Author: Ben Keiser, Applied Flow Technology Technical Sales Consultant

1. Guarantee the system will work according to design.
2. Understand complex system interactions.
3. Ensure design requirements are still met in different operating cases.
4. Evaluate system dynamics of surge and non-surge related transient operation.
5. Easily plan for future expansions and system modifications.
6. Empower clients to better understand their system, perform effective troubleshooting, and determine impact of modifications.

Many engineering companies have adopted an internal policy requiring a flow analysis be conducted before piping designs are issued.

This is great news because engineering companies are providing designs with more intelligence built into the system, which would not be there without a flow analysis. These systems will operate more reliably, safely, and efficiently to allow owners and operators to maximize profits while minimizing repair costs and downtime.

AFT’s engineers recently visited a refinery of a well-known oil and gas company. The refinery had been preparing to put two new heat exchangers into service as part of an expansion. The senior engineer from AFT asked management if they conducted a flow analysis and management mentioned they decided not to do one. When opening valves to the flow paths to the new heat exchangers, neither of them received any flow because the pumps were already operating at full capacity for the rest of the system.

“If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” is no longer a valid excuse for not going the extra mile to achieve better performance.

In this 3-part article series from Applied Flow Technology (AFT), we will look at Why Flow Analysis is Neglected and we will also look at why Flow Analysis is Necessary. The goal of these articles is to highlight important points to help you understand why you should make a detailed flow analysis part of your standard design practice.

AFT is always happy to spend time with engineers to discuss pipe flow design or troubleshooting issues. Our software is designed by engineers for engineers and calculates compressible and incompressible flow, as well as waterhammer/surge transients.

We help engineers simulate their systems to see how the valves, pumps, fans, compressors, heat exchangers, tanks, and many more components will work together. And it is all packaged as a superior user-interface with several modeling features which are unique to AFT and dramatically reduces the amount of time you will spend modeling your systems. 

Again, “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” is no longer a valid excuse for not going the extra mile to achieve better performance. Read the next set of articles to determine if you can relate to one of the reasons why flow analysis is neglected, then see if you agree with the six reasons why flow analysis is necessary.

Why Flow Analysis is Neglected