SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

SOLIDWORKS® Flow Simulation is an intuitive Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solution embedded within SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD that enables you to quickly and easily simulate liquid and gas flows through and around your designs to calculate product performance and capabilities.

•   Explore fluid flow and thermal performance of products to accelerate product innovation
•   A wide range of capabilities provides tools to easily predict steady-state and long transient flow and thermal behavior of products
•   Fully integrated multidisciplinary environment to quickly and easily conduct CFD analyses
•   Collaborate with project stakeholders around fluid flow simulation results for informed decisions

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SOLIDWORKS FLOW SIMULATION PACKAGES

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation is a general parametric flow simulation tool that uses the Finite Volume Method (FVM) to calculate product performance through “what if” studies that allow you to perform optimization using the results.

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HVAC Module

Dedicated heating, cooling, and ventilation tools for simulating HVAC systems and radiation phenomena.

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Electronics Cooling Module

Dedicated thermal management study simulation tools for accurate thermal analysis of electronic Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and enclosure designs.

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Discover the features in SOLIDWORKS FLOW SIMULATION

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		SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation	HVAC Module	Electronics Cooling Module
	Ease Of Use
SOLIDWORKS Simulation is fully embedded in SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD for ease of use and data integrity. Using the same user interface (UI) paradigms as SOLIDWORKS with toolbars, menus, and context-sensitive right-click menus, ensures rapid familiarization. Built-in tutorials and searchable online help aid learning and troubleshooting.
	Design Data Reuse
SOLIDWORKS Simulation supports SOLIDWORKS materials and configurations for easy analysis of multiple loads and product configurations.
	Multi-Parameter Optimization
Conduct an optimization study for more than one input variable using Design of Experiments and Optimization parametric study. Run a calculation of design points and find optimum solutions.
	SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Capabilities
Compressible gas/liquid and incompressible fluid flows. Subsonic, transonic, and supersonic gas flows. Ability to take into account heat transfer by conduction in fluid, solid and porous media. Could be with or without conjugate heat transfer (Fluid-Solid) and with/without heat resistance (Solid-Solid).
	Material Database
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation: A customizable engineering database enables users to model and include specific solid, fluid, and fan behaviors. SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation and HVAC Module: The HVAC engineering database extension adds specific HVAC components. SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation and Electric Cooling Module: The Electronic Cooling extended engineering database includes specific electronic components and their thermal characteristics.
	Internal
Calculate the impact of fluid flow through your product.
	External
Calculate the impact of fluid flow around your product
	2D 3D
By default, all calculations are on a full 3D domain. Where applicable, simulations can also be carried out in a 2D plane to reduce run time without effecting accuracy.
	Heat Conduction In Solids
The calculation of temperature change in the product’s solid geometry is an option selection. Conjugate heat transfer through convection, conduction, and radiation can be created. Calculations can include thermal contact resistance.
	Gravity
Include fluid buoyancy important for natural convection, free surface, and mixing problems.
	Rotation
Ability to simulate moving/rotating surfaces or part to calculate the effect of rotating/moving devices.
	Free Surface
Lets you simulate flows with a freely moving interface between two immiscible fluids, such as gas-liquid, liquid-liquid, gas-non-Newtonian liquid.
	Symmetric
Simulation solution times can be reduced by taking advantage of symmetry. Cartesian symmetry can be applied to x, y, or z planes. Sector period icy allows users to calculate a sector of a cylindrical flow.
	Gases
Calculation of both ideal and real flows for subsonic, transonic, and supersonic conditions.
	Liquids
Liquid flows can be described as incompressible, compressible, or as non-Newtonian (as oil, blood, sauce, etc.). For water flows, the location of cavitation can also be determined.
	Steam
For flows that include steam water vapor condensation and relative humidity is calculated.
	Boundary Layer Description
Laminar, turbulent, and transitional boundary layers are calculated using a modified Law of the Wall approach.
	Mixing Flows
Immiscible Mixtures: perform flow of any pair of fluids belonging to gases, liquids, or non-Newtonian liquids.
	Non Newtonian Fluids
Determine the flow behavior of Non-Newtonian liquids, such as oil, blood, sauce, etc.
	Flow Conditions
Problems can be defined by velocity, pressure, mass, or volume flow conditions.
	Thermal Conditions
Thermal characteristics for fluids and solids can be set locally and global for accurate setup.
	Wall Conditions
Local and global wall thermal and roughness conditions can be set for accurate setup.
	Porous Components
Ability to treat some model components as porous media with the fluid flow through them, or simulating them as fluid cavities with a distributed resistance to fluid flow.
	Visualization
Visualize the stress and displacement of your assembly with customizable 3D plots. Animate the response of your assembly under loads to visualize deformations, vibration modes, contact behavior, optimization alternatives, and flow trajectories.
	Results Customization
Provides the standard results components for a structural analysis, such as von Mises stresses, displacements, temperature, etc. The intuitive equation-driven result plot enables you to customize the post-processing of structural analysis results for better understanding and interpretation of product behavior.
	Communication & Reporting
Create and publish customized reports for communicating simulation results and collaborating with eDrawings®.
	Two-phase (Fluid + Particles) Flows
Ability to calculate (with the post-processor) in the obtained fields of results, motions of the specified particles (Particle Studies) or flows of the specified extraneous fluids (Tracer Study) in the fluid flow, which does not affect this fluid flow.
	Noise Prediction (Steady State And Transient)
Noise prediction using a fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) algorithm that converts a time signal to the complex frequency domain for transient analysis.
	HVAC Conditions
Include materials semi-permeable to radiation for accurate thermal analysis.
	Tracer Study
HVAC applications vary widely. Considerations for meeting requirements for thermal performance and quality include airflow optimization, temperature, air quality, and containment control.
	Comfort Parameters
Understand and evaluate thermal comfort levels for multiple environments using thermal comfort factor analysis.
	Electronic Conditions
Heat Pipes Thermal Joints Two-resistor Components Printed Circuit Boards Thermoelectric Coolers