Data scrubbing is usually the first step of the skeletonization process. Some automated skeletonizers rely entirely on this reduction technique. (Data scrubbing is called Smart Pipe Removal in Skelebrator.) Data scrubbing consists of removing all pipes that meet user-specified criteria, such as diameter, roughness, or other attributes. Criteria combinations can also be applied, for example: “Remove all 2-inch pipes that are less than 200 feet in length.”

This step of skeletonization is especially useful when the model has been created from GIS data, since GIS maps generally contain much more information than is necessary for the hydraulic model. Examples of elements that are commonly included in GIS maps, but not necessarily in the distribution model, are service connections and isolation valves. Removing these elements generally has a negligible impact on the accuracy of the model, depending on the application for which the model is being used.

The primary drawback of this type of skeletonization is that there is generally no network awareness involved. No consideration of the hydraulic effects of a pipe’s removal is taken into account, so there is a large potential for errors to be made by inadvertent pipe removal or by causing network disconnections. (Bentley Systems Skelebrator does account for hydraulic effect.)