Fluids Utility

Designed to create and modify fluid property data files. Fluids are organized by "Fluid Class" for selection from the DF program menu. The fluid can be either Compressible or Incompressible. Density and viscosity data may be specified in data points or equations. Viscosity can be determined using Sutherland's formula. Data points, if specified, are only functions of temperature.

Pipe Data Utility

Allows specifying size data for piping. For example, this utility would allow creating a data file giving available size information for plastic pipe. This information could include the pipe material density and the dimensional data. The pipe utility will then calculate the weight per foot. Other data include name, type of material and absolute roughness.

Unit Conversion Data Utility

Used to create new unit conversion files or adding new units to existing files. The utility has two types of conversions. The first is similar to conversions of length measurements. That is, a measurement in one unit is simply a multiple of the measurement in another unit (or U2 = U1 * Factor). The second type is similar to temperature scales where there is also an offset (or U2 = U1 * Factor + Offset).

Component Data Utility

Permits the creation of fluid resistance data for components. The components so defined can then be selected from menus in the DF programs and used in building branches. Component flow resistance can be input as a constant resistance, as data points at various flows, as data points for various sizes, or as related to an arbitrary parameter specified by the user (such as % open for a throttled valve). Each method allows specifying the flow resistance in both the forward and reverse flow directions. The utility will fit equations to the data points entered by the user. The curves can be displayed and printed.

Pump Utility

Allows creation of data files containing pump head/flow data. The user can enter points from a pump head/flow curve, and the utility will generate the head/flow equation for use by the DF programs. The head/flow curve can also be displayed and printed.

Material Data Utility

Used to create of data files containing data for material strength to be used in evaluating the internal pressure capability of piping or in determining minimum wall thickness requirements. Once created, these material specification databases may be selected from the DF program menus and used just as the standard specifications included with the DF programs. The basic data includes specification name, revision and material name simply as identifiers for the data in the file. Allowable stress as a function of temperature can be entered along with dimensional tolerance. For B31.1, B31.3 High Pressure and Plastic equation types, a value of a temperature correction factor is added as a function of temperature.