What’s New in the Ansys Fluids Product Line for 2023 R2?

At Ansys, our computational fluids dynamics (CFD) software tools include Ansys Fluent, Ansys CFX, Ansys Forte, Ansys Turbogrid, and more. These tools enable you to perform CFD analysis across a number of different industry applications — everything from de-icing on airplane wings and assessing the aerodynamics of a vehicle to analyzing the solder reflow on printed circuit boards (PCBs) and modeling the electrochemistry in batteries and fuel cells.

For the 2023 R2 software release, we’ve made substantial updates across the Fluids product collection, including advancements to Fluent’s multi-GPU solver, user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) improvements, and solver enhancements for decreased computational and memory overhead.

Fluent’s Multi-GPU Solver Updates

Fluent’s native multi-GPU solver was released in 2023 R1, enabling engineers to solve extremely complex and detailed simulation models natively on GPUs, with each GPU replacing the computing power of hundreds of central processing units (CPUs). This has been a substantial focus area for Ansys as we aim to provide users with the ability to run simulations much faster — without compromising on accuracy — on less hardware, along with the ability to run long transient simulations that were previously impractical. Types of complex simulations that can be run on Fluent’s native GPU solver include automotive and aircraft external aerodynamics, equipment with rotating parts, and detailed mixing time analyses.

In 2023 R2, Fluent GPU solver updates include:

• The ability for users to model rotating and stationary components utilizing the sliding mesh algorithm, which is useful for modeling rotating wheels in aerodynamics applications and full-wheel turbomachinery applications.
• Support for low-speed compressibility in addition to incompressible flow, enabling improved accuracy for subsonic flow calculations as the Mach number increases.
• The availability of the eddy dissipation model (EDM) to match static temperature profiles. RANS equation solution frequency controls are now available for SBES.
• Asynchronous monitors and residuals so the GPU solver can run asynchronously from the UI.
• An extended GPU solver build to run on the latest NVIDIA architectures, including NVIDIA H100 and RTX 6000 Ada.

Interested in the accuracy of Fluent’s native multi-GPU solver? Download our white paper.

2023 R2 Updates for Ansys Fluent Aero

Fluent has a Fluent Aero package for users working on aerospace and defense applications. Fluent Aero provides analysis capabilities such as external aerodynamics, aero-optics, aeroacoustics, cabin/cockpit HVAC, and more.

For 2023 R2, Fluent Aero updates include a newly created two-temperature model that accounts for weak ionization for improved solution fidelity at hypersonic speeds. At very high speeds, plasma starts to form around hypersonic vehicles, leading to potential communication blackouts or degradation. Weak ionization can be captured using Fluent’s density-based solver to predict when degradation, communication blackouts, material ablation, and other phenomena may occur.

Enhancements have also been made to the virtual blade model (VBM) workflow that was released in 2023 R1. This workflow is especially useful within the urban air market to predict how rotating blades will operate within specific flow fields. For 2023 R2, updates to the workflow include the ability to add bulk effects on the flow field without resolving geometric details of the blades, which saves users substantial solve time. In addition, there is a new floating disc capability that enables the creation of the VBM disc as a cell zone without needing to define a disc explicitly in the meshing stage. However, mesh adaptation can be used if desired to refine elements around the floating disc. 

UX and Workflow Improvements

A number of graphic enhancements and UI improvements have been made this software release, including realistic surface renderings utilizing the Intel OSPRray ray tracing engine. This brings a single-window workflow within a simplified UI, enabling a live preview of camera settings in a native window and a high dynamic range imaging (HDRI) light environment and manipulator for environment imagery. This brings realism to the simulations and added insights into simulations results.

Additional workflow improvements include lightweight setup mode that enables users to quickly view and edit case setup with minimal computational and memory overhead. This mode can open a 6-billion cell case in 80 seconds, enabling you to quickly view and edit your setup without loading the mesh.

Developer Ecosystem – APIs and PyFluent

Recently, Ansys has been focused on creating a developer ecosystem where our users can run simulations through Python in order to expand, customize, and automate their simulations.

One way to do this is through application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow users access to Fluent’s solver settings and commands for advanced customization purposes. This enables users to build specialized solutions based on their own unique design challenges and requirements. For example, you could invoke a Fluent command or series of Fluent commands alongside other third-party or open-source commands and operations all from the same scripting environment of your choice.

In 2023 R2, Fluent API expansions include:

• Discrete phase model (DPM), radiation, species transport, and virtual blade model (VBM)
• Mesh interfaces
• Poor mesh numerics and solution methods and controls
• File-related commands
• The TUI journal converts Fluent Journal Scripts (written in Scheme or old TUI command format) into PyFluent scripts (written in Python) to make it easier for users to transition to PyFluent-based automation
  • Automates conversion of customer .jou file to .py file
• Wild card support for named objects

 2023 R2 updates for PyFluent include:

• Field data improvement, including meshing mode implementation.
• Improved streaming services to support multiple data consumers and more multiple client connections.
• The ability to batch-execute multiple operations in a single remote call.

PyFluent requires version 22.R2 or later installed locally. Learn more about getting started with PyFluent.

Ansys Turbogrid and Ansys CFX 2023 R2 Software Updates

Substantial enhancements to Turbogrid in 2023 R2 include new meshing capabilities, including the ability to mesh Kaplan and Francis turbines with square trailing edges. The leading edge and square trailing edge detail using hybrid meshing enables users to capture the partial hub gap on the turbine. In addition, meshing with the ATM3D method now takes advantage of multi-threading, which provides an overall speedup of 30%.

New workflow enhancements for CFX in 2023 R2 include a new system coupling capability for a more streamlined workflow between Ansys Mechanical and CFX for aeromechanics analysis. You can now easily transfer complex mode shapes from Mechanical’s modal analysis to CFD aerodynamic damping analysis in CFX. System coupling enables automatic geometry alignment between the Mechanical and CFD models.

How do I Download the Latest Version of Ansys Fluids Software?

You can download the latest version of Ansys Fluids software at the Ansys Customer Portal (Ansys customer login required). Select “Current Release,” download the Fluids “Full Package,” and install the latest software updates to your computer.

Interested in learning more about Ansys Fluent 2023 R2 software updates? Register for our “What’s New” webinar.