PRG Software Release - Update

Software Release: Version 6.6 of FE/Pipe and version 8.6 of NozzlePRO have now been released.

This release includes new functionality, significant enhancements to current functionality, and imrpoved GUIs. To see a summary of the new features that will be included in this release, please see the flyer we have prepared by clicking HERE.

Customers must request a download of the new release and must be current on their support agreement to do so.

Paulin Research Group SOFTWARE PRODUCTS

To request a price quote for any PRG software product, please call +1-281-920-9775 and ask for sales, or e-mail sales@paulin.com. For a trial version of any PRG Software Product, please fill out the Demo/Trial version Request Form HERE.

PRG has significantly consolidated our product offerings. We now sell only three (3) products, FE/Pipe v6.5, NozzlePRO v8.5, and BOS Fluids v4.6, with other progams now bundled with these main products. This bundling is shown in the diagram below. More details on the products and bundled programs are provided below.

Product Brochures

Please click on one of the links below to view or download a copy of the product brochure you are interested in.
FE/Pipe v6.5 Brochure • NozzlePRO v8.5 Brochure • BOS Fluids v4.6 Brochure • PCLGold v.4.0.2 Brochure

Product Overview Videos

Please click on one of the links below to view a brief video overview of each of our products
(NozzlePRO Video below - FE/Pipe and PCLGold videos "Coming Soon")

NozzlePRO v8.5 Overview Video (8 minutes)

Detailed Product Descriptions

Links to detailed product descriptions below:
FEPipe • NozzlePRO • PCLGold • BOSFluids

FEPipe™ v6.5 - Product Brochure

FE/Pipe is PRG’s complete and full-featured FEA package for the pressure vessel and piping engineer.  Analyze individual or multi-component geometries to consider the interaction between multiple nozzles, saddles, clips, lugs, bends, etc.

FE/Pipe ADVANCED MODULES
These modules were designed to add increased ease-of-use & design for the most common analytical needs.  All of these modules use the FEA engine from FE/Pipe to perform the high-level calculations and reporting.  All of the following modules are included with FE/Pipe v6.5 (Feb 2012 edition) as specialized templates.

• NozzlePRO is a single-component analysis tool for piping and pressure vessels.  Analyze individual nozzles, clips, lugs or saddles. Clients get NozzlePRO with the purchase of an FE/Pipe license, or NozzlePRO and its bundled programs can be purhcased as a separate product. See below, or click HERE for more details on NozzlePRO and its bundled programs.
• AxiPRO analyzes axisymmetric geometries as well as brick models of flanged joints using FEA technology.  The methods used in  AxiPRO also use nonlinear gasket properties based on additional tests at the PRG Laboratory.
<< Show More/Less on AxiPRO >>

What is AxiPRO?
AxiPRO is a computer program designed to analyze axisymmetric geometries including flanged joints. The flange components are modeled using the finite element method to ensure accurate modeling throughout all ranges of flange sizes used in industrial applications with accounting for external loads, pressure, temperature and bolt preload.
AxiPRO is a Microsoft Windows(R) application that runs FE/Pipe in the background. Results are presented in graphical, tabular and animated three dimensional views. The methods used in AxiPRO also uses nonlinear gasket properties based on additional tests at the Paulin Research Group Laboratory.


What are key AxiPRO capabilities and features?
• Accurate Calculations of Stresses and Rotations in API, ASME B16.5, ASME B16.47, DIN or User Defined Flanges
• Allowable External Forces, Moments or Torsional Loads on Flanged Joint
• Comparisons Between American and European Flange Rules (EN 13445 Annex G, ASME BFJ, ASME Appendix 2)
• Flange Geometry and Gasket Property Databases
• Fugitive Emissions (OSHA, DOT, US Code of Federal Regulations)
• Gap Surfaces
• Liquid Leak Rates Through Flanged Joints
• Nonlinear Gasket Properties
• Stresses in Large Heat Exchanger Models
• MatPRO is an exhaustive database of ASME material properties that can be used with PRG and third party software products.  MatPRO also includes calculators for high temperature analysis, fatigue allowable comparisons, Fitness for Service evaluations and creep fatigue.
<< Show More/Less on MatPRO >>

What is MatPRO and why should I use it?
MatPRO is a material database with extended high temperature properties. MatPRO includes a full set of the 2000, 2002 and 2004 ASME Section II Part D material databases.
The accuracy of any stress calculation is highly dependent on the quality of the model material properties and their fidelity to real world material properties, especially for non-linear and high temperature applications.
MatPRO Features
• Compare material properties
• Electronic look up of material allowables and properties
• Evaluate fitness for service
• Fatigue curve generation from ASME Section VIII, Division 2, Markl and API 579
• High temperature code evaluations beyond the limits of ASME Section VIII, Division 2
• Perform fatigue calculations and compare against allowable limits
• Plot material properties
• Store and re-use commonly used materials in "Favorites" list
• 661PRO analyses header box nozzles for air-cooled heat exchangers.  It performs tube load analysis from multiple nozzle loads per ASME Section VIII-1 Appendix A.  All nozzle loads are applied to the perforated tubesheet and analyzed per ASME 2004-Div 2 Art 4-9. << Show More/Less on 661PRO >>

What is FE661?

FE661 is a finite element analysis program for analyzing rectangular box headers used in air coolers. The rectangular geometry of the box header is often outside the capabilities of pressure vessel design software based on analytical methods. Further, the nozzles are commonly non-circular to maximize flow area while keeping the depth of the header shallow to minimize bending stresses in the plates. So, designers and engineers have no indication of whether flexibilities and stress intensification factors based on traditional sources are applicable.

Air coolers are commonly designed using the API 661 standard. Since FE661 uses the finite element method, FE661 is independent of any geometric limitations used in the design standard. So, you can use FE661 regardless of the standard used to design the equipment.

What are key FE661 features?

• Automated calculation of stress intensification factors and flexibilities
• Automated ASME code compliance check
• Context sensitive graphics that illustrate program input
• External loads applied on nozzle (piping)
• Fatigue calculations for piping and pressure vessel codes
• Nozzle types: Obloswage, Reinforced, Straight, Tapered
• Rich DirectX graphics illustrate model and results

FE/Pipe SERVICE PLAN MODULES
All of the "PRO" modules described above are bundled with FE/Pipe and customers who do NOT maintain a software support plan (Service Plan) with PRG will retain the use of those modules but will lose the right to support and software updates. The modules listed below, the "FE" modules and PCL-Gold, are only available to customers that MAINTAIN a current software support agreement (Service Plan). The FE modules were designed to add increased ease-of-use & design capabilties for the most common analysis needs.  All of the following modules are included with an active FE/Pipe v6.5 service plan.

• FE107 provides stress analysis of nozzle connections on piping and pressure vessels. It replaces WRC107 as a calculation tool that can be applied when WRC107 semi-empirical methods are limited.  FE107 can be applied to a wide range of geometries. To download a brochure on FE107, click HERE. << Show More/Less on FE107 >>

What is FE107?

FE107 is written by Vessel Engineers for Vessel Engineers. FE107 uses finite element technology to provide stress analysis of nozzle connections on piping and pressure vessel. FE107 replaces WRC 107 as a calculation tool that can be applied when WRC 107 correlational methods are limited. FE107 is useful for piping and pressure vessel engineers and designers.

FE107 can be applied to a wide range of geometries.

Branch or Nozzle

• Straight (Unreinforced)
• Pad reinforced
• Barrel reinforced (Self-reinforced)

Header or Vessel

• Conical head
• Cylindrical shell
• Elliptical head
• Flat head
• Flanged and dished
• Hemispherical head

What is wrong with WRC 107 and WRC 297?

WRC 107 and WRC 297 are very good documents for engineering practice. It is based on an analytical treatment of openings in cylindrical shell and hemispherical heads. This said, there are fundamental assumptions in WRC 107 and correlations that are used in the correlations that limit the application of WRC 107 in industrial applications. Commonly, computer programs do not provide warnings or guidance when the limitations are violated.

In general WRC 107 comparisons to FE/Pipe results are excellent when thin shells are analyzed and when the model is within the accepted parameters of WRC 107. Nozzles in the centers of heads are evaluated most accurately. Most WRC 107 programs give the stress intensity at four points around the nozzle on both the inside and outside of the geometry. This stress is usually compared to 3Sm (Sm is the average of the hot and cold allowable stress) and is caused by all operating loads on the nozzle. The resulting stresses from a WRC 107 run of this type should be compared to the Pl+Pb+Q stresses from the finite element calculation. Note that Pl stresses evaluated in accordance with ASME Section VIII Division 2 are membrane stresses. These are the average stresses through the thickness and do not include the bending stress component at the junction. (See ASME Section VIII Division 2 Appendix 4 Table 4-120.1.)

WRC 297 comparisons in the vessel or header tend to be good but become overly conservative when the high stress moves into the branch when the t/T ratio becomes less than 1.0. This result is certainly demonstrated in the finite element calculation.

WRC 107 tends to be somewhat less conservative than finite element results, but that WRC 107 results parallel FE calculations through d/D ranges of 0.1 to 0.8, where the WRC and Finite element curves cross, the WRC 107 results becoming much more conservative beyond this range. (When the approach used outside of WRC curve parameters is “last curve value.”)

The following list summarizes areas where WRC 107 and WRC 297 are considered weak, or where there is cause for concern.

• d/D > 0.5
• t/T > 1.0
• Pad reinforced nozzles
• Hillsides or laterals
• Area replacement rules for pressure are barely satisfied and large diameter divided by thickness ration (D/T).
• Temperatures are approaching the creep regime.
• Cycles are greater than 5000.
• Design and operating conditions are approximately the same.
• The load consists of high-pressure stresses and high loads.
• The Piping attached to the nozzle is long, flexible, and somewhat unrestrained.

MatPRO Integration

FE107 offers tight integration with MatPRO to provide the convenience and reliability of material properties lookup. The PRG database that contains a full set of the 2000, 2002 and 2004 ASME Section II Part D material databases.

FE Viewer

FE107 includes the FE-Viewer utility that allows you to interrogate the finite element analysis calculation so that you better understand the results of the finite element calculations.

• FESIF automatically calculates stress intensification factors (SIFs) and flexibility factors for a wide variety of piping intersections not covered by the B31 piping codes. To download a brochure on FESIF, click HERE. << Show More/Less on FESIF >>

What is FE-SIF?

Classical pipe stress analysis programs use piping beam elements that are constrained to the limitations inherent with beam elements. For example, beam elements do not capture the effect of ovalization where the cross section of the pipe deforms away from the unloaded round geometry. To compensate for the limitations, correction factors are applied to the beam models to more closely match the flexibility and stresses of the pipe to reality. The correction factors, flexibilities and stress intensification factors (SIFs), are based on analytical and empirical relations correlated to piping component geometries. The accuracy of the correlations depends on the geometries of the piping components.

FE-SIF brings finite element analysis (FEA) to the piping designer's toolkit to provide accurate SIF and flexibility factor calculations for all geometries and load conditions. FE-SIF can be used to calculate correction factors for components outside the correlational limits of standardized design codes and for components with no guidance in the design codes. Click to view product brochure (PDF)

Using FE-SIF

FEA technology is well understood and reliable but has been used sparingly because general purpose finite element software programs have been too complicated to input the model and to interpret the results on a daily basis. FE-SIF is designed to calculate SIFs and flexibilities with minimal input to generate reliable results that can be easily transferred to pipe stress programs.

The input interface provides visual guidance that indicates the geometric input as you proceed to build the model The results are presented in tables that are easy to understand and apply to your pipe stress program.

 

What Geometries can be analyzed?

Parent piping component	Branch or Nozzle Position	Branch or Nozzle Type
Conical	Radial	Straight (unreinforced)
Cylinder	Lateral	Pad reinforced
Elliptical	Hillside	Barrel (self-reinforced)
Flat
Flanged and Dished
Hemispherical

 

What results are calculated?

Graphical Results

FE-SIF includes the FE/Pipe graphical viewer that can be used to interrogate calculated displacement and stress patterns. The viewer provides insight into the interaction between loading and resulting displacement.

Tabular Results

Summarized results are reported in tabular format for quick evaluation and application in pipe stress analysis programs. Allowable loads, flexibilities and stress intensification factors are presented in easy-to-read grid tables.

Rich Format Reports

FE-SIF write a comprehensive report in rich text format that includes full graphical and tabular results. The report is fully compatible with most word processing programs such as Microsoft® Word®.

• FEBEND analyzes individual bends with circular or structural attachments.  It produces SIFs and Flexibilities for use in any pipe stress program.  It evaluates stresses due to axial temperature gradient in the attachment.  The program allows for the inclusion of local pad reinforcement on structural or circular attachments. << Show More/Less on FEBend >>

What is FEBend?



FEBend is a finite element analysis program for analyzing bends and elbows with a round pipe or structural steel attachment.

Bends and elbows are commonly supported through round or structural steel supports. The piping design standards do not provide much guidance regarding the effects of a support has on the stress intensification and flexibility of the component.

Structural steel allows inspection of the welds during operation but the knife edge effects on the piping cause a can opener effect on the component. Round attachments distribute the load more evenly but are more difficult to inspect in operation. In both cases, accurate analysis of the stresses can be critical in cyclic service.

Since FEBend uses the finite element method, FEBend is independent of any geometric limitations used in the piping design standards. So, you can use FEBend to evaluate bends regardless of size or loading.

What are key FEBend features?

• Accurately model the ovalization of the bend or elbow
• Automated calculation of stress intensification factors and flexibilities
• Automated ASME code compliance check
• Context sensitive graphics that illustrate program input
• Fatigue calculations for piping and pressure vessel codes
• Pad reinforcement
• Rich DirectX graphics illustrate model and results
• Structural steel: Angle, Channel, Cross, Flange, Tee
• Stress analysis subject to external loads from pipe stress analysis program
• FETEE analyzes individual welding tees.  It includes probabilistic seismic/wind/impact fatigue contribution; i-factor and k-factor spreadsheets for FEA comparison; automatic multiple load case friction cycle consumption; and ASM B16.9 database for welding tees.  If not available, automatic crotch profile thickness values can be automatically generated based on run and branch thicknesses. << Show More/Less on FETee >>

No additional details are provided for FETee at this time.

• PCL-GOLD applies FEA accuracy to standard pipe stress analysis.  The program allows for the proper analysis of path dependent friction, pressure cycling calculations included with evaluation of external piping loads, multiple load cases, i-factors and k-factors, 18 dof calculations for refractory-lined or glass-line pipe, rotating equipment reports, etc. For a complete description of the many features of PCL-Gold, click here: PCL-Gold Brochure

PCLGold™ v4.0.2 - Product Brochure

PRG is proud to announce our new pipe stress program, PCLGold, currently bundled with FEPipe. 
All FE/Pipe customers who are current on their support will receive access to PCL-Gold as a part of their service plan.

To view a 60 minute video of a Webinar introducing PCLGold, please click HERE.

NozzlePRO™ v8.5 - Product Brochure

NozzlePRO is a component analysis tool for piping and pressure vessels. The tool brings the accuracy of the finite element method to the engineering community for general design and analysis. NozzlePRO technology is a significant improvement over the limitations inherent in WRC 107/297 methods and it enables rapid FEA modeling and analysis of a wide range of piping and pressure vessel components.

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION OF NozzlePRO

To view a brief NozzlePRO product overview, and to see how easy it is to use NozzlPRO to build and analyze some typical component types found in the pressure vessel and piping industries, please click HERE.

NozzlePRO ADVANCED MODULES
These modules were designed to add increased ease-of-use & design for the most common analysis needs.  All of the following modules are included with NozzlePRO v8.5 (Feb 2012 edition) as specialized templates.

• MatPRO is an exhaustive database of ASME material properties that can be used with PRG and third party software products.  MatPRO also includes calculators for high temperature analysis, fatigue allowable comparisons, Fitness for Service evaluations and creep fatigue.
• Fitness for Service   Analyze local thin areas and crack-like flaws using API 579 methodologies for Level 2 & Level 3 checks.
• NH Reporting   Overcome limitations to Section VIII, Div. 2 fatigue evaluation and evaluate fatigue/creep interaction.

NozzlePRO SERVICE PLAN MODULES
All of the NozzlePRO ADVANCED MODULES described above are bundled with NozzlePRO and customers who do NOT maintain a software support plan (Service Plan) with PRG will retain the use of those modules but will lose the right to support and software updates. The modules listed below (FE107 & FESIF) are only available to customers that MAINTAIN a current NozzlePRO software support agreement (Service Plan).

• FE107 provides stress analysis of nozzle connections on piping and pressure vessels. It replaces WRC107 as a calculation tool that can be applied when WRC107 semi-empirical methods are limited.  FE107 can be applied to a wide range of geometries.
• FESIF automatically calculates stress intensification factors (SIFs) and flexibility factors for a wide variety of piping intersections not covered by the B31 piping codes.
  

BOS Fluids - Product Brochure

BOS Fluids models steady state and transient flow in liquid or gas carrying piping systems.  The program estimates slugging conditions.  It models unsteady flow conditions and includes the simulation of:

• Standard Valves
• Relief Valves
• Damped Check Valves
• Air Valves
• Pumps
• Equipment
• Surge Vessels
• Orifices
• Tube Ruptures
• Long Pipe Boundary Conditions
• Two Phase - Homogeneous Flow
• Deflagration
• Isolated Slug Evaluations
• Reciprocating Equipment
• Pressure Regulator Valves
• Relief Valve Gas Transients including Joule Thompson Effects

BOS Fluids is currently undergoing a major re-development, including a new, more capable, and more intuitive GUI. The new version will be out in mid to late Q2 or early Q3 of 2012.

BOS Fluids is co-developed, co-marketed, and co-sold by Paulin Research Group and our technology partner Dynaflow Research Group. Click here for more information on Dynaflow Research Group.