The Multiphysics 4.4 from COMSOL Inc. is the latest version of the company’s powerful platform for the modeling and simulation of electrical, mechanical, fluid and chemical applications. A ribbon design has been introduced to the COMSOL Desktop environment, when run on Windows platforms, to provide easier navigation and an enhanced user experience. By grouping commands and displaying them as needed, the ribbon makes it easier to find and use the tools available to let you get your work done faster. Commands are grouped and ordered according to the main modeling tasks, which are themselves grouped under dedicated tabs for definitions, geometry, physics, mesh, study, and results. The COMSOL Desktop brings several additional workflow improvements, such as a one-click select feature that enables faster selections in the graphics window. Using this feature, users can now hover over a boundary or domain to highlight it, and then select it with a single click. Another noteworthy feature is the new auto-complete search function, which allows you to quickly find the postprocessing variables you need among the many that are created when working with multiphysics models. A new Multiphysics node is also available in the model tree, enabling streamlined setup of multiphysics models. It allows users to easily expand upon combinations of single-physics interfaces by choosing from a list of relevant multiphysics couplings. The new Mixer Module, an add-on to the CFD Module, was designed specifically for the analysis of stirred mixers and reactors used in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, food, fine chemical, and consumer products. With its dedicated features for simulating mixer and impeller designs, as well as concentrations, velocities, and temperature profiles, the Mixer Module is ideal for accurately modeling a variety of industrial processes. The Mixer Module expands on the rotating machinery capabilities of the CFD Module by providing features for the simulation of turbulent and laminar flow, Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, free surfaces, non-isothermal flow, and reacting flow. The Mixer Module provides results on a number of quantities specific to mixing, such as mixing efficiency, power draw, and the impeller pumping number. The Multiphysics 4.4 also introduces a variety of enhancements to existing functionalities of the software. These improvements offer increased performance and usability throughout the entire product suite, including improvements in geometry and mesh; mechanical and acoustics; heat transfer; fluid; electrical; multipurpose; and interfacing.
