Altair HyperWorks CFD 2020 Release Notes

Highlights

  • Improved geometry modeling
  • Enhanced AcuSolve physics modeling
  • Setup Browser capability
  • Legacy HyperMesh and AcuConsole files support
  • Integrated post-processing (beta)
  • Performance improvements
  • Misc enhancements and robustness improvements

Improved Geometric Modeling

New geometry repair workflow
New repair tools have been added in the Geometry ribbon. You can now check, interactively review, and fix surface or solid related issues. More topology checks have been added to have a complete view of the model state.

You can make any of the checks active/inactive or isolate any of the failing surfaces/solids. The checks are updated automatically on any changes to see the real time state of the displayed solids/surfaces.

New wrapping workflow
New wrapping workflow to create a watertight mesh model out of a huge number of parts. With new organization and tools, you can convert the geometry model to an FE model –> Cap the openings automatically –> Define local or proximity-based wrap controls –> Wrap the model –> Remesh the wrapped results –> Fix quality using auto-quality fix or manual editing.


Figure 1.
Auto-fix tool for FE geometry models
A new tool has been added to automatically fix errors in FE models. You can automatically fix degenerated elements, duplicate elements, higher aspect ratio elements, and intersections within the selection. It is a very powerful utility to automatically fix many errors without any manual work.
Interactive mesh editing tools
A new tool set has been added to review bad quality elements, sharp edge elements, and intersecting elements, and fix them using multiple available tools, such as by smoothing elements, by moving nodes, by splitting or swapping edges, by replacing nodes, or by creating/deleting elements. A model tour allows you to scroll through different patches of issue areas.
New right-click context menu
New right-click context menus have been added to find specific sets of surfaces/solids and to edit selected surfaces/solids. These menus will help you quickly interrogate a model and edit it using just right-clicks.

Enhanced AcuSolve Physics Modeling

Multiphase modeling
New tools to set up immiscible 2 phase flow simulations. You can now set up sloshing, filling, and draining transient simulations using the level set method. You have the capability to define the physics, phase definition, incoming fluid, and initial condition.


Figure 2.
Humidity modeling
New capability to model humidity. You can define relative humidity or a dew point condition at inlets and in initial conditions. This is useful for simulating humid air transport on a cabin model.




Figure 3.
Participating media radiation modeling
Capability to define participating media models and specular, diffuse, and partially specular interfaces. This is useful for simulating heat transfer analysis, such as a headlamp.
Heat exchanger component modeling
New tool to model heat exchangers using heat exchanger dimensions, coolant properties, friction properties, and effectiveness. An in-built plotting capability helps you to input axial velocity plots.
Atmospheric boundary layer modeling
A new tool to define atmospheric boundary layers using ground roughness, ground height, ground normal, and reference velocity. With this tool, you can model flow around buildings.


Figure 4.
External structural or rigid body code coupling
New tool to set up external rigid body or structural code coupling with AcuSolve. You can also set up the surface through which forces and deformation information will be transferred across solvers.
Momentum source
New tool to define a momentum source in the model locally. Useful for sloshing, filling, or draining simulations.
Nodal probing
New tool to interactively place monitor or prob points for the simulation. Useful to compare experimental probe data with simulation data. You can define a single node, group of nodes, or nodes on a line. The solver will write out time history output on these points.

Setup Browser

  • New browser to review groups, flow, radiation, motion, mesh controls, and monitors
  • Right-click menus enable you to create, edit, and control the visibility of entities.
  • Helps to review the overall setup of the model

Legacy HyperMesh and AcuConsole Files Support

  • In step towards supporting legacy files, you can now open files created in AcuConsole and the HyperMesh-CFD profile.
  • Geometry of the model, available physics setup, domain properties, and boundary conditions will be mapped in HyperWorks CFD.

Noted Performance Improvements

  • Significant improvement in geometry checks for large FE and CAD models
  • Much faster periodic meshing, mapping, and checks
  • FE geometry update performance improvements for geometric operations
  • Surface mesh checks speed up during volume meshing for large surface element models

Miscellaneous Enhancements and Robustness Improvements

  • Surface meshing robustness improvements for sharp edges
  • Better mesh failure handling
  • Directional selection for guide surface
  • Updates in periodic boundary conditions
  • Better hydrostatic pressure point definition