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Product Briefing Outline: Flomerics has announced the availability of six new "SmartParts" for its Flovent software that save time and improve accuracy in simulating the performance of diffusers.

Problem: In the past, modeling diffusers has required detailed information from manufacturers about physical tests, building a room model to simulate the tests, and adjusting the model to match the test results. The new SmartParts models, on the other hand, can simply be dropped into a Flovent model and require only commonly available data for the diffuser such as outside dimensions, flow rate and temperature data.

Solution: The new SmartParts models are based on research done by Drs. Qingyan Chen and Jelena Srebric of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who are now professors at Purdue University and Pennsylvania State University, respectively. The researchers defined a method by which readily-available diffuser parameters can be translated into computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. The momentum method de-couples momentum and mass flow in the CFD simulations from the room airflow. This method uses the initial momentum and mass flow rate from a diffuser as boundary conditions for the diffusers. Flomerics has also introduced a drum louvre diffuser SmartPart which is based on research performed by Paul Rose with Gilberts, a UK-based manufacturer of diffusers.

Applications: Cleanrooms

Platform: Flovent provides tools that allow users to assemble models from libraries, avoiding the need to create them from scratch. Flovent provides an environment that helps automate design studies. Automated gridding and distributed processing across networks streamlines the process of evaluating multiple iterations to optimize the design. With this new version, Flovent continues to enhance airflow simulation of thermal dimensioning, contamination/moisture control and airflow inside large buildings.

Availability: March 2006 onwards.