
Refine the blockMesh around the car by adjusting domain lengths and delta sizing to achieve uniform 0.1 m cells in x, y, and z, preparing for snappy hex mesh.
Execute snappyHexMesh in parallel by decomposing the domain into two subdomains with the Scotch method, then run mpirun to overwrite the block mesh and generate boundary layers.
Visualize and evaluate snappyHexMesh in Paraview for an armoured body, checking boundary layers, mesh quality, and refinements, then prepare lift and drag results for comparison with experiments.
Execute parallel simpleFoam in OpenFOAM, decompose and check the mesh, monitor lift and drag coefficients across iterations, and reconstruct and post-process results in Paraview.
Use Paraview postprocessing to view pressure distribution and velocity around the car, observe wake vortices, and learn how mesh refinement captures drag forces, with max velocity near 61 m/s.
Validate lift and drag coefficients by comparing numerical results with experimental data, using the ready-made CAD model, snappy hex mesh, reference length and area, post-processing, and a steady-state simple solver.
Create a Salome mesh for gearbox cooling domain by selecting netgen, setting min and max sizes, increasing fineness, and computing a 69,000-element mesh; export as UNV to the main folder.
Set up the zero folder boundary conditions for the fluid domain, editing U, P, T, K, epsilon, and alpha T, and assign inlet, outlet, and walls with Paraview verification.
Launch the chtMultiRegionSimpleFoam solver to run a steady-state multi-region CFD with separate solid and fluid meshes, using a gearbox as the heat source and monitoring the log for convergence.
Learn to perform conjugate heat transfer in OpenFOAM by extracting average temperatures in solid and fluid domains, post-processing results, and optimizing outlet placement for cooling.
Explore geometry preparation for a fountain flow using OpenFOAM by importing a STEP model in Salome, extracting a 2D surface, and defining atmosphere, inlet, outlet, and warp boundaries before meshing.
Learn to generate 2D and 3D Salome meshes for OpenFOAM, apply local inlet refinement, switch to quad-dominant elements, extrude to 3D, and export the UNV mesh for CFD.
Configure the constant folder with gravity, water and air densities, viscosity, sigma, and k-epsilon turbulence; copy system files and set end time to three seconds with auto time stepping.
Launch the OpenFOAM simulation, monitor timesteps via log files, and visualize results in ParaView by coloring alpha.water, observing velocity and pressure distributions, and playing the animation up to three seconds.
Apply post-processing with a threshold filter to isolate water and set opacity to 0.21. Animate the result in OpenFOAM after Salome meshing in a 2D simulation with inlet and outlet.
Note - CFD results always need to be validated with experimental data before blindly relying on them.
This course will take you through all the basics required in order to simulate simple CFD problems using OpenFOAM.
Geometry preparation will be covered using Salome.
Meshing will be covered using Salome and snappyHexMesh.
Solving will be covered using OpenFOAM solvers.
Post-processing of results will be covered using Paraview.
All these software are available for free without any license costs.
CFD helps to reduce the cost of products by saving time and money in prototype testing phase. Rapid prototype testings can be done by using CFD technology to predict the future behavior of the product. It enables us to foresee any shortcomings in the product and rectify them before the actual manufacturing phase of the product. This is a young technology and can grow substantially in near future.
You will be able to draw CAD models using the dimensions of any given geometry. Then you will understand how to mesh the geometry in Salome to get appropriate results. Mesh size plays an important role in deciding the accuracy of your results. Assumption of boundary conditions is another important aspect in any CFD simulation. Replication of real-life conditions must be correctly implemented in the CFD boundary conditions. Finally good post-processing of the results helps you to deliver your results successfully to the non-technical