[User Tip]Database Manager: ESI-CFD, Local, and modelname.DTF Folders

[cfdace]

When you open the Database Manager in CFD-ACE-GUI, you will notice that there are three folders: ESI-CFD, Local, and a modelname.DTF folder. These folders are slightly different in behavior. These differences will be discussed in this user tip.

The ESI-CFD folder (note that this has been the CFDRC folder in past version of CFD-ACE-GUI) contains entries that are shipped with your software installation CD's. These entries are located on you hard disk. To check to see where the entries are located, you should go to Edit -> Preferences and you will see a Database Manager Directory entry near the bottom of the dialogue. While the data for these entries cannot be modified, you can copy one of the entries to the Local or modelname.DTF folder and modify the entries. The entries in the ESI-CFD are available for use with any DTF file.

Entries made in the Local folder are available for all DTF files in the same way the ESI-CFD folder is. The Local folder will contain entries you have created from scratch or entries you have copied from the ESI-CFD folder and modified. This is really your own database, which contains entries that you use in most of your simulations.

The last folder is the modelname.DTF folder. Entries made in this folder are only available to the current DTF file. You can copy entries from the ESI-CFD or Local folder into the modelname.DTF folder to modify for the current simulation.

When entries in the Database Manager are used, the solver will look for the information in the following order: first in the modelname.DTF folder, then in the Local folder, and finally in the ESI-CFD folder.

By using the Local folder, you can create a custom database for your reactions, gas species, etc. You can then copy these entries into your modelname.DTF folder to modify for the current simulation. If you would like to read how to do this, please see the example at the end of this tip.