April 16, 2010
Colloquium Topic: OpenFOAM: Object-Oriented Software in Computational Continuum Mechanics
Increasing computing power and established numerical modeling techniques drive the numerical modeling in continuum mechanics beyond the basics of structural analysis and fluid flow. Software implementation of complex and coupled physical problems poses challenges beyond the current generation of simulation tools. A new, flexible and efficient model implementation framework is needed. One possible answer is object orientation. OpenFOAM (Field Operation And Manipulation) is an open source object-oriented numerical simulation library aimed at complex physics modeling and will be described in this seminar. OpenFOAM handles continuum models by mimicking partial differential equations in software. Polyhedral Finite Volume discretization is implemented in operator form (e.g. temporal derivatives, gradient, divergence, source and sink terms) and operators are combined to form equations. Efficiency and elegance in implementation is achieved through layered development and extensive code re-use, where various components (e.g. mesh handling, field algebra and calculus, discretization, linear algebra and solvers, dynamic meshing, etc.) are developed and validated in isolation. Auxiliary tools support the basic solvers, providing pre- and post-processing interfaces, dynamic mesh handling, real material properties, massive parallelism, Lagrangian particle model and other tools present in a modern CFD solver. The library is completed with a suite of physical models, covering incompressible, compressible, multi-phase and free surface fluid flow, a suite of 30 RANS and LES turbulence models, combustion, spray and in-cylinder simulations, structural analysis, electromagnetics and fluid-structure interaction. Today, OpenFOAM is a leading Open Source CFD tool, rapidly expanding in the research community and among industrial users. The talk will be completed with examples of applications of OpenFOAM in fluid flow and structural analysis and a review of contributing organizations, active research areas and future development plans.
Colloquium Speaker: Hrvoje Jasak
Hrvoje Jasak received his Master of Science degree from the University of Zagreb in Croatia, in 1992 and earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College, London in 1996. His Ph.D. dissertation was entitled "Error analysis and estimation in the finite volume method with applications to fluid flows." Dr. Jasak is the co-author and leading developer of OpenFOAM, an open source object-oriented C++ library for numerical simulations in continuum mechanics. From its inception in 1993, he has been driving the OpenFOAM development effort, including extensive research, university collaborations and supervision of Ph. D. students. Dr. Jasak worked on Star-CD at CD-ADAPCO from 1996-2000 and served as a consultant for Fluent/Ansys from 2000-2008. Currently, he is the Director of Wikki Ltd., based in the United Kingdom, and is a full Professor at the University of Zagreb, where he teaches numerical methods and fluid mechanics courses and supervises Ph.D. students. Dr. Jasak's areas of interest and technical expertise include object-oriented design, C++ programming, high-performance computing, adaptive error control, dynamic mesh handling, multi-phase and free-surface flows, turbulence modeling and LES numerics, non-linear solid mechanics, and solid-fluid interaction.