FloCAD - Fluid Dynamics Software

Integrating Fluid Flow Networks with CAD-Based FEA or FDA

FloCAD provides the ability to model piping systems, heat transfer equipment and power cycles, tanks and vessels, and heat pipes. Single- or two-phase fluid systems can be modeled, as well as compressible and incompressible fluids, and fluid mixtures. Features include custom control systems, turbomachinery, chemically reacting flows, complex vessels with many ports and piping penetrations, and capillary and thermosiphon systems.

As a generalized pipe flow software tool, FloCAD captures the pressure drops in a piping network due to bends, valves, tees, changes in flow area, etc. As a full thermohydraulic software tool it also accounts for the acceleration terms associated with axial variations in velocity due to density, side flow, or the transient storage and release of mass in compressible tanks in addition to phase change associated with evaporation and condensation. Combining these pipe flow capabilities with FloCAD's geometric ports provides enhanced modeling of fluid flow entering and leaving complex tanks and vessels.

As with the rest of the Thermal Desktop suite, FloCAD includes full parameterization using spreadsheet-like variables and arbitrarily complex expressions as input, rather than hardwired numbers. This allows complex models to be rapidly manipulated using a few keystrokes, meaning that updating or maintaining a model is trivially easy, as is performing sensitivity studies and investigating what-if scenarios. This provides access to SINDA/FLUINT's Optimization and Reliability Engineering modules, which can be used to size components, maximize performance, find worst-case operating conditions (design cases), calibrate models to test data, and even treat uncertainties statistically.

Fluid Modeling Features

• Generates flow networks and calculates convective heat transfer factors for solution by CRTech's SINDA/FLUINT
• Uses CAD geometry directly, or accepts snap-on thermal surfaces
  • Fluid flow networks can be based on geometry, or can be sketchpad-style, or both
  • Integration with 2D/3D thermal structures, unlike non-geometric fluid network modeling tools
  • Automatic connection and apportionment of convection links to thermal surfaces
• Postprocesses temperatures, pressures, flow rates, flow regimes, liquid fill levels, flow qualities, and void fractions for fast interpretation
• Faster model building and faster calculations than CFD enables system-level transient solutions, investigation of alternatives, sizing and sensitivities, and calibration to test or CFD data
• Arbitrary fluids including dry air, moist air (psychrometrics), water, water/glycol, cryogens, and dielectric fluids
  • Accepts user-defined fluids as well
• Compartments and ports for fluid modeling of the flow in and out of complex tanks

Pipe Flow Devices and Components

• Full access to FLUINT flow network modeling capabilities, with abbreviated inputs for common components
  • Full selection of turbomachines: pumps, fans, compressors, and turbines
  • Flow passages and ducts, including complex pipes
  • Filters and porous media
  • Valves, venturis, orifices, tees, and loss elements, including PID and user-programmable control schemes
  • Capillary evaporator pumps for Loop Heat Pipes (LHPs)
  • Heat Pipes, constant and variable conductance (CCHP, VCHP)
• Fast-solving methods for analyzing complex vessels
  • Locations of piping ports and penetrations on the sides or insides of vessels
• Heat exchanger modeling, from detailed to top-level system approximations and sizing
• Built-in K-factor calculator resistance utility for common fittings
• Specialized waterhammer features including complex Pipe walls, two-phase line priming events

Access to Thermal Desktop Modeling Tools

• User-defined symbols and expressions
  • Rapidly propagate design changes
  • Support for SINDA/FLUINT's Advanced Design Module: parametric modeling, optimization, model correlation, and reliability engineering
• Network element logic and indirect referencing automate the application of user customizations

FloCAD Connectivity

• FloCAD is an optional fluid flow simulation module of CRTech's CAD-based Thermal Desktop, which handles conduction and capacitance in surfaces and solids, features arbitrary (nongeometric) nodes, and supports FEM models including innovative automatic network simplification techniques, and mapping to structural analysis codes such as NASTRAN and ANSYS
  • CRTech's TD Direct can be used to import virtually any CAD format, clean and defeature, then mark fluid convection zones (for example) and mesh
• Also available: RadCAD® for thermal radiation
• FloCAD is fully supported by the EZXY Plotter