Integrated CFD Simulation Environment Updated

By DE Editors

CD-adapco (New York and London) has announced the release of STAR-CCM+ v5.04, the newest version of its multi-disciplinary simulation tool designed to create a single, integrated environment for CFD engineering projects. Version 5.04 is said to offer more than 180 user-requested enhancements across its entire simulation workflow.

“This latest release of STAR-CCM+ improves on the last both with new features helping broaden application scope and also through performance improvements throughout the engineering simulation workflow,” said VP of Product Management, Jean-Claude Ercolanelli in a press statement. “Having already delivered a set of best-in-class meshing features that significantly reduce geometry preparation and mesh generation turnaround time, STAR-CCM+  v5.04 now improves on solver time, model handling and manipulation, and post processing.”

The company reports that a key reason for the faster turnaround time is the introduction of grid sequencing initialization. This is said to provide the software’s coupled solver with a better initialization state, which, the company explains, produces a converged result in approximately half the time previously possible. Additionally, the software’s segregated solver now offers a new pre-conditioned conjugate gradient solver,  said to aid both scalability and solution speed.

STAR-CCM+ version 5.04 enhances the software’s previous ability for handling extremely large and complex geometries by “enabling users to more easily manipulate, visualize, and post process their models.” The range of performance improvements in version 5.04 “significantly”  reduces the frame rate for model visualization and, according to company estimates, returns nearly a 50 percent time reduction for the calculation of post-processing plots.

CD-adapco has completely re-written the STAR-CCM+ mesh morphing technology, resulting in what it describes as “massive gains in performance.” The mesh morphing feature is now fully scalable, which allows engineers to modify large model geometry.

STAR-CCM+ v5.04 offers extended 3D CAD functionality through new sketching and constraints as well as modeling features such as lofting,  sweeping, and patterning. Further, the software’s multiphysics functionalities have been improved with such features as a new material database, the Bai-Gosman model for Lagrangian phase wall interaction, coal combustion with multiple devolatized species, and degassing boundaries for Eulerian multiphase flow.

CD-adapco has improved the ability of STAR-CCM+ to link with specialist third-party software by upgrading the software’s GT-power co-simulation capability. Additionally, STAR-CCM+ now can couple with WAVE, the 1D engine and gas-dynamics simulation software from Ricardo, and OLGA, the 1D pipeline flow assurance and well dynamics software from SPT Group.

“The ability to co-simulate with these 1D tools shows our commitment to delivering a product that is not only integrated within itself but also with other tools for the benefit of our users,” explains CD-adapco’s Ercolanelli in a written statement. “The addition of the OLGA coupling demonstrates our commitment to delivering a complete simulation tool for the oil and gas industry.”

For complete information on STAR-CCM+ v5.04, go to CD-adapco.

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