FAQ

Questions pipeline engineers ask.

Every prospect already has something that works — spreadsheets, FlowTran 2.0, or a general-purpose simulator. The question is not whether what you have works. It is whether what you have can answer the questions you will be asked next year. Here are the answers we give most often.

Switching

We already have a tool for this.

We use HYSYS for this.
HYSYS is a general process simulator designed for upstream and refinery work. Pipeline simulation is not its primary capability. For dedicated midstream pipeline simulation — especially transient behaviour — it is not the right tool. FlowTran-X is purpose-built for this problem.
We have our own spreadsheet models.
Spreadsheet models cannot simulate transient behaviour. They cannot model compressor station dynamics or track linepack. They are calibrated to known conditions and become unreliable at the edges — which is exactly where pipeline risk lives. FlowTran-X answers questions your spreadsheets cannot form.
We still use FlowTran 2.0 and it works.
The engine is the same. The numbers are identical. What FlowTran-X removes is the constraint: no dongle, no single-machine limitation, no CSV export, no knowledge dependency on one engineer. Your existing models import directly. The cost of switching is lower than you think.
Is it mature enough yet?
FlowTran-X has been in production since June 2020. It runs on the same SIROGAS engine that operators across Australia, South Korea, China, and Sri Lanka have relied on for decades, and it is used in operations today by Australian transmission operators and engineering consultancies. The interface is new. The physics is not.

Scope & getting started

What it does, and how you adopt it.

What about single-phase?

FlowTran-X is purpose-built for single-phase fluid simulation. That is not a compromise — it is why the numbers are right. Single-phase is a deliberate architectural focus, not a hidden limitation. SIROGAS is a hydrodynamic solver for pipeline networks, not a general-purpose process simulator. Its analytic thermodynamic derivatives, its direct solver, and its 50-year accuracy record are all a product of that focus.

If you need two-phase or multiphase modelling, there are tools built for that, and we will tell you so directly. If you need single-phase pipeline simulation — steady state, transient, multiple compositions, unlimited network scale — this is it.

Can we migrate our FlowTran 2.0 models?
Yes. Your existing FlowTran 2.0 models import directly. The engine is unchanged, so the numbers carry over — what changes is everything around the engine: a browser interface, multi-user access, and results you can interrogate the moment the calculation completes, with no CSV export step.
Can I licence it for one project?
Yes. A project licence runs for three months at 35% of the annual price. A paid pilot covers one project, three Standard seats and three months for AUD $9,000, credited against an annual licence.
Can my client or commercial team see the model without a licence?
Yes. The free Viewer gives read-only access to models a licensed user has shared with you.
Does it model two-phase CO₂?
No. FlowTran-X is single-phase. It models carbon dioxide in liquid and dense phase above critical pressure, and hydrogen and hydrogen blends as gas.
How is it priced?
Transparently. FlowTran-X publishes its numbers across Lite, Standard, and Pro tiers rather than leaving you to email for a quote. See the pricing page for current plans and rates.

Still deciding?

See the SIROGAS engine run your models on real conditions. We will be direct about what FlowTran-X does and does not do.

Request a demo