Bolt length correct on parametric, but not custom equipment

[Anonymous]

Changing a nozzle's flange thickness (to some atypical thickness) affects Plant's bolt length calculation correctly for a parametric (PlantEquipmentCreate) equipment's nozzles (when connecting flanges to them), but makes no difference for custom equipment (PlantEquipmentConvert), even if I use the exact same nozzle for both (as defined in the Edit Nozzle popup).  So the result is that for custom equipment, Plant gets the bolt length wrong, or to be more specific, it just uses the bolts' metadata for bolt length without properly recalculating to incorporate the nozzle's atypical flange thickness.   

I know this is the case because I ran a test where I had both a parametric equipment and a custom equipment in the same open drawing, I added the exact same nozzle to both (which was a nozzle I had custom created to have an huge flange thickness of 10", for proof of concept purposes).  After connecting RFWN piping flanges to both equipment's nozzles, the parametric equipment correctly used bolts that were over 10" long, while the custom equipment didn't and acted like it didn't even know one of the flanges was 10" thick.  The most telling thing is that when I select the red-circle connector, its Properties palette reveals that the parametric equipment's nozzle port correctly has its "flange thickness" and "matching pipe OD" set to 10" and 8.625" (ø8" nominal), respectively, but for the custom equipment, both values were null.  So of course Plant doesn't calculate bolt length correctly for custom equipment nozzles with a custom flange thickness, because the "flange thickness" property doesn't get passed on to the connector.

At the least, it seems it's an implementation of Plant's flange bolting functionality that remains incomplete.  Am I missing something?

To clarify, my test was using LUG style equipment nozzles that connect to FL style piping flanges.

[ryan.bales]

I create a block based and a parametric equipment model each with a set of 4" nozzles and a set of 10" nozzles. One specified by default and the other by me. Each created bolts that were the same length in comparison to each other.

What version are you using? 

[Anonymous]

---

@ryan.bales wrote:

I create a block based and a parametric equipment model each with a set of 4" nozzles and a set of 10" nozzles. One specified by default and the other by me. Each created bolts that were the same length in comparison to each other.

What version are you using? 

---

I don't completely understand your test scenario.  I assume the nozzle sizes you mention are just nominal pipe diameter, but what flange thicknesses did you use for both?  Because your test should involve comparing the use of the default flange thickness to the use of an atypical flange thickness, not necessarily two different nominal pipe diameters. 

A 150lb ø10" RFWN flange should have a flange thickness of 1.18" in Plant.  If you create a new test nozzle within the Nozzle catalog.acat that has a very large flange thickness of 9.18", and then insert both of these nozzles into 3D onto a piece of block based equipment and route piping from them, you should see that the stud bolt length used for the default nozzle is ~4.5", while the stud bolt length used for the atypical nozzle is 4.5"+8"=~12.5".  For the atypical nozzle, if that's not what happened for you, then your fab shop will end up purchasing bolts that are 8" too short.

To really prove that the bolt calculation worked, you can check the Properties palette for the connector at the atypical nozzle.  You'll be looking for "Flange Thickness1" and "Flange Thickness2", and one will be 1.18" and the other should be 9.18".  If, rather than 9.18", one of those is blank, then that explains why your bolts didn't end up the correct length (~12.5" long).

[ryan.bales]

I agree. However I left the thicknesses to auto fill from the catalog so as to narrow down whether or not parametric equipment/nozzles by default are the problem or if its solely based on a modified flange thicknesses. 

I did not get custom equipment with non parametric nozzles to come in wrong. However I've not checked if modifying the flange thickness will break it.

I will test modifying the .acat and seeing if that alone is doing it.

[ryan.bales]

I was able to test and confirm that modified flange thicknesses do impact nozzles on block based equipment and NOT parametric components. So accordingly I went ahead and logged this issue with the development team. 

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Ryan, for your help with this.  Though I think you meant to reverse what you wrote in your previous reply.

---

@ryan.bales wrote:

I was able to test and confirm that modified flange thicknesses do impact nozzles on block based parametric equipment and NOT block based parametric components. So accordingly I went ahead and logged this issue with the development team. 

---

[ryan.bales]

It was more that my wording was off. I more meant it works it should on parametric and does not work on block based. 

[DC_42]

Hello,

Was there any resolution to this bug? It seems the same in Plant 2024.

The flange thickness property does not come through from the catalogue for a nozzle on a custom piece of equipment. Therefore the bolts lengths are incorrect.

Does anyone know of a work around for this?