Heat
Transfer and Fluid Flow Design and Analysis Software
SINDA/FLUINT
is a comprehensive finite-difference, lumped parameter (circuit
or network analogy) tool for heat transfer design analysis and fluid
flow analysis in complex systems. It is used at over 500 sites in
the aerospace, electronics, petrochemical, biomedical, and automotive
industries, and in over 25 countries.
For years,
SINDA/FLUINT has provided users with the most proven heat transfer
and fluid flow design and analysis software in the aerospace
industry. SINDA/FLUINT is a comprehensive, generalized tool
for simulating complex thermal/fluid systems such as those found
in the electronics, automotive, petrochemical, turbomachine,
and aerospace industries. The program has proven itself repeatedly
for several decades.SINDA/FLUINT
saves time and money by making the design process faster and easier,
letting you gain a better understanding of your complex system.
You control what is important and how to get the answer to your
design performance questions using the most efficient approach.
Furthermore, the code is completely extensible. You choose the features
you want, decide what levels of accuracy and approximation are appropriate,
and what outputs are needed. You can even add your own customizations
as needed to handle your unique design task or to automate repetitive
tasks.SINDA/FLUINT uses text based input files. To expedite model development and maintenance, it is recommended SINDA/FLUINT be used in conjunction with one of its graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Thermal Desktop® provides a geometric CAD based user interface while Sinaps® provides a non-geometric, 2D scketch-pad interface. Both GUIs interface directly with SINDA/FLUINT. Alternatively, C&R Technologies provides an Excel®-based SINDA Controller useful for launching and controlling a SINDA/FLUINT model. Similarly, the COM-based API can be used to interface with MATLAB or COM-based application.More
Information
PDF
primer (tutorial) for SINDA (thermal networks within SINDA/FLUINT)
PDF
primer (tutorial) for FLUINT (fluid networks within SINDA/FLUINT)
SINDA
Converter C&R
has a free Converter that will
read in a file from Sinda/G® or CINDA and create a file suitable for Sinda/Fluint. This utility
will take most of the drudgery away from the task of converting
input files from other versions of Sinda. (Detailed
Description)
General Features
Radiation,
conduction, convection heat transfer
From component
design to full system performance simulation
Steady state
and transient heat transfer and fluid flow
Submodels
for improved organization, ease of model merge
Time and
temperature-varying properties
Optional
concurrently executed user logic and simulations
User-determined
solution techniques, solution sequences, accuracy levels, and
outputs
Examples:
iterative vs. sparse matrix inversion, single or double precision,
etc.
Methods,
controls, etc. can vary submodel by submodel
Convenient
restarts and parametric analysis options
Oil and gas
pipeline, distribution, steam injection systems
Process design
and control
For a complete list of potential applications and sample problems, please view our Applications page
SINDA/FLUINT
Version 5.3
As an aid to users of Version 5.2, the major differences between Version 5.3 and Version 5.2 are summarized in this subsection. Previous models are often accepted without modification, and with little difference in execution. (See “Argument Checking” below: modifications may be required for older models to compile successfully.)
Some of the changes affect predictions even if no new options are selected. “Extended Duct Macros” may cause differences in results as new terms are considered in Sinaps 5.3 and FloCAD 5.3. ORIFICE elements may predict slightly lower gas flow rates due to consideration of an alternative compressible flow correction. Also, choking calculations involving phase change now automatically check for spinodal (phase decomposition) limits instead of leaving it to the user to check for these, and this new methodology can result in significant differences in results in some models.
Expanded Names and Line Lengths—Submodel and register names may now be up to 32 characters long. Data (but not logic, Fortran compilers limit fixed format to 132 columns) input lines may now be up to 1000 characters long, which means file names, register expressions, etc. may now be longer as well. Element IDs may be up to 8 digits long.
Double-precision Registers—Registers may now be real (single precision), integer, or double precision (REAL*8, or 8-bytes). New temporary variables (ATEST_DP through HTEST_DP, and OTEST_DP through ZTEST_DP) are also available in double precision, as well as INTEGER*8 integers (ITEST_DP through NTEST_DP).
Routine Argument Checking—A source of difficult-to-trap errors has been eliminated: the wrong number of type of argument in subroutines and functions in user logic. However, this means some “laziness” in prior input files (e.g., the use of “1” when “1.0” was expected) is no longer tolerated. It also means that new functionality such as optional or alternative arguments is now possible.
Global-level Logic and Output Blocks—FLOGIC, VARIABLES, and OUTPUT CALLS blocks may be created which operate at the “global” (submodel-independent) level, and are therefore independent of BUILD or BUILDF configurations.
Extended Duct Macros—Sinaps and FloCAD auto-detect flow-wise sequences of lumps and paths (tubes or STUBE connectors specifically) can have continuous flow area and so which should be automatically aggregated into an equivalent LINE or HX macro. Sinaps and FloCAD “Pipes” are always considered to be duct macros as well. In Version 5.3, these tools will now combine mixed types of elements (tank vs. junction, tube vs. STUBE, homogeneous vs. twinned path or lump) into a macrocommand: something not possible in text-based input. In fact, Sinaps and FloCAD will also combine one or more Pipes themselves into a larger macro if possible.
This step has been taken in part to allow the user to break a single Pipe into multiple Pipes (perhaps due to an insulation change, etc.) without losing the axial acceleration terms at the ends of each macro, which can be important in two-phase or compressible flows. See also MACINTAB and MACROTAB, new output routines to help slow macro-level inputs and responses.
MISCELLANEOUS IMPROVEMENTS
Root and minimum finders have been added to assist users in co-solving auxiliary equations during steady-state solutions. One example of such an task is finding the rotational speed of a shaft interconnecting a turbine and compressor such that net torque is zero. These routines (MIN_FIND, ROOT_FIND) may be viewed as alternatives or adjuncts to the Solver module.
A new film coefficient correlation for mixed forced/natural convection, NCCYLIN, is available. This routine is useful for estimating the heat transfer between fluid and wall when filling or emptying tanks (especially cylindrical ones).
A variation of CHGLMP is available to assist in the simultaneous resetting of multiple species fractions: CHGLMP_MIX.
A new utility, SETTMOD, allows a user to set some or all nodes in a submodel to a new temperature.
SINGLEPR (SINGLEPRECISION) is now ignored in OPTIONS.
New duct macro tabulation-style output routines are available: MACINTAB (for echoing inputs) and MACROTAB (for outputs).
During film or transition boiling in twinned HTN/HTNC ties to twinned tanks, the vapor twin tie is no longer disabled via the FQ factor: heat is added directly to the superheated film.
The current unit identifier, UID, is available as an integer in logic or expressions (UID=0 for ‘ENG’ and UID=1 for ‘SI’) such that the user can write model-independent logic and expressions.
The MIXARRAY check has been expanded to auto-detect and accept bivariate arrays in order to encourage the use of this check.
A new check has been added to auto-detect perpetual oscillations in nodal temperatures in thermal steady-state solutions, automatically invoking heavy damping (ITERXT=0, EXTLIM= 0.5) if detected. A warning message will appear if this emergency measure is taken.
Decomposition (spinodal) limits have been added to metastable (nonequilibrium) choking calculations for flow in entrances and contractions to throats. These limits often cause attempts to find metastable throat states to be abandoned in favor of equilibrium states, as if positive MCH had been input instead of negative MCH.
A direct link to NIST’s REFPROP is available for alternative (high fidelity) fluid property descriptions.
For all-gas flows through orifices, an additional check is made against the ASME Y expansion factor to make sure the predicted flows do not exceed the predictions of that correlation. This extra check may result in slightly lower flow rates in some models.
Since SINDA/FLUINT allows user logic and
generates a unique executable each time it is run, you MUST have a copy of the specified compiler on each machine in order to
run it. If you
wish to run an evaluation version of SINDA/FLUINT you must download
the built-in compiler version.
System Requirements
Operating
System
XP Pro or Home, Vista Pro or Home, Windows 7
Fortran
Compiler
32 bit version
Intel
Visual Fortran Version 11.1 or newer, Standard or Professional versions (IMSL not required). Do not install the Math Kernel Libraries (MKL) option.
