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Simcenter STAR-CCM+ comes with add-ons that provide a dedicated approach for simulations of specific engineering applications—the Electronics Cooling Toolset and the Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder Solution.
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder Solution
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder Solution provides a simplified approach within Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to perform transient moving-mesh simulations of internal combustion engines (ICE).
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder Workflow
To set up, run, and post-process an engine cycle problem in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder, you work through the nodes from top to bottom.
Analyzing the Results
After the run is finished, you analyze the simulation results.

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Add-ons
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ comes with add-ons that provide a dedicated approach for simulations of specific engineering applications—the Electronics Cooling Toolset and the Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder Solution.
- Electronics Cooling Toolset
  The Electronics Cooling Toolset provides a simplified approach within Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to perform simulations of thermal management for electronics devices—from design to solution analysis.
- Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder Solution
  Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder Solution provides a simplified approach within Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to perform transient moving-mesh simulations of internal combustion engines (ICE).
  - ICE Mechanism
    The development and improvement of internal combustion engines comes from a systematic analysis of the in-cylinder flow. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder is capable of simulating the in-cylinder flow of reciprocating internal combustion engines that operate on a four-stroke or a two-stroke cycle at steady speed.
  - Geometry Requirements
    For the automated setup of an internal combustion engine in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder, the geometry that you import must meet certain criteria. These criteria concern the file format as well as the positions and names of bodies and faces.
  - Valves Motion
    Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder models the motion of valves using valve lift curves.
  - Piston Motion
    To model the motion of the piston, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder requires specific information about the engine geometry.
  - Fuel Injection
    Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder provides methods for predicting the charge motion in an internal combustion engine—from fuel injection to fuel evaporation to air-fuel vapor mixing.
  - Combustion and Ignition
    Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder offers efficient methods for simulating the combustion process in an internal combustion engine.
  - Mesh Strategy
    Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder generates a trimmed mesh with automatic volumetric refinements to account for various flow characteristics within the flow domain. For a cylinder sector model, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder generates an axisymmetric mesh.
  - Solution Analysis
    Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder allows you to analyse the solution of an ICE simulation while the simulation is running as well as when the simulation completes.
  - Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder Workflow
    To set up, run, and post-process an engine cycle problem in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder, you work through the nodes from top to bottom.
    - Accessing Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder
      Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder is an additional tool whose icon you must add to the Simcenter STAR-CCM+ interface. After adding the icon, you can launch the tool.
    - Importing the Geometry
      For a full-cycle analysis, the setup of an internal combustion engine starts from a geometry in CAD format. For a closed-cycle analysis using a cylinder sector model, you import a 2D spline in *.csv format that describes the profile of the cylinder sector.
    - Setting the Engine Models
      Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder contains models and methods that allow you to perform different types of in-cylinder simulations.
    - Defining the Materials
      Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder requires information about the composition of air, fuel, and exhaust gas in the engine.
    - Defining Parameters
      A global parameter is a scalar physical quantity that can be defined once and used to set multiple properties in your simulation.
    - Setting up the Engine
      Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder automatically creates Engine Parts based on your inputs. Along with these parts, you define the physics and motions that apply to the engine.
    - Setting the Operating Conditions
      Here, you set the conditions under which the engine operates. For a combustion simulation, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder applies Automatic Composition Initialization, by default.
    - Setting up the Solvers
      The solvers setup includes the definition of the time-step size, the solver under-relaxation factors, and the auto-save settings.
    - Setting up the Mesh
      The default mesh settings are based on best practices to ensure a high level of accuracy in the solution with a minimum cell count.
    - Preparing for Post-Processing
      Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder provides several plots and scenes by default. You can analyze the scenes and plots while the simulation is running, as well as when it completes.
    - Running the Simulation
      The simulation is now ready to run.
    - Analyzing the Results
      After the run is finished, you analyze the simulation results.
    - Replacing the Engine Geometry and Re-running the Simulation
      To analyze multiple engine designs using the same simulation setup, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder allows you to swap the CAD geometry of the cylinder and the valves and re-run the simulation.
    - Scripting the Simulation
      You can script the process of setting up and running a simulation in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder.
  - Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder Troubleshooting
    If you encounter problems when setting up or running an ICE simulation, check these common problem scenarios for advice on how to proceed. Also consult the Knowledge Base on the Support Center portal.
  - Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder Reference
    Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder provides specific right-click actions and properties for the various objects in the object-tree.
  - Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder Formulation
- Application Productivity Tools
  Application Productivity Tools (APTs) are specialized add-ons that allow you to focus on specific applications. These tools are available as plugins for Simcenter STAR-CCM+.

Analyzing the Results

After the run is finished, you analyze the simulation results.

View, report, and plot the results of the converged simulation:

Investigate the plots
Run the reports
Examine the scenes

To investigate a plot:

To open a plot, right-click the plot node and select Open.
To save a plot to a plot image file:
1. Open the plot.
2. In the Graphics window, right-click the plot display and select Hardcopy....
3. Use the Save to File dialog to save the plot display. For details, see Saving a Plot Image File.
4. Click Save.
To tabulate the data sets of a plot, in the Graphics window, right-click the plot display and select Tabulate.
The data sets appear in a spreadsheet-like dialog.
To export the data sets of a plot to a .csv file:
1. In the Tabular Data dialog, click Export.
  Alternatively, you can directly export the plot by right-clicking the plot display in the Graphics window and selecting Export....
2. In the Save dialog, enter the file name and click Save.
For monitor plots, if you want to display the monitored values in a consecutive and not in a cycle-by-cycle manner:
1. Select the plot node.
2. In the Properties window, de-activate Cyclic Mode.
  For more information, see Cyclic Mode Properties Reference.

To run a report:

Right-click the report node and select Run Report.
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder returns the report value in the Output window.

To examine a scene:

If you wrote a scene to image files at regular intervals, click through the saved files to visualize the solution field at different crank angles. The base name of each image file is combined with the number of the update to ensure that each file is unique. The saved image files can be animated with a media program of your choice.
To save a scene to a scene image file after the run:
1. In Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder, select the scene node and select Open.
2. In the Graphics window, right-click the background of the visualization display and select Hardcopy....
3. Use the Save to File dialog to save the scene display. For details, see Saving Scene Images to File.
4. Click Save.