Computational fluid dynamics software - New Technology - New computational fluid dynamics software program - Brief Article - Product Announcement

Automotive Industries, Jan, 2002 by John Shea

How does water flow down and then drain off a windshield during the de-icing phase? How much gasoline converts to fuel vapor and escapes into the atmosphere as you're filling your tank? The ability to predict accurate answers to these multi-phase events has become a hot topic for design engineers, many of whom are faced with increasing performance and environmental demands.

A new computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software program may provide help. Fluent Inc., based in Lebanon, N.H., has just released Fluent 6.0. It says this new version will be able to tackle a new class of multi-phase modeling issues, including simulations of de-icing and water runoff, fuel tank studies, HVAC systems and components, and flow-induced noise.

Another major development here is a new moving/deforming mesh capability, being released in beta form only on the 6.0 version. ("Beta form only" means the data should successfully transfer to the final design, but Fluent can't yet guarantee it will in all cases.) This capability will provide design engineers with virtual insight into the internal combustion engine, perhaps the mother of all CFD challenges for structural analysis.

"We believe our competitive advantage is ease of use, robustness and reliability," says Lisa Mesaros, business manager for Fluent's automotive business team. Engineers from Jaguar and Ford confirm this, saying their initial experiences with Fluent 6.0 have been positive. Fluent 6.0 entered the market on Dec. 15, 2001. For more information, go to www.fluent.com.