START^® – THE PIPE FLEXIBILITY AND STRESS ANALYSIS

Summary

START evaluates the structural responses and stresses of the different-purpose piping systems at static and cyclic loadings. The first edition of the START software has been introduced in 1969.

Today START is the most widely used pipe stress analysis software in Russia and CIS countries. It has become a pipe flexibility and stress analysis de facto standard for process and power piping, gas and oil transmission, district heating piping systems in these countries.

START is used by more than 800 companies in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Serbia, Finland, Germany and United Kingdom. The total number of the licenses exceeds 1500. START is widely used by major plants and design companies in chemical, oil & gas, power, metallurgy and other industries.

Due to ongoing feedback from a lot of users and cross-testing with other equivalent software, it is well verified.

The START software is fully certified according to Russian standards.

START® user interface. On the left — input data, On the right — output data (deformed shape)

START-Express — Pipeline Designer´s Tool

Besides analysis of arbitrary configuration pipelines, we have implemented a working tool for a pipeline designer — a START-Elements option distributed as a stand-alone START-Express software. Start software is designed for rapid flexibility estimation of separate pipeline fittings, their strength and stability analysis. Using START-Express, one can do the following:

• Analyze stress of L, Z and U-shaped piping loops (buried and above-ground)
• Calculate wall thickness or maximum pressure for pipes, bends, reducers, tees, caps, according to the code selected
• Calculate maximum allowable distances between supports via strength and stiffness analysis
• Check general and local stability of straight and curved pipe elements under the thermal expansion, external pressure (vacuum) and soil pressure loads
• Calculate minimum pipeline laying depth for buried pipelines using stability analysis
• Calculate maximum pipeline laying depth for buried pipelines by polyurethane insulation stress analysis
• Calculate allowable load on saddle support for large-diameter pipes
• Calculate allowable distances between single action (one time) compensators and their closing temperature
• Calculate bellows stiffness if the manufacturer’s data are absent
• Check leak tightness of flange joints

Pricing Options

There are 4 START suites different by their cost and content:

• START — for common users
• START-Prof — for professionals dealing with very big pipeline systems, and for analysis of long buried pipelines
• START-Light — simplified version designed only for educational purpose
• START-Express — budget-priced software designed for preliminary short-cut calculations at the pipeline design stage

Those versions differ in maximum permissible degrees of freedom (DOF) value and other features.

* Note: D — outside diameter, mm

START-Basic module makes it possible to analyze arbitrary configuration pipelines without buried elements START and START-Prof suites may include the following additional advanced options:

• "START-Soil" analyzes buried pipelines and polyurethane insulation stress;
• "Start-flexible pipes" — stress analysis and estimation of loads on supports for flexible polymeric pipes "Isoproflex" and "Isoproflex-A" and steel corrugated pipes "Kasafex"
• "Start-Dxf" export of pipeline model to dxf file for further processing by AutoCAD, MicroStation etc.
• "Start-Rejection thickness" — analysis of process pipelines rejection thicknesses per СА-03-005-07
• "Start-Operational life" — operational life analysis of designed process pipelines considering fatigue strength and corrosion, as per RTM 38.001-94 and СА 03-003-07
• "START-Nozzle" — equipment and vessel nozzle flexibility calculation
• "START-Plant4D" — import from Plant-4D data. Standard package includes templates used for converting data created by Plant4D on the basis of the Russian pipes, fittings and valves databases
• "START-Word" — exports input data and analysis results to Microsoft Word
• "СТАРТ-PCF" — imports pipeline models from PCF format files (provided by CEA Plant4D, Bentley AutoPlant, PlantSpace, Autodesk Plant3D, Coade CADWorx, Intergraph SmartPlant and other systems)
• "START-PDMS" — import from the reports created by PDMS software
• "Start-Kompas" export of analysis model to ASCON Kompas-Graphic 5.х and higher
• "START–Neutral file" import from the neutral format file, export of input data and analysis results to the neutral file. Neutral file is a text file for data exchange with other software

Additional options require the basic module (START-Basic, START Prof-Basic or START Light-Basic).

Recommended configuration for different types of pipelines:

Reference Users of START Software

Power and Heating Supply Industries: OÜ Aither (Estonia), UAB Bioprojektas (Lithuania), Gandras Ebergoefektas (Lithuania), Regional engineering centres and energy generation companies: Institute TeploElektroProekt (Moscow), Ural Power Engineering Centre (PEC), Volga region PEC, VNIPIenergoprom (Moscow), BelNIPIenergoprom (Belarus), KazNIPIenergoprom (Kazakhstan); All-Russian Thermal Engineering Institute – VTI (Moscow), Project-Engineering Center New Generation (Moscow); Atomenergoprom design institutes: Atomenergoproekt (Moscow), Atomenergoproekt (Nizhniy Novgorod), VNIPIET (St. Petersburg), KGPII VNIPIET (Zheleznogorsk), UPII VNIPIET (Ozyorsk); Zarubezhenergoproekt (Ivanovo), E4-SibCOTES, SibENTC, Teploproekt, Moscow Intergated Power Company, MosInzhProekt, TVEL-Teploross Corporation, MosFlowline, SPKB RR MosEnergo, MosTeploEnergo, Moscow Heat Distribution Company, CNIIEP of housing, KanalStroyProject, etc.

Oil and gas industry, oil and gas refining, petrochemistry: JOHN Brown Engineering (UK); Кey Industry Engineering Group s.r.o. (Czech Republic); TECHNIP (Moscow); VNIPIneft (Moscow); Giprokauchuk (Moscow); Surgutneftegaz design institutes: SurgutNIPIneft, Lengiproneftekhim (St. Petersburg); Rosneft design institutes: Samaraneftehimproekt, SakhalinNIPImorneft, Rosneft-NTC; LUKOIL-Rostovneftekhimproject; Angarskneftekhimproekt; GAZPROM design institutes: Giprogazcenter (Nizhny Novgorod), VNIPIgazdobycha (Saratov), Gazproektengineering (Voronezh), TyumenNIIgiprogas; Giprotyumenneftegaz, Tyumenneftegazproject, Giprogazoochistka (Moscow), Omskneftekhimproject, Bashgiproneftekhim (Ufa), Ukrneftekhimproject (Ukraine), Belorusneft-NeftekhimProject (Belorus, Minsk), NIICHIMMASH (Moscow), IrkutskNIIhimmash, Tyumengiprotruboprovod, VNIIST-Neftegasproject (Moscow), Giprovostokneft (Samara), VNIPITRANSGAZ (Ukraine, Kiev), LUKOIL-Permnefteorgsintez, LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez, Nizhnekamskneftekhim, Moscow Oil Refinery, Rosneft Tuapse Refinery, Rosneft Kuibyshev Refinery, Rosneft Achinsk Refinery, Kirishinefteorgsintez, Alliance Oil Company Khabarovsk Refinery, SIBUR Tolyattikauchuk, LUKOIL-UNP (Uhta), Neftgaz Sanoat Lohiya (Uzbekistan) etc.

Chemistry: Poyry Industry Oy (Finland), ACRON (Veliky Novgorod), Sayanskkhimplast, SIBUR Kemerovo Azot, TogliattiAzot, GIAP (Moscow), GIAP (Grodno, Belarus), Design Institute of Russian Scientific Center Applied Chemistry (St. Petersburg), Giprosintez (Volgograd), NIIK (Dzerzhinsk), EuroChem Tulagiprohim, Giprokislorod (Moscow), Sterlitamak Petrochemical Plant, EuroChem Nevinnomyssky Azot, EuroChem Azot (Novomoskovsk), URALCHEM Azot (Berezniki), PhosAgro Cherepovetsky Azot, PhosAgro Ammophos (Cherepovetsk), Bashkirian Chemistry – Kaustik (Sterlitamak), Plastpolymer (St. Petersburg), Grodno Khimvolokno (Belarus) etc.

Metallurgy: Uralgipromez (Ekaterinburg), Chelyabgipromez (Chelyabinsk), Gipromez (Magnitogorsk), RUSAL VAMI (St. Petersburg), Evraz – Zapsib Steel Mill (Novokuznetsk), MECHEL Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant, MECHEL Izhstal (Izhevsk), Ashinskiy Metallurgical Works (Asha), Ukrgipromez (Ukraine, Dnepropetrovsk), UralEnergochermet (Ekaterinburg), Vyksa Steel Works etc.

The above list is far from being complete. At present time START is used by more than 800 companies.