Did you learn CFD in college/university?

Q_Goest

Thanks Astro, FeX. If you stumble across any good papers just drop the name here. :)

FeX32

Will do!

BTown

No, we didn't go that in depth with our mesh. It was simply to optimize lift based on different dihedral angles and chamfer of the wing.

OldEngr63

Just for counterpoint, when I graduated back in 1968, ANSYS had not been invented, FEA was not being taught other than as a research method, although we did study the use of beam elements only as derived from beam theory, and CFD was only a twinkle in the eyes of a few fanatics. Obviously much has changed in the intervening years.

sareyes91

Hi Astronuc,

What you said in regards to students nowadays not developing the numerical methods from scratch, is not entirely true. I am currently taking an introduction FEA course where the professor teaches us all the theory and background that programs like ANSYS and pro/e use. All of this while introducing us to ANSYS. In fact, one of our homeworks is to write a program that solves one and two dimensional structural mechanics problems. I'm still in the process of writing it.

Although it might just be our professor, he is very old fashioned.

OldEngr63

Sounds to me like you have a very good professor who thinks you need to learn more than simply how to push buttons. You will thank him for this later.

Astronuc

I fear this is an exception in our current educational system.

I've heard developers and sellers of code systems say that "it is not necessary for the user to know or understand the details of the code". I vehemently disagree. Usually, such a statement really means "we don't won't users to look under the hood such they know how to do this." It is a matter of controlling technology and IP, such that users have to keep paying license fees and buying technical support year after year.

It's very important to be able to write the equations, both analytically and numerically, and be able to solve them. Theoreticians write equations (and develop models), and developers write the numerical equations and solution technique/system, as well as develop models. Developers create the tool. Then it's possible that the user will use the tool, often times without knowing the 'guts' of the tool.

My experience is a bit unique in being developer/theoretician and user.

One also has to familiar with solution techniques, computational theory, and some degree of hardware contol, and how all that effects the results of the computation.

Computational multiphysics (particularly multiscale) is a rather complex and challenging field, but it's a lot of fun.

Exocet

I'm in first year at university in England doing ME, and while I haven't met any CFD yet I know that there is a course in second year which runs across both semesters which teaches FORTRAN and MATLAB programming and basic CFD and FEA using FLUENT and ANSYS. This continues with another compulsory module in modelling computation and simulation and an optional advanced CFD course in 3rd year.
I don't know about you, but that sounds like an awful lot of computing :P

sareyes91

That sounds awesome, I didn't even know they still taught Fortran. In my FEA course right now we had to write a program (in the language of our choosing) to solve one dimensional truss problems. I wrote it in MATLAB, so much easier

hari_srt

Yes, i undergone a cfd course and am in a job related to the same.i wish to do M.sc in the same field,i want to do it in Uk or in Aus,Can anyone of you help me.

i had worked on proj related to drill bits,valves etc.,

Vadar2012

Nice thread necro mate, but I can give you some advice.

I've done a buttload of CFD. I've did my undergrad and Masters theses on CFD. More specifically modelling the aerodynamic and thermodynamic conditions on reentry aircraft and scramjet combustion chamber research.

I think the best way to improve your CFD skills is do a Masters thesis in the field. Alot of Australian Universities are good at it. Such as UQ, UNSW, USYD, and ANU. I can't help you with Canada.

Q_Goest

Hi Vadar,
Are you aware of any papers that compare CFD analysis to experimental results in an effort to prove the accuracy of some CFD code? Anything would be good but especially Rayleigh Benard convection. I've seen some outputs on YouTube but I'd love to see a paper that compares CFD analysis to physical measurements!

Vadar2012

I have a tonne of journal articles that compare CFD simulations to experimental results. I have done 2, 200 page thesis papers on it. Although my field was mostly exploring the flow affects inside the combustion chamber of a scramjet and then comparing them to experimental results. This is far more interesting than it sounds, some freaky stuff goes on inside there. I proved 50 years worth of thinking wrong. Was quite fun.

I might have a paper on that though, give me some time to have a look. I don't have them with me at work.

hari_srt

thanks you vadar, I didnt get correctly what masters thesis means,BTW i want to do a full time course in cfd and am confused to select the branch in it....
can you help me in figuring out the best modules or the best future scope of the branches etc.,
and in aus what will be the time period for completing the M.Sc.

Regds.
Hari

bigfooted

If you want to find CFD/experiment comparisons and your library does not have a subscription to sciencedirect or springer (most university libraries do however), go to the website of a university library that puts all their phd theses online and search for Rayleigh benard. It is one of the most studied fluid flow phenomena around, so I am surprised that you have a hard time finding something useful. Try it for instance here, I know it was studied in the lab where I worked:
http://repository.tudelft.nl/

Q_Goest

Hi bigfooted. I'm not in college. I graduated in 1988. I've looked around for papers through Google Scholar but haven't found anything compared a CFD analysis with experimentation. If you know of any good papers that provide that comparison, I'd really appreciate a lead. I can get papers but I haven't found anything, even on the web site you provided.

Vadar2012

What do you have access to? If you got access to AIAA and the likes, maybe I can just give you some titles instead of spending ages uploading them.