Safety is a primary consideration in engineering design. Safety for people is always paramount. Safety for the environment is an ever-growing focus of engineers. Any engineer worth the name would feel devastated if their engineering effort failed for some reason to protect people and the environment. One of the things engineers rely on to make system designs and operations safer are analytical tools like those developed by Applied Flow Technology (AFT). How does AFT software make the world a safer place?
The first and most obvious way that AFT software makes the world safer is that our software products help engineers test their designs and operations on their computers where the impact of failure is eliminated. While this is invaluable, it is a bit abstract. So let's get more specific and highlight some applications where safety is impacted.
RELIEF SYSTEMS
AFT software is regularly applied to the design of relief systems. AFT Arrow helps engineers ensure their vapor relief valve and piping are safe and comply with applicable standards. AFT Impulse helps engineers ensure their relief systems are properly configured to handle transient events. Relief systems protect people and the environment.
HOT PIPES AND BURNS
Regulations stipulate required insulation on pipes to maintain surface temperatures below levels that are safe for human contact to prevent burns. Both AFT Fathom and AFT Arrow have heat transfer capabilities to model temperature profiles through insulation and to predict surface temperatures. This capability can be used to ensure sufficient insulation exists for physical contact by operators and other people near the pipes. Insulation protects people.
EXPLOSIONS
Of course engineers want to avoid the possibility of explosions that result from overpressuring pipe systems. But explosions can result from other types of situations. TruStile Doors, a company with operations in the USA states of Colorado and Iowa, works hard to manage dust levels in their manufacturing plants to prevent explosive levels. Here is a case study on this. A few years ago I worked with a forensics engineering company that used AFT Impulse to evaluate how a waterhammer transient in a combustible liquid pipeline at a plant caused a leak at a flange. This allowed the liquid to leak out which led to a combustible vapor collection which then led to an explosion that destroyed the plant. Explosions endanger people and the environment.
NUCLEAR POWER
The need for safety at nuclear power plants is self-evident. AFT supplies software for nuclear power generation in numerous countries including the USA, Canada, Mexico, China, South Korea, France, UK, and South Africa. Here is a case study on a nuclear power plant pumping system. AFT Fathom and AFT Arrow have been validated for use on safety systems at nuclear power applications. AFT Impulse will be qualified in the next few months. For more information on the nuclear validation see this link. Safe nuclear power protects people and the environment.
FIRE SYSTEMS
AFT software has been applied to fire systems in numerous types of facilities. The latest version of AFT Fathom has new features to help engineers develop fire system models and to produce NFPA compliant reports. Two case studies using AFT Fathom addressed a fire system in a subway tunnel and an unexpected pump and valve transient which impacted its ability to be available for a fire situation. Fire protection systems protect people and the environment.
UNBALANCED PIPE FORCES
Waterhammer events cause imbalanced pipe forces which must be supported with appropriate pipe restraints. May the Force Be With You: Evaluating Unbalanced Forces Caused by Waterhammer. Adequate pipe supports protect people and the environment.
Conclusions
Safety for people and the environment is extremely important and AFT is proud that our products help make the world a safer place.