Product category:
Design and Development Software
News Release from: Flomerics | Subject: Flotherm V7
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 09 May 2007
Thermal analysis software takes a 3D
view
Novel thermal optimisation capability fits a 3D surface to the entire design space, enabling engineers to visualise the complete interaction of the design parameters with the design goal.
Flomerics has released Version 7 of its Flotherm electronics thermal analysis software featuring a new Response Surface Optimisation capability that Flomerics believes is unrivalled in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis software Earlier versions of Flotherm included a sequential optimisation capability allowing users to specify combinations of design parameters and iterate sequentially towards the best design
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 6 Aug 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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The new Response Surface Optimisation goes further by fitting a 3D surface to the entire design space, enabling engineers to visualise the complete interaction of the design parameters with the design goal as well as identifying the optimum to a greater degree of accuracy.
The user begins Flotherm's optimisation process by defining design goals in the form of a "cost function", and the ranges over which key design parameters may be varied.
The cost function may be a single, simple value such as the junction temperature of a particular component, or a complex linear combination of values including weighting.
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Flotherm provides tools that allow users to assemble models from libraries, avoiding the need to create them from scratch.
Flotherm automatically creates and runs the required number of simulations to explore the entire design space in the most cost-effective way.
Flotherm's new optimisation module then generates a "response surface" showing the value of the design goals for all the combinations of variables that were run.
The response surface can be viewed through either a 2D or 3D chart window making it easy to visualise the sensitivity of the cost function to changes in particular design parameters.
The optimum value of the cost function is automatically identified and saved as a new project file.
This project file can then be solved to confirm the global optimum.
The ability to visualise the entire design space and the response surface brings many benefits including: better design insight and intuition; rapid determination of which design parameters are crucial and which are unimportant; instant assessment of the effects of manufacturing variations, and so on.
Common real-world applications of the optimisation process include: heatsink design; PCB component placement; fan/blower selection and the location of vents.
Another important new capability of Flotherm Version 7 is the ability to embed arbitrary conductive thermal resistor networks within the overall fluid dynamics simulation.
This enables semiconductor packages with high levels of internal complexity such as multi-chip modules to be represented simply but accurately using combinations of several thermal resistances.
In addition, the ability to define thermal capacitances within the resistor network allows for the transient response of the model to be predicted.
Flotherm Version 7 includes a new SmartPart that models heat pipes accurately - an important capability as heat pipes are becoming more common especially in space-constrained consumer electronics.
Flotherm 7 also includes the ability to import 2D DXF files and extrude them directly into 3D shapes - this is particularly useful for representing copper fills, pads and vias in printed circuit boards generated by leading EDA software tools.
Flotherm's all-new Visual Editor post-processing window boasts "fly-through" and "fly-by" results animation; a new easier data entry/edit method based on property sheets; a Japanese user interface; and numerous other performance enhancing features. Request a free brochure from Flomerics ...
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