Parametric Surface Morpher

Design studies often require a comparison of different geometries which is, through CAD parametrisation, incorporated into the STAR CCM+ workflow. However, there might be cases where the geometry is not easily parametrized. As the part is designed with very complex curvatures or constructed from a scan of a physical part. In these instances, it is now possible to apply a parametric morph operation onto any tessellated surface. This morph operation is defined by a translation vector; other operations might be included in future releases. The video below shows an application of the Parametric Surface Morpher.

Porous Capillary Pressure Model

There are a number of updates for multiphase simulations, e.g., ensured mass conservation for EMP models using overset meshes. Here we highlight the introduction of a capillary pressure model for porous regions. There are a number of fields where the propagation of a (dispersed) fluid phase due to capillary action cannot be neglected. These fields typically have their preferred expression for the capillary pressure. STAR CCM+ 2506 comes with three models for the capillary pressure in a porous medium (which can be applied outside their field of origin), and the user can define their own model as well.

• Leverett – Traditionally used for porous rocks/oil and gas applications
• Kumbur – Designed for fuel cell applications
• Brooks-Corey – Traditionally used for porous rocks/oil and gas applications

The video below shows an animation of the wetting volume fraction of a porous material. Where the highly nonlinear distribution of wet and dry parts of the volume due to the presence of capillary pressure and gravity is modelled.  Note the fraction of wetted volume rise as the fluid rises due to the capillary action.

Improved thin mesher

There are many applications that require the discretization of thin regions, such as conjugate heat transfer through thin walls and components, film flows, or plate-type heat exchangers. Using isotropic mesh structures would often yield meshes with high cell counts.  The use of the existing (legacy) thin mesher in STAR CCM+ allows users to create anisotropic meshes for complex geometries. 2506 brings a completely new thin mesher to the user’s toolbox.

This new version improves the cell quality in thin regions and the robustness of the meshing process. This results in a larger percentage of the thin region to be meshed with thin cells rather than small isotropic elements. There are also cell quality improvements in the transition between the thin and bulk regions of the mesh.

The new thin mesher requires the surface re-mesher to be enabled. Users working with a split workflow where this is not an option can still make use of the legacy mesher.

Legacy thin mesher:

(New) thin mesher

Virtual Body Geometry Improvement

The virtual body method introduced in version 2502 has been improved to better capture thin bodies. This will, in effect, reduce the mesh size requirements and improve simulation time.

2502 version:

2506 version:

Need more information?

We would gladly look together with you at which software suits the wishes and needs of you and your company. Through the form below you can contact us directly, we will get back to you as soon as possible for an appointment.

Contact Us

Contact us +31 (0)15-285 05 80 info@femto.eu