Co-simulation Environment - AxSTREAM ION Overview

Introduction

AxSTREAM ION is an intelligent software program which integrates and automates the full machinery design process, enabling users to transfer data to and from different software programs, iterating between design and analysis steps for new product development as well as visualize the digital version of a machine to investigate reliability and equipment aging against real world conditions. By leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, system design and analysis is much faster and more efficient in comparison with traditional approaches. Embedded optimization algorithms let users perform multi-disciplinary optimization and data analysis to gain and share insights into their simulation results.

AxSTREAM ION Use Case Examples:

HVAC Application: Water-Cooled Chiller Compressor

 

Space Application: Liquid Rocket Engine Turbopump

 

Supercritical CO2 Technology

 

Integration, Automation & Parallel Processing:

AxSTREAM ION™ enables integration of all available AxSTREAM solvers, in-house codes and commercial third-party software (Star CCM+, Simcenter 3D, NX CAD, etc.).Using AxSTREAM ION, data is transferred to and from different software programs automatically iterating between design and analysis steps based on the tasks specified by users without the need for additional coding. This avoids possible human errors such as selecting the wrong input file between calculations or even mismatching units between software preferences.

Automation through AxSTREAM ION enables implementation of an integrated, streamlined process to perform complex parameter studies and system response analyses. In addition, AxSTREAM ION users have access to parallel execution which enables them to plan, automate and run larger more complex design tasks simultaneously.

Multi-Disciplinary Optimization (MDO):

As technology advances and industries becomes more competitive, teams can no longer work independent of one another and as a result, companies are trending towards multidisciplinary design optimization methods. AxSTREAM ION has built in optimization algorithms that enable analysis and optimization across disciplines such as fluid dynamics, structural dynamics, thermodynamics, and acoustics with shared data analysis in one environment.

This allows companies and teams to make informed design decisions earlier on in the design process, leading to better products quicker with less iterations and lower development costs.

AI & Machine Learning:

AxSTREAM ION can use machine learning to gain insights from generated simulation data. Artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionize the way we work, as tasks that were formally time and labor intensive can be completed with minimal human intervention. AxSTREAM ION has the unique ability to predict ideal configurations, boundary conditions, and operating conditions to help guide users through the design process with remarkable speed and accuracy. By utilizing machine learning to remove mundane tedious tasks, engineering teams have additional capacity to work on new, cutting edge concepts and then evaluate those concepts in an autonomous digital environment without sacrificing employee time and resources.

Digital Twin and Virtual Test Bench:

From a development point of view, a component and/or its system can be designed and tested inside a virtual environment so that its performance can be reviewed and the machine reworked until desired characteristics are found, without the need for physical prototyping and all the associated costs. From an existing design aspect, a physical hardware can be reverse engineered so that its digital twin can be manipulated (analyzed, tweaked, redesigned, etc.) in a software. In both cases the concept of a digital twin can (and should) be extended to a digital thread where the life cycle of the product is of interest. By doing so, engineers can get a real, detailed feel for the equipment, investigate possible failures so that preventative measures can be put in place.

AxSTREAM ION can be used to model a machine at all stages of its lifecycle, which can be useful in monitoring the reliability and successful operation of any turbomachine, whether it is new from the OEM or at the end of its life cycle. Through AxSTREAM ION, users can easily visualize the digital version of a machine to investigate reliability and equipment aging against real world operating conditions. As a result, a machine’s lifetime can exceed previous estimates through the ability to predict maintenance intervals, anticipate downtime due to mechanical failures, and speed up diagnostic processes.