HDAT Technical Blog¶
HDAT (Highway Drainage Analysis Tool) — a single-platform drainage engineering tool that performs hydrologic analysis and hydraulic design for highway drainage systems, including culverts, channels, riprap protection, and BOQ quantities.
HDAT consolidates workflows that typically require multiple tools (hydrology modeling, culvert/channel design, and quantity calculators) into one consistent process, improving iteration speed and reducing manual handoffs. The tool has been adopted by drainage engineers across multiple design offices of Dar Al-Handasah Consultants.
Key capabilities include:
- Multi-return-period peak flow estimation using Rational and SCS methods (with IDF fitting/intensity retrieval)
- Culvert design checks using inlet vs outlet control logic (governing headwater ratio \(H/D\))
- Channel sizing using Manning-based hydraulics (normal/critical depth and regime)
- Road drainage inlet spacing / gully logic and sag checks
- BOQ automation for faster reporting and consistent quantities
HDAT performs:
- Hydrology: IDF handling, Rational and SCS peak-flow estimation, hydrograph generation.
- Hydraulics: culvert sizing/checks (inlet/outlet control), channel sizing (Manning), and riprap sizing.
- Road drainage: gully/inlet spacing logic and sag checks.
- BOQ: quantity calculations and summary reporting.
This site documents HDAT’s engineering logic with equations, units, assumptions, and verification tolerances, plus a practical User Manual.
What’s included¶
- Detailed technical pages (hydrology/hydraulics/BOQ) with math.
- A user manual with step-by-step workflows.