I've made a couple of runs of EPANET and SWMM5 on the same networks that have just a single source reservoir of water. To make the SWMM5 network equivalent to the EPANET network you have to make all of your conduits force mains, represent the source node as an outfall with a fixed head equal to EPANET's reservoir head, set all of the node inverts to 0 and the maximum depths to a large value, and use negative inflows at the junctions to represent demands. Here's what I found for runs where demands stayed constant:

1. For a simple linear network (no loops and no branches) the two programs give equal flows and heads that are very close.
2. For a 3-loop network the flow differences were within a few tenths of a gpm (for flows of several hundred gpm) while the heads were close, but off by a wider margin than for the linear network.
3. When I modified the looped network to break the loops and just leave a main stem with branches, SWMM5 came nowhere close to EPANET. This might warrant more looking into.

I've added the input files for the 3-loop network below (the linear and branched networks are just variations on that one). If you run the SWMM file you will see a huge continuity error because the program doesn't recognize negative inflows in the mass balance accounting routine for some reason.

EPANET input file:

;File: "EPANET-SWMM Hazen Williams comparison.net"

[TITLE]
EPANET-SWMM Comparison

[JUNCTIONS]
;ID              	Elev        	Demand      	Pattern
 2               	710         	150             ;
 3               	700         	150             ;
 4               	695         	100             ;
 5               	700         	150             ;
 6               	695         	200             ;
 7               	690         	0               ;
 8               	700         	100             ;
 9               	710         	100             ;

[RESERVOIRS]
;ID              	Head        	Pattern
 1               	970         	                	;

[PIPES]
;ID              	Node1           	Node2                   Length      	Diameter    	Roughness   	MinorLoss   	Status
 2               	2               	3               	400             4           	100         	0           	Open    ;
 3               	3               	4               	400             4           	100         	0           	Open  	;
 8               	5               	6               	400             4           	100         	0           	Open  	;
 9               	6               	7               	400             4           	100         	0           	Open  	;
 11              	8               	9               	400             4           	100         	0           	Open  	;
 1               	1               	3               	200             4           	100         	0           	Open  	;
 4               	2               	5               	400             4           	100         	0           	Open  	;
 5               	3               	6               	400             4           	100         	0           	Open  	;
 6               	4               	7               	400             4           	100         	0           	Open  	;
 7               	5               	8               	400             4           	100         	0           	Open  	;
 10              	6               	9               	400             4           	100         	0           	Open  	;

[TIMES]
 Duration           	0:00
 Hydraulic Timestep 	1:00
 Quality Timestep   	0:05
 Pattern Timestep   	2:00
 Pattern Start      	0:00
 Report Timestep    	1:00
 Report Start       	0:00
 Start ClockTime    	12 am
 Statistic          	NONE

[REPORT]
 Status             	Full
 Summary            	No
 Page               	0

[OPTIONS]
 Units              	GPM
 Headloss           	H-W
 Specific Gravity   	1.0
 Viscosity          	1.0
 Trials             	40
 Accuracy           	0.00001
 CHECKFREQ          	2
 MAXCHECK           	10
 DAMPLIMIT          	0
 Unbalanced         	Continue 10

[COORDINATES]
;Node            	X-Coord         	Y-Coord
 2               	30.00           	70.00
 3               	50.00           	70.00
 4               	70.00           	70.00
 5               	30.00           	40.00
 6               	50.00           	40.00
 7               	70.00           	40.00
 8               	30.00           	10.00
 9               	50.00           	10.00
 1               	50.04           	89.37

[BACKDROP]
 DIMENSIONS     	7.00            	6.00           73.00           	94.00
 UNITS          	None
 FILE           	
 OFFSET         	0.00            	0.00

[END]

SWMM5 input file:

;File: "EPANET-SWMM Hazen Williams comparison.inp"

[TITLE]
;;Project Title/Notes
SWMM-EPANET Comparison

[OPTIONS]
;;Option             Value
FLOW_UNITS           GPM
INFILTRATION         HORTON
FLOW_ROUTING         DYNWAVE
LINK_OFFSETS         DEPTH
MIN_SLOPE            0
ALLOW_PONDING        NO
SKIP_STEADY_STATE    NO
START_DATE           07/29/2014
START_TIME           00:00:00
REPORT_START_DATE    07/29/2014
REPORT_START_TIME    00:00:00
END_DATE             07/29/2014
END_TIME             02:00:00
SWEEP_START          01/01
SWEEP_END            12/31
DRY_DAYS             0
REPORT_STEP          00:15:00
WET_STEP             00:05:00
DRY_STEP             01:00:00
ROUTING_STEP         0:00:10
INERTIAL_DAMPING     FULL
NORMAL_FLOW_LIMITED  BOTH
FORCE_MAIN_EQUATION  H-W
VARIABLE_STEP        0.00
LENGTHENING_STEP     0
MIN_SURFAREA         12.557
MAX_TRIALS           12
HEAD_TOLERANCE       0.01
SYS_FLOW_TOL         5
LAT_FLOW_TOL         5

[EVAPORATION]
;;Evap Data      Parameters
;;-------------- ----------------
CONSTANT         0.0
DRY_ONLY         NO

[JUNCTIONS]
;;Junction   Invert   Dmax   Dinit   Dsurch   Aponded
;;--------   ------   -----  -----   ------   -------
2            0        1000   2       0        0
3            0        1000   2       0        0
4            0        1000   2       0        0
5            0        1000   2       0        0
6            0        1000   2       0        0
7            0        1000   2       0        0
8            0        1000   2       0        0
9            0        1000   2       0        0

[OUTFALLS]
;;Outfall   Invert      Type        Stage Data         Gated
;;-------   ----------  ---------   ----------------   --------
1           0          FIXED      970                NO

[CONDUITS]
;;Conduit From Node To Node Length Roughness InOffset OutOffset InitFlow MaxFlow
;;------- --------- ------- ------ --------- -------- --------- -------- -------
1         1         3       200    0.01      0        0         0        0
2         3         2       400    0.01      0        0         0        0
3         3         4       400    0.01      0        0         0        0
4         2         5       400    0.01      0        0         0        0
5         3         6       400    0.01      0        0         0        0
6         4         7       400    0.01      0        0         0        0
7         5         8       400    0.01      0        0         0        0
8         5         6       400    0.01      0        0         0        0
9         6         7       400    0.01      0        0         0        0
10        6         9       400    0.01      0        0         0        0
11        8         9       400    0.01      0        0         0        0

[XSECTIONS]
;;Link           Shape        Geom1            Geom2      Geom3      Geom4      Barrels
;;-------------- ------------ ---------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
1                FORCE_MAIN   0.333            100        0          0          1         
2                FORCE_MAIN   0.333            100        0          0          1         
3                FORCE_MAIN   0.333            100        0          0          1         
4                FORCE_MAIN   0.333            100        0          0          1         
5                FORCE_MAIN   0.333            100        0          0          1         
6                FORCE_MAIN   0.333            100        0          0          1         
7                FORCE_MAIN   0.333            100        0          0          1         
8                FORCE_MAIN   0.333            100        0          0          1         
9                FORCE_MAIN   0.333            100        0          0          1         
10               FORCE_MAIN   0.333            100        0          0          1         
11               FORCE_MAIN   0.333            100        0          0          1          

[INFLOWS]
;;Node           Inflow           Time Series      Type     Funits   Fscale   Baseline Pattern
;;-------------- ---------------- ---------------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
2                FLOW             ""               FLOW     1.0      1.0      -150
3                FLOW             ""               FLOW     1.0      1.0      -150
4                FLOW             ""               FLOW     1.0      1.0      -100
5                FLOW             ""               FLOW     1.0      1.0      -150
6                FLOW             ""               FLOW     1.0      1.0      -200
8                FLOW             ""               FLOW     1.0      1.0      -100
9                FLOW             ""               FLOW     1.0      1.0      -100

[REPORT]
;;Reporting Options
INPUT      NO
CONTROLS   NO
SUBCATCHMENTS ALL
NODES ALL
LINKS ALL

[TAGS]

[MAP]
DIMENSIONS 0.000 0.000 10000.000 10000.000
Units      None

[COORDINATES]
;;Node           X-Coord            Y-Coord
;;-------------- ------------------ ------------------
2                2282.258           7161.290
3                4701.613           7177.419
4                6814.516           7193.548
5                2282.258           4935.484
6                4701.613           4935.484
7                6814.516           4935.484
8                2282.258           2661.290
9                4701.613           2661.290
1                4701.613           8596.774

This is an update on yesterday's topic of modeling water distribution systems with SWMM instead of EPANET. This actually has some relevance to systems in certain parts of the world that operate intermittently and are allowed to de-pressurize.

What I reported about SWMM not coming close to EPANET for a branched system was incorrect. I repeated the test today (carving the branched system out of the looped system) and the results were as close to EPANET as those for the looped system. I must have done something wrong in setting up the model yesterday or maybe I was just looking at the wrong set of output numbers. So SWMM can satisfactorily replicate EPANET's results for linear, branched, and looped networks.

I also found the source of the screwy mass balance numbers SWMM produces when its presented with negative external inflows and will pass the code fix-ups on to Michael Tryby so he can include them in a future SWMM update.

The discussion topic that prompted this example model can be found here:

https://www.openswmm.org/Topic/4648/hazen-williams-in-epanet2-vs-swmm5

I'm interested in the topic because I'm dealing with modeling intermittent distribution networks and, therefore, I would like to use swmm in the first phase of network filling network. I have studied the attached examples and I would like to ask some questions:

1. Why there is an initial depth in each node in SWMM? I tried to remove it and the simulation returns a great continuity error.
2. Why do you set zero to the elevation of each node in SWMM? In this way is it not possible to model a real network with its slopes?

Thanks in advance.

I think the SWMM model Lew provided is setup to simulate a pressurized water distribution system, in order to compare the two solutions.

1. The negative inflows at junctions (setup to simulate demand) may be causing the continuity error when starting the system dry.
2. A normal network would have varying node inverts, these are simplified test models.

I would also suggest that you test this sample model from Lew in the newer SWMM 5.1.013 since the newer SWMM 5 engine has an added Preissmann slot option, which might make this comparison even better.