This year, we are once again seeking outstanding PhD theses, which represent important and original contributions to knowledge in the field of numerical techniques or physical models aimed at simulation of fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, and related processes. The following prizes shall be awarded:

1st prize: 3000 US$
2nd prize: 2000 US$
3rd prize: 1000 US$

The aim of these prizes is to stimulate research in the area of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Nominations are being accepted from all over the world until December 31 2003; theses up to one year old will be considered.

For more information on how to enter, please visit the Thesis Prize Website.

See this announcement for the 2002 winners.

"The new dynamic mesh modeling capability reaffirms our history of innovation," says Fluent's Chief Technology Officer, Dipankar Choudhury. "FLUENT can now easily simulate physical phenomena previously requiring tedious manual preparation. Applications for this new capability include the modeling of automotive in-cylinder flows, store separation and missile launches, moving valves, fuel injector pumps, and mixing equipment. But, really, the applications for this are limitless. Our customers are thinking of new ways to use it all the time," he adds.

Initial predictions of the internal flow patterns through the new reactor design were made using a CFD package and gave favourable results. But in many situations CFD models are difficult to validate, and the internal design of this particular catalyst bed, with a non-uniform porosity, made it particularly hard.

In this case, engineers performed validation of the CFD results using electrical resistance tomography (ERT) which uses instantaneous bursts of current to measure the conductivity of the fluid at a plane in the vessel. By injecting a higher conductivity fluid as a tracer and watching it progress through the vessel in time, engineers are able to measure mixing within the vessel.

Combining ERT results from multiple planes of the electrode array produces results which are a reasonable match with the CFD predictions.

In 1992, Sandia National Laboratories started the Meshing Roundtable as a small meeting of like-minded companies and organizations striving to establish a common focus for research and development in the field of mesh and grid generation. Sandia National Laboratories continues to organize the International Meshing Roundtable, which has become recognized as an international focal point annually attended by researchers and developers from dozens of countries around the world. The relaxed atmosphere at each Roundtable provides an open and technically rich environment in which to share new ideas and technical advances.

The International Meshing Roundtable continues to focus on bringing together researchers and developers from academia, national labs and industry in a stimulating, open environment to share technical information related to mesh generation and general pre-processing techniques. In 2003, Roundtable attendees will enjoy Santa Fe's unique Southwest architecture, picturesque streets, Loretto Chapel and miraculous staircase, distinctive regional foods, fine museums and art galleries. Santa Fe is filled with 400 years of history and culture. The conference hotel, Inn at Loretto, is within walking distance to the plaza, Palace of Governors and other attractions.

The goal of the GGMNS project is to develop an API to serve as a programming guideline for researchers developing new unstructured meshing techniques. AFRL and other agencies often fund such development with the hope that the new techniques will be incorporated into meshing applications for the benefit of the end user. However, without a standard API, the software implementation of meshing research often requires considerable rework for integration into existing software. The rework is often sufficiently large that integration is never attempted or completed, and the end-user never benefits from the results of the research. A standard API would also benefit meshing researchers by allowing them to use existing meshing applications as frameworks for their research, rather than spending resources developing their own application frameworks.

As FEA is slowly becoming a mainstream design and engineering tool, perhaps Computational Fluid Dynamics is set to be the next big thing for mainstream integration.

It’s been around a year since I last looked at their product, but at the time, that fifth major release of CFdesign saw the interaction between your workhorse 3D CAD system and Fluid Flow and Thermal analysis take a great leap, with advanced integration with the leading CAD systems and its CFD functionality. So what have they got up their sleeve for Version 6?

Read the full review.