Why do engineers use CFD?
“Computational fluid dynamics is the rapidly evolving science of numerically solving the equations of fluid motion to produce quantitative predictions and/or analyses of fluid flow phenomena. When used appropriately, CFD is often ideal for parametric studies or flow-physics investigations that would otherwise be impractical or impossible via entirely theoretical or experimental efforts.” read more
CFD Benefits
Relatively low cost
- Using physical experiments to get essential engineering data for design can be expensive.
- Simulations are relatively inexpensive, and costs are likely to decrease as computers become more powerful.
Speed
- Simulations can be executed in a short period of time.
- Quick turnaround means engineering data can be introduced early in the design process.
Ability to simulate real conditions
- Many flow and heat transfer processes cannot be (easily) tested.
- Provides the ability to theoretically simulate any physical condition.
Additionally CFD provides
Insight
- Gives a deeper insight into designs.
- Enables the user to virtually look inside a design and see how it performs.
Foresight
- CFD is a tool for predicting what will happen under a given set of circumstances, it can quickly answer many ‘what if?’ questions.
- It can predict how a design will perform, and allow testing of many variations until you arrive at an optimal result.
- All of this can be done before the physical design is built and tested.
Efficiency
- Foresight gained from CFD helps to design better and faster.
- Retrofit improvements are built and installed with minimal downtime.