Our team is diligently working on enhancing our existing software and developing new tools. In this newsletter, we are highlighting a few of the new tools. Please reach out with any questions or concerns, we are here to support you with any of your software needs.
Save the Date — “E2G Community of Users”
On May 3, 2023, we are launching a new virtual event specifically for our software clients! You can expect the inaugural “Community of Users” event to be a two-hour webinar where you will have the opportunity to hear about the latest updates, participate in a live Q&A session, and get a sneak peek into our biggest cloud-based software project ever. We will share the agenda and other details in early April. Sign-up today!
eec: Job Dashboard
In October 2022, the new Job Dashboard was rolled out in the eec. If you haven’t heard about this new functionality, it’s a feature that helps you efficiently manage past jobs and filter jobs based on tags, custom names, or the calculator of interest. Watch the how-to video to learn a little more about the Job Dashboard and some of the time-saving features you can apply immediately.
To add this feature, please fill in the form at the bottom of this page.
IntelliJoint
IntelliJoint delivers a total solution for bolted joint leakage that can immediately reduce maintenance expenditures and improve safety. This cloud-based software evaluates and optimizes assembly parameters for pressure-boundary bolted flanged joints with ring-type gaskets, as outlined in ASME PCC-1.
A recent Industry Insights article uses a case study example to show how IntelliJoint helped to evaluate bolted flange designs and minimize the risk of leakage without risking damage to any of the joint components.
Use IntelliJoint as a repository for all critical bolted flanged joint data and leakage solutions for your plant, putting everything in one place for a one-stop solution. IntelliJoint uses the joint component data to perform a variety of optimizations, including:
- Compare the performance of various gasket styles or manufacturers
- Determine the best gasket for specific applications and optimize gasket dimensions
- Estimate optimal assembly bolt stress that will provide adequate sealing while avoiding damage to the joint components
- Visualize gasket stress losses due to internal pressure, thermal gradients, and creep relaxation
- Troubleshoot existing gasket configurations and determine the effectiveness of proposed leak fixes
If you’d like to schedule a demo or add this tool to your eec subscription, please fill in the form at the bottom of this page.
eecHottap
eecHottap predicts peak wall temperature, maximum cooling rate, and the shortest cooling time around the weld region. This cloud-based calculator assesses the suitability of hot tap welding procedures (or repair welds) by evaluating the two critical failure considerations: burn-through and cold cracking due to rapid cooling.
The calculator uses a transient thermal finite element analysis (FEA) solver, fluid mixture modeling, and a modern weld heat source model to evaluate a wide variety of hot tap geometries, process fluids, and welding conditions. This tool is simple to use and solves a complex set of problems.
Recently, several features and improvements were added, including:
- Material Properties: The specific heat and thermal conductivity correlations for carbon steel were updated to match new experimental data. The new correlations provide cooling times and rates that have been extensively validated across a wide range of pipe geometries, process fluids, and process conditions.
- Heat-Transfer Correlations:
- The outside surface heat-transfer correlations were updated to the latest ASTM C680 standard.
- The inside surface heat-transfer correlations were updated to better handle super-critical fluids.
- An enhanced method was integrated for combining convective and boiling heat fluxes in the transition and film boiling regimes.
- Weld Heat Source: More controls on the heat source distribution were added to capture different weld electrode types and their corresponding penetration depths.
- Job Portal: Easily monitor the status of in-progress and completed jobs. This functionality allows you to continue with your daily work, run additional analyses, and load the results when the job is complete.
eecHotTap helps you evaluate the suitability of hot tap welding procedures for the risk of burn-through and cold cracking. You can solve a complex set of welding challenges with this simple cloud-based tool.
If you’d like to schedule a demo or add this tool to your eec subscription, please fill in the form at the bottom of this page.
TBREAK
TBREAK, a new cloud-based tool, is designed to help you gain deeper insight into tube rupture damage in critical heat exchanger systems. This calculator combines an intuitive piping language with state-of-the-art 3D visualization to help you understand and mitigate tube rupture damage in heat exchanger processes.
With TBREAK, you will be able to:
- Design or evaluate heat exchanger systems for the full-bore tube rupture case per API 521
- Build models using the Standard Piping Language
- Render an interactive 3D model of the entire system
- Run multiple break location scenarios in parallel
- Review peak pressure results side-by-side with transient pressure plots
- Evaluate mitigation scenarios to determine system modifications needed to handle tube rupture
Applying TBREAK to a Tube Rupture Overpressure Scenario
The API STD 521 provides guidance when a full-bore tube rupture overpressure scenario cannot be negated within a shell-and-tube heat exchanger and provides guidance regarding when a transient pressure analysis is required. This is particularly crucial in high-differential pressure applications, especially where the low-pressure side of the exchanger is liquid-filled and the high-pressure side contains gas or a fluid that could flash across the rupture.
For an overpressure scenario, TBREAK has two major applications:
- Tube ruptures: visualize if the shellside system pressure remains within acceptable limits for all components, as determined by applicable codes and standards
- Design: assist in determining the size and location of suitable pressure relieving devices to keep the shellside system pressure within acceptable limits
In collaboration with the Process Technologies team, we conduct comprehensive TBREAK transient analyses to provide our clients with the necessary insights and mitigation actions to safeguard the integrity of their heat exchangers.
If you’d like to schedule a demo or add this tool to your eec subscription, please fill in the form at the bottom of this page.
Abaqus FEA Model Data Mapper
This calculator performs three types of mapping of measured field data onto Abaqus FEA models. With this cloud-based tool, you can take measured data set(s) and map imperfections, local thin areas, and/or abnormally high temperature zones onto an ideal geometry created within the third-party Abaqus software.
The Abaqus FEA Model Data Mapper currently supports seven shell types: cylindrical shell, cylindrical shell with spherical head, cylindrical shell with elliptical head, cylindrical shell with torispherical head, conical shell, pipe elbow, and circular flat plate. In addition, multiple sets of measured data can be specified at once, covering different surface regions, and visualized in 3D.
Best Practices: Measured Data Input File
There are two best practices when preparing the measured data input file: make sure there are no imperfections or distortions in the ideal shell model; and the file must contain one of the three supported field data types (dents/bulges, thinning, and temperature).
After applying the above best practices, the measured data is interpolated at all affected nodal locations and inserted into an Abaqus input file using the following Abaqus keywords:
- *IMPERFECTION – the nodal positions of a perfect shell model in Abaqus are adjusted to match the measured distortions in shape caused by dents or bulges
- *NODAL THICKNESS – the thickness of a perfect shell model in Abaqus is adjusted to match the measured thickness (often used to perform LTA analysis)
- *TEMPERATURE – the temperature of a perfect shell model in Abaqus is adjusted to match the measured temperature
The calculator returns a modified Abaqus input file that automatically inserts the corresponding Abaqus keyword and mapped data at the necessary locations in the file.
If you’d like to schedule a demo or add this tool to your eec subscription, please fill in the form below:
