Darmstadt, Germany, April 13, 2006

Fluent Inc., the world leader in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software and services, and J. Eberspächer GmbH & Co. KG, a leading German automotive parts manufacturer, today announces a joint collaboration to develop a diesel particulate filter simulation tool. This new tool will allow companies to computationally design and optimise particulate filters in passenger car and truck applications with respect to soot loading and regeneration behavior for a filter's projected full lifecycle before it is even manufactured.

Increasingly, people in urban landscapes are experiencing deleterious health effects resulting from prolonged exposure to microscopic dust particles, especially particulates coming from the increasing numbers of diesel powered trucks and cars on our roads. The current generation of particulate filters are effective within domestic diesel cars and are very good at reducing particulate emissions. However, a rising demand for improvements in filter designs is being demanded by governmental agencies especially with respect to their regeneration behavior during normal cyclic operating conditions out on the street. Parallel to this growing need to improve the increasing number of diesel filters in our cities, manufacturers have identified a need for a software prediction tool to assess the behavior of such filters in the early design phase. Ideally, they want to take into account the condition of a given car's exhaust, the mileage of the car, its filter size and its filter shape in a flow modeling tool.

Fluent Deutschland GmbH, based in Darmstadt , Germany , and Eberspächer have generated a combined 3D/1D modeling tool, using the popular FLUENT CFD code and MATLAB TM from Mathworks Inc., to calculate diesel filter soot distribution, pressure, and regeneration under any operating condition. Eberspächer's MATLAB based diesel filter tool simulates 1D channels during loading and regeneration and then because it is closely coupled with FLUENT's 3D CFD flow modeling datasets it can simulate a complete diesel filter's behavior for local particulate buildup and regeneration over time. This modelling approach can allow for the effects of non-uniform filter inlet flow conditions in a particular car to be simulated thus permitting an assessment of the soot distribution inside. A custom filter design that prevents damaging soot build up can then be determined in the computer before it is manufactured.

A further requirement to a filter's design that the software tool provides is the ability to predict the local soot oxidation as the filter is exposed to regeneration under different driving conditions. The filter's loading behavior after partial regeneration when it has experienced different types of driving cycles is of special interest to manufacturers, and that too can be predicted using the tool. This diesel filter design tool can simulate both a clean filter as well as a loaded filter after the car experiences high mileage. In the latter case effects like ash deposits (resulting both from oil ash or ash from fuel additives) can be considered.

Dr. Gerd Gaiser, Director Pre-Development Exhaust Technology of Eberspächer, comments on this tool, "The software resulting from this cooperation allows us to design optimum filter geometries with regard to soot loading distributions and the avoidance of partial regenerations even under difficult design conditions. The ability to predict the local regeneration behavior and thereby avoid excessive local temperatures is a major requirement for the design of diesel filters consisting of less expensive but more temperature sensitive material."

Werner Seibert, Global Automotive Segment Manager for Fluent Inc., sees this modeling tool as a significant step forward. "Our collaboration with Eberspächer has produced a unique design methodology that I believe will transform the design process for complex automotive diesel filters. The net effect will be a new tool to improve filter design and thereby reduce particulate emissions at the early design stage which should lead to an improved environment for everyone."

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 analysis 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 is deployed in nearly every manufacturing industry. FLUENT is used extensively in the Motor Racing industry worldwide by the vast majority of race teams. Using Fluent's software, engineers build virtual prototypes and simulate the performance of proposed and existing designs, allowing them to improve design quality while reducing cost and speeding time to market. Fluent's corporate headquarters are located in Lebanon , New Hampshire , USA , with offices in Belgium , England , France , Germany , India , Italy , Japan , China and Sweden . Its CFD software is also available around the world through joint ventures, partnerships, and distributors in Korea , Australia , Brazil , China , Taiwan , the Czech Republic , Middle East , and most European countries.

For press inquiries, contact:

Paul Whalen Fluent Inc. 10 Cavendish Court Lebanon, NH 03766 (603) 643-2600 Ext. 666 pww@fluent.com

About Eberspächer

Eberspächer develops and produces pioneering technical solutions in two product divisions: Exhaust systems (catalytic converters, particulate filters and silencers) and auxiliary heaters/add heaters for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and boats. In exhaust systems, Eberspächer is one of the four biggest suppliers in the world; in vehicle heaters, the company supplies a sizable share of the world market. Its core customers include DaimlerChrysler, BMW, Audi, VW, Renault, Land Rover, Opel, Toyota , Ford, PSA, Saab, Skoda, Seat, Iveco, MAN, SCANIA, VOLVO and RVI. The Eberspächer Group with its about 25 companies is independent of the stock market and of big conglomerates and is concentrated in its two core divisions, Exhaust Systems and Vehicle Heaters; it is characterised by a slim, medium-sized corporate structure, continuity, innovativeness, flexibility and individual communication. A workforce of well over 5400 employees in 16 countries contributes to solving the technological challenges of today and tomorrow.

Press contact for further information:

Klaus Teubner J. Eberspächer GmbH & Co. KG, Eberspächerstr. 24, D-73730 Esslingen Tel.: +49 711 939 0224, Fax: +49 711 939 0642 klaus.teubner@eberspaecher.com www.eberspaecher.com