Wind Turbine

partnerships
Cooperative Research on Fuel Cells
Fluent CFO Peter Christie (seated, left) and NETL’s Larry
Headley (seated, right) sign the CRADA on PEMFC modeling
In November 2001, Fluent entered into a
Cooperative Research and Development
Agreement (CRADA) with the US Department
of Energy’s National Energy Technology
Laboratory (NETL). This collaboration will focus
on the development and validation of a
FLUENT-based Polymer Eletrolyte Membrane
Fuel Cell (PEMFC) model.
NETL and Fluent have agreed to work together
on the development of the PEMFC model,
which builds on the existing capabilities of the
FLUENT code to calculate fluid flow, heat and
mass transfer, and chemical reactions. NETL
will provide expertise in PEM fuel cell technology
to assist in the implementation of submodels
describing complex PEMFC physics. NETL will
also work with Fluent in model validation by
providing data from NETL PEMFC experiments
to compare with model predictions and ensure
model accuracy. The validated PEMFC code
will then be made available to the public as
part of the commercial Fluent software family.
NETL will use the resulting model for their
in-house studies of PEMFC systems. ■
“The result of this CRADA between NETL
and Fluent Inc. will be a fully-validated, commercial
CFD model of the PEMFC, including
electrochemistry, electric field, and
multiphase flow of water. This FLUENT-based
tool will allow PEMFC designers and manufacturers
to understand the detailed
operation of their PEMFC cell and stack, which
is critical information for design optimization.”
– Dipankar Choudhury
Chief Technology Officer, Fluent Inc.
FLUENT prediction of water vapor mole fraction at
the anode of a PEM Fuel Cell
Parameterized Model Building for Climate Control
Fluent and ICEM CFD Engineering
have partnered to provide an
up-front design tool for performing
passenger comfort studies
in automobiles. This easy-to-use application-specific
tool, CABIN MOD-
ELER, developed by ICEM CFD
Engineering, allows FLUENT users to
define and mesh the interior geometry
of a sedan, mini-van, or hatchback
(SUV) by simply defining
dimensions on a parameterized
template.
Through its parameterized
approach, CABIN MODELER provides
a quick and easy way to perform
climate control studies in the
absence of a CAD file. Parametric
design studies varying not only compartment
size, shape and angle, but
also register locations, seat clearances
and instrument panel details can be
quickly performed throughout the
design process to ensure optimized
ventilation systems and identify
potential design flaws long before
prototypes are built or even detailed
CAD data exists.
CABIN MODELER creates a
tetrahedral volume mesh, with
optional prism layers on wall surfaces.
Meshing is fully automatic, with default
meshing parameters tuned to the
geometry, but with the ability of the
user to override defaults and exert
control. The mesh is saved in native
FLUENT format and can be read directly
into the FLUENT solver.
Beyond this, CABIN MODELER
can be a valuable tool in the later stages
of vehicle compartment design. As
detailed CAD data becomes available,
it can be used to facilitate the cleanup
and meshing process by merging
the actual CAD geometry (e.g.
the dashboard) into the parameterized
template, thus streamlining the
process from CAD to analysis. ■
more.info@
cabinmodeler@fluent.com
CABIN MODELER provides parameterized model building and automated
meshing for FLUENT automotive climate control simulations
42 Fluent NEWS spring 2002