AFT Blog
Welcome to the Applied Flow Technology Blog where you will find the latest news and training on how to use AFT Fathom, AFT Arrow, AFT Impulse, AFT xStream and other AFT software products.
Liquids And Gases And Slurries, Oh My!
AFT software graphic Tip: If you know how to use AFT Fathom, then you are over the learning curve by about 90%when it comes to knowing how to use AFT Arrow, and about 80% of how to use AFT Impulse. One of the best advantages to AFT software tools is they offer a full solution for any single-phase pipe flow analysis calculations.Whether you
Intermediate Elevations and Splitting Pipes
Hello AFT readers! It has been quite a while since I have written a blog for you all. I had a recent discussion with a user and discovered a couple pain points that may be common. We did not have any blogs on the topics yet and I figured it was time to get back in the game and write another blog for our readers! The pain points were: 1. Modeling sy
Powerful Tools for Power Generation
Establishing and maintaining an electrical grid is a monumental task spanning many professions and disciplines. Fluid dynamics plays an important role in nearly any method of power generation. Between ensuring safety, reliable production of power, and minimizing operational costs, there are countless ways that modeling fluid flow can
6 Reasons Why Flow Analysis is Necessary
To all of the engineers reading this article, we made it! Whew! Reading a three-part series is like running a marathon. Way to go!If you are new to this series, we encourage you to read this article as well as the previous two: Part 1: Six Reasons to Use a Flow Analysis and Part 2: Flow Analysis Is Neglected. In this article are six reasons en
What’s Old is New Again: Introducing the New Automated Networking Sizing Add-on Module
Way back 18 years ago, in February 2001, AFT introduced a groundbreaking new technology to the marketplace. We called the technology IntelliFlow® and it was implemented in a new product called AFT Mercury™. We liked to tell people that "AFT Mercury is AFT Fathom on steroids".AFT Mercury built on the foundation of AFT Fathom, and the IntelliFlow tec
When a Lowly Engineering Student Ends Up Working With One of His Exalted Professors
Dr. Garret N. (Gary) Vanderplaats Gary Vanderplaats was one of my (exalted) professors in 1985 when I was a (lowly) Senior engineering student at UCSB. If not for Gary, there would be no GSC modules for AFT Fathom or AFT Arrow, and no new AFT Fathom ANS module either. Why?First, back in 1985 UCSB had a required course for ME students in Design Opt
A Space Shuttle Trifecta Achieved Today
It was not intentional. The Trifecta I mean. It just sort of happened organically. But now that I have completed it, I think it is kind of cool.There are three Space Shuttles that have flown into space and are now in American museums:Discovery - in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia (near Washington D.C. f
Making Sense of xT – Valve Loss in Compressible Flow
Almost every piping system has valves, and an accurate solution requires accurate valve losses. For incompressible systems, this is relatively straightforward. What happens when we introduce the complexities of compressible flow? Valve Sizing Equation in Incompressible Flow In liquid flow - like that calculated by AFT Fathom or AFT Im
It’s a New Decade, Baby – Let’s Go Solve Some Problems!
Happy New Year and Happy New Decade to all of you around the globe! As engineers, our society depends on us to help solve problems and make everyone's lives better. To provide power, water and heat are the basics. To provide transportation and communication are now critical technologies. Plus lots more.The unfortunate truth is that in solving the p
The Modern World, Technology, Social Distancing and Pandemics
Like most of you, I have no expert advice to give related to the current worldwide pandemic caused by COVID-19 – also known as the Coronavirus. Thus, I won't presume to offer advice or wisdom on that topic. But everyone is talking about, reacting to and being affected by the pandemic. It seems almost insensitive to not acknowledge that.As the Presi
Nuclear Power to the Rescue!
My High School Physics Teacher When I was in high school (four decades ago!) I had an awesome physics teacher in my junior year, Mr. Kindred. His class was a key influence in my decision to pursue a career in mechanical engineering.I recall Mr. Kindred discussing the future of fusion power and commenting, as was common at that time, that "fusion p
Is there steam on your (Microsoft) Windows? How ASME Steam Tables came to be.
In the modern world there are many things we take for granted – especially in first-world countries. Among them are the reliable availability of water and electricity. To our homes. To our workplaces. Just about everywhere.Engineers also take things for granted. One of those is reliable data on the properties of steam and water. But it was not alwa
Don't throw a fit over your Fitting K Factors - Part 1: Fittings & Losses in AFT Fathom
AFT Fathom, AFT Arrow, AFT Impulse, and AFT xStream all have a tab in the Pipe Properties window called "Fittings & Losses" which allows users to quickly specify K factors for components within a pipeline such as valves, elbows, and area changes. The Fittings & Losses allow you to simplify your model and avoid workspace clutter by int
Restore Your Sanity, and Your Corrupted Model Files
Users occasionally contact AFT saying they have lost their model files or cannot open them. Can you imagine spending hours, days, or months building models, and all of a sudden, the progress and work is gone?! If it happens right before a deadline, the engineer will most likely have a minor panic attack, and feelings of anger, depression, or hopele
Don’t Repeat Yourself with Libraries
As process engineers, we rarely review our own engineering process for improvement opportunities. Our job descriptions can often boil down to: "design this", "build that", and "make it better". While we can do this very well for pumps, pipelines, and flanges, sometimes we miss the intangibles such as how to improve our team's internal processes or
Declutter Your Natural Gas Model
I don't have any tips for decluttering your garage or office desk, but I can offer you a tip on how to declutter your natural gas model. Perhaps it will save you some time as well in the design phase. As engineers, we like details and will enter as many as possible into our models. I've seen several AFT Arrow and xStream models with natural gas mix
When Waterhammer Makes Things Explode
Last month I presented a technical paper that was both the easiest and the hardest paper I have written. The paper was on a waterhammer accident in 2016 at an alumina refinery which caused a slurry pump to catastrophically fail. The pump casing exploded and the hot, caustic slurry it was pumping sprayed onto a technician nearby resulting in severe
How to use AFT Workspace Layers
We are excited to share Workspace Layers, a new feature for the Applied Flow Technology software suite that you'll be working with soon! A group of layers is like a stack of transparencies. Each layer displays specific, customizable information and together they combine to form the Workspace view for your model. This is concept is much like Adobe
Compressor Maps
A Compressor Map in AFT Arrow allows you to more accurately model the full range of operating conditions for a Centrifugal Compressor junction. AFT recognized the need for this specific feature from customers via support requests and consulting projects. Well, good news…this capability is here! The featu
Awesome Annotation Tool Additions
The Annotation Tool has new shapes and customization options which will help you organize, markup, comment, and effectively present your models when using the new versions of Fathom 13, Arrow 10, Impulse 10, and xStream 3. In addition to the pre-existing rectangles and ellipses, you can now add diamonds, pentagons, hexagons, octagons, clouds, trian
10 New Features in Datacor Pipe Flow Modeling Software in 2025
Released on June 30, 2025, Datacor's latest upgrade delivers powerful enhancements across its Pipe Flow Modeling Software suite—Fathom, Arrow, Impulse, and xStream. Designed to accelerate workflows, improve model accuracy, and provide deeper engineering insight, these new features span everything from smart automation to cross-application integrat
Smarter Thermal Modeling: Enhanced Heat Exchanger Options
Accurately modeling heat transfer in piping systems is critical to designing systems that perform reliably under real-world conditions. In fluid systems where temperature affects safety, efficiency, or performance – such as in chemical processing, energy generation, or HVAC – heat exchangers often play a central role. That's why engineers turn to a