Improved radiation workflow in Simcenter STAR-CCM+
Johan BernanderSenior Application Specialist
In short
Since 2406, radiation properties in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ are set once per Surface Material instead of emissivity, reflectivity and transmissivity on every boundary. Each boundary then just selects its material, which saves clicks and mistakes, and surface materials can be stored in the material database for reuse.
Since the release of Simcenter STAR-CCM+ 2406 there is a new improved workflow for specifying radiation properties, incorporating a newly introduced continuum model called “Surface Materials”. The legacy setup for radiation properties in STAR-CCM+ required user input on emissivity, reflectivity, transmissivity and reflective specularity on each radiation boundary. This could be a very click-intensive workflow for models including many parts. The new workflow offers a more rationalized and streamlined methodology, that effectively reduces the number of clicks while also minimizing the risk of mistakes.
Legacy workflow
Let’s take a look at what the legacy workflow could look like as a reference. The pictures below show an example from a case with Surface-to-Surface Gray Thermal Radiation in version 2310. Here we have a glass cube with two heated copper pipes inside. With the legacy workflow, we would need to specify emissivity, reflectivity and transmissivity for each of the boundaries participating in the radiation heat transfer.
New workflow (from version 2406)
Considering the same case with the new radiation workflow (introduced in version 2406), the boundary input has reduced from nine to three entries. So, instead of specifying emissivity, reflectivity and transmissivity, we are now only prompted to insert a so-called “Surface Material” on each boundary.
The “Surface Material” entry refers to a new continuum model which is now a required selection when activating radiation in the continuum.
The “Surface Materials” node is where the input on radiation properties is done in the latest versions. This means that for all boundaries having the same material, input is given only once.
On boundary level, this means that the radiation properties are applied through the “Surface Material” node, where you simply select the relevant material for the specific boundary.
This way of specifying the radiation properties as a global parameter means that you can make updates or changes more easily. You can also add Surface Materials to the Material Databases so that they are readily available for future simulations and/or template files.
I hope this blog post has given a helpful demonstration of the new radiation workflow. This specific topic was actually a suggestion from one of our customers, thank you for showing interest in our work. As always, if you have any comments, questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to contact us on support@volupe.com.
Application Specialist Simcenter STAR-CCM+
