Software:FlowTran
FlowTran is a computer program to simulate the hydraulic behaviour of a single phase fluid in complex pipeline networks. It includes SIROGAS as the simulation engine. SIROGAS is based on an earlier computer program, NAIAD,[1] for the cooling networks of water-cooled nuclear power reactors. NAIAD was developed by the Australian Atomic Energy Commission over several years as part of a research program aimed at improving the safety of nuclear power reactors. The numerical procedures [2] developed in this research proved to be suitable for the simulation of flow in single phase gas and liquid pipeline networks.
History
Early History
In 1982, following a review of the Australian Atomic Energy Commission, several nonnuclear research areas were transferred to CSIRO Division of Mineral Physics. The work on flow in complex networks was included in this because of the development for flow of natural gas with The Pipeline Authority. The Pipeline Authority and the Pipeline Authority of South Australia began using a modified version of NAIAD called SIROGAS during this time. Several comparisons between SIROGAS simulations and operating pipeline data have been published.[3] The capability to detect leaks in a network by mass balance was included.[4]
In 1985, all the CSIRO activities at Lucas Heights were moved to the Division of Mineral Engineering. SIROGAS continued to thrive with the State Energy Commission of Western Australia, AGL and others in South Korea and New Zealand using the software. In 1992 the principal developer of NAIAD and SIROGAS, William J Turner retired from CSIRO after an agreement was reached that passed all responsibility, coding, clients and documentation to William J Turner Pty Ltd registered in Western Australia. This company registered the trade mark FlowTran in Western Australia.
Recent History
The company developed a new interactive front end for the program coded in Visual Basic. Output display procedures were developed including animated graphics and user controlled displays in Excel. Many improvements were made in response to industry requests and to widen the area of application of the program. The capability Leak detection was further developed and tested with data from an ethane pipeline.[5] Then in 2015 SIROGAS was extended to include all fluids in the REFPROP software for transport properties of industrially important fluids and their mixtures from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, thus enabling simulation of flow of carbon dioxide, hydrogen and any other single phase fluids in REFPROP.
By 2016 FlowTran including SIROGAS was in use by many operators of natural gas and ethane transmission pipelines for simulation of pipeline networks. At this time the name of the company was changed to FlowTran Pty Ltd in preparation for sale of the company to TranXient Pty Ltd who are the current owners of the company.
References
- ↑ G. D. Trimble & W. J. Turner 1976 NAIAD - A computer program for calculation of the steady state and transient behaviour (including Loss-of-coolant accidents) of compressible two-phase coolant in networks, Australian Atomic Energy Commission Research Establishment, Lucas Heights
- ↑ Turner, W.J. [1969] - CREST Specialist Meeting, Frankfurt, June
- ↑ W.J.Turner, P.S.Kwon & P.A.Maguire, Evaluation of a gas pipeline simulation program, Mathematical and Computer Modelling Volume 15, Issue 7, 1991, Pages 1-14
- ↑ W. J . Turner 1988. Better Leak Detection in Gas Pipelines - Computers & Mathematics with Applications Vol 15 No 1 pp 69
- ↑ William John Turner & Mark Walker 2007 Monitoring the Moomba to Sydney Ethane Pipeline for Leaks Presented by William J Turner at the Annual Convention of the Australian Pipeline Industry Cairns October 2007
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