In 1993, Trey Waters, P.E., did something he never thought he would: he quit his job as an Aerospace Engineer and started Applied Flow Technology, a fluid flow analysis software company.  In April 1994, he released the first product, AFT Fathom 1.0. Now 26 years later, the rest is history! And AFT Fathom is still going strong today. 

When AFT Fathom was released in April 1994, it was the world’s first graphical software for pipe flow modeling in Microsoft Windows. Check out the first advertisement for AFT Fathom 1.0 below! 

Since that time, AFT Fathom has added modules to extend the capability of Fathom. The AFT Fathom Settling Slurry module released in 2009. In the next few years, AFT would develop the Extended Time Simulation module, and the Goal, Seek and Control Module. 

After serving on Hydraulic Institute standards committees, AFT realized they could help reduce energy using AFT Fathom. They already had the tools! They just needed to make it something engineers could, and want to, use. So in 2019, AFT started a mission to help engineers reduce energy or capital costs with the development of the Automated Network Sizing module.

From the very beginning, AFT has been a leader and innovator. 

AFT software products are used to design systems that go deep under the sea and up into the reaches of Space. They have been used to model sub-millimeter flow channels in electronic equipment and 40 ft (13m) ducting in power plant environmental control systems.

From a basement in Ohio, to a Corporate office in Colorado and 42 Channel Partners, AFT has come a long way in the past 26 years since AFT Fathom 1.0. AFT Fathom is now used in over 80 countries, and engineers are able to access support in their own time zone and own language. 

Cheers to 26 years!

10 Features You Might Not Know About in AFT Fathom

1. Microsoft Excel Data Exchange

Importing data from Excel and exporting data to Excel has been possible for many years. Recently, the importing interface in Excel was updated to make things clearer. More importantly is the new ability to import data from Excel into multiple AFT Fathom scenarios – all in one operation. Read more about Excel data exchange.

Additionally, you can use the Excel Export Manager to automatically export Output window tables directly into an Excel file with the various AFT Fathom tables going onto different Excel worksheets, This allows you to map Output window table data at the cell, row, column or table level into the Excel workbook and worksheet of your choice. Further, you can also map graph data output from items in the Graph List Manager into Excel. You can configure the Excel Export Manager to automatically export the data into an open Excel workbook or one currently closed. Finally, you can use the popular Batch Run feature to automatically export output results from multiple scenarios into separate Excel worksheets.

2. Import Files to jump-start your models

Meet the Import Piping Layout Wizard. It allows you to  import piping layouts from CAESAR II, SmartPlant, CADWorx, AutoCAD Plant 3D and EPANET. AFT Fathom also allows users to import piping layouts from CAESAR II® Neutral files. The CII Neutral file is a de facto standard in many sectors of industry. You can also import Piping Component Files (*.pcf). This format is supported by SmartPlant®, CADWorx® and AutoCAD Plant 3D, among others. All of this is in addition to the previous capability to import GIS shape files.

In the water industry a common file format is EPANET. AFT Fathom will import and export EPANET files.

3. Isometric Mode for the Workspace

In addition to the traditional 2D Free Form interface for model building, use Isometric mode to build and view your pipe system models. 

4. Heat Transfer Calculation Features

AFT Fathom has had coupled heat transfer modeling since version 3 in 1997. Newer features include automatic external heat transfer coefficient calculation, buried pipe heat transfer correlations, and the ability to model heat tracing on pipes. 

5. Adjusting Ambient Pressure

Valves in your facility likely show gauge pressure, but the definition of 0 gauge pressure depends on elevation. If you’re trying to match Fathom output to measured data (or vice versa) and you don’t change what ambient pressure is for your Fathom model, it may be difficult to directly compare the output and field data. Read more.

6. And, Not, Or – Complex Logic for Transient Events 

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. Over time, AFT has enhanced the transient capabilities to allow the definition of these complex ​Multi-Condition Events​.

7. Eliminate Negative Flows

Built-in loss correlations are based on forward velocity in pipes. In most cases, these correlations are valid for negative flow as well, but some are not. Examples of this include correlations for losses at tees or area changes. In those cases, it can be beneficial to eliminate negative flow rates. 

8. Graph Sets

If you’ve ever used the Graph Results window, you know the power of visually examining your output. Saving your graph settings as a Graph Set means you don’t have to rebuild it each time you run any scenario in the model. 

9. Jump between Properties Windows

In any Properties window for objects in the workspace, AFT software lets users ‘jump’ to other objects. This tool can help users more quickly define their model, eliminating the need to go back to the workspace after defining each object. 

10. Automatic Renumbering

It’s easy for large models to become disorganized as new pipes and junctions are slowly added in. The Renumber Wizard (under the Edit menu) helps users organize their model by speeding up and assisting in the renumbering process.