FloXpress - not so fast

[MikeHalloran]

I mean, not so fast getting started.

First, I had to make a model that was seamless.
Okay, that's out of the way.

Now, I'm trying to specify the inlet conditions.
But with the >required< caps in place, I can't seem to tell FX what face is to be the inlet face. I keep getting the message "The selected face does not contact the fluid or it is external face of the model."

... and that's as far as I got.

The help is abysmal even by SW standards.

Anyone?


SW2009.4.1



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[MikeHalloran]

Ah.

Got it. Okay, stumbled on it.

You have to HIDE THE MODEL so you can click the face of the plugs. I think that's just a little counterintuitive.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[rstupplebeen]

I usually do a section cut before entering FloXpress.

I am using a trial of FloWorks and it is defiantly a whole bunch better. You can actually view your mesh!! I am not sure if I would ever trust FloXpress for any real project because you barely know what is going on in the background. I did find that if you adjust the "Smallest Flow Passage" it does indirectly affect the mesh. So I used that for my sensitivity studies. I hope this help.

Rob Stupplebeen

 

[MikeHalloran]

Thanks for that; I should have thought of a section cut.

I was mostly interested in a rough delta P, which is not reported, to see how much of the backpressure budget is consumed by the one part.

So I ran it with a not quite arbitrary flow, the nominal system flow, which reports a velocity.

Then I ran it with a not quite arbitrary delta P, the system backpressure limit, which reports a considerably lower velocity.

I think I can safely infer that the part is too damn small.


Color me disappointed. The 'report' produced by FloXpress is not nearly zoomy enough to make a case for nearly doubling the cost of a seat.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[NL8]

To be fair, from what I've seen, Express has about a tenth of the capability of the full seat. So twice the price for ten times the capability, definitely a better deal.

Joe Hasik,
CSWP/SMTL/MTLS
SW 09 x64, SP 4.1
Dell T3400
Intel Core2 Quad
Q6700 2.66 GHz
3.93 GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro FX 4600

 

[MikeHalloran]

I'm not saying it's not a good bargain.

I'm saying it's not strong enough to catalyze an up-sell.

Not here anyway.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[rstupplebeen]

Try getting a free trial like I did.

With FloXpress you basically have to completely black box your analysis because of limited reporting tools, mesh viewing, refinement and inputs. In a magic 8 ball at least you know your odds.

Test and correlate often if this is for anything critical.

Rob Stupplebeen