Which fluids does Pipe Flow Expert support?
Yes. The Pipe Flow Expert software can model mutliple pumps in a pipe system, both in series and in parallel. Whatever your pump arrangement, Pipe Flow Expert can model it, even allowing some pumps in series and some pumps in parallel within the same system.
A pump is added to a pipe and in theory the software can model up to 1000 pumps (many more than you will need, we're sure) since it allows up to 1000 pipes in the pipe system drawing.
A pump can be specified to produce a fixed flow rate or a fixed head increase, or it can be modeled via a flow versus pressure loss curve that defines the pump head characteristics for different flow rates. Pump manufacturers supply pump curve data for each of the pumps in their ranges.
Pipe Flow Expert allows the user to quickly enter a few data points from a specific pump curve. The pump modeling functionality will automatically fit a pump characteristic curve through these points, hence reproducing the pump curve from the pump manufacturers catalogue.
The flow versus head data for the pump can then be used by the program when it is performing its flow rate and pressure loss calculations.
After Pipe Flow Expert has calculated the flows and pressures throughout the pipe network, it will allow the user to see the flow and head produced by the pump and hence it will show the user the exact operating point on the pump curve.
