V3.3 Release Notes

<< Click to Display Table of Contents >>

Navigation:  PipeLay > New PipeLay Features >

V3.3 Release Notes

Previous page Next page

Wood PLC is proud to announce the release of PipeLay Version 3.3.1. This new version provides enhanced modelling features, new post-processing outputs and general user interface enhancements.

The Version 3.3.1 release is our third update of PipeLay this year (2016); following suit of Versions 3.2.1 and 3.2.2. Individually each of these updates has added further value to our product and when considered collectively they represent a significant step forward this year for PipeLay. Much of this progress has been achieved by following a new Agile software development process and we look forward to utilizing this process more in the future. In the meantime, we hope you find benefit in using the latest versions of PipeLay.

The main feature highlights of the latest version are summarised as follows:

Enhanced Modelling Features

A new Tapered Stress Joint component is available to model conical or tapered joints along a pipeline. Such a component is particularly useful for in-line structure scenarios.

The Moment of Inertia for Pipe Section components can be manually overwritten allowing users to arbitrarily adjust the bending stiffness of the pipe without changing its physical diameters.

Infill Material Density at the cut back of external coatings can be specified on the Pipe Section component and the corresponding section weight values are then adjusted accordingly.

An option is provided for selecting whether buoyancy diameters or drag diameters are used for the calculation of inertia and added mass terms in Morison’s equation for hydrodynamic loading.

It is possible to introduce non-linear stiffness properties to the static analysis solution before quasi-static analysis steps are performed. This is beneficial for certain floating stinger models where the flex joints for modelling the stinger hinges have non-linear moment-angle curves that are intended to apply a pre-load moment to the stinger (to mimic the presence of stinger buoyancy).

New Post-processing Outputs

Span Lengths and Heights are calculated as part of Tabular Output post-processing. The calculated values are displayed in their respective columns of the Tabular Output file and are particularly beneficial for arbitrary seabed profiles.

Time-trace plots for Velocity and Acceleration of Support Separations can be requested via Custom Post-processing. These plots show the first and second derivatives of the local separation motions over selected supports. A typical application for these plots is the assessment of tensioner pay out/in velocities and accelerations.

General User Interface Enhancements

Installation stage data on the Analysis component can be easily accessed by using a “Go to Tab” Function after right-clicking on a particular stage entry in a list. This allows for jumping quickly between the various Analysis component tabs where stage data is stored. It also avoids you having to repeatedly scroll lists to find stages of interest.

Tool tips are provided for column entries on 2D spreadsheet dialogs. These tips echo entry values in their full length regardless of the column width, which can sometimes be truncated on congested dialogs.

Automatic re-sizing of the Stack Up tab on the Line component to ensure the Stack Up table view is displayed optimally to fit screen size.