Computational and Theoretical Fluid Mechanics
The Computational and Theoretical Fluid Mechanics Laboratory is working in various fluid-related research areas within the Fluids Group. With the advent of modern computer technology, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
has become a powerful tool for the study of fundamental fluid mechanics problems (such as air turbulence) and also for the design of complex fluidic devices. At Warwick, CFD is being extensively used in complex geometry flow, unsteady turbulence, flow control, and hypersonic flow simulations. In this work, we are working closely with Warwick Centre for Scientific Computing (CSC).
- A massive high-performance computer simulation has recently been performed to unravel the mysteries of turbulence. The vortex calculation used 2048x256x1024 mesh points and 20 processors on the Warwick CSC parallel machine.
- A novel numerical method is being developed to model complex shapes using CFD codes based on Cartesian grids. This has the benefit of using a simple rectilinear grid and its associated solution methods to model geometries previously only possible using a complex mathematical manipulation.
- A new project is currently underway to develop unique computational tools for non-equilibrium viscous flow fields around hypersonic vehicles, where conventional fluid dynamics is often unsuitable for many aerodynamic/ thermodynamic situations, while statistical molecular dynamics is computationally too demanding.
