AFT Blog
When building a model in any of AFT's software all pipe and junction numbers must be unique. These pipe and junction numbers can be useful for sorting information in areas such as "Model Data" and "Output". Therefore, keeping an organized structure for these pipe and junction numbers is strongly advised. Though, like every project, unforeseen devel...
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...
This blog assumes users already know how to import engineering and cost libraries into the software. If you do not, we recommend checking out this example problem from the help file. One of the lesser-known features of AFT products is the ability to cost out your entire system. By adding engineering and cost libraries to a model, AFT products are a...
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 ...
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...
Sometimes design engineers will install a screen to protect equipment like centrifugal pumps. Screens are available in a variety of configurations, each with its own head loss characteristics. AFT Fathom provides a screen junction that allows users to choose from four different screen types: Perforated Plate (Sharp-Edged)Perforated Plate (Round-Edged)Circular WireSilk Thread Screen This article primarily discusses thin-walled, sharp-edged perforated plates with uniform diameter holes. Every screen has an open flow area that allows the working fluid to bypass the screen while restricting any foreign objects that are not able to pass through this area. The open flow area is typically comprised...
Ensuring your pump has sufficient net positive suction head available (NPSHA) is essential to reliable pump performance. For positive displacement pumps, this includes accounting for acceleration head, which will reduce a pump's NPSHA. What is acceleration head? Acceleration head is the energy required to change the velocity of the liquid in the sy...