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.
The Great Climate Change Engineering Challenge
That night Dr. Revelle talked at length about greenhouse gasses (carbon dioxide in particular) and the danger of man-made global warming. During the question and answer period Dr. Revelle demonstrated a fair minded approach and said the science was not at all settled on the matter. Since then a lot has happened in the areas of science and public p
Can Engineers Accomplish the Impossible?
The Super Bowl is in the books (won by our local Denver Broncos and their "Orange Rush") and the next big thing on the calendar is, of course...National Engineers Week. Yes, this week is "EWeek", the week where we celebrate engineering accomplishments and the engineers behind those accomplishments. As history has shown - especially over the last c
Now For Something Completely Different: The New Graph Guide in AFT Impulse 6
As we started to test the new graphing features we were concerned that users would struggle to access these features. So we came up with an idea that turned into the Graph Guide. What is the Graph Guide, you ask? Well, in simple terms the Graph Guide is an interactive, hierarchical guide built into the Graph Results window which assists the user
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. RELI
What Would You Like to Do? – Exploring the New Graph Guide
The primary way to view results when using Impulse is through graphical data. With the release of AFT Impulse 6, the power of the graphing features has been greatly increased. With this enhanced capability comes additional complexity. It is a kin to the power and complexity of in-dash radio consoles in modern cars compared to the old stereo in my o
Overcoming New Heights - System Priming Before Siphon Effect Can Help
The process of sizing a pump for the application of priming a piping system as well as for normal operation is slightly more involved than if the system was already primed and the pump was to be sized for a liquid full system. For a system priming application, the intermediate elevations at high points in a piping system are relevant in regar
The World in Motion - Understanding Results Through Animated Graphs
Previously, we talked about the Graph Guide and how to create Stacked Graphs and Dual-Y graphs. With AFT Impulse and with AFT Fathom’s XTS module, a great way to see how parameters change over time is through animated graphs. For the purpose of continuity, I am going to again start with the AFT Impulse model, ‘Pump Startup With Event Transient.imp’
(Almost) Live Report From the HUUUUGE MINExpo in Las Vegas
Over the years I have had the privilege to teach training classes to mining companies on five continents. AFT has been active in support of the needs of the mining industry since we released the Settling Slurry (SSL) module for AFT Fathom in 2009 and the SSL module for AFT Impulse in 2012. That is aside from our general support for utility piping
AFT Impulse 20th Anniversary: A Perspective From the Original Impulse Developer
The day-to-day demands of getting AFT going as a company was slowing down the completion of AFT Impulse. So I turned over the day-to-day tasks to the two engineers I had at the time. One of the two, Jeff Olsen, is still with AFT as V.P. Technology. I took my computer and huge CRT monitor home to work in my basement for some long and uninterrupted
Know Your Pump and System Curves - Part 1
AFT Fathom can easily generate a pump and system curve for your piping system. Creating a pump and system curve for a simple system with a single flow path and no control features is an easy and typically well-understood process. However, as piping systems are quite complicated with lots of branch points, control features, and dynamic i
What Does “Head (HGL)” Mean for Submerged Pumps and Exit Pressures?
In AFT Fathom and AFT Impulse, it is possible to model a submerged pump where a short and possibly frictionless suction pipe for the pump’s inlet does not need to be modeled. When modeling a submerged pump, there are two options available for specifying the system inlet boundary condition at the pump suction. As shown in Figure 1 below,
2000 Years of Roman Pipe Technology and 100 Years of American Pump Technology
For a technology organization like HI, 100 years is quite a feat and was rightly celebrated at the annual meeting this year. Many of you are familiar with HI through the standards HI creates. These standards show up in AFT Fathom in several places: Intake design (pump submergence to avoid vortex formation) Pump viscosity corrections Slurry pumps (
When to Begin? Time and Events in Transient Studies
To define any transient event in AFT Impulse or AFT Fathom XTS the application must know when it begins. To do so, the user should know how time and event logic is approached in AFT’s transient solvers. In this article, we will discuss the three different time bases used in the applications, the selection of a single or repeating event, and the man
The Knowledge Quest: Connecting With Fluids Education at Universities
Before I relate my experiences this week, I want to first describe the various elements AFT has built to connect with the needs of universities. Over recent years AFT has been building a program geared towards universities. Most of that program can be accessed on this web page: https://www.aft.com/products/education. If you go there you can see it
Planning for Success by Predicting Failure – Maximizing Reliability During Pump Selection
What comes to mind when you hear the expression “planning for failure”? For some, it carries the negative connotation that failure is the direct result of a design – intentionally or otherwise. Benjamin Franklin said; “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” and I believe he would agree that any good plan addresses potential failures. In fa
Determine Your Pumps BEP and Know API-610's Recommendations
What is BEP & why is it important? Every pump has an ideal range of operation where the pump is most efficient. The peak of the efficiency curve is known as the best efficiency point (BEP). Determining how far your pump is operating from its BEP is critical to increasing pump reliability and efficiency as well as meeting API 610 recommendations
How a Russian Hydraulics Handbook Gained the Respect of the American Nuclear Industry
In that we used Idelchik at both of my first two jobs, when I started AFT in 1993 I assumed that everyone knew about and used Idelchik. I found out that was not the case. If you have not heard of Idelchik's handbook, it is voluminous at 861 pages. It has by far the best information available on how to calculate pressure losses in tees and wyes. An
Paint a Clear Picture Faster Than Ever with AFT's New Excel Export Manager
AFT Applications have long had several options for the export of output data. Data can be directly copied and pasted into other Window's applications, and entire sections of the output can be exported to preformatted, delimited, or Excel formats.However, these options can be inflexible or require significant overhead. AFT Fathom 10 is introducing t
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
Turning Negative Experiences Into New Directions
Twenty-five years ago I did something I thought I would never do. My job at the time had become pretty bumpy and I was not happy. With hard work and good luck, I turned that negative experience into a new direction for me personally and professionally. That new direction involved starting a whole new company. On September 14, 1993.So, I have been d
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
You Should Combine Your Pipes
One of the many powerful features in AFT Impulse is the ability to calculate transient forces during a waterhammer/surge event (See "Evaluating Dynamic Loads in Piping Systems Caused by Waterhammer" white paper). The resulting transient forces can be exported into a pipe stress analysis software. Pipe stress analysis care about what the trans
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
Know Your Pump & System Curves – Part 2A
Many users enjoyed my previous blog, "Know Your Pump & System Curves – Part 1" and greatly anticipated the release of Part 2. I'm going to split Part 2 into two separate blogs:Part 2ABrief discussion on why system curves matterPump & System Curves for multi-branched piping systems§How you can have different system curves for the s
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
A Light Bulb is Autarkic, A Pump is Not
Sometimes you just get lucky. When I accepted my first engineering job, I only knew that I wanted to work on fluid and thermal engineering. And wow did I ever get to do that! I was fortunate to work on a wide variety of applications in fluid and thermal behavior in cryogenic rocket design. Super cool.But I got lucky in another even more important w
Multi-scenario graphing and animation in AFT Impulse
Really? Another blog about features in AFT software?Yes, really. And there is a good reason for it. Because this new feature in AFT Impulse 8 will change your life. Well, it may not change your life, but it will forever change how you do your waterhammer analysis. I am talking about the new multi-scenario graphing and animation feature. This brand,
AFT Arrow is 25 Years Old…and Still Going Strong
As the original developer of AFT Arrow, I consider it as one of my babies. This month it is all grown up and now 25 years old. Back in March we came out with the latest new version AFT Arrow 8 – just as the COVID-19 crisis was emerging.Those who have taken an AFT Arrow seminar which I have taught (at least fifty classes and counting!) have likely h
Know Your Pump & System Curves – Part 2B
In this blog, we dive further into pump and system curves for complex systems. The examples include demonstrating system curves changing over time and when multiple system curves exist for a single system with multiple pumps in different locations of the system. Let us re-visit the multi-branched system example from the previo
Know Your Pump & System Curves - Part 3
In the final "Know Your Pump & System Curves" blog series, I am going to discuss the complexities behind pump vs. system curves for systems with pumps in series and parallel configurations. Multiple pumps in series configurations are relatively straight-forward and will be discussed briefly. Operating pumps in parallel configuration involve a f
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
Gas and Steam Transient Analysis is Freaking Hard!
Whew! That was a lot of hard work! As of Monday, April 12, 2021, AFT xStream™ is loaded up and ready to go. And to help you simulate things you have only guessed at before.When we engaged Fred Moody a few years ago to teach a short course at AFT that covered compressible gas and steam transients, we were not certain a commercial quality product cou
What Is Transient Analysis?
You're tasked to perform a transient analysis of a piping system and it would be really helpful if there was a good software tool out there to help you. Well, you've come to the right place because AFT has great solutions! But our first question is, "What kind of transient analysis are you trying to do?" You might s
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
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
Once Again, I Am Amazed By the Ancient Romans
In April I became old. I mean really, really old. I might even be called ancient. But not as ancient as the Romans. You see, in April I had my 60th birthday. The day fell a week short of a twice-delayed waterhammer conference held in The Netherlands.When my wife asked me what I wanted to do for my 60th birthday, I responded "Since we will already b
AFT 30 Years Ago and Today
September 14. That is the day I consider to be AFT's official birthday. In 1993 I resigned from my job in the power industry and started working on AFT Fathom 1.0 full-time that day. Thirty years ago today I was assembling a business plan and figuring out how I could finance the founding of AFT.I have found myself reflecting a lot this year – on AF
AFT Arrow & AFT xStream New Features Coming Soon
We recently discussed the new features coming out in AFT Fathom 13 and AFT Impulse 10. Now let's talk about the compressible gas and steam side of the product launches. You may be more familiar with AFT Fathom, as it is our flagship incompressible steady state analysis product. AFT Arrow is its counterpart for compressible steady sta
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
Make a Classy Entrance and Exit – The Importance of Minor Loss in Reservoirs
Classically, hydraulic loss tends to be categorized as major losses, which are due to friction between the fluid and the pipe's inner surface, and minor losses, which are due to entrances, exits, fittings, and other component effects. Losses due to friction tend to have a greater impact on the hydraulic resistance and this could be the main reason
Capture Complex Settling Slurry Behavior With the 4-Component Slurry Model
The Settling Slurry Module (SSL) for AFT Fathom and AFT Impulse has long been used to model complex systems with settling slurries in a range of industries. Previously all slurry models were variations of the Wilson, Addie, Clift method requiring differing levels of user input to use. The release of AFT Fathom 13 and AFT Impulse 10 has brought with
Heat it Up: Link Multiple Fluids and Heat Exchangers
For incompressible hydraulic analysis, an easy way to quantify basic to advanced modeling is the presence and scope of heat transfer. Basic models are isothermal, where the temperature of the working fluid doesn't change. This makes calculations simpler as the density won't be altered. The intermediate level would be to introduce heat transfer to a
How Pipe Flow Analysis Enhances Chemical Processing
Do you really understand what's happening throughout your chemical processing system? In all applications, but especially with chemical processing, it's important to understand how your system is behaving and to ensure the requirements for the system, including temperature, environmental influences, pressure, flow, etc. are met.AFT addresses pipe f
Sounds Dangerous – Analyzing Sound Power Level in AFT Arrow
As gases flow through pressure reducing devices, the pressure drops and the gas expands, experiencing irreversible energy losses. At these locations, the gas undergoes turbulent mixing and deflects off the pipe walls at high velocities. If the flow is sonically choked due to the restricting device, the flow must also pass through a standing shockwa