FloCAD® is a Thermal
Desktop®
module that allows a user to develop and integrate both fluid and
thermal systems within a CAD based environment. Like Thermal Desktop,
FloCAD is a graphical user interface for SINDA/FLUINT.
With FloCAD, the mechanics of building fluid submodels is very similar
to that of building thermal submodels, with many of the commands working
on components of both types of submodels.
FloCAD
adds the capability of modeling flow circuits, including fans
and convective heat transfer, attached directly to the surfaces
and solids representing PCB boards, chips, etc.
Circuit
Board Sample
CAD-Based
Condenser Model
It
is specifically targeted for electronic packaging design tasks,
but since it provides full access to the powerful and general-purpose
SINDA/FLUINT thermohydraulic analyzer, FloCAD will find use
in other industries as well.
FloCAD is fully compatible with Thermal Desktop features, including full parameterization using spreadsheet-like variables and arbitrarily complex expressions as input, rather than hardwired numbers. This allows complex models to be rapidly manipulated using a few keystrokes, meaning that updating or maintaining a model is trivially easy, as is performing sensitivity studies and investigating what-if scenarios. This provides access to SINDA/FLUINT's Optimization and Reliability Engineering modules, which can be used to size components, maximize performance, find worst-case operating conditions (design cases), correlate models to test data, and even treat uncertainties statistically.
Summary of
Features
Generates
flow networks and calculates convective heat transfer factors
for input into C&R's SINDA/FLUINT
Postprocesses
temperatures, pressures, and flow rates for fast interpretation
and impressive presentations
Faster model
building and faster calculations than CFD mean more alternatives
can be investigated, sizing and sensitivities performed, and models
calibrated to tests
Automatic
connection and apportionment of convection links (FLUINT "ties")
to thermal surfaces
Full access
to FLUINT fluid network modeling capabilities, with abbreviated
inputs for common components
fans
and pumps
flow
passages and ducts
filters
and loss elements
Arbitrary
fluids including dry air, moist air (psychrometrics), water, water/glycol,
ammonia, and PAO. Accepts user-defined fluids as well
Enables concurrent
engineering for thermal analysts by providing full access to CAD-based
geometry and CAD model building methods without compromising good
modeling practices
Imports and
exports IGES and STEP CAD geometry
Uses CAD
geometry directly, or accepts snap-on thermal surfaces
Stretch and
reshape surfaces directly on the screen in addition to traditional
form-based inputs
Offers true
curved geometric surfaces: cones, spheres, etc. avoiding thousands
of tiny facets
Imports TRASYS,
TSS, STEP-TAS, and Nevada geometry models.
User-defined
symbols and expressions add spreadsheet-like parametric modeling
Dynamic
link to SINDA/FLUINT for on-the-fly recalculations and access
to logic, parametrics, optimization, statistical design
K-factor
resistance utility for common fittings
Helper utilities
for calculating flow lengths and flow areas
Easy to use
tool bars provide quick access to FloCAD commands
Extensive
CAD functions make model building fast and effective:
Boolean,
revolved, extruded surfaces
Layer
management
Multiple
port views with store/recall
Snap-on
entity building
Drag
and Drop model editing
User-defined
light sources
Wireframe,
hidden, and rendered views
Multiple
undo command
Exploits
inexpensive PC platforms
Incredibly
easy to learn and use with the assistance of step-by-step tutorials
Expansibility:
FloCAD is an optional module of C&R's CAD-based Thermal Desktop®,
which handles conduction and capacitance in surfaces and
solids, features arbitrary (nongeometric) nodes, and supports
FEM models including innovative automatic network simplification
techniques, and mapping to codes such as NASTRAN and SDRC's
FEMAP®, IDEAS/FEA®,
and IDEAS/TMG®.
Also available:
RadCAD® for inclusion of thermal radiation
Free evaluation
versions available from our web page offer significant functionality
so you can prove these claims to yourself on real analysis tasks!
Thermal
Desktop Version 5.3
The following
capabilities have been added or expanded:
General:
AutoCAD® 2010 compatibility.
A parabolic trough Thermal Desktop surface has been added.
A new and improved EZXY plotter is used for X-Y plots of data vs. time.
Register names in SINDA/FLUINT can now be 32 characters long. This means that symbol names can be 32 characters long even if the symbol is used to create a register. This also affects the heater append strings which were previously limited to 6 characters; they are now limited to 30 characters.
Measures feature allows thermocouple devices to be added. Thermocouples interpolate the temperature of an object based on the relative location to nodes.
Three commands have been added to Thermal > Utilities menu: toggle undo recording; save SINDA/FLUINT work directory; and search for text.
Symbols, Case Sets, Orbits, Logic Objects, property aliases, analysis groups, and submodels (with comments) can now be imported directly from a Thermal Desktop DWG file without first being explicitly exported.
Model Browser has been enhanced with: list by non-graphical items (e.g. - case sets, orbits, logic objects, optical properties and thermophysical properties), layers, and measures; a repositionable field separator; indications for disabled objects and network element logic; conductor and logic submodel names for subordinate items; symbol group names in list by symbols; contactor and TEC From and To areas; and rightclick contextual menus.
Case Set Manager has been enhanced with: tree-based Case Set groups; drag-and-drop capability for reorganization; and right-click contextual menus.
Symbol manager now has Find command to help locate symbols.
Logic Manager has been enhanced with: tree-based organization with groups; dragand- drop functionality; equations of motion; and time-step limits for array interpolation to avoid overstepping array points.
Symbol usage is now checked for usage consistency. The user will be notified if symbols are used in fields or expression editors that have different units.
Thermal Desktop:
Thermal submodel names up to 32 characters are now allowed. Many forms have changed to account for this. Submodel definition allows comments.
Thermophysical properties manager has been enhanced with: resizable columns; sorting by material name or property value; and interpolation/extrapolation of temperature dependent properties to room temperature.
Save files can be queried for: minimum and maximum temperatures and register values; heater performance; heat flow between user-specified sets of nodes; sink temperatures and corresponding conductors for subsets of nodes. Save file data can be written to text through the post processing menu.
User-defined nodes can be provided a mass or a volume when material option is chosen.
Heater power can be input as a flux.
Warnings are provided when contactor From area is greater than the To area. This usually indicates a problem. Contactor form allows quick switching of From and To sets.
NASTRAN importer has been expanded to import CTRIA6, CTRIA6*, CQUAD8, and CQUAD8* elements as well as QVOL boundary conditions.
Solid-solid fusion capability has been added.
User has been provided more control over contactor restarts.
GLOBAL logic designator has been added to SINDA. The GLOBAL logic is called regardless of built submodels and is used as default for output calls.
RadCAD:
Optical properties manager has been enhanced with: resizable columns; sorting by material name or property value; and interpolation/extrapolation of temperature dependent properties to room temperature.
Free molecular heating has been enhanced to reference basic and Keplerian orbits with tracking and velocity vector calculation.
Heating rates can be computed using albedo specified as a function of latitude and longitude. The calculations use a rotating planet based on the sidereal period.
Heating rates can be computed using planetshine specified as function of latitude and longitude. The planet is not rotated with time for these calculations. The data may be input as a temperature or a flux, and may be input relative to the planet’s latitude and longitude coordinate system, or a coordinate system constructed about the sub-solar point.
Diffuse Sky Solar and Diffuse Sky IR sources have been added to the Planetary heating environment.
Latitude and longitude dependent albedo and planetshine data can be displayed in color on the planet when in orbit mode. An orbit data color bar is displayed, and may be edited similarly to other post processing color bars.
Output and case set names can be added to RadCAD dataset name.
An optical property summary has been added to the *.k and *.hra files.
FloCAD:
Fluid submodel names up to 32 characters are now allowed. Many forms have changed to account for this.
FloCAD MACRO algorithm has been improved to work with SINDA/FLUINT improvements.
Twin ties are now supported.
Pipes have been improved to support: twin lumps and twin ties; changes to subdivisions in multi-edit mode; specification of length subdivision using a symbol; and two materials in the pipe wall (divided radially).
Friction factors can be augmented from heat transfer and heat transfer multipliers can be based on friction, curves and entrances.
Minimum System Requirements
XP Pro (SP2 or newer), Vista Pro or Home, Windows 7
AutoCAD
32 Bit Version: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 or 2011
As of version 5.4 to be released in the first quarter of 2011, versions 2004, 2005 and 2006 will no longer be supported.
64 Bit Version: AutoCAD 2008, 2009, 2010 or 2011
Memory: 1 GB
Minimum for XP, 2 GB for Vista or Windows 7
Display resolution:
1024x768 minimum, 1280x1024 or finer recommended
