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.

Fluid Mechanics 101 – The Class That Changed My Life

I was 20 years old and 18 months away from finishing my formal education. Forever. I was well on my way to being a…structural engineer. Wait, that must be a typo. Structural? Really? Where did the fluids come in? I really liked structural mechanics and that was where I was focused for the first 2.5 years of my mechanical engineering studies. My cla...

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Waterhammer: In our Booth?

What booth and why does it have waterhammer? Come find out! In a few weeks, AFT and yours truly will be at the Turbomachinery and Pump Symposia (TPS) in Houston – September 10-12 to be precise. We will have a booth (#2824 for those who are coming). And we will have waterhammer. Not just waterhammer software. We have that every year and, as in previ...

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Applying Communication Time: Let’s Talk About Your Impulse Result/Event Relationships

 I have received questions from clients using AFT Impulse where they ask something like "I closed this valve. Why is the maximum pressure spike way over there and not at the valve?" This comes from years of developing a "common sense" adapted to steady-state flow. With steady flow, a change between states of equilibrium has a local effect that...

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My (Not So Secret) Disney Obsession

My name is Trey and I am a Disney geek. A real, true Disney geek. What does that have to do with Applied Flow Technology and pipe flow simulation? Well, a lot actually. Read on if you want to know more… This year is AFT's 25th anniversary and I have been doing a lot of reminiscing. About many things. I have been a Disney geek since I rode Dumbo at ...

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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. ...

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And, Not, Or - Starting Transient Events with Complex Logic

AFT Fathom XTS and AFT Impulse have long been able to start events like pump trips or valve closures when a certain condition is met in the system. For example, a valve can close when a tank is full, or a pump can trip when the flow is too low. However, complex systems often have multiple conditions that can cause an event. The pump may trip when the flow is too low OR the suction pressure is too low. The valve may only close when two tanks are full. AFT Fathom version 10 and AFT Impulse version 7 enhance the transient capabilities to allow the definition of these complex Multi-Condition Events.

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When a Lowly Engineering Student Ends Up Working With One of His Exalted Professors

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 ...

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