Simulate and analyze fluid flow, temperature distribution, and pressure variations with detailed visualizations and comprehensive performance analyses.
Request a demoComputational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), a branch of fluid mechanics, leverages data structures and numerical calculations to solve complex fluid flow problems, encompassing aspects such as chemical compositions, density, and velocity.
Our proprietary CFD engine, built on OpenFOAM libraries, powers the ColdStream platform to deliver highly accurate and detailed results.
This advanced software can analyze a wide range of scenarios, including laminar and turbulent flows, incompressible and compressible fluids, multiphase flows, and more.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) uses numerical models to simulate fluid behavior and thermodynamic properties, simplifying the analysis of complex fluid interactions.
By converting physical laws into algebraic equations, CFD enhances aerodynamic performance and optimizes fluid flow and heat transfer, helping improve thermal efficiency and overall system performance.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) allows engineers to analyze products in detail through advanced simulations providing an efficient, non-intrusive way to understand thermal performance.
Use 3-D visualization, streamlines, contour plots, and cross-sections to assess and enhance your design with CFD simulations.
Submit a case on ColdStream and sit back as our High-Performance Computing (HPC) cluster Gompute processes it.
Gompute's bare-metal system is fast and specifically optimized for CAE workloads, giving you the performance and reliability you need for your engineering projects, in a safe and secure environment.
Automated meshing of mesh elements
Extensive libraries of materials and flow properties
Automatic solver configuration
Intuitive boundary-type naming using the boundary element method
Automatic post-processing for eve the most complex fluid flow problems
Numerical methods in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) are mathematical techniques used to simulate the behavior of fluids using computers. CFD is a branch of fluid mechanics that deals with the numerical simulation of fluid movement and heat transfer phenomena. Some common numerical methods used in CFD simulations include:
Numerical methods in CFD are continually evolving, and new methods are being developed to handle increasingly complex fluid flow problems. The choice of numerical method depends on the problem being solved and the available computational resources within CFD software.
CFD analysis and FEA are both numerical methods used to simulate physical systems. However, they are used to solve different types of problems.
CFD software primarily analyzes fluid flows, including fluid velocity and flow of liquids and gases. CFD simulations involve solving a set of governing equations, including the Navier-Stokes equations, to predict the behavior of the fluid. The methods used in CFD include finite volume, finite difference, and spectral methods. CFD is used in various aerospace, automotive, and energy systems applications.
FEA, on the other hand, is used to analyze stresses and deformations in solid structures. FEA simulations involve dividing a complex structure into smaller, simpler elements and solving the equations for each element. The method is used to predict the behavior of the structure under different loading conditions. FEA is used in various applications, including civil engineering, automotive, and aerospace.
The main difference between CFD analysis and FEA analysis is the type of problem they are used to solve. CFD software is used to analyze fluid flows, while FEA is used to analyze solid structures. While the methods used in CFD analysis and FEA analysis are similar in some respects, the governing equations and numerical techniques used are different. The type of output generated from the simulations is different; CFD generates flow fields and velocity distributions, while FEA generates stress and deformation fields in solid structures.
The Navier-Stokes equation is a set of partial differential equations describing fluids' motion, and essentially acting as the result of the known laws for the behavior of viscous fluids. These Navier-Stokes equations are named after the French mathematician and physicist Claude-Louis Navier and the Irish mathematician and physicist George Gabriel Stoke, and are derived from mass, momentum, and energy conservation laws.
Typically, the Navier-Stokes Equation is typically not solved explicitly due to its mathematical complexity. Various techniques exist to approximate the solution computationally. Instead, applications of these equations are commonplace in CFD in techniques, such as the finite volume method (FVM), finite difference method (FDM), finite element method (FEM), and various spectral methods. One way to consider the groupings of equations at work in the Navier-Stokes equations is to describe them as the convection, momentum, and diffusion equations.
Fluid-structure interactions (FSI) refer to the interaction between a fluid flow and a solid structure. When a fluid flows around or through a solid object, it can exert forces on the object, which can cause it to deform or vibrate. In turn, the deformation or vibration of the object can affect the fluid flow, leading to changes in the fluid's behavior.
FSI is important in many engineering applications, including aerospace, civil engineering, and biomedical engineering. For example, FSI can affect aircraft and spacecraft aerodynamic performance in aerospace engineering. In contrast, in civil engineering, FSI can affect the stability and integrity of structures subjected to wind and water loads. In biomedical engineering, FSI can affect the flow of blood in arteries and veins, and the behavior of medical devices such as stents and heart valves.
To analyze FSI, it is necessary to use a combination of fluid dynamics and solid mechanics. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis can be used to model the fluid flow, while finite element analysis (FEA) can be used to model the solid structure. Coupling these two simulations allows the effects of FSI to be studied.
Understanding FSI is important for designing and optimizing structures and systems that interact with fluids. By modeling and analyzing FSI, engineers can optimize the design of structures to reduce the effects of fluid-induced vibrations or deformation, and to improve the performance and safety of these structures. Luckily, ColdStream makes this easier than ever before.