In this post, I want to share with you my experience using Aioflo Pipe Sizing and Flow Calculation. I found this software when searching for Uconeer professional unit conversion program.
Katmar Software developed many engineering software, one of them is Aioflo Pipe Flow Calculator. Aioflo can calculate pipe sizes, flowrate, and pressure drops for liquids and gases. This is a screenshot of the software.
This is the first time I used software to calculate pipe size and flow. I usually using spreadsheets to do that. What I like the most about this Aioflo is, it has a wide selection of fittings and valves, and it has a quite complete database of pipe size and roughness. The highest pipe size in Aioflo database is 24 in. I hope in the future, Katmar can expand this because sometimes I work in very high flowrate thus it requires quite a large pipe size.
Feature of Aioflo Pipe Sizing and Flow Calculation
There are six calculation types in Aioflo. I can say that all types are necessary for pipe sizing and flow calculation. I experienced almost all type of calculations when I used spreadsheets.
Those calculation types are:
- Pressure drop calculation from diameter and flow rate
- Velocity calculation from diameter and flow rate
- Diameter calculation from pressure drop and flow rate
- Diameter calculation from velocity and flow rate
- Flowrate calculation from diameter and pressure drop
- Flowrate calculation from diameter and velocity
I used calculation type 1 and type 2 a lot during my work in developing pipe sizing documents. As for type 3 and 4, I seldom used them. I usually use three different pipe size and check its pressure drop and velocity to ensure meet design criteria.
As for calculation type 5 and 6, I also used them a lot. I used them to check the maximum flowrate the pipe size can endure as long as it meets pressure drop or velocity criteria.
What will I do?
I will try all calculation type and compare them with my spreadsheet if the results are correct.
What You Need to Calculate Pipe Size and Flow
You need to provide the following data to do type 1 and type 2 calculation:
- Density
- Viscosity
- Pipe length (straight)
- Fittings
- Pipe roughness
- Inside diameter
- Flowrate
- Elevation difference
Case 1A: Pressure Drop Calculation from Diameter and Flowrate for Liquid Phase
Assume we have fluid in liquid phase flowing in pipe in with the following data:
Density 880 kg/m3
Viscosity 2.2 cP
Straight line 100 meter
Fittings Continuous from other pipe (No diameter change)
Pipe roughness Steel/Stainless Steel, New Commercial, e = 0.05 mm
Inside diameter Using schedule 10S and NPS 8 in, we found 8.329 in
Flowrate 100 m3/h
Elevation difference 0
Input the data above to Aioflo.
From figure above, from Aioflo we got a velocity is 0.7902 m/s and total pressure loss is 0.02723 kg/cm2. These values are similar to my spreadsheet. I got velocity 0.7900 m/s and total pressure loss is 0.02533 kg/cm2. Deviation in total pressure loss is about 7%.
Case 1B: Velocity Calculation from Diameter and Flowrate for Gas Phase
This example is for velocity calculation if diameter and flowrate are known in gas phase. Assume we have the following data.
Density 1.992 kg/m3
Viscosity 0.005 cP
Straight line 100 meter
Fittings Continuous from other pipe (No diameter change)
Pipe roughness Steel/Stainless Steel, New Commercial, e = 0.05 mm
Inside diameter Using schedule 10S and NPS 8 in, we found 8.329 in
Flowrate 10000 kg/h
Elevation difference 0
Input the data above.
From figure above, from Aioflo we got a velocity is 40.4 m/s and total pressure loss is 0.111 kg/cm2. These values are similar with my spreadsheet. I got a velocity 39.66 m/s and the total pressure loss is 0.1000 kg/cm2. Deviation in total pressure loss is about 9%.
Case 2: Velocity Calculation from Diameter and Flowrate
We used this type of calculation just to check velocity only from diameter and flowrate input. Assume we have this data.
Inlet Density 880 kg/m3
Inside diameter Using schedule 10S and NPS 8 in, we found 211.56 mm
Flowrate 88000 kg/hour
Input the data above to Aioflo.
We got calculated velocity is 0.7902 m/s. This type of calculation is very simple, and the result is similar with my spreadsheet.
Case 3: Diameter Calculation from Pressure Drop and Flowrate
We used type 3 calculation to check minimum diameter to meet pressure drop as per design criteria at a particular flowrate. For example, the design criteria for pressure drop is 0.69 kg/cm2/100 meter. Assume we have the following data.
Density 880 kg/m3
Viscosity 2.2 cP
Straight line 100 meter
Fittings Continuous from other pipe (No diameter change)
Pipe roughness Steel/Stainless Steel, New Commercial, e = 0.05 mm
Total pressure loss 0.69 kg/cm2 (this is design criteria)
Flowrate 88000 m3/h
Elevation difference 0
Input the data above to Aioflo.
From Aioflo, we got a minimum inside diameter is 109.7 mm. From my spreadsheet, I got 108.2 mm. The deviation is 1.4%, which is small.
Case 4: Diameter Calculation from Velocity and Flowrate
The purpose of calculation type 4 is similar with case 3. The purpose is to find the minimum diameter to meet velocity criteria. For example, the velocity criteria is 4.6 m/s. Assume we have this data:
Inlet Density 880 kg/m3
Inlet Velocity 4.6 m/s (design criteria)
Flowrate 88000 kg/hour
Input the data above to Aioflo.
From Aioflo, we got a minimum inside diameter is 87.68 mm. The value is similar to what I got from the spreadsheet.
Case 5: Flowrate Calculation from Diameter and Pressure Drop
We use calculation type 5 to check the maximum flowrate a pipe size can handle to meet maximum pressure drop (design criteria). I usually use this type of calculation to check if additional flowrate can be handle by pipe.
Assume we have this data:
Density 880 kg/m3
Viscosity 2.2 cP
Straight line 100 meter
Fittings Continuous from other pipe (No diameter change)
Pipe roughness Steel/Stainless Steel, New Commercial, e = 0.05 mm
Inside diameter Using schedule 10S and NPS 8 in, we found 211.56 mm
Total pressure loss 0.69 kg/cm2 (design criteria)
Elevation difference 0
Input the data to Aioflo.
We got flowrate is 5e+5 kg/h. This value is similar to what I got which is 517772 kg/h.
Case 6: Flowrate Calculation from Diameter and Velocity
The purpose of calculation 6 is similar to calculation type 5. We use this calculation to find the maximum flow rate a pipe diameter can handle to meet maximum velocity criteria.
Assume we have this data:
Inlet Density 880 kg/m3
Inside Diameter 211.56 mm
Inlet Velocity 4.6 m/s
We got a flow rate is 512300 kg/h. This value is similar to what I got, 512368 kg/h.
My Thought About This Software
AIoflo is relevant engineering software as I tried it. The results is close to manual calculation. What I like about Aioflo is its design, the software is light and user-friendly. I tried the trial version of this software and very satisfied.
As for price, its price is relatively cheap which is $29.95 for single-user license. Honestly, I really want to buy this product since it will be very useful for me and my team during engineering design.
Hi Rifka, thank you very much for your comprehensive and positive review of our software. Please note that even though only pipe sizes up to 24″ are built into the program, you can enter any size that you want to use by typing directly into the edit field.
Regards
Harvey Wilson
Katmar Software