During a coupled analysis, one of System Coupling's core functions is to manage data transfers between the coupling participants. A data transfer is the transfer of a single quantity type in one direction between the two sides of the interface.

Because data transfers go in only one direction, associated participants and regions may still be referred to as "source" and "target" when discussed in relation to a data transfer.

System Coupling currently supports transfers of any scalar or vector quantity and any real or complex data type.

The source participant region must be able to send the quantity and the target participant region must be able to receive the quantity type being transferred.

For example, consider a coupled one-way thermal analysis in which Fluent and Mechanical are the participants. In this co-simulation, the fluids region is the source for the transfer of Temperature and the structural region is the target for the transfer of that Temperature. This could be extended to a two-way thermal analysis by introducing transfer of Heat Rate from the structural region to the fluids region.

Force and displacement transfers are typical for fluid-structure interaction problems, where a load to the structure is transferred from a fluid solver and the deformations to the fluid are transferred from the structural solver.