AFT Blog
We at AFT work hard. Why?
We put a lot of thought into our software features. Why?
We try hard to listen to what you, our customers, tell us you want. Why?
The answer to all three questions is the same...
We are all shaped by our experiences as engineers. Our early experiences as young engineers are especially influential.
I first worked in the aerospace industry for five years and then the nuclear industry for two years. At each of these companies we relied heavily on a handbook written originally in Russian by a Russian engineer. I am talking about the Handbook of Hydraulic Resistance by I.E. Idelchik. This book is my "go to" book on any unusual pipe system configuration hydraulic calculations and, especially, with calculations at tees and wyes.
The time was almost 30 years ago and it is fair to say I was not quite out of the "still wet behind the ears" stage for an engineer. I had been working in industry for about three years and I was just given a project that would change my career direction and, in fact, my life. The project? I was assigned to evaluate a new concept Pogo suppressor on a cryogenic rocket engine liquid oxygen (LOX) feedline.
Last week I saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi. For the third time. If you have not seen it by now you probably do not care about it much, but nevertheless rest assured there are no spoilers here for The Last Jedi. I first saw it on opening day in December. Usually I would only see a Star Wars movie twice in theaters. But a circumstance came up with one of my sons and I ended up seeing it a third time. I am definitely a fan of Star Wars.
In case you have not noticed, rockets can be really loud. Sound suppression on vertically launched rockets (and the Space Shuttle, back when it was flying) is more important than most of you would think. And for a different reason than most of you would guess.
Every so often I get to talk about my first job which was in the aerospace industry where I first learned about sound suppression systems. Today AFT software is used on several of these systems by our customers in the aerospace industry as well as NASA.
The flowrate of water used in the sound suppression process is enormous. Which is why they are often called "deluge systems".
This week was not a typical week for me. For the first time in 30 years I found myself in not one, not two, but three university classrooms. Each classroom was in one of Colorado's excellent engineering schools.
I had a chance to come face-to-face with about 140 students in classrooms this week and several professors. A number of positive things came of the week which I will summarize below.
Pikes Peak in Colorado, USA is often called "America's Mountain" and is the most visited mountain in North America and second most visited in the world. Barr Trail is the 13 mile (20 km) hiking trail that leads from Manitou Springs to the top of Pikes Peak. And right next to the Barr Trail trailhead is the famous 100+ year-old Manitou Hydro Plant.
Famous? Why is this tiny 5.5 MW hydroelectric power plant famous?
And how would a fluid systems engineer like myself compare it to other famous dams like the 14,000 MW Itaipu Dam and the 2,000 MW Hoover Dam?