Numerical flow simulation
ME-474
Media
General
- Rooms BC07/08.
- Virtual machine STI-WINDOWS11.
- Your personal computer: any version, student license. Works only under Windows. If you have a Mac or Linux OS, the easiest is probably to use the virtual machine STI-WINDOWS11; see below (other options include setting up a Windows dual boot or installing a software like VirtualBox).
To connect to the virtual machine STI-WINDOWS11, please follow these steps:
0. If outside EPFL, use the VPN to connect to the EPFL network (details here).
1. Go to https://vdi.epfl.ch
2. For better performance, install the VMWare Horizon client from that
page. If you prefer simplicity, just use the Web virtual desktop client
on that page. Both work normally.
3. If you have installed
VMWare Horizon, launch it and click "New Server" to add the server
"vdi.epfl.ch". Double click on that server in the list to start your
connection.
4. Enter your EPFL login and password (both Web and Horizon clients).
5. Click on the Virtual Machine "STI-WINDOWS 11".
6. Important: at the end of your session, make sure to log out! Do not close the virtual machine window before logging out, otherwise it will remain active in the background and use valuable resources in the meantime.
- News forum (Forum)
- Student forum (Forum)
- Anonymous feedback (Feedback)
- Course plan 2025 (File)
- Note: The lecture and exercise slides are provided... (Text and media area)
- Videos from 2021 (URL)
Week 1: Introduction
For the "Mixing T" tutorial, follow the instructions in both pdf documents (incompatibility issue between the version of Fluent used to create the CAD file and the current version).
- Lecture: intro (File)
- Lecture: demo Poiseuille (File)
- Tutorial: Turning Vanes (Folder)
- Tutorial: Mixing T (Folder)
Week 2: The Finite Volume Method
If you are not familiar with Matlab, note that there is a short
introductory document about Matlab in the section "Software
documentation".
- Lecture: FVM (File)
- Exercise (File)
- Exercise solution (Folder)
- FVM schemes from Taylor expansions (File)
Week 3: Solving linear systems; Linearizing nonlinear systems
- Lecture: solving linear systems (File)
- Lecture: nonlinearity (File)
- Exercise (Folder)
- Exercise solution (Folder)
Week 4: Convection
Week 5: Time integration
Week 6: The Navier-Stokes equations
(Break)
Week 7: Geometry / Meshing
Suggestion: complete the tutorials "geometry" and "meshing (with Fluent meshing mode)" this week, and the tutorials "meshing (with Workbench Meshing)" next week.
- Lecture: meshing (File)
- Tutorials: geometry (with SpaceClaim) (Folder)
- Tutorials: meshing (with Fluent meshing mode) (Folder)
- Tutorials: meshing (with Workbench Meshing) (Folder)
Week 8: Computation
- Lecture: computation (File)
- Exercise: computation / boundary conditions (Folder)
- Exercise solution (Folder)
Week 9: Turbulence
This week we start talking about the basics of turbulent flows, the challenges specific to the numerical simulation of such flows, and the different strategies available for practical simulations.
We will finish this lecture on week 10.
The tutorial/exercise helps you become more familiar with the different RANS models.
- Lecture: turbulence modelling (File)
- Short Matlab code for the Lorenz system (chaotic system of 3 ODEs) (File)
- Tutorial / exercise: turbulent backward-facing step (Folder)
- Tutorial: partial solution (Folder)
- Tutorial / exercise: comments (File)
Week 10: Verification and validation
We will first finish week 9's lecture on turbulence, and then talk about verification and validation.
- Lecture: verification and validation (File)
- Exercise: convergence study (Folder)
- Exercise solution (File)
Week 11: Parallel computation; Visualization
- Lecture: parallel calculation (File)
- Lecture: visualization (File)
- Video: side mirror noise (Folder)
- Tutorial: visualization (Folder)
Week 12: Exam
- Time: 9:00-9:45. The exam starts at 9:00 sharp, not
9:15. Arrive early enough, allow sufficient time to find your seat, etc.
- Place: PO 01.
- Bring your Camipro card, as we need to check names and Sciper numbers.
- No material is allowed: no books, no slide printouts, no calculators, no mobile phones etc.
- The
exam will consist of a series of short questions (open or multiple choice) and
simple exercises about the basic concepts seen during the lectures and
exercises from week 1 to week 11. For example:
- Derive the expression of the CD discretization scheme on a one-dimensional uniform grid.
- Describe qualitatively the so-called "pressure checkerboard mode".
- When is it appropriate to use a symmetry boundary condition?
You are not expected to know equations/formulas by heart, except dimensionless numbers (Re, Ma, Pe, etc.).
- The exam will be followed by free time to work on the project, and then by the usual exercise session 11:15-13:00.Week 13: Case studies
An example of complete simulation workflow will be presented, from pre-processing to computation to post-processing.
You will be able to practice with another example.
Week xx: Other topics
Week 14: Insights on applied CFD
Presentation from T. Favre based on a rich and diverse experience in CFD/aerodynamics in car/sailboat racing.
Assessments: mini-projects
- There are 3 assessments: 2 projects and 1 written exam.
- The projects are to be conducted in groups of 4 students. Groups can be different for the two projects.
- You should work on the projects outside of the lectures / exercise sessions.
- You can get support from the assistants.
- You must submit one report per project and per group. Only the reports are graded.
- Each project counts for 40% of the final grade, and the written exam for 20%.
Enjoy, and good luck!
- List of groups (URL)
- Project #1 (Matlab): description (File)
- Project #2 description (File)
- Project #2: specification template (File)
- Simulation check list / report template (pdf) (File)