While thinking in terms of pressure is often intuitive for engineers, thinking in terms of head can be more challenging. You may be surprised by the number of cases and questions that come to the support team here at AFT about the basic definition of head, and how it relates to hydraulic modeling. Let's get back to the basics with how head is defin...

Many of you are aware that AFT released the ANS module for AFT Fathom and AFT Arrow last year to help engineers minimize the cost of their system and maximize reliability. You can check out this blog I wrote last year for a quick recap on the capabilities of ANS. Let's talk a bit more about what information you need to use the ANS module by introdu...

Pump vs. system curves provide an intuitive, graphic way to understand how a pump interacts with a piping system. These can be useful during pump sizing, but can also be informative when your pump must function in a variety of operating conditions. Understanding how changes to your pump or system affect your operating point can be invalua...

When working on a new piping system, there are many factors that must be taken into account: meeting customer demands, following industry standards, and maintaining effective system operation to name just a few. As a busy engineer, it is important to address all of these concerns in the short time frame available to you. AFT's new Automated Network...

With the recent release of the Automated Network Sizing (ANS) module for AFT Fathom and the upcoming release for AFT Arrow, network sizing has never been easier. The ANS module utilizes Intelliflow, a technology previously featured in AFT Mercury and Titan, to evaluate slight design deviations to automatically size pipes, valves, and pumps for a sy...

If you have worked with Non-Newtonian fluids or low velocity systems in AFT Fathom or AFT Impulse before, then it is likely that you have worked with the Adjusted Turbulent K Factor (ATKF) method before. The ATKF method can be used to adjust K factor data developed for turbulent flow conditions to better predict loss in the laminar f...

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 Optimization. It was probably one of ...