CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

26 February 2009

Product News

CFdesign HPC Module From Blue Ridge Numerics Accelerates Flow and Thermal Design Studies Without Breaking the Bank

Blue Ridge Numerics, Inc. announced that design engineers can experience speedup of simulation time for complex flow and thermal projects using the latest CFdesign high performance computing (HPC) Module. The module allows CFdesign users to harness the power and investment of their existing Windows HPC networks, whether in a data center or a smaller cluster environment. The module allows customers to conduct more design studies in less time and reduce the time it takes to achieve solutions for large complex models. Mechanical and product design engineers in either scenario described above will benefit from the decreased time required to optimize flow and thermal performance during the digital design phase, resulting in increased productivity and a more optimized final product design.

Results Verify the Benefits of the CFdesign HPC Module

The CFdesign HPC Module provides significant value to companies across industries and with varying applications. The examples below exemplify the increased speed for simulations spanning natural convection, HVAC airflow patterns, and drilling in the oil & gas industry.

-- The HPC Module reduced a natural convection simulation solution time by 550% (5.5X) during a design study conducted to optimize surface cooling of a commercial jet in a hanger after exposure to full sun. (A cluster of 4 computers with 16 cores was used.)

-- During an energy audit of a university laboratory, the HPC Module reduced simulation time to optimize the lab's HVAC airflow patterns by 525% (5.25X). (A cluster of 4 computers with 16 cores was used).

-- While conducting a design study to decrease erosion effects by improving the internal flow of liquids in a tricone bit that is used for drilling by the oil & gas industry, the HPC Module reduced the solution time by 400% (4X). (A mini-cluster of 2 computers with 8 cores was used).

"We are committed to taking the complexity out of CFD and that expands to removing barriers for our customers to leverage the power offered by HPC to significantly speed up simulations," said Derrek Cooper, product manager, Blue Ridge Numerics. "CFdesign users can implement the HPC Module in a data center or on a simple and cost-effective HPC mini-cluster, allowing design engineers from small or large companies or with limited CAPEX resources to increase productivity."

Gaining the Benefits of HPC Without Breaking the Bank

Blue Ridge Numerics developers have confirmed that even a modest two-computer Windows HPC mini-cluster with the CFdesign HPC Module creates enough horsepower to speed up solution times by 400%. As an example, a transient pump simulation might have previously taken 10 hours, but with the mini-cluster setup, the time is reduced to 2.5 hours. The time saved can be used to test additional designs or move on to the next project, providing a significant increase in productivity.

How to Create Your Own HPC Mini-Cluster

For customers interested in creating a simple two-computer mini-cluster, which is all that is needed to utilize the power of the CFdesign HPC Module, the components have been included below. A Dell system has been used as an example, but could be replicated with HP or other similar computers. Additional computers can be added to the setup at an extra cost.

--  Two Dell T7400 desktops running Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition with HPC Pack installed.

--  Two Mellanox Infiniband Host Channel Adapters (HCAs). One HCA is required for each PC, each with Mellanox drivers including Network Direct support and OpenSM Infiniband Fabric Manager.

--  One Infiniband cable connecting the two Mellanox Infiniband HCAs

About the CFdesign HPC Module

CFdesign v10 and the HPC Module are available as an integrated, associative solution for Autodesk Inventor, CATIA, CoCreate, NX, Pro/ENGINEER, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, and SpaceClaim. The Company will continue to expand the capabilities of the HPC Module with the upcoming release of V11 later this year.

The CFdesign HPC module is available immediately. For further information on purchasing CFdesign and the CFdesign HPC Module contact a local sales office or visit the Company's website: http://www.cfdesign.com/products/hpc-module.aspx

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