Virtual Vantage Visualization Software Provides A Deeper and Faster Understanding of Complex Data Sets Resulting in Cost Savings

BATVIA, Illinois - July 22, 2002 - Virtual Vantage visualization software from Fuel-Tech N.V. (NASDAQ:FTEK) uses virtual reality technology to help provide a much deeper and faster understanding of complex data sets, such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results, than can be obtained with conventional post-processing tools. It is difficult and time-consuming to identify areas that are critical to solving the problem or optimizing the design when viewing CFD results in the conventional manner, as contour plots overlaid on cross-sections of the solution domain. Virtual Vantage, on the other hand, allows users to maneuver through the solution domain from a first-person perspective in three-dimensional space while viewing critical dependent variables as color contours.

"Without a powerful visualization tool, like Virtual Vantage software, it is often difficult to recognize the existence of problems or inefficiencies," said Bill Panepinto, General Manager of Software Products for Fuel-Tech. "The virtual reality approach makes it possible to gain a quick, intuitive understanding of the critical flow, pressure, temperature, and species parameters that are driving a process in a matter of minutes. This intuitive understanding makes it possible to iterate to an optimized design in a fraction of the time required with traditional tools. The result is that the user is able to perfect processes, improve products, reduce design-to-manufacturing cycle time, and reduce overall product development costs."

CFD has become an important design tool in nearly every industrial field because it provides values for fluid velocity, fluid temperature, fluid pressure and species concentrations throughout a flow domain. But CFD analysis to date has been limited by post-processors that provide results relative to a fixed user position that discourage discovery. Virtual Vantage software harnesses the power of virtual reality to convert the flow domain into a computer-generated world that the user can immerse himself or herself within in order to bring their fullest potential of human thought and skill to bear on the problem.

The data can be explored with a wide range of virtual reality environments. The user can maneuver through the design using a joystick, SpaceBall or SpaceMouse from 3Dconnexion, or keypad. The addition of an emitter and a pair of stereoscopic glasses can enhance the sense of depth and realism of the simulation. The virtual environment can be projected onto a wall to collaborate with designers, customers and managers. Projectors for wall displays can be for mono or stereovision and use LCD or DLP technology. Projection on multiple walls results in the creation of a virtual reality theater, of which the CAVE produced by FakeSpace Systems is a common example.

Virtual Vantage 3.0 software was introduced at the 2002 Fluent Users' Group Meeting. Fluent Inc. is the leading provider of CFD software with significant market share in the automotive, aerospace, power and chemical industries. Through a strategic partnership, Fluent provides Fuel Tech with marketing support for its Virtual Vantage technology. Panepinto added, "Our participation at the Fluent Users' Group Meeting is further evidence of the great progress that we have made in our Virtual Vantage business. As the leader in the CFD industry, Fluent's interest in our technology and our newly released Virtual Vantage 3.0 software is a considerable accomplishment. We are extremely excited about the opportunity to promote and market Virtual Vantage 3.0 software to Fluent's global clientele."

About Fuel-Tech N.V. 

Fuel-Tech N.V. is a leading technology company engaged in the worldwide development, commercialization and application of state-of-the-art proprietary technologies for air pollution control, process optimization, and advanced engineering services. The Company's NOx reduction processes, which include the NOxOUT, NOxOUT CASCADE, NOxOUT ULTRA, Fuel Lean Gas Reburn (FLGR), Rich Reagent Injection (RRI) and NOxOUT SCR technologies, have established Fuel-Tech N.V. as a leader in post combustion NOx control systems, which are installed on over 270 units worldwide.

New technologies that have grown out of the core NOx reduction business form the basis of the FUEL CHEM and Virtual Vantage(superscript: ) businesses. FUEL CHEM technology centers around the unique application of specialty chemicals to improve the performance of combustion units while the Company's Virtual Vantage business includes high-end visualization services and software that were developed as part of Fuel Tech's sophisticated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling techniques utilized to predict the behavior of industrial processes (www.virtualvantage.net). The Company's Fuel Chem products are being applied to over 80 combustion units burning a variety of fuels. 

www.fueltechnv.com

About Fluent 

Fluent is the world's largest provider of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software and consulting services. Fluent's software is used for simulation, visualization, and prediction of fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, and chemical reactions. It is a vital part of the computer-aided engineering (CAE) process for companies around the world and in almost every manufacturing industry including aerospace, automotive and process industries. Using Fluent's software, product development, design and research engineers build virtual prototypes and simulate the performance of proposed and existing designs, which helps them to optimize, troubleshoot, scale-up, and retrofit. Use of CFD software reduces time-to-market by reducing the need for costly physical testing and prototyping. Fluent's CFD software has been used extensively in competitive sports ranging from Motor Racing through Olympic Sports to Yacht Racing.

Fluent is a subsidiary of Aavid Thermal Technologies Inc. Additional information on Fluent's products can be obtained on the World Wide Web at www.fluent.com  or by e-mailing [email protected]. 

www.aavid.com

 

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