FloMASTER Thermo-fluid Solution Offers CAD Connectivity, Physics and Enhanced User Experience

Mentor, a Siemens business, announces the latest release of the FloMASTER 1D thermo-fluid system modeling product. Combining integration with 3D mechanical computer-aided design (MCAD) with new physics and an improved user experience, the latest release of the FloMASTER tool offers advancements in productivity through automated connectivity to 3D CAD design tools. The new “CAD-to-FloMASTER” (CAD2FM) functionality enables design engineers to rapidly create representations of their 3D systems. CAD2FM automatically abstracts the 3D descriptions of piping networks into a collection of connected FloMASTER components, reducing manual, labor-intensive and error-prone measure and re-enter methods.

“With the new CAD2FM capability in the FloMASTER release, we managed to massively speed up the conversion process of our piping systems from a 3D MCAD model to a system model,” says Stefano Morlacchi, CFD solution specialist, CADLOG. “We achieved this while still maintaining the accuracy of a fully-detailed FloMASTER network with all pipes, bend and junctions defined.”

The automated workflow allows users to control the fidelity level of the abstracted models and the number of FloMASTER components created to represent the piping geometry for efficient thermo-fluid Simulation. This new one-touch workflow is available in a standalone version, as well as integrated within PTC Creo, Dassault CATIA V5, and Siemens NX software and Solid Edge software CAD tools.

In addition, the FloMASTER release includes new functionality for air conditioning systems. Enhancements have been made to the FloMASTER Enthalpy Solver and 14 new components added to the Vapour Cycle (VC) component library. These enhancements enable AC systems to be modelled and simulated for a wide range of use cases, from traditional automotive and building systems, to complex, multi-component and multi-loop systems for aerospace and advanced electrical vehicle (EV) cooling applications.  By leveraging both the new AC developments and the existing VC components, several advanced thermodynamic cycles can be investigated including (but not limited to) Trilateral Flash Cycles, Trans-critical Rankine Cycles, and advanced multi stage cycles. Using these powerful engineering components, designs can be quickly and easily created at the earliest stage possible, enabling accurate and quick system level design exploration.

The FloMASTER release also enhances the user experience through a number of new and improved features that offer improved result processing while facilitating common operations. In this framework, a new results dashboard is available as a quick reference tool to monitor critical results for transient simulations. A new gas turbine cavity result viewer provides the user with all results of a cavity in a single location.  In addition, output parameters have been enhanced to allow the user to quickly view the result at the end of the Simulation, while the addition of schematic annotation allows users to highlight areas of interest and improve system understanding.

For more info, visit Mentor.

Sources: Press materials received from the company.