Flowfield Studio

Preliminary axisymmetric flowfield analysis of the solved nozzle and plume.

Flowfield Studio solves and visualizes preliminary axisymmetric, nonreacting nozzle and plume cases for the engine you just sized: steady-state and transient, with residual status, field inspection, and export. It is built into RPL Engine Workbench and runs on the same case that produced the geometry and report.

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Transient nozzle startup playback — an idealized sudden-start transient (not an ignition model).

What it solves and shows

Model: Axisymmetric, nonreacting compressible flow of the solved engine's nozzle and external plume. Inviscid and viscous solver paths where supported by the installed build. Preliminary analysis; not reacting combustion CFD and not conjugate heat transfer.
Cases: Steady-state solves and transient solves with frame-by-frame playback of the startup-style evolution.
Fields: Pressure, Mach number, density, temperature, and density-gradient (schlieren-style) rendering that makes shocks, expansions, shear structures, and plume boundaries easier to inspect.
Diagnostics: Residual and convergence status, solver provenance, warnings, and separation/over-expansion screening context around the throat, expansion section, and exit plane.
Export: PNG images, image sequences, MP4 playback (local ffmpeg), and VTK fields for ParaView.
Compute: Runs locally; Apple GPU/Metal acceleration where the build and solver path support it.

Rendered fields

Monochrome log-density rendering of a sea-level LOX/RP-1 nozzle and plume: shock-diamond train aft of the exit and a startup vortex ring, with the application's solver header, density colorbar, and preliminary-status footer — Density field (log scale, ShockXRay colormap) of a sea-level LOX/RP-1 case: Pc 9.7 MPa, ε 8.0, transient startup frame at t = 3.1 ms, 1.65M cells on the Metal GPU path. Preliminary inviscid, nonreacting result, rendered by the application.

Flowfield Studio transient playback controls and residual status — Transient playback controls and diagnostic panels.

Nozzle and plume Mach-number visualization — Mach-number field of a solved nozzle and plume case.

Where it fits

Flowfield Studio answers a preliminary question early: does this contour, at this operating point, produce shocks, separation, or plume behavior that deserves attention before deeper analysis or a test? Results carry their convergence state and solver provenance, and any non-converged result is labeled as such.

It is not a substitute for validated CFD or hot-fire data. Final decisions belong with qualified analysis, test results, and your organization's review and acceptance processes.