FluidFlow is designed to allow the modeling of fluid behavior within complex piping systems. Data from the model can be exported to Excel. This article aims to give new users an overview of how to export data from a built model to Excel.
Excel reports
Data from a model can be exported to Excel through two different approaches. We will call them the “write approach” and the “print approach”
Write Approach
With this approach, data from a model can be exported to Excel through three different options:
- Select the “Write to Excel” button near the flowsheet's top.
- Select: File | Excel | Write to Excel
- Select: File | Excel | Excel Content… This last option opens the “Export Options” form as shown in Figure 1. To finally export the data to Excel, click the “Excel” button.
Figure 1. Excel Export Options
Excel will automatically start/open on your computer and the model data will be exported to a new Excel file based on the Excel export settings assigned in FluidFlow.
These Excel report settings can be customized. This can be done in the "Export Options" form in Figure 1. This shows that we can export the following data associated with the model file we have open.
- Title Page: The project filename, file location, calculation status and settings will be exported to a dedicated sheet in Excel titled "Project Info".
- Flowsheet: The flowsheet will be exported to a dedicated sheet in Excel which can be accessed from the tab in Excel titled "Flowsheet".
- Table of Results: The table of results will be exported to a dedicated sheet in Excel which can be accessed from the tab in Excel titled "Table of Results". This file contains both Input and Results data for the components in the model file. The Input information appears listed under the green banner and the calculated results appear under the lilac/grey/purple banner as in Figure 2 for bend components.
Figure 2. Example of Excel Report Layout for Bends
The table of results can be customized to include/exclude specific input and results information from your file. To customize this sheet, select the "Excel Columns" button (Figure 1). This opens a new form titled "Set Visible Excel Properties" as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Set Visible Excel Properties
The "Set Visible Excel Properties" form allows you to choose any component/node from the menu on the left-hand side and then, from the right-hand side, you can place a checkmark in the various property fields you wish to have exported to your final report. If you scroll down the list using the scroll bar, you can then place a checkmark in the various results fields you wish to export to the final report. Select OK when you are satisfied you have completed the customization of your Excel report.
- Bill of Materials: A Bill of Materials will be exported to a dedicated sheet in Excel.
- Warnings: All warnings enunciated for the model (as shown in the messages tab of the Data Palette) will be exported to a dedicated sheet in Excel.
- Export Selected Elements Only: This option allows you to export the report data for only the elements/nodes you highlighted or selected on the Flowsheet.
Select OK on the "Set Visible Excel Properties" form to return to the "Export Options" form. You can now export your model to Excel by using any of the previously mentioned options.
Print approach
With this approach, data from a model can be exported to Excel through two different options:
- Select: File | Print Preview…
- Select: File | Print Content… This opens the “Print Options” form as shown in Figure 4. To finally export the data to Excel, click the “Preview” button.
Figure 4. Print Options
The contents of these reports are driven by customizable Excel files, which we call templates. The default templates are located in the FluidFlow installation folder, under the ‘Default\Reports\Templates’ sub-folder (figure 5).
Figure 5. Export Templates
If you wish to customize/change the reports, we would not recommend modifying the default report templates, but instead copy them to another folder using the ‘Print Content…’ dialog:
- Select the ‘File | Print Content…’ menu item.
- In this dialog, select the ‘Templates’ page (figure 6)
- Select the ‘Specify Path’ option.
- Enter/select a path. If you click the folder icon, you can create a folder to which the default templates are copied.
Figure 6. Template Options
You can now open the XLSX files in the Reports folder and modify them as needed. For the vast majority of users, this is unlikely to be needed, so we’d recommend in that instance for users to select the ‘Use Default’ option.
Nevertheless, this is the main reason why we classified the Excel report options into two approaches. The “print approach” allows for modification of the Excel templates while the “write approach” doesn’t. On the other hand, the “write approach” allows two-way communication with Excel, so this can be used to change inputs: you write to Excel as described and make modifications in the Excel file so that you can later use the function Read from Excel to update the flowsheet. This last feature is found in the route: File | Excel | Read from Excel. This can not be done with the “print approach”.
Note: It is good practice to zoom to a level between 80 and 100% on the Flowsheet before exporting the model to Excel. This will help ensure the model (including any text) appears clearly on the final Excel report. It is also worth noting that the model should be positioned top-left on the flowsheet before developing your report settings.