Overview

Parker, Messana & Associates is a full service engineering firm with the capabilities to handle every project need. Their skilled personnel, depth of experience, and attention to detail provide their clients with the best value for their engineering dollar. They also have the trained professionals to complete any automation project. From mainstream DCS and PLC control systems to PLC and PC based SCADA systems, Parker, Messana & Associates get the job done.

Daniel Parker, President of Parker, Messana & Associates has used the PIPE-FLO program to conduct hydraulic analysis and make pump selections on pulp and paper, wastewater, petrochemical and a variety of other projects over the past several years.

The Challenge

As a full service engineering firm, Parker, Messana & Associates work on large, complex systems with multiple branches and pumps. Many of their projects are re-builds and retrofits where they are adding to existing systems where problems are already occurring. To conduct hydraulic analysis, the company used a spreadsheet designed in-house by one of their engineers. However, because the spreadsheet was limited to analysis of one pump, in complex systems multiple spreadsheets were needed to conduct the analysis. This was both cumbersome and time consuming. Parker, Messana & Associates needed a hydraulic analysis tool that was both efficient and easy-to-use.

PIPE-FLO's Solution

Searching for an hydraulic analysis tool that could effectively troubleshoot existing systems as well as design new systems, Parker, Messana & Associates turned to PIPE-FLO.

"PIPE-FLO is very powerful tool when we are examining an existing system that has a problem but we dont know what it is. We simply plug in the whole system, determine the problem, and run scenarios to fix the problem. This allows us to troubleshoot the system at a minimal cost," Parker said.

Another outstanding feature of PIPE-FLO is the ability to select pumps from over 70 pump manufacturers directly from the program.

"Being able to do our pump sizing in PIPE-FLO by looking at the e-pump catalogs is a major timesaver. It is great to be able to consider variable speed drive pumps and look at the pump curves to see how they will run in the system. PIPE-FLO pump selection allows us to do a better job of selecting the right pump for the right situation," Parker said.

Parker, Messana & Associates work with clients who also use PIPE-FLO, creating the opportunity for a lifetime design document and collaborative engineering.

"We have clients who have the PIPE-FLO program so we are able to hand them the design to use after construction is complete. We have even had situations where we have handed the system off to our clients during the design phase and traded it back and forth. It creates a dynamic design tool," Parker said.

Overall the company is pleased to have a hydraulic analysis tool that makes their job easier.

"PIPE-FLO is a joy to operate from an ease-of-use standpoint. It is much quicker and much easier than using a spreadsheet. Many decades ago, when I was first getting into hydraulic analysis, I was hopeful that somebody could create the ideal program to meet the needs of engineers. I have found that ideal program in PIPE-FLO," Parker added.