Fluent and BHR Group Jointly Market Engineering Services; Initial Focus on North American Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Process Industry.

Business/Technology Editors

LEBANON, N.H. and CRANFIELD, U.K.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 17, 2000

Fluent Inc, the leading supplier of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, and BHR Group Limited, an internationally recognized authority in the field of fluid mixing and process technology, announce their agreement to market modeling and analysis services jointly and to provide total-solution consulting to the process industries in North America. By combining resources, the two companies offer a best-in-class combination of computer simulation, mathematical analysis, and physical modeling to solve engineering problems at a time when the process industry is coming under increasing pressure from competition and environmental legislative compliance. The collaboration provides tangible cost savings on modeling and analysis projects by providing customized solutions based on the right combination of technical approaches. Moreover, the agreement gives customers access to the combined and coordinated expertise of the world leaders in CFD, fluid mixing, and related process technologies. Initially focused on the chemical, pharmaceutical, and other process industries in North America, the agreement is expected to broaden in the future to other geographic and market sectors.

Fluent and BHR Group have appointed managers in both companies to coordinate the new service. In addition, BHR Group has taken a license of Fluent's FLUENT and MixSim software.

According to Ahmad Haidari, Fluent's Business Manager for the US process industry sector, "By teaming with BHR Group, we can ensure optimization of our clients' processes through multi-disciplinary projects. Fluent's strengths in CFD-based simulation complement the expertise of BHR Group. By combining forces, we can now deploy a formidable array of theoretical and practical skills to tackle the widest possible range of projects. We can offer simple design audits, as well as complex studies combining state-of-the-art CFD and experimental techniques. In each case, customers will be able to tailor our services to their individual needs," Haidari concluded.

Andrew Green, Managing Director of BHR Group's Process R&D business, echoes Ahmad Haidari's comments, "The alliance with Fluent also allows BHR Group to bring additional value to our Fluid Mixing Processes (FMP) consortium. FMP is a world recognized authority on mixing processes, issuing research results and design guides to around 40 members for the design, operation and scale-up of mixers. As a member of FMP, Fluent already provides the consortium with access to its software, FLUENT and MixSim. Under our new agreement, Fluent will offer each of the FMP members access to its MixSim software in order to review CFD models and Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) data produced by BHR Group. We intend to continue exploring how Fluent can provide additional value to FMP's CFD program and expect to see cooperation between the two companies increase markedly, both within FMP and in the wider process industry."

About Fluent

Fluent Inc. is a world leader in the rapidly growing field of computerized design and simulation software. The software is used to predict fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, chemical reaction and related phenomena. Fluent's software products and consulting services help engineers in leading corporations world-wide with detailed product development, design optimization, trouble shooting, scale-up and retrofitting. Use of the software significantly reduces engineering cost, while improving the final design of products in applications ranging from design of electronic components and systems to automotive engineering, and from combustion system design to process plant troubleshooting. Fluent's corporate headquarters are located in Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA. Its European headquarters are located in Sheffield, England, with local offices in France, Germany, and Italy. The software is also available around the world through joint ventures, partnerships and distributors in Japan, Korea, Australia, the Czech Republic, and most European countries. Fluent is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aavid Thermal Technologies Inc. Additional information on Fluent's products can be obtained on the World Wide Web at http://www.fluent.com or by e-mailing [e-mail]. More information on Aavid Thermal Technologies is available at http://www.aavid.com.

About BHR Group

BHR Group is the world center of expertise in fluid mixing and is an internationally recognized authority in the fields of hydraulics, fluid mechanics, sealing and other key process technologies. BHR Group provides consultancy in physical modeling, reaction engineering, process intensification, product and process development. Its skills are being utilized increasingly for business and process reengineering as industry comes under pressures for competitiveness and legislative compliance.

BHR Group established the Fluid Mixing Processes consortium (FMP) in 1983. FMP is the world recognized authority on mixing processes, providing industry with research results and guidelines for design, operation and scale-up of reaction vessels. The prime objective of FMP is to improve the profitability, effectiveness and safety of stirred or jet mixed reactors. Optimization of processes is ensured through multi-disciplinary implementation procedures, which match mixing and fluid dynamics to the process chemistry and mass transfer requirements. The FMP program is organized and managed by BHR Group and wholly funded by industry. FMP is an innovative approach to shared cost research, which enables participants not only to join the program when it is relevant to their needs, but also to gain access to the results of all the previous work

As a center of expertise, FMP attracts a range of industrial mixing inquiries from around the world from members and non-members. Specific problems are investigated under separate commercial contracts by BHR Group engineers.

Graphic images and accompanying captions to support this release can be found on the web at http://www.fluent.com/news/pressrel/PressRel.htm by following the links to this release. Fluent Inc. grants permission for use of these graphics and their captions in conjunction with any or all of this press release.