Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of the most frequently asked
questions about the Flow of Fluids Premium program.
Why should I use Flow of
Fluids Premium when my spreadsheet provides me with the results I
need?
Excel spreadsheets only calculate
the head loss in a single pipeline for a given flow rate.
Flow of Fluids Premium calculates the head loss in a single
pipeline as well, in addition it also:
- Calculates the flow rates and pressures in the entire piping
system by performing a full hydraulic network analysis.
- Selects centrifugal pumps from manufacturers' supplied
electronic pump catalogs.
- Inserts the pumps and control valves into the piping system
model, showing how the entire piping system operates.
- Considers alternate operating conditions and shows you how the
system operates.
- Flow of Fluids Premium provides you with a total system view
instead of a head loss calculation for a single pipeline.
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What
is the maximum number of pipelines Flow of Fluids Premium can
handle, and what is considered a pipeline?
Flow of Fluids Premium has a
program limit of 25 pipelines. A pipeline is between two junctions
and consists of one pipe diameter including all the valves and
fittings. For example if you have a system with one tank feeding
two destination tanks, the system consists of 4 pipelines. There is
one pipeline from the supply tank to the pump suction, a pipeline
from the pump discharge to a junction, and two pipelines each going
from the junction to each destination tank.
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What
pipe materials does Flow of Fluids Premium support?
Flow of Fluids Premium uses
engineering data tables to look up the pipe data needed to perform
the pressure drop calculations. You select the pipe material, and
schedule or wall thickness, and the program presents the available
nominal sizes. The program looks up the inside diameter and uses
that value in the pressure drop calculations. The program comes
with a variety of pipe size tables based on published pipe
standards.
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Can
I create my own pipe size tables, or modify the tables shipped with
the software?
Yes. Using the supplied Table
Manager program you can modify the pipe tables shipped with the
program or create your own custom pipe size tables for specialty
pipe material.
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What
valves and fittings does the program support?
The program looks up valve and
fitting information in a valve table shipped with the program. The
table contains all the valves and fittings found in the Crane
Technical Paper 410. Specialty valve and fitting tables are
available from selected manufacturers.
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What
if the supplied table doesn't have the valves and fittings I
use?
You can insert any valve or fitting
into the model by entering either the K value, Cv value, or the
differential pressure for a given flow rate. In addition, using the
Table Manager program you can even create your own custom valve and
fitting tables.
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What
fluids does the program support?
Flow of Fluids Premium looks up the
fluid information in engineering data tables. Flow of Fluids
Premium comes with a fluid compilation of 250 process fluids for
use with the program. You can also add custom fluids in your
projects by entering the fluid properties, this way you can model
any Newtonian fluid (both liquids and gases).
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Can
I model pumps in the piping system?
Yes. The program supports both
centrifugal and positive displacement pumps. You can use the
program to select pumps directly from manufacturers' supplied
electronic pump catalogs.
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How
many manufacturers support Flow of Fluids Premium by distributing
their pump catalogs for use with the program?
The current list of supporting pump
manufacturers distributing their electronic pump catalogs is
available at http://www.eng-software.com/pml/.
Many of the manufacturers allow you to download them directly from
this Website.
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How do I model a pump if a manufacturer's
electronic pump catalog is not available?
You can model any centrifugal pump
by manually entering pump performance data from a paper pump curve
in the piping system model.
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What are the minimum system requirements to
run the Flow of Fluids program?
These are the minimum system
requirements to run the Flow of Fluids program.
- Personal computer Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or AMD
K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor capable of running
Microsoft Windows 98, 2000, or XP.
- Minimum of 30-35 MB of available fixed disk space required
- 128 MB of RAM for computers running Windows 98
- 256MB of Ram recommended for Windows 2000 and XP
Professional
- 800x600 or higher resolution
- CD-ROM or DVD drive
- Keyboard and Mouse or compatible pointing device
- Windows compatible Printer or Plotter
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Does Flow of Fluids program work on Windows
Vista?
Click here to read the knowledge base article on Windows Vista
compatibility.
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