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AFT Arrow™ 10

Calculate Compressible Flow
Pressure Drop and Flow Distribution

AFT Arrow is a fluid dynamic simulation tool used to calculate pressure drop and flow distribution in gas piping and ducting systems.

  • Accurately simulate individual components and their interaction including effects of heat transfer, real gases and choked flow
  • Tightly integrate equipment characteristics, analysis and output with your system’s schematic representation
  • Utilize a wide array of features without sacrificing your need for a short learning curve
  • Compare the performance of new designs and assure all design requirements are met.
  • Identify and correct operational problems in installed systems
  • Significantly improve the quality of systems engineering and produces less costly, more efficient and more reliable piping systems
Experiment with Operating Conditions and Scenarios

For Design or Operational Projects

  • Easily change system input data, including valve positions, control set points, pressures, temperatures and more
  • Model and analyze rotating piping systems such as those found in steam and gas turbines
  • Vary your system lineup: open and close pipes and valves, turn compressors or fans on or off, set control valves to fail position
  • Compile component database libraries for quick selection  
  • Evaluate codes and industry standards applied in the model

Model Exactly What You Need

  • Simulate ideal or real gases
  • Conduct flow analysis with high velocities including sonic choking
  • Choose between isothermal, adiabatic or generalized heat transfer conditions
  • Assemble non-reacting mixtures and analyze dynamic mixing resulting from intersecting flow streams
  • Model effects of elevation changes such as in tall structures, subsurface mines and overland pipelines

Import or Export Data & Layouts

  • Export data to evaluate Flow Induced Vibration (FIV), High Frequency Acoustic Excitation (AIV), Flow Induced Excitation (FIP) according to Energy Institute Standards
  • Clearly import data into multiple scenarios and export with the Excel Export Manager
  • Import and export files in EPANET format
  • Import piping layouts from:
    • CAESAR II® Neutral files supported by AutoPIPE®, ROHR2, TRIFLEX®, and others
    • PCF Files supported by AutoCAD Plant 3D®, SmartPlant®, CADWorx®, and other GIS shapefiles supported by ArcGis and others

AFT Arrow is designed for fluid systems containing the below fluids and more:

Steam

Compressed Air

Gases

Dust Collection

Typical Applications
  • Pipe and Duct Sizing
  • Relief valve sizing and system calculations
  • Compressor and Fan sizing and Selection
  • Control Valve sizing and Selection
  • Simulating System operation and component interaction
  • Choked Flow calculations
  • Evaluating pipe insulation and heat transfer in pipes and heat exchangers
  • Troubleshooting existing systems to determine the cause of operational problems

Primary Features of AFT Arrow


  • Apply advanced marching methods which provide highly accurate results
  • Evaluate choking conditions and determine flow conditions downstream of choke points
  • Model fans and compressors, control valves, heat exchangers and other components with precise detail
  • Specify relief valve behavior with opening and closing profiles to ensure your system fails safely
  • Track all your design variants and potential operating conditions in a single file with Scenario Manager
  • Use integrated, customizable graphing and reporting to make analysis visually intuitive
  • Calculate the capital costs of pipes and components as well as operating energy expenses
  • Leverage built-in libraries of fluids and fittings to build your own database upon
  • Built-in libraries of fluids (including NIST REFPROP and ASME Steam Tables) and fittings which can be extended and customized
  • Purchase the Optional Chempak™ database which provides a thermophysical database of almost 600 gases. SteamCalc and Chempak Viewers are included in the software for free.
  • Define non-reacting pre-mixtures, and simulate dynamic flow mixing
  • Import piping layouts from CAESAR II® Neutral files, PCF Files, and GIS shapefiles regardless of source
  • Integrate with Excel to import model data and export output data
  • Ensure a design adheres to industry standards such as API 526, ANSI/ISA-75.01.01 and more
Primary Features of AFT Arrow 7 - Advanced marching methods provide highly accurate results.

Modeling Features

Pipes

  • Specify diameter, length and roughness or select by material type and schedule from the built-in database
  • Select friction modeling from an extensive list including:
    • pipe roughness
    • Panhandle method
    • Weymouth method
  • Model heat transfer and add insulation layers – predict insulation surface temperatures to ensure compliance with workplace safety regulations
  • Use embedded fittings to reduce workspace complexity

Compressors & Fans

  • Explore the interaction of your system with compressors and fans
  • Model compressor and fan power and associated energy costs
  • Select between fixed specified flow or modeling with a compressor or fan curve
  • Model VFDs and pump control to maintain a set flow rate or head/pressure

Valves

  • Model relief valves and check valves
  • Determine control valve capacity and insure adequate pressure drop
  • Simulate pressure and flow control valves to test system interaction in the design stage
  • Display effective Cv and K factor values for all valves in the system
  • Identify control valve position to ensure stable valve operation

Fluid Property Models

  • Built in ASME steam tables
  • Optional chempak add-on with 600 gases
  • Configurable interpolation models for equation of state and enthalpy
  • Redlich-Kwong
  • Three parameter method

Scenario Manager

  • Evaluate “What-if” cases by comparing several scenarios
  • Make data changes in one scenario which can be passed down to dependent scenarios
  • Easily develop and switch between different operating conditions or configurations
  • Evaluate new or expanding system configurations
Modeling Features

Reporting Features

Output

  • Display pipe and junction reporting sections all at once or individually
  • Select output format, units and displayed items through Output Control
  • Make changes to the format without re-running the analysis
  • Export results to a file or copy/paste into Excel for additional reporting options
  • View input and output data for multiple scenarios simultaneously

Visual Results

  • Displays selected input or output parameters with your model schematic
  • Vary pipe color in the model according to parameters you define based on pressure, temperature, flow and many others to see results in the context of your system
  • Clearly illustrate individual lines in the context of your entire system using color mapping

Graph Results

  • Graphs of flow, pressure, temperature and many other parameters are quickly and easily generated by pipe or along a flowstream
  • Show compressor or fan vs. system curves
Reporting Features
Image

How does it work?

AFT Arrow’s powerful solution engine simultaneously solves five fundamental equations; mass, momentum, energy, state and Mach number. AFT Arrow uses a modified Newton-Raphson matrix iteration method plus proprietary methods developed by AFT so you can achieve a true and rigorous compressible flow solution.

AFT Arrow Add-On Modules

With these software extension tools, you can quickly and efficiently complete projects. 
Utilize your AFT Arrow add-on modules within any version of AFT Arrow.

Goal Seek and Control

Identifies input parameters that yield desired output values and simulates control functions

Extended Time Simulation

Define a wide range of operating conditions during a time simulation such as tank pressures, compressor speed variations, and more.

Automated Network Sizing

Evaluates the complex interaction of system variables to reveal combinations of cost savings

Free Viewer

Viewers allow you to share
your models with others

Product FAQ's

View a full list of AFT Arrow
questions and answers

System Requirements

Ensure your software works
properly with your system
“Using AFT Arrow made this project easier, cheaper and more accurate than any alternative.”


Jeremiah Osborn, TruStile Doors

“The steam pressures recorded were within 5% of the results of the AFT Arrow analysis.”         

                               

Michael Martino, Schuyler
“It would be very difficult and time consuming to calculate such a big system using only pencil and a piece of paper or even a calculator. To solve this task I needed specialized software which can estimate all necessary flows and pressures in every branch of the system."
Adam Klepacki, Energoprojekt

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