FLOWNEX SE 8.8.2 (2017 - update 2)
Flownex® SE’s update 2 includes major enhancements to even further improve user-friendliness and ease of use, enhanced solving capability and speed, additional features and solvers, as well as new models and components.
In this update, attention is given to the Licensing Module Selector, as well as a new CFX generic interface component that enables the user to model heat transfer and pressure drop in 3D (ANSYS CFX), seamlessly coupled to a 1D network (Flownex®).
We continue to lead the way in the systems simulation tool market with a steady hand on quality, reliability and accuracy, timeous dependable support, and frequent user-applicable development.
LIST OF ENHANCEMENTS
MAJOR ENHANCEMENTS
Licensing Module Selector
CFX Link
Cavity Wall Editor
An editor has been added that allows a user to draw the cavity wall profile for Rotor-Rotor or Rotor-Stator components with complex geometry specification turned on.
The Cavity Wall Editor allows users to select a background image and easily draw and modify the wall profile on top of this image, as seen in Figure 5.

Global Parameters
The Global Parameters dialog will then open, as seen in Figure 7.
To use global parameters in actions, etc. open the Solvers tab and select Global Parameters, as seen in Figure 8.
API/Extendibility
- Several new examples were added to show how to automate Flownex® from different environments.
- A Python example was added to show how to use Flownex® with ordinary Python (IronPython is then not required).
- Added a complete Python example to build a complex network.
- Added an example to shows how to build a network via C#.
- Added examples that shows how to modify properties, solve and get results via C#.
Excess Flow Valve
An EFV is mainly used in gas distribution networks as a protection device. In the event of a pipe rupture downstream of the EFV, the EFV will automatically close, effectively closing the gas flow to the ruptured area. The closure mechanism of an EFV is brought about by an increase in gas flow rate in the pipe line, resulting in increased drag force on the valve components, which closes once a certain specified limit is exceeded. This flow rate is known as the “shut off flow”.
The shut off flow rate (Vs) is the flow rate at which the drag forces on the internal valve elements are such that it overcomes the internal spring force, effectively closing the EFV. Most manufacturers give the shut off flow in terms of a normalized volume flow rate versus inlet pressure at a single point or as a graph over the EFVs pressure range as is typically Error! Reference source not found. shown in Figure 10 Error! Reference source not found..
MINOR ENHANCEMENTS
- Added torque and torque imbalance results to relevant components (for example the Variable Speed Pump, Shaft etc.).
- Updated the reading of files in example neutronics scripts to work with tab delimiters too.
- Changed inlet and outlet solid fractions to 1.0 by default for conduction elements.
- Made the pipe schedules editor clearer to use by adding usage messages and clearly indicating which cells to select.
- Made writing flow solver text result files optional – these files are rarely used and can cause long delays at the end of steady states and transient simulations. It is now a setting in the Flow Solver.
- Changed Turbine flow coefficient units to be more consistent with industry norm.
BUG FIXES
- The Windows 10 Fall Creators Edition Update caused a major problem with the propertygrid. Using the fluid selection drop down, or other complex drop down windows in the propertygrid would cause the application to become non-responsive and had to be forcibly closed. A new version of the propertygrid where this problem has been fixed is now used.
- Fixed the problem where an image selected from the Master Database could not be used in a Style.
- Fixed the problem where Flownex® crashed when multi selecting components to assign a fluid and then clicking in the edit part of the field before clicking the dropdown arrow.
- Fixed the problem that occurred where sometimes ports were not available for linking when using Scale Drawings. This was the root problem with not being able to use Data Transfer Links on Scale Drawings.
- Fixed the Go to element context menu option when right clicking on a warning or error.
- Fixed bug in compounds where sub properties of an item in a list did not work when it is used in an exposed property. This is for instance the material on a layer in a Composite Heat Transfer.
- Fixed crash in writing incondensable mixture pressure and temperature ranges to text file.
- Made it possible to connect the Lumped Resistive Duct to the Convection element.
- Fixed the problem where selection of neutronics chart was lost in reactor chart.
- Fixed the problem where the K factor dialog did not work when schedules were specified on pipes.
- Fixed a crash that occurred during issuing an error when emissivity is not specified as 1 in radiation on compound heat transfer and it is radiating to another compound heat transfer.
- Fixed Rotor Bolts drag coefficient calculation.