Flownex System CFD Code
M-Tech’s main software product is Flownex, a thermal-fluid systems CFD code. The code provides the ability to simulate, design and optimize complete integrated thermal‑fluid systems based on fundamental principles similar to that of conventional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes. The difference however is that the complete system or plant, including the control system, can be simulated and results are obtained within very short computer processing times, even for transient event simulations. Applications include compressed air networks, water reticulation networks, steam heating and heat exchanger networks, refrigeration cycles and whole power plants including gas turbines, coal fired power stations and gas-cooled nuclear reactor power plants.
Although the code started life as a pipe network analysis code for the simulation of compressed air, water and gas pipe networks, it has evolved into a world leading thermal-fluid systems CFD code boasting clients such as Rolls-Royce (UK), ConceptsNREC (USA), PCA Engineers (UK), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan), Kobe Steel (Japan), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), Cranfield University (UK), Sasol, CSIR Miningtech, Secunda Collieries, Iscor, Eskom, PBMR and Samsung (Korea).
In 1999 Flownex was selected as the primary design code for the main power system of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR). This is a new type of high temperature gas-cooled nuclear power plant currently being developed by PBMR (Pty.) Ltd. Flownex played a key role in the successful completion of the first phase of the project which led to the SA Government’s decision to approve the construction of a multi billion Rand demonstration plant at Koeberg. For this purpose various highly specialised thermal‑fluid system component models were developed and implemented including:
- Detailed discretized heat exchanger models for finned‑tube, shell‑and‑tube and micro channel designs.
- Multistage axial and centrifugal turbine and compressor simulation models including surge and rotating stall.
- Models for flow through high speed rotating components such as labyrinth seals and serpentine cooling channels for turbo machine modelling.
- Development of a pebble bed reactor model including a point kinetics neutronics model.
Flownex is being developed within the framework of an ISO9001:2000 quality assurance system which involves extensive validation against experimental data, other codes and analytical results. A more detailed description of Flownex can be found at www.flownex.com.
Besides Flownex, M‑Tech also has extensive conventional CFD capability and experience and provides this service to the wider industry.
Flownex - Thermal Fluid System Simulator
Willie Landman
+27 (0)18 297 0326
wal@mtechindustrial.com
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