Fluid Dynamics

Like everyone else, I watched the story of the Ever Given and formed my own theories about what happened. Except I was wrong. As the events unfolded, new information came out and I learned the increasing complexity of the accident. Each time, I developed a new theory, which failed with new information. Over a year later, what is the answer? Let’s review what we know and still do not know about the Ever Given incident.

It may look like a swimming pool, but towing tanks exist for a different purpose. They are a fundamental tool of ship design.

CFD Mesh deformation is incredibly frustrating, but unavoidable for body motions in CFD. Learn strategies to plan for your next mesh deformation project.

CFD models multiple fluids with the volume of fluid method. Learn the practical details of this technique. Discover the world of VOF modeling.

Turbulence does tricky things near walls. Turbulence is most critical near the wall, so how to consider near wall effects? Learn more here.

How do we stretch the limits of linear algebra to accommodate non-linear CFD equations? How do we take the mathematics from one cell and apply them to millions of cells?

CFD convergence is not an exact science. Monitors, flow patterns, and residuals. Learn how to use these tools and reliably juge convergence.

Transport equations form the fundamental language of CFD. Today we explain transport equations and the significance of their terms.

Just fresh out of college, and the boss assigned your first project for computational fluid dynamics (CFD). You are excited. You can’t wait to begin the challenge. You sit down at your computer, start up the CFD software . . . and freeze like a deer in headlights. How to begin? What to do first? Today we discuss the general workflow for a CFD project and highlight some general modeling advice.

Is there anything that CFD can’t do? Practically speaking, we can achieve the result, but you may regret paying for the answer. Several CFD projects involve combinations of different CFD methodologies. Combined together, they evolve into a major project risk. Gain some insight about the risk factors for your next CFD project. Plan a strategy to minimize project risks so that you don’t get caught by combining unknown cost increases.

We all want to feel good about paying for engineering analysis. Sometimes the best answer drives us to maximize value, rather than minimize cost. In those cases, you do better to go beyond basic safety and search for enhancements. Today we discuss four engineering tasks where you can maximize your value. Extract every last drop of knowledge from your engineering project.

Why would an airplane company design a ship? When considering hydrofoil ships, aircraft share many of the same requirements. More specifically, every hydrofoil vessel needs a method of motion control, even sailing hydrofoils. This article discusses the problem of hydrofoil control and several solutions.