FLOWNEX SE 8.9.1 (2018 – UPDATE 1)
We have launched our latest update of Flownex® SE for 2018.
Some of our major enhancements is adding a thermostat and thermostat bypass component, scale drawing measurements, liquid mixtures and more.
MAJOR ENHANCEMENTS
Thermostat & Thermostat Bypass
Thermostat and Thermostat Bypass components were added to the Flownex® component library. Thermostats are required in systems that control the heating or cooling of the working fluid close to the desired temperature. This component is typically found in engine cooling systems or airconditioning of buildings. The component level behaviour is therefore similar to a valve that will change its opening as a function of temperature.
A typical thermostat has two flow paths, namely the primary flow path and the bypass flow path, however there are cases without a bypass, and therefore Flownex® allows the modelling of a Thermostat with and without a Thermostat bypass. The opening of the Thermostat is dependent on the inlet static temperature and specified as a chart. The opening of the Thermostat Bypass is obtained from the opening of the Thermostat, also defined by means of a chart. The secondary loss for both the Thermostat and Thermostat Bypass as a function of their respective openings are calculated from the user-defined charts for secondary loss versus opening.
Scale Drawing Measurements
The scale drawing functionality has been expanded. A scale drawing ribbon was added to the toolbar with all the scale drawing related functionality.
The user can specify the scale and coordinate system of an imported drawing with two known coordinates on the drawing canvas. This allows the drawing origin to be away from the zero-point on the axis and also simplifies specifying the scale. The drawing scale and coordinate system can be changed at any time and the components will be scaled accordingly.
Point and line measurements can be drawn on top of the imported picture. The line will determine the correct lengths and coordinates from the scale and coordinate system of the imported drawing.
The coordinates of the points and length of each line can be connected to any input fields on components. They are connected without data transfer links to avoid cluttering the drawing canvas.
Fields associated with the measurements are greyed out. Moving the points or lines will update the coordinates and lengths while keeping the associated fields updated.
The point and line measurements or the components and links drawn on top of a scale drawing picture can be hidden and shown when required with the buttons on the Scale Drawings ribbon tab. The opacity of the background picture can be changed to make it easy to see the measurements on the drawing. The opacity slider on the toolbar is used for this.
Global Parameter Displays on Drawing Canvas
Right-clicking on any property in the input or result grid will display a context menu with a new option called “Display on Canvas”. This allows the user to choose the location where to display this property for all components of the same type. The same context menu of the relevant property on the property grid is used to remove what is displayed on the Drawing canvas.
In the configuration screen, the user can change the advanced configuration options like the number of significant digits, or whether the caption should be displayed.
Script Debugging
The Scripts can be debugged if a debugger is installed on the computer. Visual Studio is recommended for debugging. The Debug button is located on the Script editor.
After clicking the Debug button then the user will be prompted to select which debugger to use.
A breakpoint can be placed in the relevant function requiring debugging and the run button can be pressed in the debugger to continue. The debugger will break as soon as your chosen line of code is hit.
Liquid Mixtures
The ability to specify a fluid mixture consisting of multiple liquids was added. The user can select various liquids as pure fluid components in a fluid. The mass fractions for each component are specified similarly for gas mixtures. Flownex® will calculate the mixture thermodynamic properties and the user can specify the mixing rules for the transport properties (viscosity and conductivity) by selecting one of the pre-defined mixing rules or coding a script for custom mixing rules. The mixture will be treated as a single-phase liquid in the Flownex® solver. A Help button was added to direct the user to the appropriate location in the User Manual discussing the mixed fluid theory.
MINOR ENHANCEMENTS
Specify Drawing Grid Spacing
The size of the grid on the drawing canvas can be changed on the page inputs. To access the page inputs right-click on a page and choose “Edit Page” on the context menu.
Change Location of Identifier and Description Text
The location of the display can be changed in the project settings under “Drawing Text Settings”.
Added Button to Copy Used Data References to Project Database
A button was added enabling the user to copy all the charts and lookup tables from the databases located in the project to the project database. This is useful when using a company database and it is necessary to send a project to another user that does not have that database.
Added Confrim Delete Dialogon Data References & Categories
The user will be asked for confirmation before deleting a data references to prevent accidental deletions.
Master Database Location
The location for the built-in master database that ships as part of the Flownex® installation was changed. The name for the database folder is now “Master” (it was previously in a folder called “Project” in the installation folder).
Nuclear Reactor
Added friction factor and flow area to Detailed Reactor Output file.
Python
The Python resource files have been updated. Firstly, a getting started guide has been added to assist new users with installing Python and installing the required libraries for using the Flownex API. Another example has also been added to show how Python can be used to automatically build a network from a CSV-file using the API. Furthermore, the Flownex.py file has been updated to automatically determine your Flownex install directly from the registry entries created when Flownex is installed.
Restrictors
The Cooling orifice was removed and will be replaced with a Nozzle in the existing networks.