What's New

Highlights

• Euler-Euler Multiphase
• Granular Multiphase
• Electric Potential Solver

New Features

Euler-Euler Multiphase

AcuSolve’s multiphase capabilities expand yet again in version 2022 with the introduction of Eulerian-Eulerian multiphase. With this feature you can include the exchange of momentum between multiphase fields. As with the Algebraic Eulerian mixture multiphase model the dispersed fields can be of any material type, liquid, solid, or gas. In addition, inflow conditions of each phase may be defined separately via any of the following phasic inflow types: cartesian, cylindrical, or spherical velocity, normal velocity, mass flux, or volumetric flow rate.

Granular Flow Multiphase

With the addition of Eulerian-Eulerian multiphase you also have the option to include solid pressure and solid viscosity effects when modeling dispersed solid phases. When simulating granular flows, the granular temperature, a representation of the random oscillations of particles, the particle restitution, which defines the fraction of a particle’s momentum after collision, and the angle of internal friction, a measure of the ability of a unit of rock or soil to withstand a shear stress, may all be specified by you.

Electric Potential Solver

Solve for the thermal effects of a voltage drop or prescribed current or current density by activating Joule heating under the electric potential solver in AcuSolve 2022. This electrostatic solution to charge conservation allows you to vary the available electric boundary conditions through multiplier function control so that accurate duty cycles can be simulated.

AcuSolve Help delivered in separate package

A new package, hwCFDSolversHelp, including reference manual, training manual, and validation manual documentation is now available for download and install from Altair One. This package can be installed whether hwCFDSolvers is installed or not. Model files for tutorials and validations are available online from a link in the Help documentation as well as from Altair One.

Enhancements

AcuSolve/EDEM Drag and Lift model user-defined functions

Custom definitions of drag and lift models for use with AcuSolve/EDEM coupling simulations can now be specified via the user_function value for drag_model and lift_model under the FIELD_INTERACTION_MODEL definition. You are encouraged to test their functions for range and validity prior to simulation as no bound or specific error checking is performed in AcuSolve/EDEM coupled simulations. See the AcuSolve User-Defined Functions Manual for information about creating and referencing user-defined functions.

Improvements to Topology Optimization

Improvements have been made to AcuSolve’s integrated topology optimization that increase the speed of convergence and improve the overall robustness. Porous zones are now supported, lower viscosity fluids are now handled more precisely, and you are notified when unsupported physics are selected, or no design space volume is found.

Ogden ALE Mesh Motion

You can now easily switch between different Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) mesh motion techniques directly in the input deck. A new ALE mesh equation option, previously available through the aletech cnf parameter, named ale_ogden, activates Ogden mesh motion. Mesh motion based on mesh quality metrics is activated by using the previously available ale mesh equation.

New HyperWorks CFD-based Tutorials

Two (2) new tutorials are available in the HyperWorks CFD user interface. The new tutorials are:

• ACU-T: 4101: Eulerian-Eulerian Multiphase
• ACU-T: 4102: Granular Flow

New SimLab-based Tutorials

Sixteen (16) new tutorials are available in the SimLab user interface. The new tutorials are:

• ACU-T: 2300 / SL 2060: Atmospheric Boundary Layer Problem – Flow Over Building
• ACU-T: 2400 / SL 2030: Supersonic Flow in a Converging-Diverging Nozzle
• ACU-T: 3310 / SL 2160: Single Phase Nucleate Boiling
• ACU-T: 3311 / SL 2161: Multiphase Nucleate Boiling using the Algebraic Eulerian Model
• ACU-T: 3500 / SL 2170: Electric Potential
• ACU-T: 4002 / SL 2220: Sloshing of Water in a Tank
• ACU-T: 4003 / SL 2260: Freely Falling Water Droplet
• ACU-T: 4101 / SL 2231: T-junction Flow using the Eulerian Multiphase Model
• ACU-T: 4102 / SL 2232: Fluidized Bed using Granular Multiphase Model
• ACU-T: 5403 / SL 2421: Piezoelectric Flow Energy Harvester: A Fluid-Structure Interaction
• ACU-T: 6100 / SL 2430: Particle Separation in a Windshifter using Altair EDEM
• ACU-T: 6101 / SL 2431: Particle Separation in a Windshifter using AcuSolve – EDEM Unidirectional Coupling
• ACU-T: 6102 / SL 2432: Particle Separation in a Windshifter using AcuSolve – EDEM Bidirectional Coupling
• ACU-T: 6103 / SL 2433: AcuSolve – EDEM Bidirectional Coupling with Heat Transfer
• ACU-T: 6104 / SL 2440: AcuSolve – EDEM Bidirectional Coupling with Non-Spherical Particles
• ACU-T: 7200 / SL 2500: Topology Optimization

New SimLab-based Validation Cases

Four (4) new validation cases are available in the SimLab user interface. The new validation cases are:

• Turbulent Flow Through a Pipe
• Laminar Flow Through a Channel with Heated Walls
• Laminar Couette Flow with Imposed Pressure Gradient
• Laminar Flow Past a 90° T-Junction

MicroSoft Visual Studio 2019 Support

Support for MicroSoft Visual Studio 2019, Community, Professional, and Enterprise versions, has been added. The compiler version and location in use are also reported to you.

Reference Frame on Interface Surfaces [Beta]

A beta release of hybrid use of reference frame and sliding mesh is available by activating the hybridmrf configuration parameter. This feature allows you to take larger time steps when simulating sliding meshes.

Resolved Issues

• AcuConsole and AcuFieldView have been officially retired and are no longer shipped with AcuSolve (hwCFDSolvers).
• References to AcuConsole and AcuFieldView have been removed from documentation.
• The -tlog, -lprobe, -acutail, and -acuprobe options have been removed from the AcuRun command.
• The default lift model for the Eulerian-Eulerian and Algebraic Eulerian multiphase types has been set to none.
• An issue with interior thermal shells allowing thermal conduction at shell ends has been fixed.
• EDEM particle volume fractions are now correctly handled during mesh contraction and expansion.
• AcuSolve GPU acceleration has been updated to CUDA 10.2.
• An error with PQ curve input to the FAN_COMPONENT has been corrected.
• An issue when specifying pressure inlets with the humid air model has been fixed.
• An error with initializing the eddy viscosity field when initialize_Stokes = on has been fixed.
• An issue with specifying nodal initial conditions by element set has been corrected.
• Changes were made that improve the steady state solution using the ideal gas density model.
• In the Command Reference Manual, non-spherical lift and torque model information was added under FIELD_INTERACTION_MODEL.
• In the Programs Reference Manual, information about setting the number of threads for AcuPrep under the AcuRun command has been added.
• HyperMesh-based tutorials have been updated to reference HyperGraph for 2D plotting.