ElectroFlo

Electronic CFD Thermal Management Software

       Altair ElectroFlo is a CFD-based thermal analysis software for simulating challenging electronic cooling and other EDA thermal management applications. Even non-CFD experts can easily get started. It can solve complex heat transfer problems involving conduction, forced and natural convection, radiation, and conjugate heat transfer.

 

【 Product Highlights 】

• Coupled electrical analysis

• 1D simulation and a dedicated radiation solver

• Embedded thermal/electrical networks

• Fully automated modeling for common products

• Extensive error checking

• Object-oriented modeling for ease of use

【 Advantages 】

       ElectroFlo is specifically designed for challenging electronic cooling applications. Using a product-based modeling approach together with extensive self-checking and automation, it delivers unprecedented ease of use. Its solver is built on a stable and powerful CFD core; however, the real strength of the solver lies in its “hybrid” approach, combining a wide range of solution methods and fidelity levels across multiple physics domains.

       The software works together with electrical analysis to capture Joule heating (self-heating) in traces and conductors, and can also build integrated 1D flow networks for liquid channels. It further supports lumped thermal analysis with mixed fidelity and electrical R/C networks, significantly reducing preprocessing effort.
 

【 Features 】

Coupled electrical analysis

• Solves the voltage field and resistivity in parallel to evaluate the distribution of Joule heating
• Accurately calculates self-heating of traces and conductors, avoiding ineffective over-design

1D flow network co-simulation

• Integrates complex flow network systems into the model
• Models liquid cooling channels and cold plates with minimal computational resources

Patented radiation solver

• Automatically groups element surfaces to form a more appropriate radiation mesh, instead of being constrained by fine geometric details

Embedded thermal/electrical networks

• Allows integration of resistive thermal networks in the model, without limits on circuit complexity
• Adds internal details of components and connects the system to the environment

Object-oriented modeling

• Applies relationships between “objects,” “loads,” and “functions” directly to boundary conditions
• Users select specific regions and input constant values or function curves to assign different settings
• Editing or copying objects automatically updates or creates corresponding BCs

Automation
       A general, template-based, fully automated modeling approach:

• Meshing: fully automatic with user-defined refinement
• Model cleanup: one-click full automation, or user-controlled cleanup for selected objects
• Circuit detection: fully automatic circuit detection using component resistivity and power chains

Extensive error checking

• Checks material properties before running
• Verifies electrical boundary conditions in conduction applications

       By focusing on electronics-oriented technologies, ElectroFlow can deliver higher accuracy while reducing both modeling and simulation time.

Model manager list view
       Allows users to import the entire model once, then modify multiple objects at the same time.

• Treeview items populate the list view
• Classification by object, type, and material color
• Sorting by type, power, temperature, and material
• Creation of groups/assemblies
• Copy/rotate/translate/mirror operations

Editable and extendable databases

• For components, convection, material properties, and TIM

Variable boundary conditions defined via custom functions or tables, including:

• Time-, temperature-, and/or space-dependent conditions
• Periodic functions, inverse functions, and thermostat controls
• Polynomial, exponential, and sinusoidal curves read from files
• Use multiple functions to define temperature dependence and spatial variation

Support for importing 2D solid geometry

• CAD, IGES, ODB++, IDF, and other formats
• CSV-based component placement tools
• User-defined tolerances
• Smart import tools to capture required parameters and discard thermally irrelevant details

High-current applications
       In these applications, large amounts of heat are generated in various conductors and leads due to current flow.

• Automatic circuit detection
• Solves the voltage field and accurately predicts self-heating effects
• Current/voltage boundary conditions
• Power links and nodes add circuit details with minimal impact on computational resources
• Bolt joint losses modeled using electro-thermal sheet resistance

Vents and fans

• Fans fixed relative to walls or defined using fan curves
• Can simulate swirl, rotation, and hub heat dissipation

Analysis

• Laminar and turbulent flow

• Steady-state and transient

• Run-time modification tools

• Component thermal margin tracking

Liquid cooling applications
       In high-heat designs, chip-level heat exchangers with complex internal channels are often used to cool components. Due to the complex fin geometry, traditional CFD modeling of the heat-exchanger core is not feasible.

• ElectroFlo’s 1D flow network co-simulation is an ideal solution
• Users provide the flow path and channel cross-sections
• Automatically creates flow nodes and solid–fluid interfaces
• Automatically creates convective and advective resistances
• Heat-exchanger parameters are taken from related test data or performance curves

Post-processing

• 3D plots, with the option to overlay on the original CAD
• Slice-plane contour plots
• Velocity vectors, color-mapped by any scalar
• Result reporting over any volumetric region
• Result reporting on any plane
• Automatic export of results to ParaView for advanced post-processing

Other functions

• Command history tracking across files
• Setting recovery when the software closes abnormally without saving