Fluent Training News

Fluent is in the process of converting the advanced FLUENT training notes to CD-ROM-based training. The first CD-ROM in the series, titled Advanced Turbulence Modeling, is now available, and can be purchased on-line from our Users’ Services Center. This CD-ROM describes all of the turbulence models and turbulence modeling options available in FLUENT. The CD-ROM also includes examples and case studies for selecting the appropriate turbulence model for different applications.

Other advanced training CD-ROMs are planned and will be released later this year. Examples of these CD-ROMs are:

• Advanced Training on User Defined Functions in FLUENT
• Advanced Combustion Modeling
• Advanced Multiphase Modeling

Please check the Users’ Service Center for expected release dates and availability, as well as for the release plans of other CD-ROMs in the series.

Teaming with Intel on IA64

Keeping up with developments in computer hardware is an important focus at Fluent, where much effort goes into tuning our software for top performance on new processors and system architectures. Currently, work is underway to ensure support for Intel’s new 64-bit processor, which is known as IA64 and has also been dubbed Itanium. The advent of IA64 promises a new level of performance in personal computers, allowing CFD users to analyze much larger problems by virtue of the greatly extended access to memory. The IA64 chip also forms part of the technical roadmap for some systems currently using RISC-based processors.

Fluent was chosen as one of Intel’s strategic partners for the launch of the IA64 systems, providing us with direct technical support and early access to hardware for development and testing. Currently, IA64/NT versions of our software are being tested and IA64/Linux versions are under development. Partnerships with Hewlett-Packard and SGI will also provide Fluent with access to the first generation of commercial hardware for final qualification.

Engine Cycle Simulation Coupling with FLUENT Enhances Powertrain Capabilities

Integration with Gamma Technologies’ GT-Power as well as with Ricardo Software’s WAVE, in upcoming FLUENT releases, will provide the ability to couple a three-dimensional CFD simulation with one-dimensional engine cycle simulation codes. This functionality is expected to strengthen FLUENT’s already prominent role in automotive CFD, particularly in the area of powertrain applications.

One-dimensional engine cycle simulation codes are widely used to model the complete engine system. Rather than attempting to perform an unsteady, three-dimensional simulation of the complete system, the system is represented as a one-dimensional network of components. The performance of each component is imposed empirically by specification of model parameters. The advantage of this one-dimensional approach is that the effect of a particular component on overall system performance can be evaluated inexpensively. On the other hand, this approach relies on empirical calibration at the component level.

With the introduction of 1D-3D coupling in FLUENT, the necessity of empirically modeling components with inherently 3D effects, such as the intake or exhaust manifolds, is removed. Instead, information is passed from FLUENT to the cycle simulation code to characterize its performance. In turn, the cycle simulation code passes boundary condition information back to FLUENT, removing the need to generate these conditions beforehand. Since the two codes are coupled, the calculation is more accurate at both the system and component levels.

In previous releases of FLUENT, it was possible to simulate transient intake and exhaust manifolds. However, the transient boundary conditions had to be specified a-priori. These boundary conditions were typically generated from one-dimensional engine codes with the intake and exhaust manifolds modeled empirically. After the 1D code execution is complete, the boundary information is then fed into FLUENT via tabular input files. Since the transient 3D results do not affect the 1D system calculation, this is often referred to as “one-way” or “loose” coupling.

The two-way coupling in the upcoming FLUENT releases will offer great advantages over the previous one-way coupling that we have had in the past.

Fluent Joins Multiphase Curriculum Development Program

Training undergraduate engineering students in the use of CFD for multiphase flows is the ambitious goal of a Combined Research and Curriculum Development (CRCD) project initiated by three US universities this year. Working with Michigan State University, the University of Tulsa, and the University of Akron, Fluent will act as an industrial advisor on the project, overseeing student design teams working on challenging industrial problems and helping to illustrate how CFD can be used for multiphase flow modeling. Fluent will also contribute to the development of a distance learning web site, focused on the application of CFD to multiphase flows. “The CRCD project fits well into our strategic focus on working closely with academics and pursuing various approaches to deploying CFD in the engineering curriculum,” notes Barbara Hutchings, Fluent’s Director of Strategic Partnerships.

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