Questions and answers about the difference between AutoPIPE and ADL PIPE

1. What part of ADL PIPE is used by AutoPIPE? 

Answer:

ADL PIPE was acquired by Bentley in 2005 to provide a good solid ground with which to add a nuclear version of AutoPIPE. The was a perfect marriage of two programs, anyone who has used ADL PIPE knows that the graphical side was lacking but the calculations performed by ADL PIPE were used by industry since the 1969. The nuclear solution routines from ADL PIPE form AutoPIPE's Nuclear solution. 

2. What are the major difference between the programs?

Answer:

• See the following: AutoPIPE's ADL PIPE Translator Limitations
• AutoPIPE doesn't allow the Static Earthquake value to alter from one member to another, ADLPipe does.
• AutoPIPE can only have one Gravity case, ADLPipe is unlimited and is also unlimited on the number of other load case, where as AutoPIPE has hard load case limits.
• Some model combination methods are not supported by AutoPIPE.
• AutoPIPE can only insert springs vertically, ADLPipe can have them in any direction.

3. What should users do after importing a model from ADL PIPE into AutoPIPE?

Answer:

You should confirm the loadings have come over correctly and that the dead-weight result are the same.  Some analysis settings may be set by default in ADLPipe and AutoPIPE and these should be the same (i.e. Tool> Model Options> General, Edit, Results..).

4. Why are my results different in AutoPIPE from ADL PIPE?

Answer: 

In most common cause, the translated AutoPIPE model is different from the ADL PIPE model (confirm the model listing are exactly the same in both programs). In addition, user's should consider all the information mentioned in the following document that was installed with the ADL PIPE translator:

C:\ Bentley\ AutoPIPE Translators\ ADLPipe Translator\ ADLPipe to AutoPIPE Translator User Reference.pdf 

Also be sure to check for different number of mass points used in each model are the same, this this will affect the sustained and seismic results. May need to remove the remove the auto discretisation and compare again.

 5. Has Bentley performed any benchmark calculations to check the AutoPipe values compared to the ADL values?"

Answer: 

As mentioned above, the ADLPipe solver is what we use to drive the nuclear solution.  Bentley CAE development team did do some benchmarking between the two products and in the end NRC made us validate AutoPIPE Nuclear separately as essentially the two solutions were the same.  There are some standard NRC and ASME verification examples that have been carried out also by both products.

The AutoPIPE Acceptance Test Set (ATS) has some test models to use to verify the installation.  Also, AutoPIPE QA&R subscribers have access to more information about the program than normally available.

With regard to importing ADLPipe models; this can be done using the ADLPipe translator that is an option to be installed with AutoPIPE V8i Standard, Advanced, or Nuclear.  There are some limitations and omissions, but on the whole around 95% translation should be possible.  There are going to be differences in the results; the translation process makes certain assumptions and the two applications do many things in slightly different ways including presenting the results.

6. Can AutoPIPE import a ADL PIPE ASME NB Class 1 and B31.7 1969 models and how well does it work?

Answer:

Please see the user manual for ADLPipe to AutoPIPE Translator in the trasnlator folder created when the application was installed. This translator overall does a good job of bringing most of the geometry and loading definitions into AutoPIPE for further refinement and processing. Like any translator, there are some limitations and assumptions made considering the complexity of translation, inherent differences between 2 different programs. 

Both ADLPipe to AutoPIPE Translator and AutoPIPE program support ASME NB Class 1 code but don't support B31.7 1969. If not mistaken B31.7 code was replaced by ASME Code Section III.

See Also

ADLPipe Translator - AutoPIPE

Bentley AutoPIPE