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This is the November 2002 issue of the Engineered Software Fluid Flow Newsletter. Providing information on pump and system interaction, tips on how to get the most out of your PIPE-FLO program.

FEATURED TOPICS - click on a topic below for details.

  1. PIPE-FLO 7.1 BUILT FOR SPEED CONTINUED

  2. WHAT CAD SOFTWARE DO YOU USE

  3. PUMP-FLO.com - NEW PUMP SELECTION OPTION

  4. NEW KNOWLEDGE BASE ARTICLES

  5. USING PIPE-FLO IN AN OPERATING PLANT

  6. TRAINING SCHEDULE FOR 2003
1. PIPE-FLO 7.1 BUILT FOR SPEED CONTINUED
This is a continuation of the October newsletter highlighting some of PIPE-FLO 7.1 features making it easier to build and evaluate fluid piping systems.
Lineups
Piping systems are called on to operate under a variety of operating conditions. Using PIPE-FLO’s lineup feature you can quickly switch between lineups and see how the piping system operates under the various conditions. For example, the system may have a startup lineup (only one pump operating in a recirculation mode), half flow operation (one pump running in the process), and full flow operation (the typical operating condition).
Each PIPE-FLO project has a Design Case lineup, which by definition is the way the system is designed to operate. The Design Case is the basis for each new lineup.
To create a lineup:

  • Select the System / Lineup menu item, the Lineup dialog box is displayed

  • Click on the New button and name the lineup

  • Click on OK. PIPE-FLO displays the FLO-Sheet with the new lineup displayed on the Lineup drop down list box found on the PIPE-FLO button bar
You can make changes to your new lineup and save them, without affecting the Design Case lineup. 
In a lineup you can open or close a pipelines, turn pumps on and off, adjust the pressure or level in tanks, change the value for demands, and change the set valve for a pumps or control valves.
Global Adjust
If you have many flow demands or Flow Control Valves (FCV’s) and you need to adjust them you can select multiple items and make the changes using the Flow Adjustments screen.
To change multiple valves:

  • Select the System / Flow Adjustments menu item

  • Choose the item to adjust, Demands in, Demands out, or FCV’s

  • Select multiple items on the list to adjust and enter a multiply adjustment factor, or a new flow rate

  • Click on OK and all the highlighted values are adjusted
Viewing Calculated Results
A new feature in PIPE-FLO Professional is the ability to switch between lineups without clearing the results and pressing the calculate button.
If you have multiple lineups you want to calculate:

  • Click on the Calculator button

  • With the calculated results displayed select a new lineup from drop down list box on the button bar

  • The calculated results are displayed for the selected lineup
2. WHAT CAD SOFTWARE DO YOU USE
One of the new features of PIPE-FLO 7.1 is the ability to export the FLO-Sheet to a DXF file that can be imported into CAD programs. DXF is a widely used file format for exchanging CAD data developed and maintained AutoDesk Inc. They use the DXF file for their AutoCAD® program. The DXF format has become a de facto standard because most CAD programs can also read and write the format. With every new version of AutoCAD the definition of DXF is expanded, but we have tested our DXF file on many versions of AutoCAD back to release 12. 
I would like to take a poll on the number of customers that are using PIPE-FLO’s DXF export feature. I want to find out what CAD software you are using. In addition, I would like to know if your CAD program has any difficulty reading PIPE-FLO’s DXF Export output file.

Please direct your response to rayhardee@eng-software.com.

3. PUMP-FLO.com - NEW PUMP SELECTION OPTION
Using PUMP-FLO.com’s (http://www.pump-flo.com) free online pump selection service, you can select pumps from leading manufacturers’ online eCatalogs. Login, and experience what a time saver the software can be from traditional pump selection practices. New manufacturers are being added every week. Visit http://www.pump-flo.com for details.
If you didn’t already know, the PUMP-FLO selection engine used in PUMP-FLO.com is also a module of the PIPE-FLO software. This allows you to model the system and select a pump from preferred venders Electronic Catalogs.
A list of the new or recently modified Electronic Catalogs for use with PIPE-FLO can be found at http://www.eng-software.com/pml. Here you can download the most current catalog from the manufacturers’ Website or request it by email.
If you would like to see a new manufacturer added please click on the following link to send your request: http://www.pump-flo.com/popup.htm.
4. NEW KNOWLEDGE BASE ARTICLES
This has been a busy month for the Knowledge Base with six new articles added in October. The Knowledge Base is a database driven support site for all PIPE-FLO and PUMP-FLO programs. Since it is Web based, you can get answers at any time. The following link takes you to the Engineered Software Knowledge Base http://www.eng-software.com/kb.
Here are some of the highlighted articles added in October. 
A customer wanted to extract data from PIPE-FLO to feed another program. The TXT output feature of PIPE-FLO, provides all the information available about the system, but in a form that was difficult for the user to use. The article “Writing Excel Macros to Extract Information from a PIPE-FLO.txt file” http://www.eng-software.com/kb/item.asp?ID=1313 shows how to use the supplied Excel macro to extract information from a PIPE-FLO TXT file and save in into Excel.

Pumps degrade over time, and one customer wanted to see how the piping system would operate with a pump that head curve has been degraded. This article describes how to Model a Degraded Pump in the PIPE-FLO program. http://www.eng-software.com/kb/item.asp?ID=1314

When bringing in a PIPE-FLO 7.0 or earlier project, into version 7.1 you may find the text too small to read.  This article describes how to fix the problem with small text. http://www.eng-software.com/kb/item.asp?ID=1311
If you have a suggestion for a Knowledge Base article please e-mail your request to solutions@eng-software.com. All suggestions for Knowledge Base articles we receive in November will receive an Engineered Software mouse pad.
5. USING PIPE-FLO IN AN OPERATING PLANT

Ray Hardee, Chief Engineer of Engineered Software gave a presentation at the Seattle Plant Engineers Conference. The presentation was based on a recent white paper describing how PIPE-FLO 7.1 customers used the software in various phases of plant operations. Examples are presented as to how project engineers, plant operators, safety, and maintenance personnel are using PIPE-FLO to provide them with a clear view of the piping system.
You can download the White Paper from the following link on our Website: http://www.eng-software.com/whitepapers.
6. TRAINING SCHEDULE FOR 2003

The Training schedule for 2003 is posted at on the Engineered Software Website: http://www.eng-software.com/products/flomaster.htm. 

Next year we will be conducting five FLO-Master training classes all around the country. These two day seminars will be held in Orlando Florida on Feb 25-26, Houston Texas on March 25–26, Montreal Quebec CANADA on May 6-7, Seattle Washington on Sept 23-24 and Las Vegas Nevada on November 11-12. Now is the time to start planning your 2003 training! To sign up for a 2003 training class contact your Engineered Software dealer toll free at 1-800-786-8545.