Altair AcuSolve 2021.1 Release Notes

New Features

EDEM 2-way Coupling for Non-Spherical Particles
The AcuSolve/EDEM coupling capability for simulating particle flows is extended yet again with additional support now available for non-spherical particles. Sphericity and aspect ratio values can be specified for the variety of particle types in the simulation. In addition, the Haider-Levenspiel, Holzer-Sommerfeld, and Ganser drag coefficient models are now available. As particles come in many shapes and sizes so should your modeling options.

Enhancements

Inviscid Compressible Flow
You can now run inviscid compressible flow simply by using the compressible_euler option for the flow equation. Selecting this convenience option will deactivate turbulence and zero out material viscosity and conductivity.
Time-Varying Translation
When defining translational motion that varies with time a new option is available when using multiplier functions. The new parameter multiplier_function_on_time will allow you to directly define the changes in translational speed as a function of time in their MULTIPLIER_FUNCTION command. An example is shown below.
MULTIPLIER_FUNCTION ( “time-varying translation” ) {
		Type			    = piecewise_linear
		Curve_fit_variable	    = time
		Curve_fit_values		= {0.0, 0.0; 1.0, 5.0; 2.0, 3.0; }
}
	MESH_MOTION ( “Translational Motion” ){
		Type					        = translation
		Translation_variable 			    = multiplier_function_on_time
		translation_variable_multiplier_function	= “time-varying translation”
}
User-Defined Functions
Density is now available through the UDF_NBC_DENSITY parameter from the udfGetNbcData() and udfGetNbcAuxData() functions.
Utility programs
  • In the AcuPlotData utility you now have the option to invert the x- or y-axis independently with the -x_invert and -y_invert options, respectively. This can be very useful when creating Cp plots of airfoil data. By default, these parameters are inactive.
  • The Acu3DShapes utility now supports 3 types of symmetry for morph shape construction. Circular (full), Circular (periodic), and Planar.
  • The AcuGetNodeSubset utility is now available on the Windows platform.
Tutorial Additions
The following new tutorials have been added for the HyperWorks CFD interface.
  • ACU-T: 6103: AcuSolve-EDEM Bi-Directional coupling with Heat Transfer
  • ACU-T: 6104: AcuSolve-EDEM Bi-Directional coupling with Non-Spherical Particles
  • ACU-T: 7100: DOE Study of an HVAC Duct (workflow includes Inspire Studio and HyperStudy interfaces)
Validation Additions
The following 12 validation cases have been updated to the HyperWorks CFD platform:
  1. Single-Phase Nucleate Boiling in a Rectangular Channel
  2. Turbulent Flow Behind an Open-Slit V
  3. Turbulent Natural Convection Inside a Tall Cavity
  4. Turbulent Flow Over a NACA 0012 Airfoil
  5. Flow Between Concentric Cylinders
  6. Natural Convection in a Concentric Annulus
  7. Separated Laminar Flow Over a Blunt Plate
  8. Heat Transfer Between Radiating Concentric Cylinders
  9. Heat Transfer Between Radiating Concentric Spheres
  10. Circumferential Flow in a Cylinder Induced by a Rotating Solid
  11. Oscillating Laminar Flow Around a Circular Cylinder
  12. Multiphase Flow of a 2D Dam Break
Documentation Additions
  • In the Command Reference Manual documentation has been added for the MOMENTUM_SOURCE command and for cylindrical anisotropic conductivity under the MATERIAL_MODEL command.
  • The field_flux and convective_field_flux variables have been added to the AcuTrans documentation under integrated surface output and nodal surface output.

Known Issues

The following known issues will be addressed in a future release as we continuously improve performance of the software:
  • Visualization of models with thermal shells defined on floating, non-manifold surfaces is not working.
  • Legacy support for AcuConsole GUI is not supported on Linux versions of RHEL/CentOS higher than 7.5 and SLES versions higher than 15.
  • Users on platforms later than RHEL/CentOS 7.5 or SLES 15 are encouraged to use the Altair Compute Console interface for launching simulations.

Resolved Issues

  • Issues with OptiStruct Direct Coupling have been resolved for both Structural and Thermal coupling.
  • An issue with the output of UDF_OSI_TEMPERATURE has been corrected.
  • The default reference temperature for reference_temperature under the DENSITY_MODEL and ELEMENT_BOUNDARY_CONDITION commands, opening_temperature under the RADIATION_SURFACE and SIMPLE_BOUNDARY_CONDITION commands, and convective_heat_reference_temperature under the SIMPLE_BOUNDARY_CONDITION command is now consistent at 273.15.
  • User-specified species names are now reflected in output from AcuTrans and when post-processing in HyperView and AcuFieldView via binary file read.