Editor's Pick: Next-Gen Parallel Meshing Speeds CFD Prep 30x 

Siemens Digital Industries Software is now shipping a major update to Simcenter STAR-CCM+ that features all new technology for polyhedral meshing and adaptive mesh refinement. A video introducing Simcenter STAR-CCM+ 2020.1 is here.

Siemens was the first to market with polyhedral meshing for industrial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. Siemens says the update in STAR-CCM+ 2020. 1 is “rewritten from the ground up for parallel performance.” Meshing is up to 30 times faster compared to serial processing. Siemens says the result is consistent meshing regardless of using CPU or graphics processing unit cores, with a more effective mesh distribution.

Also new in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ 2020. 1 is an all-new adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) tool. Siemens says it is the industry’s first model-drive AMR. This feature lowers computational time while providing equal accuracy by dynamically refining the mesh where needed. The free-surface model-driven AMR uses intelligent routines to refine cells to resolve gas-liquid interface, which Siemens says reduces smearing. The ARM also ensures that cell sizes at the interface are compatible. All this happens without user intervention. 

Image courtesy of Siemens Digital Industries Software.

Siemens has added automation to the use of coupler solver settings for improved ease of use. All flow regimes — from incompressible through fully compressible — run straight out of the box without fine-tuning. Siemens claims the results rival best practices that took time and experience to develop.

Simcenter STAR-CCM+ 2020.1 also adds the ability to create immersive virtual reality simulation results. Multiple VR clients can be connected and synchronized to the same simulation. Avatars show the location of other users. The avatars can be tethered so that all participants in the collaborative review get the same experience. 

Simcenter STAR-CCM+ 2020.1 is now available directly from Siemens. 

HL-20 re-entry vehicle simulation with the new adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) feature. Image courtesy of Siemens Digital Industries Software.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.