revit. No pressure drop will take place, as the pipe accessory is not breaking into the pipe, effectively creating two pipe segments.
 

 


Pipe Accessory part type: Valve - Normal
 
Any pipe accessory with this part type property will attach (Snap) itself to the end of a pipe. If one connects a pipe to the secondary pipe accessory connector, that pipe will be seen as another pipe segment
 

 
Pipe Accessory part type: Valve - Breaks Into
 
Any pipe accessory with this part type property will break the pipe it is placed on into two separate pipe segments. Pressure drops will take place, as the pipe accessory breaks into the pipe, causing two pipe segments to be created.
 

 
Pipe Accessory part type: Sensor
 
Any pipe accessory with this part type property will break the pipe it is placed on into two separate pipe segments. Pressure drops will take place, as the pipe accessory breaks into the pipe, causing two pipe segments to be created.
 

 
Pipe Accessory part type: Normal
 
Any pipe accessory with this part type property will break the pipe it is placed on into two separate pipe segments. Pressure drops will take place, as the pipe accessory breaks into the pipe, causing two pipe segments to be created.