Design Simulation Advances With Exa Powerflow 5.4

Exa Corporation has launched a new version of its flagship simulation suite, PowerFLOW. The new PowerFLOW 5.4 software focuses on Exa’s four strategic software development areas: accuracy, applications, automation, and accessibility, according to the company

PowerFLOW 5.4 introduces a number of new capabilities with the goal of improving real-world accuracy and the digital simulation process:

• New innovations in core physics allow for the simulation of tire tread patterns on rotating wheels as well as realistic conditions such as wind and upstream turbulence. These developments allow manufacturers to accurately assess vehicle performance, range and fuel efficiency, according to the company.

• PowerFLOW 5.4 now offers the option to incorporate dirt, dust and water into the simulation — with real-world accuracy via a transient solver. Powered by an extension to PowerFLOW’s transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulator, the new particle handling capability enables automotive and truck manufacturers to deliver a safer and much-improved driving experience through better control of soil and water accumulation, the company reports.

• The new version automatically monitors and determines the optimal time to stop the simulation according to preset objectives, ensuring consistent and robust simulation results across disparate users.

• The new PowerFLOW 5.4 suite provides for faster and more interactive 3D rotation of surface data through PowerINSIGHT.

“PowerFLOW 5.4 represents a significant leap forward in digital simulation, representing years of collaboration with many leading customers," says Suresh Sundaram, SVP Products & Marketing at Exa.  "This effort has resulted in a robust release that will enable engineers to predict even more accurately how new vehicle designs will perform and interact with their environments.”

During an initial assessment and cross-correlation exercises between simulation and experiment, BMW was able to verify the potential and robustness of the Exa PowerFLOW water management capabilities in relation to windshield sprayer modules. These sprayer modules are provided by suppliers to BMW and functional targets are set for the installation configuration on the series vehicle. The targets for the sprayer operation are subject to numerous vehicle aerodynamic considerations.

“We have worked with the Exa PowerFLOW water management application to assess its potential in the BMW engineering cycles, and to develop a process where, given the sprayer properties, simulation can predict the sprayer coverage over the entire operating range of the vehicle," says Holger Gau of BMW. "We see growing requirements for water management simulation applications, and BMW expects that in the future simulation may address topics such as side window soiling, backlight visibility and others.”

Visit Exa for more information.

Sources: Press materials received from the company.