What’s new in V4?
With version 4.0, we’ve included new features that improve flexibility, functionality and usability. music v4 provides even better support for water sensitive urban design (WSUD) and integrated urban water management (IUWM) objectives. music v4 incorporates the latest science from Monash University and the Facility for Advancing Water Biofiltration (FAWB) and is designed to provide the highest level of confidence when modelling urban stormwater solutions. We’ve also substantially improved the user experience through a better interface and more flexible training and support options.
music v4 can simulate urban stormwater systems ranging from a suburban block up to a whole town or suburb (10 km2). The time scale can start at 6 minutes and stretch up to 24 hours. Addtional What's New in v4 information.
Bioretention
The Bioretention Node has been completely re-written, offering more accurate modelling of flow as well as water quality treatment. The treatment algorithms in the bioretention filter media are based on the latest research from the Facility for Advancing Water Biofiltration (FAWB). The new node includes sophisticated predictions of water flow and treatment, taking into account factors such as evapotranspiration and its effect on soil moisture, as well as the design of the system (e.g. filter media type and composition, choice of vegetation, etc).
Media filtration
A new Media Filtration Node has been written, which allows systems such as sand filters and granular filter media systems to be easily modelled. The treatment algorithms can be user-edited, to allow device-specific data to be entered.
Infiltration
The Infiltration Node has been modified to allow infiltration through the sides of the system (in music v3 infiltration was only modelled through the base). This provides a much more realistic prediction of infiltration in the system.
Improved user interface
An improved Graphical User Interface has been implemented to allow improved visualisation of the various source and treatment node types and toolbar access to frequently used menu items.
6 minute timestep
All graphing and statistics can now be undertaken at a user-specified timestep. For example, the model can be run at 6 minute timesteps, but then the daily results analysed or plotted.
Stormwater harvesting
A new Node Water Balance feature tells the user exactly how much water flowed into and out of a node, through all its various outlet components (including exfiltration and evapotranspiration). It also tells the user how much stormwater was demanded, and the amount of that demand which was satisfied. This makes analysing the performance of stormwater harvesting strategies much easier than in previous versions of music.
Continuously stirred tank reactors
A new user-friendly graphical “CSTR assistant” helps the user to determine the appropriate number of CSTRS (continuously stirred tank reactors) which should be used to represent the system being modelled, based on the shape of the system.
Stormwater reuse
Stormwater reuse demand can now be turned off automatically whenever there is rainfall and a user-specified reuse time series can be imported, making music much more flexible and powerful for analysing stormwater harvesting strategies.
Storage-discharge
A user-specified storage-discharge relationship can now be applied to most treatment nodes.
Life cycle cost
The life cycle cost algorithms have been modified to allow maintenance in the last year, as well as to allow elevated maintenance costs over the first few years of a treatment device. A "notes" facility has also been incorporated to the life cycle cost specification window to allow the user to record assumptions made when developing the life cycle cost estimates for a particular treatment node.
Gross Pollutant Trap
The required volume of a GPT unit (for life cycle cost estimation purposes) is now calculated automatically by music v4 based on the volume of trapped pollutants.
Modelling pollutants
Default serial correlation coefficients are automatically assigned to source nodes based on the adopted model timestep. This provides for much more realistic generation of pollutants between subsequent model timesteps.
Additional What’s new in V4 information
All the new feature and improvements are stepped through in simple video clips.
Further reading
Wong THF, Fletcher TD, Duncan HP, Coleman JR, Jenkins GA (2002) A Model for Urban Stormwater Improvement Conceptualisation. Proceedings of the International Environmental Modelling and Software Society, Lugano, Switzerland, pp. 48-53. http://www.iemss.org/iemss2002/proceedings/pdf/volume%20uno/358_wong.pdf
FAWB (2009). Adoption Guidelines for Stormwater Biofiltration Systems, Facility for Advancing Water Biofiltration, Monash University, June 2009. http://www.monash.edu.au/fawb/products/frm-adoption-guidelines-full-document.html