PIPE-FLO Advantage Version 17.0.49683 Release Notes

PIPE-FLO® Advantage Version 17.0.49683 Release Notes

Released on 12/16/2019

These Release Notes apply to the new PIPE-FLO® Advantage program and incorporates the changes made to PIPE-FLO® Professional v17.0.

Advantage v17.0 Release Notes

PIPE-FLO® Advantage 17 is the new parent program in the PIPE-FLO® Family of software. PIPE-FLO® Advantage offers the following features not available in the other programs in the PIPE-FLO® Family:

  • Perform a compressible analysis on gas systems using isentropic and adiabatic relationships and an incompressible analysis on liquid systems in the same model.
  • Model Compressors and Blowers 
  • Size a pipeline using a mach number sizing criteria
  • Import a PIPE-FLO Compressible 2007 .pipc file

Key Highlights

  • Ability to model 6 new piping system devices: 
    • Compressors (Advantage only)
    • Blowers (Advantage only)
    • Compressible Pipe (Advantage only)
    • Pressure Relief Device in accordance with ISO 4126 standard
    • Reducer device for pipe size changes
    • Fan device that allows copy/paste into its performance curve data table
  • Combined Sizing devices with Designed Devices (Sizing Valve and Sizing Pump) 
  • Additional Operating Modes for Pumps & Control Valves
  • Added a "Design Status" field to all devices to quickly see the status using Color Gradients
  • Performance increases

New Features

  • Ability to model Fans, Pressure Relief Devices, and Reducers
  • Ability to model Blowers, Compressors, and Compressible Pipes in Advantage
  • Copy / Paste into device performance curve data table
  • Hover over the label of a device calculation in the Property Grid displays the raw calculated value of the result
  • Added a "Design Status" field to all devices to quickly see the status using Color Gradients
  • Additional Operating Modes for Pumps & Control Valves
  • Import a PIPE-FLO Compressible 2007 .pipc file (Advantage only)

Improvements / Changes to Features

  • Pipe
    • added Darcy limitation warnings based on Pressure Drop Ratio and Mach Number for gas applications
    • group edit "Reverse Flow Direction" with multiple pipes selected using Right Click Context Menu
    • Pipe Sizing Calculator improvements
      • selection of the sizing criteria from the calculator
      • additional results to evaluate the selected size
      • new Messages section of the calculator dialog 
      • warning if calculated size is less than the smallest size or greater than the largest size in the Pipe Specification
      • size a pipe using a Mach Number sizing criteria (Advantage only)
    • calculation of the dP/100 and HL/100 changed to represent only the pipe without installed V&F
  • Flow Demand
    • limited to the inlet or outlet of a single pipe, can no longer be placed on a node between two pipes
    • additional calculated results for static pressure, dynamic pressure, energy grade, and dynamic head
    • automatically change the flow demand symbol on the FLO-Sheet to correspond to the direction specified in Flow Type
  • Pressure Boundary
    • static pressure entry
    • additional calculated results for static pressure, dynamic pressure, energy grade, and dynamic head
    • changed the "Pressure" design field to an "Operation" design field to allow for total or static pressure entry
  • Control Valves and Sizing Valves
    • Combined the control and sizing valve devices into one device
      • operating modes for a control valve without data are treated as sizing valve modes
      • automatically import an old sizing valve as a control valve in a sizing mode
    • New Operating Modes: Differential Pressure, Fixed Flow Coefficient, Static Pressure entry
  • Centrifugal Pumps and Sizing Pumps
    • Combined the centrifugal and sizing pump devices into one device
    • New Operating Modes: Differential Pressure, Static Pressure entry
    • Copy / Paste into Centrifugal Pump Curve Data Table
    • Calculate and display Pump Output Power
  • Pipe Specifications
    • added min and max Mach Number design limits to trigger warnings
  • More hover over Tool Tips for buttons
  • Cutting a device re-names the remaining node so that pasting the device retains the original name
  • Text Settings
    • Added "Vertical Text Down" to Orientation options
    • Added Alignment setting (Left, Center, Right)
    • Incorporated "Smart" Anchoring
  • Over Time Module changes
    • Added a new Rules Device Condition to allow comparing one device's design or calculated result to another device's
    • New Rules Device Action to modify a device's design data in Increments (addition and subtraction)
    • Results graphs data output
  • Property Grid interaction
    • Hover over calculated result label to display the full precision value
    • Ctrl + C on label to copy full precision value and unit
  • Color Gradients
    • Disable color gradients when disable color button is active
    • Removed the solid black line for a pipe when model is colorized
    • Adjusted the default color gradients to make intermediate colors more distinct
  • Installation of program and files
    • Program installed at C:\Program Files\Engineered Software\PIPE-FLO Advantage 17 by default unless otherwise specified
    • Projects, Reports, and Tables installed in version-specific folders at C:\Users\Public\Documents\Engineered Software\PIPE-FLO Advantage 17 by default unless otherwise specified
    • Catalogs installed at C:\Users\Public\Documents\My Engineering Files\Catalogs by default unless otherwise specified

New Warning Messages

  • Added ID 216 to 267 for new devices and features

Bug Fixes

  • Prevention of PIPE-FLO crash due to exceptions in the Centrifugal Pump selection module
  • Elevation color gradient on a pipe now takes into account the Penetration Height when attached to a Tank
  • Pressure color gradient on a pipe now takes into account the Penetration Height when attached to a Tank
  • PB 2018-002 Copying non-design case lineups