Evaluating Fluid Flow Software

When evaluating fluid piping software, it is important to determine what features are necessary to meet the needs of the people who will use it, and then choose the program that meets the majority of these requirements.

A variety of piping system software is currently available. To be effec-tive, any piping software being considered should incorporate the following features:

• Provide an easy-to-understand schematic showing how the pipe lines, pumps, tanks, and components are connected.

• Perform the hydraulic network analysis needed to calculate the bal-anced flow rates and pressures for each pipe line in the system.

• Provide the results in a format that is easy to understand, and can also be shared by everyone involved with the design, operation, or maintenance of the system.

The remainder of this section describes the features found in a variety of fluid flow programs. Each section describes the basic features needed to meet minimum requirements, as well as “enhanced” features that provide extra value to the user. All of the programs listed in Table 3.4 meet all of the basic requirements, though all do not meet every one of the enhanced features. Because software developers are continually adding new features, no effort has been made to identify what enhanced features are available for each program, and that is left to the person evaluating the software.

Because of the differences in features and ease of use of the available pro-grams, interested readers are urged to study the product literature and dem-onstration programs available from the software developers.

© 2008 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC D. Building the System Model

The first step in modeling a fluid piping system is to create the system model.

Because building the system model is the most time-consuming process, it is important to select a program that streamlines this task as much as possible.

The ability to build the piping system model using a piping schematic draw-ing is a basic feature of any fluid pipdraw-ing program. This includes the ability to place piping system items such as pumps, components, heat exchang-ers, tanks, and controls on the piping schematic. The various system items are connected with individual pipe lines. Not only does the piping draw-ing show all of the items in the system, but it also provides the connectivity information needed by the software to set up the equations needed to per-form the balanced flow rate and pressure calculations.

Another basic requirement is the ability of the program to automatically trace the loops in the system, set up the equations, and supply the initial guesses needed to perform the calculations.

The user can build the piping schematic by selecting items from menus or button bars, placing the items on the piping schematic, and entering infor-mation about each item. As the various items are added to the piping sche-matic, the user has visual indication as to what is added and what remains to be added.

The data needed for the fluid flow calculations are entered into the pro-gram via dialog boxes or property grids. If the propro-gram relies on manual entry of data, for example, an inside pipe diameter, the user must look up

TABLE 3.4

Software for Designing or Analyzing Piping Systems and Components

Program Manufacturer Website Phone Number

Design Flow

Solutions ABZ Inc. www.abzinc.com (800)747-7401

Fathom Applied Flow Technology www.aft.com (800)589-4943 Flow of Fluids

Premium Crane Valve Co. www.flowoffluids.com (888)206-2779 FluidFlow 3 Flite Software N.I. Ltd. www.fluidflowinfo.com 44 28 71279227

(United Kingdom) 888-711-3051

(USA and Canada) KYPIPE 2012 KYPIPE LCC Software

Center www.kypipe.com (859)263-2234

PIPE-FLO

Professional Engineered Software, Inc www.eng-software.com (800)786-8545 PIPENET Sunrise Systems Ltd. www.sunrise-sys.com

SINET Epcon International www.epcon.com (800)367-3585

© 2008 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

the information in a handbook and type in the value. If the program uses pipe data tables to look up pipe properties, the user selects the pipe mate-rial, a corresponding pipe schedule or wall thickness from a displayed list, and then chooses an available pipe nominal size. The program then looks up the inside diameter from the pipe table. The program should also be able to look up the fluid properties (density, viscosity, and vapor pressure) at the operating temperature from data tables that are imbedded in the software.

Following are the enhanced features found in some of the programs listed in Table 3.4.

1. Copy Command

The ability to copy and paste items on the piping schematic simplifies the creation of a piping system model. For example, when modeling a discharge manifold, the ability to copy pipe segments and paste them into a manifold saves time in building the model. The copy feature should copy both the object on the piping drawing and the underlying design information. Some programs support a group copy command, capable of copying multiple objects at one time and pasting them to the piping schematic.

2. Customize Symbols

Each object placed on the piping schematic typically has a unique symbol shape.

The user can easily identify the pumps, tanks, and controls just by looking at the drawing. If the program supports multiple symbol shapes for each type of item, users can further customize the look of their piping schematic. Some of the pro-grams listed even allow users to create their own customized symbol shapes.

3. CAD Drawing Features

The ability to zoom and pan around the piping schematic makes it easy to get around large piping system models. The ability to insert new pipelines and pip-ing system objects into the existpip-ing pippip-ing schematic greatly streamlines the building of the model. The ability to move items around the screen and add new vertices to pipelines lets the user give the piping schematic the look and feel of an established drawing. The ability to place notes on the piping schematic, change the size of the symbols and text, and change the pipe colors or line thick-ness on the schematic increases the presentation value of the program.

4. Naming Items

Each item in a piping system typically has a name or equipment identifier.

Many of the programs listed allow the user to attach a name to the object and to display that name on the piping schematic. Using the user company’s

© 2008 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

naming convention on the piping system model makes it easier for everyone to understand the model.

5. Displaying Results

The ability to display the calculated results on the piping schematic makes it easier to understand the operation of the piping system. Seeing the flow rate printed on the piping schematic next to the pipeline, or the total head of a pump displayed next to the pump, provides the user with a clear picture of how the piping system operates.

6. The Look of the Piping Schematic

If the piping schematic has the look of a generally recognized drawing, it is easier for everyone to recognize the system model. Many of the programs listed allow the user to create a piping schematic that looks like a standard process flow diagram or piping and instrumentation (P&ID drawing). Often, piping drawings are laid out in isometric view. This type of drawing pro-vides an indication of elevation on the various items on the drawing. If the program has an isometric grid feature, it is very easy to develop a profes-sional-looking piping isometric.