The slate of upcoming webinars has been extended for May 2008. Webinar registration is open to all. Please refer to our Webinar Listing page for additional information.

The training scheduled for February 2008 in Houston has sold out available seating. Rather than extend the size of the class and potentially dilute the instruction, we decided to open another course in April. Please refer to our Training page (http://www.prg-software.com/Training.aspx) for additional information.

PRG has issued a cumulative installation that includes the original release of 2007 PRG Software with critical updates. This installation includes the critical update listed below. Please refer to the Download page to obtain the installation package.

Paulin Research Group (PRG) will offer a slate of brief technical discussions by webinar that focus on piping and pressure vessel analyses. Attendance is open to all at no cost. Attendees are encouraged to submit comments and questions and PRG engineers will be available for discussion. Please refer to the Webinar page for additional information and for registration.

PRG has issued "Critical Update for PRG 2007 Release" for all NozzlePRO 7.0 and FE/Pipe 4.5 users. This patch resolves the NozzlePRO 2551 security error. It also includes non-security fixes that are required (because of interdependencies) by those security patches. Paulin Research Group strongly recommends that NozzlePRO 7.0 and FE/Pipe 4.5 users apply the update as soon as possible. Please refer to the Download page to obtain the update installation package.

PRG will offer training for FE/Pipe and NozzlePRO in Houston, Texas USA. The training will be offered in two optional phases for beginning/intermediate and advanced applications. Please refer to our Training and Course Outline pages for additional information.

PRG uses a test apparatus to test piping and pressure components in cyclic service. The apparatus is based on the work done by the A. R. C. Markl team. PRG invested upgrades to the machine to simplify test procedures and to improve data collection. See the Markl machine upgrade page for additional information.

PRG has released the shareware version of FE107 that does not include FEA solutions, but does include the full WRC 107 and 297 capabilities, output and comparative tools.

The new flanged and flued module, written by PRG and distributed by TEMA is now available. The module is intended to standardize and significantly improve the accuracy of stress and stiffness calculations in thick wall expansion joints. The major benefit of the updated RCB-7 in the 2007 Ninth edition of the TEMA standard is that excessive conservatism in the expansion joint stiffness calculations have been removed, and so thick walled expansion joints will find a brader range of applicability in heat exchanger service. Thick walled expansion joints are significantly stronger than their thin-walled counterparts and can be easily formed.

Paulin Research Group (PRG) and Codeware, developers of software for pressure vessel and heat exchanger design and analysis, announced an agreement this month whereby PRG nozzle finite element capability will be included with each version of Compress. This capability will permit Compress users to compute accurate stresses and flexiblilities for a wide range of nozzles in pressure vessel heads, cylinders and cones. The extensive capability eliminates the need to use limited scope empirical equations in known situations that do not produce conservative results. A wide variety of geometries are included along with the ability to include pressure and external loads in a primary or fatigue analysis per UG-22 and U2(g). All geometry and material properties are transferred automatically to a finite element meshing algorithm that has been used more than one-hundred thousand times. Nozzle flexibilities, stresses and stress intensification factors in accordance with the ASME Code are computed.

The ASME Standards Technology, LLC (ASME ST-LLC) has awarded Paulin Research Group (PRG) the projects ST-LLC-07-02 and ST-LLC-07-10. Project ST-LLC-07-02 is an ASME B31 project to align stress intensification and flexibility factors for the ASME B31 codes. Project ST-LLC-07-10 is the ASME BPVC project to establish nozzle external load design rules. The Paulin Research Group is working with Mr. Glynn Woods and Mr. E.C. Rodabaugh.

Chemstations, Inc. (http://www.chemstations.com) presented Paulin Research Group with a contribution of US$10000.

PRG has released a new version of the MatPRO material database and condition calculator. The PRG MatPRO “condition calculator” determines how close a stress state is to cyclic failure, if creep-fatigue interaction is a concern, and whether a crack, corroded, or eroded area satisfies API 579 Fitness for Service Rules.

The PRG Fitness for Service module in accordance with API 579 has been released in NozzlePRO, FE/Pipe and MatPRO.

FE/Pipe 4.5 and NozzlePRO 7.0 released with support for 18 degree of freedom piping beam element. The element is an industry first implementation for piping and pressure vessel analysis. The element formulation includes the effects of ovalization (traditional beam elements do not include the effects of dilation and warping).