COA-CFD Mid Term Consortium Review

The COA-CFD project has reached its mid-term review, marking significant progress in making computational fluid dynamics (CFD) more accessible to industries, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs). By developing cloud-based, on-demand CFD tools, the project is bridging the gap for companies that traditionally lack the resources for such advanced simulations. The cloud platform alsim Cloud allows users to perform simulations without requiring expensive local hardware, offering an affordable and scalable solution that caters to the specific needs of smaller companies.

A key highlight of the project has been the development of hybrid solvers. These solvers combine multiple numerical methods enabling simulations of complex, multi-physical processes like fluid-structure interaction and electrostatic effects. Optimized for high-performance computing, these solvers utilize GPU acceleration to handle large-scale industrial simulations efficiently. <Read more here>

One prominent application of these solvers is in the automotive industry, where they are being used for top coating simulations. ESS, Audi, and Mazlite are collaborating to simulate the final layer of vehicle painting, a challenging process involving airflow, atomization, and electrostatics. The solvers aim to improve painting quality, reduce material waste, and ensure efficient energy use. This application demonstrates the project’s ability to address real-world industrial challenges.

Additionally, the project has expanded to other use cases, including CFD for chemical reactors in collaboration with Biosimo AG and renewable wind energy simulations with a Korean consortium. These diverse applications showcase the flexibility of the hybrid solvers and their ability to tackle complex scenarios across multiple industries.

Moving forward, the COA-CFD project will focus on validating these tools in real-world settings and optimizing their performance. The cloud-based platform and solver advancements are designed to streamline workflows and reduce costs, ensuring that CFD technologies can be easily adopted by industries that stand to benefit the most. As the project progresses, it continues to push the boundaries of what CFD can achieve, making advanced simulations a practical and accessible tool for innovation across sectors.

Hybridization: Making highly complex solutions accessible for SMEs 
 

CFD simulations often require expertise and costly infrastructure, that’s out of reach for many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) – creating a handicap for them in competing with larger companies.  
 
One of the primary goals of COA-CFD has been – increasing the accessibility of CFD technology for SMEs in design-heavy industries. And a crucial factor that discourages SMEs from using CFD tools is the complexity of its usage.  
 
For certain industrial processes where, complex multi-physics is involved, it becomes impossible to solve problems using a single approach – which demands coupling of different methods. This process, called hybridization, is crucial for COA-CFD as we democratize solutions that are otherwise usable only by experts of the domain.   

Process behind hybridization   

Hybridizing multiple solvers isn’t straightforward—it involves addressing complex interdependencies between physical quantities such as mass, forces, temperature, and electrostatic potential, among others. For example, Top coating – one of the use cases in COA-CFD – needs to accurately calculate forces on a paint droplet, that are constantly dependent on gravity, air drag and electrostatic forces. A deep understanding of the top coating process, fluid mechanics, electrostatics, and careful modelling was essential to calculate these forces accurately, and then integrate the droplet trajectory. Furthermore, to check for errors, multiple rounds of testing and validation is conducted using real-world data from automotive OEMs.

Computational challenge 

One of the biggest challenges in hybridized solvers is the computational cost. The COA-CFD project leverages cutting-edge technology like multi-GPU setups and parallel processing to handle these complex computations efficiently. By decomposing tasks and distributing them across multiple GPUs, we have dramatically reduced computation times without compromising accuracy. This further helps in offering cloud-based online access.  

Milestone: Top coating simulation 

The completion of our Top Coating solution is a key milestone achievement in the COA-CFD project. This milestone demonstrates the successful hybridization of four different solvers— Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM), Finite Difference Method (FDM), Lagrangian Particle Method, and Thin Film Solver—into a single, cohesive framework. This solution not only accurately captures the real-world physics of top coating but also sets the stage for applying similar techniques to other industrial processes, like powder coating, and spray waxing.  

Top Coating Simulation using hybrid solvers by ess PaintShop.

Conclusion 

As we continue to develop the COA-CFD platform, we will keep refining our hybridization techniques to ensure even more accurate and faster simulations for complex industrial applications. The democratization of CFD software remains at the heart of our efforts, ensuring that users across various industries can easily implement and benefit from cutting-edge fluid dynamics simulations. Stay tuned for further updates!  

In a significant stride towards fostering innovation and pushing the boundaries of technology, we are thrilled to announce the addition of several esteemed firms to our consortium. This expansion marks a new chapter in our journey, one that promises to bring fresh perspectives, groundbreaking ideas, and a shared commitment to excellence in the fields of automotive engineering, chemical processing, and renewable energy solutions. We warmly welcome Biosimo, Mazlite, Soda System, Dtonic Corporation, Institute for Advanced Engineering, Dohwa Engineering Co., and Unison to our collaborative network. Their expertise and innovative spirit are invaluable assets to our mission of driving technological advancements and sustainable solutions.

Biosimo will cooperate to build a software modules for CFD simulation in trickle bed chemical reactors. The main physics in the reactor includes chemical reaction, heat convection and transfer, conjugated heat transfer, pore flow through granular catalyst, and material convection and diffusion.

Mazlite provide further insides into the top coating case with their novel technology to anlyse pictures. 

All Koreans partners Soda System, Dtonic Corporation, Institue for Advanced Engineering, Dohwa Engineering Co. and Unison support to build CFD solutions for renewable energy productions in the area of wind turbines and water management. For wind turbine, the aim of the work is to develop a simulation software to assess the efficiency of wind turbine under various geological conditions, and to help selecting the optimal construction sites for turbines.

As we welcome our new partners to the consortium, we look forward to the innovative solutions and advancements that our collaboration will bring to the forefront of technology and sustainability. Together, we are not just aiming for incremental improvements; we are striving to redefine what is possible, making a tangible impact on the industries we serve and the world at large. Here’s to a future filled with collaboration, innovation, and success.

The 1st official meeting of the COA-CFD consortium took place on the 16th of January. Exciting topics were discussed and sitting together – even digitally – motivated us even more to continue working on our goals.