# Process flow SW Program?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/process-flow-sw-program/717356>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [April 10, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/process-flow-sw-program/717356 "2015-04-10T18:11:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/process-flow-sw-program/717356/1 "2015-04-10T18:11:44Z")

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Where else could I even ask this question?

I’m looking for a very basic process flow program. Something that would let me play with inputs and outputs and production per hour. I’m trying to model:

x units/minute of A + y units/minute of B yields z units/minute of C

Further daisy chaining (C + second process producing D gives E) would be ideal.

I’ve got a few equations scratched out but I’d like to see if I’m right and be able to quickly tweak the model. Does anyone know of such a thing or maybe even a good online resource I could check out?

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**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/process-flow-sw-program/717356/2 "2015-04-10T19:28:00Z")

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I take it there’s some reason that you need more than a spreadsheet?

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**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/process-flow-sw-program/717356/3 "2015-04-12T16:31:18Z")

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Well that’s true but where the fun in that? I had thought maybe a bored ChemEng student had thrown a visual app together.

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**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/process-flow-sw-program/717356/4 "2015-04-12T20:42:16Z")

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There are discrete event modeling packages, like Arena, that would do what you need. But that is probably overkill.

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**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/process-flow-sw-program/717356/5 "2015-04-13T14:28:56Z")

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They’ve got a trail version - it’ll be like cracking a walnut with a sledgehammer but it’ll be interesting. Thanks