Recently, Trey Walters and I presented a webinar hosted by Power Magazine where we discussed the latest trends in the power generation industry and how flow simulation solutions play a key role in ensuring the efficiency, safety, and operability of modern power plants. You can watch the full recording here.
The following is a summary of what we discussed.
The power generation industry is undergoing a massive transformation. U.S. electricity demand is projected to grow roughly 26% by 2035, driven by data center expansion, industrial electrification, and the ongoing push toward renewables. As the grid evolves, so does the pressure on engineers to design systems that are safer, more efficient, and more reliable than ever before.
That's where fluid flow modeling software comes in — and it's proving to be an indispensable tool across every corner of the power sector.
Why Flow Modeling Matters
Whether you're designing cooling loops for a nuclear plant, managing steam distribution in a combined cycle facility, or validating gas turbine fuel delivery systems, the complexity of modern power infrastructure demands more than back-of-the-envelope calculations. Flow analysis software enables engineers to maximize ROI, reduce energy consumption, minimize downtime, and — critically — ensure safety before a single pipe is welded.
A Suite of Tools for Every Scenario
Datacor's family of four pipe flow modeling products — Fathom, Arrow, Impulse, and xStream — covers both steady-state and transient analysis for incompressible and compressible fluids.
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Fathom handles liquid systems, heat transfer modeling, and system thermal balance. At Duke Energy's McGuire Nuclear Station, engineers used Fathom's Goal Seek & Control (GSC) module to calibrate a complex service water hydraulic model — a task previously done by hand — achieving flow accuracy within 2.3% and pressure accuracy within 1.4 psig. In Hamburg, Germany, Fathom was used to model 17 operating scenarios for a state-of-the-art combined heat and power plant, sizing pumps, control valves, and piping across multiple heat sources including industrial waste heat.
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Arrow models compressible gas flow, including sonic (critical) choking. At Fern Engineering, Arrow was used to analyze fuel distribution in a Rolls Royce gas turbine, accurately predicting exhaust gas temperature (EGT) spread caused by manufacturing tolerances across eight parallel sonic flow paths.
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Impulse simulates liquid transients like water hammer and pump trips. At the 725 MW Woodbridge Energy Center in New Jersey, Kiewit engineers used Impulse to evaluate 46 pump trip and startup scenarios for a circulating water system with 14 cooling towers — confirming no dangerous surge events would occur.
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xStream analyzes compressible gas transients. At the Castlelost Flexgen Peaking Plant in Ireland, xStream's Method of Characteristics modeling demonstrated that a new 275 MW gas turbine system could handle fast load swings without triggering alarms, supply interruptions, or turbine shutdowns — proving compliance with both OEM and regulatory requirements. xStream has also been used to show that widely-used steam hammer load estimation methods dating back to the 1980s can significantly underestimate actual pipe forces — by as much as 314% in some cases.
Built for the Challenges Ahead
With roughly 2,300 GW of generation and storage still awaiting grid interconnection, and reliability risks increasing across the board, the engineering demands on power systems designers are only growing. Flow modeling software gives teams the confidence to validate designs before construction, troubleshoot problems before they become failures, and optimize systems for long-term performance.
The result? Safer plants, smarter designs, and a more resilient power grid.
Datacor's flow modeling products serve customers in over 115 countries across power generation, nuclear, chemicals, aerospace, and more. Learn more at datacor.com.
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