It this week’s blog post we will keep looking into the news of the latest Simcenter Star-CCM+ version. This time we will look at the remaining interesting news from the latest version. (2020.2)

Reacting flows

Another mention of the model based refinement now being available for reacting flows. The mesh near the flame front and the region of the flame front is adapted to ensure that it is well resolved, this leads to a 4x cell count reduction. The model is compatible across all gas-phase reacting flow models. No tuning is required. The AMR ensures that the flame front is well resolved in this highly transient flame.

Now, soot modelling using generalised precursor species is possible. This new feature has heavily improved soot modelling. The formation of soot forms via ‘precursors’ (see lower right hand image). The first step is formation of precursors via the chemical mechanism. These precursors are typically PAH of different forms such as A2, A2R5, A3, A3R5. The precursors then go on to ‘nucleate’ to form soot particles. Previously we could only use a single soot precursor (C2H2, C16H10) as a nucleation parameter which led to lower predicted values of soot. Now multiple PAH species (as many as needed) can be added to the soot nucleation model so that the correct soot pathways can be considered.

Analysis

The newest plot tool is bubble plots. Additional layers of information can be added to any XY plot with the new Bubble plot style: The bubble size can be used to show an additional scalar data series, AND, bubble color can be used to show a different additional scalar data series.

Bubble plots have several customization controls.

Bubble style options include choices for shape, border width, opacity and color
Bubbles can be scaled based on a linear (default), Log or Area scale
Bubbles can be colored using any colormap – there are new colormaps added that are more suitable for bubble plots
Legends for bubble plots carry more information – a size scale and a colorbar scale are both needed.

In Design Manager, you can create a bubble plot directly by right-clicking on a design study and selecting Bubble Plot from the drop down menu.

This series of images shows how bubble plots can add additional layers of information.

At left, we see the relationship between two scalars, Pressure and Tangential Velocity.

In the middle, we use the size of the bubbles to illustrate the Radial Velocity.

At right, we use the color of the bubbles to illustrate the Temperature.

Visualization

Introduction of interactive clip plane manipulation allows you to explore complex datasets quicker and more intuitively. This allows you to easily expose interior parts in detailed geometries and to stay within a scene making real-time modifications.

Another new feature useful in the visualisation workflow is the composite transform. Previously multiple displayers were needed to illustrate symmetry and periodically transformed content. The composite transforms overcome the limitation of having just one transform per displayer. The composite transform can be applied to any displayer.

In the picture below we can se the impact of hierarchical selection of the composite transform. At top, we have a basic Simple Transform that we will use in the Screenplay animation at right. In the middle, we show the effect of selecting JUST the Periodic Repeat Transform. At bottom, we show the effect of selecting the periodic repeat transform PLUS the symmetry transform. Previously, this image would have required 4 separate scalar displayers, and each would have needed to be manually synchronized.

I hope this series has been useful to you as a Simcenter STAR-CCM+ user. Note that the updates presented in this five-part series is NOT all the updates, but several that I have deemed interesting. For all updates you are referred to the documentation. Do not hesitate to contact me at robin.victor@volupe.com or at support@volupe.com if you have any questions.

Reacting flows

Analysis

Visualization

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