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• The latest release of FloWorks 19.0.4 is now available (19 July 2019). This version of FloWorks is intended for use with FlexSim 2019 LTS.
• FloWorks 19.1.2 is available (19 July 2019) for use with FlexSim 2019 Update 1.

FloWorks 2019 introduced some major changes in the way FloWorks works internally. These changes include the following:

• Flow rates and content are now tracked in the standard statistics variables, requiring us to override fewer FlexSim features. This means, for example, that you can use all of FlexSim's included Statistics Collectors and Chart Templates out-of-the-box.
• FloWorks now tries to schedule fewer events. This means that models will run faster and debugging your model by stepping through has become much more transparent.
• This release includes the beta version of the next-generation solver. This solver is particularly suited for networks with many connections, most of which are closed or blocked, or long 'chains' of objects with a single connection in and out. By simplifying the flow network before calculating the flow rates, the solver should become much faster overall. Since this solver is likely to give (valid but) different outcomes, it is not enabled by default - you can test it by enabling the "Optimize networks before solving" option in your Flow Control.
• The Flow Tank level triggers functionality has been overhauled.

For more information, please see the detailed release notes below.

All versions of FloWorks can be found in the Downloads section of your FlexSim account on the 3rd party modules tab. Please do not hesitate to report any bugs, usability improvements and feature requests to [email protected]. Thanks to the active users who have done this in the past weeks, we appreciate your ongoing support in helping us to improve FloWorks!

About FloWorks

FloWorks is a 3rd party module developed and maintained by Talumis BV (talumis.com). It provides faster and more accurate modelling and calculation of fluid systems than the default FlexSim fluid library. It is especially useful within the oil, gas, and bulk industry both for production and supply chain optimization. This module requires a FloWorks license with active maintenance.

For any questions, please email [email protected].

Release notes

Changes in FloWorks 19.1.2 (19 July 2019):

• Bug fix: dragging in a shape from a group will no longer create the first shape in the group.
• All changes included in version 19.0.4.

Changes in FloWorks 19.1.0 (30 April 2019):

This version is for FlexSim 2019 Update 1. For FlexSim version 19.0.x use FloWorks 19.0.3.

• Added support for unconstrained flows.
• All changes included in version 19.0.3 described below.

Backwards compatibility note: The following change may change the way updated models behave.

• Option "Unchanged" removed from "Set flow rate" triggers -- this is now considered as "Unconstrained". Use the "Set maximum input/output rate" option instead of "Set maximum rates" if you only want to change either the input or the output rate.

Changes in FloWorks 19.0.4 (19 July 2019):

• Various bug fixes to the Mass Flow Conveyor.
• Bug fix: Utiliation returns (flow rate)/(max flow rate) at time zero.
• Bug fix: Solved exception when dragging different object shape into the model.

Backwards Compatibility Note:

The following change may change the way updated models behave.

• Bug fix: 'Time until event is 0' exception due to rounding errors fixed.
• Bug fix: Mixer On Empty event will only fire once (when mixer is actually internally idle).

Changes in FloWorks 19.0.3 (30 April 2019):

This version is for FlexSim 2019 LTS. For FlexSim 2019 Update 1 use FloWorks 19.1.0.

• Loading arm state will show Blocked and Starved instead of Idle while transporter is connected.
• "Pass product downstream" option added to product change trigger of flow processors.
• Bug fix: Transporters were sometimes positioned incorrectly when entering Loading Point.
• Bug fix: Flow object states were not updated.
• Bug fix: Fixed error when calling state() with no arguments.
• Bug fix: On Entry and On Exit in trigger list of Flow To Item and Item To Flow fixed.
• Bug fix: "Pass product downstream trigger" threw exception when connected to Flow To Item.

Changes in FloWorks 19.0.2 (3 April 2019):

For FlexSim 2019 Update 1 beta use FloWorks 19.1.0 (beta).

• Feature: Flow tank can scale in both directions (elliptical) instead of only using x-size for diameter.
• Bug fix: Various bug fixes to beta version of new optimizer/solver.
• Bug fix: Removed "content is larger than max. content" message during reset.
• Bug fix: Fixed exception in "Pass product downstream" when pipe is not connected to anything.
• Bug fix: Corrected normals on flow blender and flow splitter shapes.
• Bug fix: FlowObject.input/output.ports[index] now accepts Variant (e.g. token.Port) as index and does bounds checking on index.
• Bug fix: Spheres no longer drawn outside flow pipes shorter than 2 m.
• Bug fix: Quick Properties only shows a single flow rate for flow pipes; output rate set to input rate on reset.

Changes in FloWorks 19.0.1 (8 March 2019):

• Beta: Flow control can optimize network before solving. (Optimization is disabled by default, can be enabled for models with many (effective) single connections.)
• Content-holding objects now have On Trigger Level event that allows e.g. Process Flow to wait for a specific level trigger.
• Optimized event scheduling: obsolete events are removed from the event list instead of ignored.
• FlowToItem and ItemToFlow added to script so that rates and impact factors can be read and set.
• Added more shapes for Flow Tank and Mixer.
• Added "Change product by case" to trigger options.
• Bug fix: Flow conveyors now have state profile consistent with that of Flow Tank.
• Bug fix: Product color picker samples colors instead of objects again.
• Bug fix: Fixed incorrect layers being drawn during filling of Flow Mixer when multiple steps require input from the same port.
• Bug fix: Fixed incorrect states on Loading Point due to duplicate state_current node.
• Bug fix: Product field or dropdown will now preserve selected value instead of resetting to current product when switching property tab pages.
• Bug fix: Flow Task Executer connects itself to default network navigator on creation.
• Bug fix: Flow statistics now behave correctly under model warmup.
• User manual: Corrected description of FlowObject.stop() in documentation.
• User manual: Documented manual loading feature when Loading Points have 0 loading time.

Backwards Compatibility Note:

The following change may change the way updated models behave.

• Statistics are now kept in standard FlexSim tracked variables under the stats node. If you use dashboards, you may need to rebuild some charts. You can mostly use the standard FlexSim chart templates, listening to the On Rate Change event or the On Content Change Update (not Change).
• Tank trigger levels rewritten:
  • Trigger levels are now specified using absolute level instead of percentage.
  • Legacy limitations (max. 20 levels, no duplicate levels, 0% or 100%) have been removed.
  • Separate trigger condition has been added to avoid coding (if(mode == falling) { ... }).
  • Modes rising and falling are now called MODE_RISING and MODE_FALLING.
  • Bug fix: Sometimes input and output triggers would not fire if trigger was reached precisely when flow was recalculated.
• (Mass) flow conveyor now closes input/output when stopped, instead of input/output ports.
• Loading point continues with next transporter after releasing completed item instead of waiting for it to exit.
• Bug fix: (Mass) flow conveyor only closed input when stopping; now closes both output and input.