Daxesoft's Pipe Flow Expert 2008 software is a major development in detecting fluid flow and pressure loss in both open and closed pipe networks.

The program can help processors reliant on using piping systems during manufacturing to more easily identify any problems in their system to improve current maintenance procedures, according to Daxesoft's principal David Gardiner.

"[The software] allows the user to easily visualize their system and calculate the resulting flows and pressures in each pipe," claims Gardiner.

In designing the software, the company says it has created an intuitive client interface through a calculation engine that employs the Darcy-Weisbach hydraulic equation alongside the Colebrook-White formula for measuring friction.

The software also makes use of an integrated fluid database containing common liquid and gas properties, a similar information store on pipe materials and sizes and a filling database for valves and tees for more accurate measurements.

In addition to these features, the upgrade is designed for simpler network licensing, which Gardiner claims allows multiple users to access the program from a shared hard disk without installing other licensing programs.

The program is also available on a USB flash drive to be transferred between machines as a "plug and play" system, the manufacturer said.

In terms of functionality benefits, manufacturers using the software can view results of their individual piping schematics, with the entire system and nodes drawn as a colour gradient specific to individual calculations.

According to the company, in the event of a change in volume flow or a drop in pressure or friction in a pipe, a manufacturer is given an instant visual analysis of what is going on in their system.