Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), we can simulate and analyze complex problems involving fluid-fluid, fluid-solid, or fluid-gas interaction. Our experts work across a broad range of industries and throughout the component lifecycle to help you get the best value from your assets. 

How does CFD simulation work?

Element uses advanced computational methods to study complex fluid dynamics and heat transfer problems that affect our customer’s components and products in the environment and operating conditions.

For example, we can look at the turbulent flow on an aircraft wing section and how it behaves at different angles of incidence. The domain in this instance would be the airflow around the wing, which we would upload into our CAD software, measure and combine with boundary conditions, and pass to our experts to produce a solution. Element can extract critical areas of interest, for example, the lift, the different angles of attack, or the drag theories.

CFD applications

Our experts can apply fluid dynamic principles to a wide range of complex, industrially relevant applications, including:

• Fluid-structure interaction can help you understand the forces that would be applied to your structure due to the fluids passing over it.
• Multiphase flows for situations where multiple fluids can interact with each other. These can include various liquids, liquids, gases, and bubble formation. 
• High-speed flows are characterized by compressibility effects such as shock waves and expansion waves.
• Turbulence occurs at higher Reynolds numbers.
• Heat transfer can be a powerful tool for many applications, including convective cooling, evaporative cooling, and applications where a cooling process is used.

How can CFD simulation help your company?

Computational Fluid Dynamics can be used by many companies and in many forms of engineering to help you to increase your understanding of your designs, reduce development costs and turnaround times, and improve your products. Element’s CFD analysis teams can simulate the action of thermo-fluids in a system to optimize and verify the performance of your designs before developing costly prototypes and physical tests. It also enables non-destructive in-service performance improvement by assessing replacement parts and upgrades.