FLAIR

CFD software for HVAC, thermal comfort, internal and external air flow modelling, plus fire, smoke and chemical hazard simulation

PHOENICS/FLAIR is a CFD software package specializing in the simulation of scenarios involving fluid flow, heat transfer, combustion and chemical reaction processes occurring in the built and natural environment. FLAIR is utilized worldwide by architects, design engineers and safety officers concerned with the performance of air-flow systems for both the internal and external environment.

FLAIR enables users to visualise, understand, evaluate and refine the airflow patterns in steady state or time dependent scenarios, in micro- as well as macro-scale. FLAIR permits the safe investigation of “what-if” scenarios involving ventilation system failures, fires, explosions, gas and chemical releases, and the subsequent effect of remedial action.

FLAIR shows results for:

  • Air-flow patterns

o Velocity

o Pressure

o Temperature

o Turbulence

  • Temperature distribution / stratification
  • Radiation
  • Humidity
  • Thermal comfort (PPM, PPD, etc)
  • Age of air / residence time
  • Air change effectiveness
  • Smoke layering and concentration
  • Visibility / line of sight
  • Pollutant spread and concentration
  • Transport of contaminants
  • Effect of sprinkler and fan fire control methods

FLAIR contains:

  • CAD import and repair features
  • Standard objects for diffusers, fans, sprinklers and other equipment types
  • Heat sources, inlet, outlet and other boundary conditions
  • Wind and wind profiling
  • Solar gain
  • ISO, Green Star and ASHRAE standards
  • Library of materials
  • Property database
  • Interface to weather database

FLAIR displays:

  • Building geometry and terrain data
  • Velocity vectors
  • Streamlines
  • Iso-surfaces
  • Contours of pressure, temperature, concentration, relative humidity & thermal comfort
  • Surface contours & vectors
  • Animated results

FLAIR permits:

  • Addition of user-defined functions
  • Addition of user-defined materials
  • Addition of user-defined properties


FLAIR applications include:

  • Heating, ventilation and air conditioning, thermal comfort
  • Fire and smoke hazards
  • Chemical release and pollution spread
  • Wind loading on structures

FLAIR cases include:


  • Air Ventilation Assessment (AVA)
  • Atria & building complexes
  • Car parks
  • Clean rooms & Data centres
  • Furnaces & incinerators
  • Railway stations
  • Sports stadia
  • Cityscape street canyons
  • Urban Heat Islands (UHI)
  • Road and rail tunnels
  • Hilly terrain

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