Coupled Fluid-Structure Analyses with BOSfluids

BOSfluids, our versatile transient flow analysis tool, was already very effective at predicting flow-induced forces acting on piping systems. Very soon it will also enable you to perform coupled fluid-structure analyses directly from within BOSfluids by means of a new structural solver interface. This reduces the scope for errors and reduces the overall analysis and modeling time significantly.

Because BOSfluids works with 3-D piping models it can very accurately predict how pressure waves lead to unbalanced, time-dependent forces acting on the piping system. For instance, a valve closure can involve a water hammer event that may not only lead to high-pressure conditions within the piping, but also to large loads acting on the piping. In the past, the calculated fluid forces had to be exported to a structural piping analysis tool in order to determine the structural response of the system. Now, with the new structural interface in BOSfluids this is no longer needed; you can calculate the structural response directly from BOSfluids.

Structural restraints and support

Structural restraints and support structures have a large affect on the structural response of a piping system. BOSfluids has therefore been extended with support for specifying restraints and for building (steel) support structures. In fact you only need to create one piping model in BOSfluids that includes both the flow model and the structural model.

The new structural solver interface will land in BOSfluids 6.1 that is slated for release in the second quarter of this year. This new release will bring many other improvements and new features making it a surge analysis tool of choice even more.