During the last three and a half years, CFX has actively participated, as CFD software provider, in the European HPNURSA (High Performance Numerical Unsteady Rotor Stator Analysis) research project. The project, which started in 1998, recently closed with a workshop at the 21st IAHR meeting held in Lausanne, Switzerland in September 2002. Within the project, CFX worked closely with VA TECH HYDRO, as industrial end-user, and the Universities of Lausanne (EPFL) and Lyon (ECL) as academic partners.

The complexity of unsteady rotor-stator flows makes them highly computer intensive, as they require a transient simulation with sufficiently small time steps to resolve the unsteady features of the flow. Furthermore, the full 360-degree machine must generally be modelled, leading to multiple blades per row in the simulation. These demands increase CPU and memory requirements by at least an order of magnitude compared to steady-state simulations. If such computations are to be tractable for industrial users, the use of advanced computer and programming technologies is essential. These issues have been addressed by the HPNURSA project, providing improvements to the unsteady time integration formulation, enhancements of the transient rotor-stator interface and the optimization of the parallel performance of CFX-TASCflow and CFX-5.

A major factor in the design of such cars is their aerodynamic efficiency. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) plays a crucial part in Formula 1 aerodynamic design processes at Ferrari. The Ferrari team uses the FLUENT CFD code for all their CFD simulations, Fluent being the fastest growing CFD supplier to the worldwide Automotive Industry.

To celebrate this winning partnership, Fluent and Ferrari have printed a limited edition set of posters depicting a virtual Ferrari Formula 1 race car in classic CFD pressure contour format, with a real F1 race car just behind it on a Grand Prix race track. These A2 size posters are being offered free from Fluent Inc. to the first 350 people to request them.

To request your free copy, visit http://www.fluent.com/direct/ferrariposter-cfdreview today!

Workshops on specific topics of interest, such as Process Modelling and Turbomachinery, will be held on December 2nd and 3rd. These courses are designed to be of value to both beginners and advanced users of CFX.

The conference, on the 4th and 5th of December, will provide an excellent opportunity to share experiences and exchange ideas with peers and experts.

For more information and to register, visit the CFX Website.

At any particular race, a Formula 1 car represents the current state of the art, a snapshot in an ongoing multimillion-pound research and development project. Teams recognize the importance of the most advanced design, simulation and testing techniques – and spend, spend, spend accordingly. The teams that race high performance bikes are every bit as keen to succeed but here the emphasis tends to be more on fine tuning and trimming rather than turning out machines that evolve steadily (sometimes dramatically) throughout a season.

Part of this is down to motorcycle racing’s rules and regulations: in some races every entrant must ride an identical bike, so room for design innovation is distinctly limited. And money is certainly an issue. The fact that individuals still race on a reasonably competitive basis with their more highly funded rivals is a reflection of the fact that cash is spread somewhat thinner than in Formula 1 racing.

Highlights from the newest rankings include the following:

• SGI leads with the most systems in the Top 25 across all of the seven categories ranked.
• SGI submitted the most powerful computer in both the Single System Capability and Enterprise categories.
• SGI is the only vendor to have systems in the Top 25 of all categories delineated by IDC.
• SGI represents nearly one-quarter of the systems rated in the Top 25 of the respective categories submitted by nine vendors.

Topic: Turbulence and Heat Transfer Modeling in CFX-5

Date: December 11, 2002 during the PowerGen International Conference

Time: 9 am - noon

Location: Orlando, Florida

Visit the seminar website for more information and to register.

For more information on the SST turbulence model visit the CFX Website.