Come with us on a journey deep into the awe-inspiring world of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) – a fascinating method for simulating airflow around aircraft and spacecraft. But that’s not all! CFD also helps us conduct precise analyses of flow processes in the Earth’s crust and develop more efficient and sustainable energy systems. Sounds complicated? No need to worry: We’ll explain it step by step and show you how CFD is revolutionizing the future of flying and energy!

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) - a powerful tool

Imagine if you could see the wind around an airplane and understand how it behaves in the air. Well, with CFD, you can! This cutting-edge method analyzes the airflow and the movements of complex aircraft in a virtual world. An important step toward making aircraft and spacecraft more advanced, efficient, environmentally friendly, and safer.

CFD forecasts numerous processes, from atmospheric re-entry to supersonic flights. It helps us understand how heat is transferred, and optimize engines and propulsion systems for quieter, more environmentally friendly air and space travel. Numerical methods are used to optimize processes like fuel injection, atomization, and combustion as well.

Energy and sustainability are at the heart of what we do

Our work aims to promote sustainable use of environmental and water resources. There are lots of systems that behave similarly to water and environmental systems so we apply the same research methods to technical and biological systems–from energy storage units to biological tissue. CFD is a valuable tool in energy research. It optimizes wind turbine designs, improves thermal energy storage systems, and helps us understand complex processes in fuel cells. Efficient, sustainable energy systems are our goal.

Our team consists of mathematicians, physicists, and engineers. We simulate, experiment in labs such as the Porous Media Lab (PML) and the Multiphase Flow Lab (MFL), and are experts in data analysis. We develop algorithms and powerful codes like FLEXI (high-performance aerodynamics software, developed at the Institute of Aerodynamics and Gas Dynamics, IAG), FS3D (for complex flows and phase changes, developed at the Institute of Aerospace Thermodynamics, ITLR), DUMUX (for flows in porous materials and pore networks, developed at the Institute for Modelling Hydraulic and Environmental Systems, IWS), and HOOMD-blue (for porous materials and special simulation methods, developed at the Institute of Applied Mechanics, MIB).

Multiscale, multiphase, and multiphysics flows occur in a number of natural systems and technical applications. Examples of these complex flow phenomena can be found in numerous areas, e.g., in aircraft engines, where the interaction between fuel and air at high pressures and temperatures (supercritical) is of central importance. They are equally relevant in fuel cells, underground water storage, and in hydrogen storage, where precise monitoring and an understanding of the fluid properties at different scales is crucial to the efficiency and safety of the technologies.

Development of high-performance programs

Our focus lies on developing and improving algorithms and solution methods that can be used both for single and multiphase flows. The computer programs we have developed are highly scalable on CPUs and GPUs, allowing complex flow problems to be simulated efficiently. Using advanced methods such as the discontinuous Galerkin (DG), smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), and volume of fluid (VoF) methods, we are making a significant contribution to an expanded understanding of the physical processes and to the improved accuracy and efficiency of fluid-dynamic and thermodynamic simulations.

Discovery of new physical relationships in fluids

We investigate complex phenomena such as drop formation/impact, phase changes, multiphase flows in porous media, spray dynamics, and flow dynamics in pore networks. By applying advanced algorithms and highly scalable solution methods, we can simulate and analyze these complex processes. Our work enables us to identify new physical relationships, thus deepening our understanding of fluid dynamics.

Creation of precise models

A particular focus of our work is data-driven turbulence modeling, modeling of phase changes, and modeling of pore networks. State-of-the-art modeling techniques help us simulate these complex phenomena in precise detail and understand their dynamics. Our data-driven turbulence modeling enables us to describe the chaotic, difficult-to-predict flow patterns more precisely.

Experimental investigation

Designing and building experiments is a fundamental part of our work and we have installed two specialized labs for this purpose: the Porous Media Lab (PML) and the Multiphase Flow Lab (MFL). We use the latest measuring techniques and instruments in both labs to obtain high-accuracy data, and we use that data to verify and refine our theoretical models and simulations. These practical experiments enable us to combine theoretical knowledge of fluid physics with real-life conditions, thus improving the accuracy and predictive power of our work.