Category Archives: Latest News

On April 2, 2024, PFR Engineering released FRNC-5PC v9.6.1. The new version includes a number of enhancements, upgrades and new features. Following are some highlights:

1. Added fitting options to the Coil fitting drop-down list.
2. Enhanced user’s ability to navigate Tree, QuickEdit, and Schematic views.
3. Improved overall Pressure Drop profile when Manifold fitting(s) are present.
4. In Optional ‘Fittings’, allow negative pressure drops. This could be used to simulate Process pumps in the flow path, or Gravity head that is not included in the Coils.

If you would like additional information about FRNC-5PC v9.6.1 or any of the other PFR Engineering software products, please email us at query@pfrengineering.com.

On December 13, 2023, PFR Engineering released REFORM-3PC v8.0.5. The new version includes a number of enhancements, upgrades and new features. Following are some highlights:

1. For non-Raschig Ring catalysts, added optional Catalyst Volume and Surface Area inputs.
2. Added new visibility-enhancing features so users know what “Tree” item and Dialog tab has been selected.
3. Added more “hot keys” for enhanced usability.

If you would like additional information about REFORM-3PC v8.0.5 or any of the other PFR Engineering software products, please email us at query@pfrengineering.com.

On March 25, 2023, PFR Engineering released FRNC-5PC v9.6.0. Version 9.6.0 includes a number of enhancements, upgrades and new features. Following are some highlights:

1. Added option to choose ‘Convection-only case’ modeling option (to minimize required inputs for that case).
2. For Convection coils, automatically calculate upstream flue gas ‘zone’ radiation using ‘Distance Upstream’.
3. Improve the calculations of Firebox ‘Mean Beam Length’ and ‘Radiating-to-Bridgewall DeltaT’ for non-simple cases.
4. Added the option to input % Liquid Static (Gravity) head loss for ALL cases (including ‘0’ for no Static head loss).
5. Added new visibility-enhancing features so user knows what input item has been selected.

If you would like additional information about FRNC-5PC v9.6.0 or any of the other PFR Engineering software products, please email us at query@pfrengineering.com.

On March 17, 2022, PFR Engineering released FRNC-5PC v9.5.1. Version 9.5.1 includes a number of enhancements, upgrades and new features. Following are some highlights:

1. Added options to run ‘Process Composition-only’ and ‘Transfer line-only’ cases, without needing to input unrelated items such as Firebox, Firing, etc. as in the past.
2. Added a 2-Phase Critical Velocity calculation option using Gas-Phase properties with a multiplier.
3. Added a Combustion-air flow rate input to the Air Preheater module, mostly for use with the automatic FRNC-5/REFORM-3 link feature in REFORM-3.

If you would like additional information about FRNC-5PC v9.5.1 or any of the other PFR Engineering software products, please email us at query@pfrengineering.com.

On July 6, 2021, PFR Engineering released REFORM-3PC v8.0.3. Following are some of the improvements made to REFORM-3PC:

1. Added the ability to change the units (‘US/English’ or ‘International’) of an entire model.
2. Expanded the radiation calculation correlation range of tube Pitch/Diameter ratios to include values greater than 4.0, and improved the circumferential temperature calculation for single-fired tubes (Box and Circumferential-cylindrical fireboxes). Also improved the calculation of ‘Alpha’ for double-row tubes when Pitch/Diameter ratio is greater than 8.0.
3. For multiple-fuel cases, allowed one of the fuels to contain no combustible components. This can be useful for modeling ‘tramp’ air leakage.
4. Fixed a bug in the calculation of Flue Gas flow rate when there is O2 in the fuel.

If you would like additional information about REFORM-3PC v8.0.3 or any of the other PFR Engineering software products, please email us at query@pfrengineering.com

On March 18, 2021, PFR Engineering released FRNC-5PC v9.5. Version 9.5 includes a number of enhancements, upgrades and new features. Following are some highlights:

1. Added option to run a ‘Combustion-only” case, without needing to input unrelated items such as Firebox, Coils and Process data as in the past.
2. Improved the ‘Inject H2O’ input dialog to help users specify the correct Steam Injection ENTHALPY. Before, it was confusing about how to specify the correct Enthalpy.
3. Added utility to convert an entire input file from ‘US/English’ to ‘International’ units, and vice-versa.
4. Added Therminol VP-1 (R) two-phase fluid to the built-in Property Grid library.

If you would like additional information about FRNC-5PC v9.5 or any of the other PFR Engineering software products, please email us at query@pfrengineering.com.

On February 27, 2020, PFR Engineering released FRNC-5PC v9.4.1. Version 9.4.1 includes a number of enhancements, upgrades and new features. Following are some highlights:

1. Added option to specify Tube Design Stress parameters, to be used in the Tube Wall Thickness calculations.
2. Added utility to display Process Stream properties at a specified Pressure and Temperature.
3. Added utility to display Steam/Water properties at specified conditions.
4. Added option to disable automatic Stack-damper adjustment (to avoid positive Bridgewall draft).
5. Added additional built-in Thermal Fluid properties (for Dowtherm and Exeltherm fluids).
6. Added ability to specify “0” Process stream flow rates. There will be no process-side heat transfer or pressure drop calculations, but any Coils’ tubes will be included in the Flue Gas draft calculations.

If you would like additional information about FRNC-5PC v9.4.1 or any of the other PFR Engineering software products, please email us at query@pfrengineering.com.

On April 30, 2019, PFR Engineering released REFORM-3PC v8.0.2. Following are some of the improvements made to REFORM-3PC:

1. Added the ability to change the units (Weight% or Mole%) from the ‘QuickEdit’ panel for the Feed Compositions (Main, Recycle and Naphtha feeds).
2. Added the ability to create the Firebox from the ‘QuickEdit’ panel instead of needing to go through the Dialog Box option.
3. For Downfired fireboxes, allow users to specify the tubeside Pressure Drop between the Catalyst tube and the Riser (if present).
4. Added new tabs to the Output Spreadsheets for Warning Messages and Secondary Reformer results.
5. Allow combustion Excess Air to be greater than 100% (which can occur in Startup cases).
6. Added more user-friendly error descriptions for softlock license errors, to help diagnose license errors.

If you would like additional information about REFORM-3PC v8.0.2 or any of the other PFR Engineering software products, please email us at query@pfrengineering.com

On February 26, 2019, PFR Engineering released FRNC-5PC v9.4. Version 9.4 includes a number of enhancements, upgrades and new features. Following are some highlights:

1. Added option to fix the Process Stream Phase condition at the Inlet and/or Exit (all-Liquid, all-Vapor, or 2-Phase vapor fraction).
2. Added option to specify a Coil’s radiation “Alpha” value, to override the program calculated value.
3. Enhanced the output tube-by-tube printout to include Liquid and Vapor physical properties. This will help when manually checking the calculated film coefficients and pressure drops.
4. Added Tube Thickness design parameters to output, to help understand the calculated Required Tube Thickness values.

If you would like additional information about FRNC-5PC v9.4 or any of the other PFR Engineering software products, please email us at query@pfrengineering.com