Introducing the world’s most practical fluid dynamics solution
CFD by Hexagon – increase productivity by a factor of ten
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10x productivity without sacrificing accuracy: CFD by Hexagon
Computational fluid dynamics is one of the most challenging physics to simulate, both in terms of knowledge and time required to solve a problem. It is also one of the most important ones in the present era of engineering, allowing us to understand dynamic fluid flow, study heat dissipation and design next-generation energy processes. Leaps in the development of computational power and architecture has helped democratize CFD and make it available to a growing audience of businesses, large and small. Even so, outside consultancy remains a large cost carrier, in addition to the irretrievable currency, which is time.
There are three main causes for this problem: difficult setup, complex calculations, and unclear results. The best way to remove these bottlenecks and speed everything up is to employ a solution designed for productivity: handling the unique complexity of meshing CFD models, analyzing them quickly, and delivering insights that they can be easily understood, and as a result, bring true practical value across organizations, teams, and disciplines.
Difficult setup
Setting up a CFD model involves defining hypotheses, establishing boundary conditions, and specifying parameters. While this phase can be time-consuming, it is nothing compared to the CAD preparation required for meshing. Meshing is the process of converting the geometry of the model into small cells. These cells are then analysed by the solver, which in turn needs an accurate, clean mesh to produce meaningful results. Preparing a mesh is an intricate process involving complicated tasks such as removing fillets, intersections, small gaps, and addressing slivers. The more sophisticated the product or design is, the more laborious it will be to mesh. CFD simulation software with integrated preprocessing capabilities helps simplify mesh preparation and get models ready for analysis much faster.
Complex calculations
The calculation phase is inherently time consuming due to the complex, nonlinear mathematics involved. To extract maximum practical value from the equations governing fluid dynamics, users need to bring a high level of proficiency in modelling and parametrization. The calculations themselves require extensive computational resources, particularly when compared to linear physics. Even seemingly straightforward CFD simulations, such as pressure drop assessments, depend on non-linear equations that must be solved across millions of cells. That’s why CFD simulation software must be capable of making efficient use of computing power: so that you can get your results faster.
Unclear results
Dedicated effort during setup and calculation ensures precision in the results obtained, and once you have a visual representation of the results, the next step is understanding the insights from the analysis. Interpreting the results of a CFD analysis requires deep under -standing of interacting and coupled physics – like how a fluid flow can impact a thermal distribution and vice versa. However, this interpretation can be challenging if the visualization provided by your CFD simulation software isn’t pragmatic and accessible to those without decades of extensive experience.
The “10x” solution for contemporary challenges in fluid dynamics: CFD by Hexagon
Thankfully, it is possible to simplify these complex workflows and enable engineers to per form CFD simulations and analyse results more efficiently. Hexagon’s Cradle CFD not only makes fluid dynamics more accessible to engineers and designers, it also gets you results much faster than the industry standard — minimum ten times faster, and even more. By accelerating the most time-consuming steps of the CFD simulation and analysis process you’ll get to make decisions when you need to, reduce substantial costs associated with engineering time, and get your products to market more quickly.The benefits of a “10x” productivity improvement
- Save money by reducing engineering time, and employ a shift-to-zero mindset to conduct only the most important physical tests and thereby minimize waste.
- Employ shift-left thinking, to make faster decisions and iterate on designs earlier in the process.
- Use engineering and computing resources more efficiently.
- Bring products to market faster.
Making CAD preparation headaches a thing of the past
CAD preparations are notoriously known for being the most tedious portion of CFD model setup. To solve this problem, Hexagon’s Cradle CFD provides purposeful meshing capabilities that ensure unparalleled speed without compromising on accuracy.
Cartesian mesh technology
Utilizing Cartesian mesh technology, the model is divided into hexahedral cells by defining a target cell size and determining the level of detail that should be preserved during the meshing process. It’s that simple. If required, these two parameters can also be defined locally. This method allows thousands of parts to be meshed in a matter of seconds.
Voxel fitting mesh technology
While Cartesian mesh technology is undeniably powerful, users may need a more detailed mesh that mirrors the original CAD shape as precisely as possible. For such mesh requirements, the best option is to use what we refer to as a Voxel Fitting mesh. This type of mesh is ideal in a scenario where a user is looking to solve an external aerodynamic challenge, such as determining the drag and lift coefficients of a car or wanting to understand what is going on in the engine bay. The first step in applying a voxel fitting mesh is to simply specify the cell sizes according to the required level of geometrical accuracy and precision in the results. Negligible details such as gaps and collisions will be automatically removed by this meshing technique. For optimal integration of user expertise and experience, meshing parameters can be enhanced as needed.
Turning hours into seconds with Cartesian mesh technology: An electric cabinet made up of 5,000 parts (bolts, nuts, cables, labels etc.) meshed on a laptop using Hexagon’s Cradle CFD. With the traditional approach of closed volumes, it would take hours or even days to produce an approximative geometry suitable for mesh. Cradle CFD’s Cartesian mesh capabilities generated a 90 million cell mesh of the cabinet within 30 seconds.
Automation and ROM where it adds the most value - Multi-task and simplify workflows with API integration
Integration provides an opportunity to further boost productivity. The automation capabilities of Hexagon’s Cradle CFD can be extended with an open API that supports integration with additional software. Using a simple spreadsheet, for example, engineers can select a few parameters of interest and run the CFD analysis while working on other tasks. The same process can also be performed using the system’s fully customizable, intuitive user interface.
Embedded AI and machine learning for faster, targeted calculations
Artificial intelligence (AI) adds another layer of capability in the form of Hexagon’s embedded ODYSSEE technology. ODYSSEE autonomously generates Design-of-Experiments (DOE) matrix and initiates batch calculations to feed into a machine learning system. ODYSSEE systematically analyses the response to variations in input parameters, also known as variables. The data sets employed for learning do not need to describe a complete model; they can selectively focus on specific areas, further speeding up the calculation process. The datasets are used to create Reduced Order Models (ROM), which are predictive representations of a system’s behaviour. A given ROM can be opened in a post-processing tool where, with just a few adjustments of smart sliders, the 3D visualisation will update automatically in a matter of seconds.
The ROM produces instantaneous results and comes with a range of powerful features, including smart sliders. By moving the sliders, the simulation conditions change accordingly in the system.
The customisable user interface enables the creation of tailored screens with the functions and features most often used.
To speed up preparation, the reduced order model focuses on points of interest rather than the whole system, further reducing processing time.
Stay local, or go cloud: scalability for any challenge
The more complex the challenge, the longer the calculation time, and the greater the need for high computation power. CFD simulation requires complex nonlinear equations to be solved on hundreds of thousands, to hundreds of millions of cells, and occasionally, more than a billion elements may be needed. Hexagon’s CFD software relies on a high-performance engine that simultaneously solves mass momentum and energy conservation equations to produce the most accurate results in the shortest amount of time.
However, speed on its own is not enough. Robust ness is also a prerequisite. To reduce the need for mesh iteration trials, and ensuring that an analysis runs to completion, the density-based solver uses stabilisation techniques that guarantee numerical convergence.
This means that calculations are less sensitive to the precision of the mesh. This becomes a key advantage when analysing geometries rich with features that may produce low quality elements, or when simulating abrupt-type phenomena such as shock waves.
When local hardware resources become a bottleneck, the logical step is to move things to the cloud. Hexagon has removed the limitations on hardware and software licenses with the introduction of the open platform service Nexus compute. We continuously assess solver performance to ensure optimal parallel processing capabilities. As an example, our validation includes utilizing up to 25,000 parallels on an AWS HPC6a or a staggering 192,000 parallels on the Fugaku supercomputer.
The solver can deal with complex phenomena that are typically difficult to capture in a simulation, such as shockwaves.
Use on-premise computational resources, or lean on Hexagon’s cloud-based high-performance computing servers for parallel simulation.
Here we see how the airplane is captured in the system, along with the accuracy of the CFD modelling.
The more computing power, the faster the results, as can be seen in the analysis of this stadium.
Intuitive visualization delivers unique insights
Powerful visualisation capabilities are the key to providing unique insights into the behaviour of any product or design. Employing a full-colour spectrum for this purpose provides both context and clarity to simulation results. Analytical features such as heat balance and heat path views help to visualise the heat flux moving through a system. Seeing the flux makes it possible to immediately spot a thermal bottleneck or the contribution of heat exchange modes to the system. This intuitive kind of visualisation greatly accelerates the interpretation work and as a result makes it easy to share information across functions in a form that provides practical value to all stakeholders. The insights help teams to find solutions and detect possible problems. For example, in the case of a thermal dissipation challenge, it becomes a fast and simple task to choose whether to promote convection or radiation, and to judge if the amount of heat taken away by a heatsink is enough.
Enhance the experience with virtual and augmented reality
To further enhance the modelling experience, simulation results can be presented in virtu al and augmented reality.
Exploded visuals or clear spreadsheets show the amount of heat flux between the different parts of a system. This way you can spot if there are any bottlenecks and determine where to improve a design.
Augmented reality enables you to see simulated airflows in the room where you’re standing.
Virtual reality enables the experience of being inside a postprocessing scenario, with a 360° view, and inspecting the model in a fully immersive environment. Cradle CFD analysis results can also be exported for augmented reality. This makes it possible to overlay CFD plots onto the real world using a smartphone or tablet, see the way airflows or fluids are moving throughout a given space, and walk within or around the simulated model.
Full colour spectrum visualisation makes it easier to interpret results and collaborate with colleagues.
Virtual reality gives you a 360° view of a design.
Five steps to CFD success
The decision to invest in a CFD solution should be well-informed and place the focus on practical use. Will it make things easier, faster, better, and more reliable? Any list of such questions will be long and can bear heavily on decision makers. To lighten that burden, we have devised a recipe for success:
Still wondering if our CFD system can transform your operations?
We know that it’s a big decision to choose a CFD solution, or to transition to another system, so we’ve gathered all the reasons why you should choose Hexagon here:
Key features:
- Smart meshing that streamlines and minimises CAD preparation, while expediating simulation setup without sacrificing quality.
- Automation and AI integration that accelerates and simplifies calculations.
- A Solver validated on 192,000 parallels that produces results anywhere between 10 to 200 times faster.
- Intuitive result displays that simplify analysis and make it easier to collaborate.
- Virtual and augmented reality that creates an experience for any stakeholder.
Key benefits:
- Make decisions faster
- Launch products sooner
- Use resources more efficiently
- Save time and money
- Go from zero to fully operational in record time, thanks to our support.
Do what trailblazers of aerospace, automotive, construction equipment, and electronics have done
Harness the potential of Cradle CFD for robust solutions, accelerated outcomes, and the discerning insights essential for agile design choices.
Reach out today to amplify your productivity by leaps and bounds.