Turbomachinery - Past and Future of CFD Simulations

Keynote Lecture

The presentation will discuss developments in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) over the last 25 years focusing on turbomachinery and fan flow applications. It will include progress in core technology like turbulence and rotor-stator interaction models as well as algorithmic improvements relating to discretisation schemes and solution algorithms. In addition, advances in critical CFD enablers like geometry modelling, mesh generation, analysis, high-performance and cloud computing and quantification of numerical errors and uncertainties will be reviewed. CFD is not a stand-alone technology anymore. It is increasingly used as a component of multi-physics analysis, the most common fan flow-related examples being fluid-structure and fluid-electromagnetic interactions (motor). These developments will be discussed as part of the presentation. Finally, changes in the usage and user environment of CFD software, from a discretionary validation tool to an obligatory design tool and on to a “digital twin”, and its implications for efficient CFD software packages in terms of performance and user environment will be highlighted.