The release adds a new analysis type, steady state thermal analysis, alongside Acoustic Induced Vibration assessments performed automatically within the Steady State analysis, and support for slurries and other non-Newtonian liquids across four viscosity models. The pump model, element limits, gas flow through restrictions, special flow elements, batch plotting and the user interface have also been extended. Each change is described below, with a link to the full article and a recording of the release user day.
Steady state thermal analyses
BOSfluids 8.1 calculates the temperature distribution in a piping system, using thermal boundary conditions and one of four heat transfer models: Adiabatic, Fluid, Soil or Custom. The solver calculates the coupled flow and thermal equations, since fluid properties depend on temperature and heat transfer depends on flow velocity. A separate licence option is required.
AIV assessments
The Steady State analysis type now performs Acoustic Induced Vibration assessments according to the Energy Institute or NORSOK guidelines, saved to a new Acoustic Fatigue Assessment report. Two data sets are added: Sound Power Level downstream of pressure reduction devices, and Likelihood of Failure at nodes with structural discontinuities.
A wider range of liquids
BOSfluids 8.1 supports slurries, other non-Newtonian liquids, and liquids containing drag reducing agents, across four viscosity models: Newton, Power Law, Bingham Plastic and Herschel-Bulkley. A curve fit window determines the model parameters from measurement data.
Extension of the pump model and user interface
Five pump operating modes are now available: Fixed Flow, Fixed Speed, Variable Speed, Controlled, and Startup. The pump element supports an NPSHR curve, with a warning if the NPSHA drops below it during a flow analysis. The steady state solution report now includes the NPSHA and the hydraulic power delivered by the pump.
Support for specifying limits
Limits for pressure, flow rate and flow velocity can be set on pipe elements, deluge nozzles and sprinklers. Any violation is displayed in the new Limit Alerts report, and the margins are available as data sets.
More accurate modelling of gas-filled systems
The density of gas flowing through valves and orifice plates is no longer assumed constant. Both sub-critical and critical flow conditions are accounted for, improving the accuracy of flow rates, pressures and AIV assessments.
Extension of special flow elements
The Tank element now accepts a liquid surface pressure and a nozzle height. The Tube Rupture element accounts for the Joule-Thomson effect for single-phase gas, affecting the maximum shell pressure. The Valve Configuration Window adds equal percentage and quick opening characteristics.
Addition of a new batch plot generator
A new batch plot generator produces a series of similar plots for a chosen set of cases, data sets, nodes, elements or groups, saved as individual images or a single HTML/PDF document. The setup window shows a preview before generating.
Improved and more efficient user interface
Results can be shown as textual labels and a caption in the model viewer. Element and node descriptions, element groups as colours, multiple-element renaming and translation, and HTML plot export are also added.
Other improvements
Mass flow boundary conditions can now be specified alongside volumetric ones. Templates in the components database store elements and nodes for re-use across models. Controllers can be connected to flow boundary conditions, and two new reports, Events by Element and Events by Time, list transient events such as the closing of a check valve.