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Old   July 16, 2002, 15:08
Default CFD Package Recommendations
  #1
Flow Joe
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Greetings. I'm looking for some recommendations on which CFD package to purchase.

I have some analysis to do regarding circumferential seals. The problem(s) basically boil down to something like a journal bearing, but with a few "twists": The bearing surface is not circular, but will probably be a circle with some periodic features such as scallops, notches, what have you. Also, the flow will not be entirely circumferential: There will necessarily be some axial flow. For now, I think we can assume the solution(s) will probably fall in the laminar regime, and the flow is definitely steady-state.

Although I'm no stranger to numerical methods (I've done plenty of FEA work), I am somewhat new to CFD. I do have a fluid mechanics background (MS in ME from U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) but haven't really done any intensive fluid analysis in the last 5 years or so.

Based on the problem and my background, I was hoping I could get someone to point me towards a suitable CFD program. I do have budget money, probably enough to buy any of the readily available packages.

Thanks, in advance, for your advice and assistance,

Joe Savio
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Old   July 16, 2002, 15:58
Default Re: CFD Package Recommendations
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Axel Rohde
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There is a new package on the horizon called EFD.Lab,

www.efdlab.com

It is very reasonably priced, and you pay ONE TIME only - unlike the other packages which have a $25K ANNUAL licensing fee. It comes with its built in solid modeler based on Solidworks, and overall it is fantastic to use. I just sat through a 90 minute live webex-demo the other week. Problem setup and solution is a cinch! Really!!

Send me an email, and I can put you in touch with their technical manager. He will be able to answer your questions and give you a webex-demo, if you are interested. In a 'webex demo', you talk live over the phone with the presenter and watch on your computer screen what he does on his screen with the software.
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Old   July 16, 2002, 18:13
Default Re: CFD Package Recommendations
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Joern Beilke
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If you just have to do the job one time ask someone to do it for you. This way you save a lot of time and you can also collect some experiences about the topic.

I dont think that the code is very important in your case, but you have to know what you are doing with the code.

It is not always good to have a laminar flow since you cannot use the normal "tubulent" wall functions. So you have to use a very fine mesh next to the wall to resolve the boundary layer

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Old   July 18, 2002, 12:50
Default Re: CFD Package Recommendations
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Clif Upton
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If this EFD software is the same as Floworks, I would not touch it even if it were free. The best option for a one-time user like you, is to have somebody who has good cfd software run it for you...
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Old   July 18, 2002, 13:58
Default Re: CFD Package Recommendations
  #5
Axel Rohde
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Design is an iterative process: you make a few changes, see what happens, and then re-evaluate. You hardly find the 'perfect' solution in a single run, and even if you do, you may decide to improve your design down the road. A consulting job that runs through several analysis iterations can run into some money, even for small jobs.

I am just starting to learn EFD.Lab myself and for design purposes there is no better package in my opinion. The turnaround between design iterations is extremely quick. I would say orders of magnitude faster than some of the other packages that I have looked into. Not to mention the intuitive interface and easy learning curve.

EFD.Lab is Solidworks and the professional version of Floworks in one package by the way.
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Old   July 29, 2002, 08:36
Default Re: CFD Package Recommendations
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ludo garg
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I tested FloWorks and EFD.Lab on many industrial problems and got very nice results (I compared with some feed-back from cutomers) Could you please give more details : why you would not touch EFD.Lab or FloWorks? May be your application cannot be handled or you need adavnced option like diphasic, free surface, chemical etc... Thank you for a reply
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