from Pro/E is used by CFdesign to create the analysis model, eliminating the time-consuming translation process required for traditional CFD.

“The CAD/CFD integration is very important to us,” says Mutschelknaus. “We want to spend our time exploring design options, not preparing files for CFD.”

CFdesign is opened directly in Pro/E using controls within the CAD software’s interface. Flow volume, volumetric boundary conditions, and material properties are assigned automatically. After that, all that is left is selecting flow and heat-transfer analysis options. CFdesign automatically generates the optimal mesh and provides access to initial simulation results within minutes.

For less demanding designs, Daktronics runs an airflow/ventilation analysis to compare different design options and optimize the airflow through the system. For designs incorporating complex thermal cooling systems, Mutschelknaus and his colleagues, Sunil Gaddam and Kurt Peters, run natural convection and airflow analyses. Associative data between CFdesign and Pro/E makes it easy to run a simulation, do a 3D design review, make appropriate design changes, and see the impact of those changes in minutes.

“We use CFdesign in the early stages of the design to compare benefits vs. cost for different combinations of components, fans, heatsinks, enclosures, and materials,” says Mutschelknaus. “With this information, we can narrow our options to two or three different designs that we’ll physically prototype.”

New solar loading functionality in CFdesign has also played a key role in Daktronics’ design work. Solar loading depicts radiation through transparent media and even shows shadowing based on the sun’s movement. Set-up is simple: specify the time of year, time of day, and location on the globe using a database within CFdesign or by assigning specific latitude/longitude coordinates, and click the mouse to see the simulation.

“Time-stepped solar simulation has enabled us to optimize display contrast by varying sizes and shapes of shading louvers on the display face,” says Mutschelknaus. “It’s another way that upfront CFD has helped us determine performance in the early design stages.”

According to Mutschelknaus, nearly every project at Daktronics benefits from moving CFD upfront in the design process.

“We’ve been able to make key improvements such as fan hoods with lower pressure losses, more efficient combinations of fans, tighter pixel pitches for outdoor use, improved display contrast, and reduced operating temperatures of electrical components. We’ve even been able to design some displays without ventilation fans.”