Editor’s Pick: Flowmaster Update Offers Multi-Arm Tank Component

Dear Desktop Engineering Reader:

Mentor Graphics Corp. recently released version 7.9.4 of its Flowmaster 1D general-purpose CFD (computational fluid dynamics) software for thermo-fluid systems design. Pipe stress analysis is a particular focus of this release, which is one of many good reasons why Flowmaster 7.9.4 is today’s Pick of the Week.

By “general purpose,” Mentor Graphics really means flexible. Yes, Flowmaster is available in a general-purpose edition and in tailored editions for engineers in such industries as aerospace, automotive, gas turbine and power generation. Still, engineers in all sorts of industries use Flowmaster’s transient solver capabilities to simulate phenomena like pressure surge, temperature and fluid flow rates system-wide.

System-wide is a key component here. Flowmaster provides you tools that you can use to quickly conceptualize fluid system designs with minimal geometric data as well as evaluate design alternatives against your performance targets.

System-wide also takes on new meaning beginning with Flowmaster 7.9.4. For the first time, according to Mentor Graphics, Flowmaster offers integration with the third-party pipe stress analysis tools CAEPIPE and CAESAR II from SST Systems and Intergraph Corp, respectively.

What this means for you is that you can do things like calculate the hydrodynamic force generated by a fluid transient event in Flowmaster and export the resulting force-history to CAEPIPE and CAESAR II for pipe stress analysis. Mentor Graphics explains that these “seamless interfaces facilitate geometry and data transfer” between the two CAE tools. They add that you can attain complete system performance results under transient conditions early in the design process by using this functionality.

Version 7.9.4 has other notable enhancements. One, described as “a feature of particular applicability” to aerospace engineers, is a Multi-Arm Tank Component that lets you choose your heat transfer models: poly-tropic or full heat transfer. Two, an enhanced Experiments capability lets you modify key system parameters and observe the impact immediately and from one place in the software.

Mentor graphics has released version 7.9.4 of Flowmaster, its general-purpose 1D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solution for modeling and analysis of fluid mechanics and pipe/duct flow in complex systems. Image courtesy of Mentor Graphics Corp.

You can learn more about Flowmaster 7.9.4 from today’s Pick of the Week write-up. One link at the end will take you to a white paper that describes why and how 1D abstractions of your system level thermo-fluid analysis jobs makes a lot of sense. An on-demand webinar will show you how that hydrodynamic force generation export capability works. But the link you may really want to check out is the one that goes to a complimentary Flowmaster cloud-based trial. Hands-on exploration is always the best route to take.

Thanks, Pal. – Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood

Editor at Large, Desktop Engineering

Learn about Flowmaster 7.9.4. here.