Altair HyperWorks CFD 2022 Release Notes

New Features

Capability to replace part
In the Part Browser, you can select a part and replace its content with an external geometry file. The part ID and name remain the same. You can automate variant modeling setups using the template manager if rules/groups are defined based on part names/IDs. This is very useful with wrapping capabilities.
Surface normal visualization and update capability
A new visualization mode is added to color geometry according to surface normals. This will work for both CAD and FE geometry. Along with visualization, right- click context menu edit options are available to update the surface normal of selected surfaces or auto-update them automatically based on the neighboring surface normal. This is useful for external aero modeling where surface normals are required to be properly oriented.
Eulerian-Eulerian multiphase flow setup
A Eulerian multiphase setup is added which provides the capability to simulate interactions between continuous or disperse fields. Here, the carrier field has to be a fluid and the dispersed field should be fluid (fluid, gas, vapour, …). The applications include mist catchers, cyclone separators, and static mixture simulations.
A Granular multiphase setup is added as well and will provide the capability to simulate interactions between continuous or solid disperse fields. Here, the carrier field has to be a fluid and the dispersed field should be solid medium.
Mesh motion updates
New tools are added to define unconstrained surfaces (none boundaries in AcuSolve). Also, there are new options to define dynamically changing interface surfaces for rotating simulations and advance nodal mesh motion definition so you can define displacement/velocity.
With these additions, you should be able to perform simulations like door closings, reciprocating valves, trains moving under tunnels, and many more
Edge layer controls
A mesh control to define layers from edges has been added to the meshing workflow. You can select lines and define on which side to grow layers. These layers are enforced on surface meshing. You can define edge layer controls on a source of extrusion solids to get layers extruded as well. Another use case is to set layers on periodic faces to have 3D boundary layers match to it (until now, 3D BLs were collapsed at periodic boundary). Along with the above, you can use these controls to create anisotropic mesh for cases like aero foil tip.
Mesh controls to avoid boundary layer imprint
A new mesh control is added to select surfaces on which boundary layers are not required to imprint. This is useful for complex models where face imprint is not required on a few faces.
Capability to delete meshing or solver runs with data
In the Manage tool, a “Delete” option is added to clear meshing logs or run data. You can select multiple runs to clear them from list. On delete, relevant solver run files are removed.
Boundary Groups selection filter
A “Boundary Groups” selection filter is added to tools that require the selection of surfaces. This reduces the number of clicks to select a surface of interest when it is made of many surface sets.
New sub-collection management features
Unlimited levels of boundary group sub-collections are now supported. Sub-collections can be created using a right-click context menu pick of surfaces within an existing collection, or existing sub-collections can be dragged and dropped into other sub-collections.
Direct creation of boundary groups
Boundary groups can now be created directly from a right-click context menu pick. The context menu is available when selection is made through the graphics window or model tree.
Automatic creation of new boundary collections for AcuSolve
Boundary collections that are grouped by surface outputs, flow boundary conditions, radiation surfaces, or solar radiation surfaces can now be automatically created from the “New Collection” model tree pick.
Multi-threaded streamline creation
The tracing of streamlines is now multi-threaded across streamlines. Significant performance gains are present when multiple streamlines are generated in a single instance.

Enhancements

Box creation and refinement zones
Box geometry creation and box refinement zone creation is improved.
CAD wrap performance improvements
CAD wrap performance has been improved to make it 20 – 30 % faster.
Surface path improvements
Patch tool is improved to fill complex shape free edge holes.
Surface repair improvements
New options are added to fix self-intersecting surfaces and delete free edge surfaces in one go.
Surface meshing robustness and performance improvements
The surface meshing algorithm is enhanced to improve robustness tackling unsuppressed edge case, high curvature, and sliver surfaces. With these changes, surface meshing and volume meshing failures are reduced drastically. Along with robustness, the mesher becomes 30-40 % faster.
Volume meshing improvements
The volume mesher is improved to tackle failures if surface mesh has boundary layers already imprinted. Multiple normal capability of boundary layers is improved to make it more robust and give correct layer element height.

Resolved Issues

  • AcuSolve setup
    • Pressure was not written for M>1
    • Free_surface type was missing
    • Porous media orientation resets when using plane manipulator
    • Fan component angular speed taken as rad/sec
    • Wrong surface set when BLs are imprinted on fan component
  • Meshing
    • Periodic meshing when transformation tolerance is higher
    • Volume meshing getting stuck randomly
    • Extrusion meshing failures
  • Post
    • Edge selection does not work while spherical clipping is on
    • Updating the pressure direction changes the magnitude of the pressure