Blade Geometry and Rapid Flow Analysis
2020 Release Feature Highlight: Axial Design in AxCent®
AxCent® has long been recognized as the premier 3D design software for turbomachinery components.
Our development team has spent much of 2020 focusing on several new capabilities within the axial context of AxCent®. These developments have included new methods of defining blade sections, the ability to convert between blade definitions, the addition of drooped edges, and applying our CAD importing tools to axial machines, among many others. These enhancements to our flagship product will allow a designer more freedom in designing axial machinery, options for starting from legacy designs, as well as advanced design features that will push the boundaries of performance more than ever before!
AxCent® is used for detailed 3D geometric design and for rapid flow analysis of multistaged axial and radial turbomachinery through streamline curvature. AxCent employs powerful features for axial, mixed-flow, and radial geometries that can be combined to design almost any turbomachinery.
Blade Geometry
AxCent easily handles the most complex blade geometry. A partial list of blade design features include:- Blade stacking of 2D cross sections
- Blade restaggering around an arbitrary axis
- Bowed blading defined by hub-to-shroud bow profiles
- Bowed or sculpted element with arbitrary number of mid-span sections
- Variable tip clearance on either end of the blade
- Flow cuts and radial trims
- Swept leading/trailing edges
- Multiple, offset, and independent splitter blades
- Irregular blade/splitter configurations for noise reduction
- Parameterized volute geometry generation
- Split duct geometry
- Fillets with constant or variable radius and aspect ratio
- Cutaway view allows real-time cross sections to be viewed as the design is edited
- 3D overlays permit viewing of current, real-time changes on a transparent overlay
Flow analysis
AxCent includes several options for real-time interactive flow analysis:- Inviscid streamline curvature solvers, including Concepts NREC's Multi-Stream Tube Solver (MST), are recognized in the industry as the best for centrifugal pumps and compressors
- MST puts the power of real-time analysis in your hands. It enables you to immediately visualize the consequences of design changes on velocity, temperature, and pressure. You can look at multiple iterations in seconds, rather than the hours necessary to export each design to CAD for CFD analysis.
- Using MST, you can significantly reduce the overall design cycle time by providing an optimized iteration for validation, rather then the more traditional iterative process that requires a lot more back and forth.
Design before editing
Design after editing
And a number of CFD-based solvers:
- Blade-to-blade is a powerful and rapid quasi-3D solver for quickly evaluating flow patterns across the channel
- Quickly provides validated feedback to resolve blade profiles for twist, camber and thickness
- Throughflow is another quasi-3D solver for rapid analysis of axial streamwise flow in compressors and turbines using industry-standard loss and deviation models
- Enables feedback in minutes compared to full CFD analysis
- Run multiple iterations to improve performance
- Full 3D CFD with an advanced full Navier-Stokes solver for comprehensive analysis using a seamless one-click interface with NUMECA International's FINE®/Turbo
Four-stage axial compressor case study showing results from both Throughflow and Blade-to-Blade solvers:
Throughflow ran in under 25 seconds - best for axial machines
Blade-to-Blade ran in approximately one minute. It works on either axial or radial machines and runs fastest on radial machines.
Direct Integration to Other Programs
AxCent works through direct links with all Concepts NREC meanline programs including:- COMPAL (radial compressors)
- PUMPAL (radial pumps)
- RITAL (radial turbines)
- FANPAL (axial and radial fans)
- AXIAL (axial and radial compressors and turbines)
- FINE/pbCFD and FINE™/Turbo (flow analysis)
- TurboOPT II (optimization)
AxCent can be started from any Concepts NREC meanline program (once the geometry has been set up), and can link the AxCent geometry back to the meanline design to rerun the analysis and regenerate the performance maps. Additionally, using TurboOPT II, the AxCent geometry can be linked to an internal optimizer or to a third-party optimizer such as modeFRONTIER, Isight™, VisualDOC, and IOSO.
Stress Analysis Integration
AxCent is fully integrated with Concepts NREC FEA stress analysis programs, Pushbutton FEA™. FEA stress, thermal and modal analysis can be conducted directly through the AxCent interface.
AxCent Interface to other Programs
AxCent is also compatible with many commercial and open source software packages. Some examples include:- FLUENT®. Direct export of geometry or CFD grids through native FLUENT format files
- OpenFOAM®. Export of grid files and importation of output files through OpenFOAM formats
- CAD Systems. Export of IGES and STEP formats for seamless integration with virtually any CAD package
- Isight. Link to Isight optimization via XML format or directly through Concepts NREC’s TurboOPT IIoptimization software
- Import-export formats with Python scripting, XML format options, various other file output for seamless export to Concepts NREC CAM programs (the MAX-PAC suite)
Customer-driven Improvement
AxCent has been continuously improved with annual releases since 1983. Nearly two hundred licenses shared by nearly four hundred users worldwide make AxCent the most mature and robust turbomachinery design software available today. Each year, the most requested features from Concepts NREC’s formal ballot process are incorporated into the new AxCent release.
Software Support
Our support staff in North America, Europe, and the Far East includes experienced turbomachinery designers. Our software maintenance plan, Agile Products Support (APS), features traditional software upgrades, a help line, and regular design reviews conducted by our engineering staff, who also teaches our renowned turbomachinery courses.
Documentation
Documentation features make AxCent easy to use and include comprehensive HTML HELP plus step-by-step tutorials. User guides for designing radial and axial machines include Designing Axial Machines With AxCent and Designing Radial Machines With AxCent. Both guides are available in print or in searchable PDF format.
How can we help you? Contact us today to discuss your CAE software needs.
COMPAL, Pushbutton CFD, and PUMPAL are registered trademarks of Concepts NREC, LLC. AXIAL, FANPAL, RITAL, TurboOPT II, Pushbutton FEA are trademarks of Concepts NREC, LLC. FLUENT is a registered trademark of ANSYS, Inc. OpenFOAM is a registered trademark of OpenCFD Ltd. Isight is a trademark of Dassault Systèmes.
