In early October, I conducted a 5-day training seminar in Lima, Peru. There were seven different companies represented from Peru and Chile.
It is always interesting to see the variety of applications for AFT software and Peru was no exception where many of the engineers are involved in mining operations. Peru is a leading producer of copper, gold, silver, phosphate and potash with over $16 billion in exports in 2009. The engineers at the seminar had a variety of active project responsibilities. These ranged from long transport pipelines, to storage and transfer systems, to refining and process facilities.
The course emphasized AFT Fathom and modules, including the slurry module. The week finished with two days of training on AFT Impulse and waterhammer examples.
The ability to add custom piping and fluids interested the engineers as they use specialized components in their systems. Using the XTS and GSC modules allowed the engineers to model tanks filling and draining, valves opening and closing, and other system operations. They also focused on using Impulse to model systems and locate potential waterhammer problems. Components such as vacuum breaker valves and gas accumulators can be added to a model to evaluate their benefits.
One of the benefits of teaching seminars all over the world is being able to visit some incredible landmarks. In Peru, I spent two days visiting Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo and the Sacred Valley which was amazing. To see the natural beauty of the area with the mind-boggling engineering and architectural feats was awe inspiring.
Prior to that, in August, I traveled to Tel Aviv, Israel to conduct a 5-day training seminar for the Israel Air Force. Eight engineering officers learned fluid dynamic fundamentals and system modeling using AFT Fathom, AFT Arrow and AFT Impulse.
AFT applications are used by the Air Force on both ground-based and airborne systems. The engineers use AFT Arrow, which models gas and compressible fluids, to model the environmental systems critical to the pilot’s safety. Fuel transfer systems have been modeled using AFT Fathom. Hydraulic lines on fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft are also analyzed using AFT Fathom and AFT Impulse.
By the end of the five days, the engineers new to AFT products were building detailed models and the experienced AFT users had learned many tips and best-practices. It is always amazing to see the many different applications of our software – from large to small, either in motion or stationary, from very hot to cryogenic.
Again, I was able to visit several areas in the Holy Land including the West or Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Nazareth and Masada. Floating in the Dead Sea in the middle of the summer (well over 100 deg F, 40 deg C) was like getting into a hot bath – I didn’t stay in long.
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