INDUSTRY

INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES

A critical part of Industrial Processing is moving gas and liquid around plants to convert input material into desired outputs.  These complex systems can easily be modeled in Flownex to help design and optimize the various components used and the transformation to the material. 

OVERVIEW

From small batch processing to sprawling refineries, every aspect of the fluid-thermal storage, movement, and processing can be modeled and optimized with Flownex. Integration with custom models, other simulation packages, and control algorithms allow engineers to create digital twins of their industrial processing systems that are fast, easy to use, and powerful. 

Typical uses include:

  • ANALYSIS
    • Simulation.
    • Performance assessment
    • Modification assessment
    • Fault root cause assessment
  • DESIGN
    • System sizing
    • Component sizing
    • Determining operating ranges
    • Flow, temperature, pressure, power consumption, etc.
    • Testing of control approaches
  •  
  • TRAINING
    • System behavior examination
    • Performing basic flow and
      heat transfer calculations
    • Thermo hydraulic principles
      and properties referencing

INTEGRATED SYSTEMS ANALYSIS​

Seeing how all the different sub-systems in your plant work together is a key part of building and running an efficient and safe industrial processing facility.  Flownex makes connecting and simulating integrated systems easy and powerful. 

Typical applications include:

  • Liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and handling
  • Interaction between pipeline flow/pressure and the pump/turbine set, including its control
  • Cryogenic system thermal fluid analysis using two-phase flow tanks, pressure drop, heat transfer, incondensable gas mixtures etc
  • Simulation of refrigeration systems for cryogenic cooling during natural gas liquefaction
  • Natural gas liquefaction
  • Design of gas venting and inventory control systems
  • Simulation of gas turbine driven pipeline booster pumps.
    Simulation or system integration of gas turbine driven compressors for natural gas liquefaction
  • Pipe system pressure control design

HEAT EXCHANGERS

Custom and off-the-shelf heat exchangers are used throughout insustrial processing plants.  Sizing or designing the right heat exchanger can have a significant effect on the safety and performance of your systems.  Flownex excels at this type of trade study and design exploration. 

Typical applications include:

  • Calculating heat transfer and pressure drop for various geometries: finned tube, shell and tube, tube-in-tube, plate heat exchangers
  • Calculating the heating or cooling requirement for various processes:
    • Evaporation
    • Condensation
    • Temperature control
  • Calculation of natural circulation evaporator
    recirculation rate
  • Simulation of transient behavior for startup, shut-down or process upset conditions
  • Calculation of temperatures and boiling pressure drop
  • Calculation of metal temperature change rates during transients.

COOLING WATER SYSTEMS

Getting cooling water to the right place, optimizing the heat transfer, then cooling that water back down again is a delicate balancing act.  Flownex has the right tools to create a model and do fast “what-if” simulations to drive engineers to the best best design.   

Key uses include:

  • Pipeline, valve and pump sizing
  • Water hammer
  • Cooling tower response
  • Heat exchanger sizing
  • Water reticulation flow balancing and energy efficiency

PIPE SYSTEMS

Fluids are moved through industrial processing plants through complex piping systems using complex geometries.  The cost and performance of a plant is often determined by the efficiency of the piping system, and Flownex is ideal to optimize what components you use and how you connect everything to gether while calculating losses at every point. 

Typical applications include:

  • Calculation of pressure drop for gases or liquids
  • Pump, valve, and pipeline sizing
  • Pump performance adjustment for viscosity
  • Sizing of control valves and orifices
  • Design of liquid/gas distribution systems
  • Simulation of a valve failure event
  • Calculation of heating or cooling requirements for various processes
  • Heat loss/pickup calculations
  • Insulation sizing
  • Flow balancing in branching networks
  • Analysis of transient events like pressure wave (water hammer/surge) propagation.
  • Control philosophy development and testing using the built-in PLC function block diagrams
  • Sizing of pressure safety valves
  • Pipework velocities, pressure drops
  • Calculation of NPSH and prediction of cavitation
  • Water hammer
  • Sizing of safety relief valves
  • Cooling tower response

STEAM SYSTEMS

Generating steam, extracting energy from it, and transporting it through a plant is another strong capability in Flownex. As a general purpose tool, it can handle every aspect of implementing steam systems in an industrial processing facility.   

Key uses include:

SUPER HEATER & MAIN STEAM PIPING

  • Calculation of metal temperatures and change rates
  • Commissioning assistance
  • Pipe sizing

STEAM TURBINE & SUPPORTING SYSTEMS

  • Start-up and shutdown simulation
  • Turbine trip control simulation
  • Gland steam system analysis
  • Lubrication system analysis

ONCE-THROUGH BOILERS

  • Flow balancing
  • Assessment of boiling stability
  • Calculation of flow/boiling regimes
  • Assessment of control
  •  

NATURAL CIRCULATION BOILERS

  • Calculation of recirculation rate and steam production
  • Prediction of dry out

FEED WATER

  • Root cause analysis of pump NPSH problems
  • Analysis of feed water heater tube breaks
  • Cavitation/phase change detection

COOLING WATER CIRCUITS

  • Flow balancing
  • Pump and pipe sizing
  • Energy optimization
  • Heat load calculations
  • Heat exchanger sizing
  • Water reticulation system design
  • Water hammer analysis and prevention
  • Environment – cooling tower – plant matching

OTHER SYSTEMS

This web page only covers a fraction of the various systems in an industrial processing plant that can be modeled in Flownex. Here are few more applications. And if you do not see what you are looking for, reach out. 

FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS
  • Pump, pipe, and tank sizing. 
  • Sizing of nozzles and orifices.
  • Flow balancing

COMPRESSED AIR SIMULATION

  • Reticulation system design and pipe sizing
  • Compressor selection
  • Energy optimization
  • Heat exchanger sizing (inter- and after coolers)

SLURRIES, PASTES & NON-NEWTONIAN FLUIDS

  • Calculation of Non-Newtonian fluid pressure drop
  • Balancing of flow in branching pipe networks
  • Assessment of pressure pulse transients

HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS

  • Pump selection and pipe sizing
  • Flow distribution

TEMPERATURE CONTROL LOOP DESIGN

  • Calculate heat exchange process dynamics
  • Tune PID controllers before commissioning
  • Assess the sensitivity to environment temperature

FLARES AND BURNERS

  • Calculation of gas consumption rates
  • Pressure-, temperature- and composition-dependent combustion modeling
  • Calculation of conjugate heat transfer (convective, conductive and radiative heat transfer)
  • Calculation of heat-up or cool-down times
  • Natural or forced draft stack sizing
  • Fan sizing
  • System integration: simulation of flare control and interaction with the main pipe system

Testimonials

“I am not aware of any other tool with which I could have obtained the required results in such a short time span. Part of the success must undoubtedly be attributed to the prompt and high level support provided by Flownex® International almost daily in answering all my questions and offering suggestions throughout this very technically challenging simulation. The support fee has been paid for with this one project! “

– Hannes van der Walt
   Senior Thermal & Process Engineer
   Gasco

Work with PADT and Flownex to create more powerful models of your industrial processes.

Partner with PADT and Flownex to minimize time-to-production, speed up commissioning, and determine the energy consumption of your process before you start buidling. 

If you are ready to make Flownex part of your simulation workflow, reach out today at info@padtinc.com 

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