Contribution to 1st Automotive CFD Prediction Workshop

We will be presenting our advanced aerodynamic simulation results at the 1st Automotive CFD Prediction Workshop in Oxford on the 11th – 12th December 2019. Our automatic, adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) process as well as the influence of various RANS and DES turbulence modelling approaches will be highlighted.

The video shows AMR in action for a RANS simulation of the generic SAE Notchback car model. The initial mesh was generated automatically, with refinement on the geometry only. Our unique and generally-applicable sensor function then iteratively identifies regions of the grid to be refined. We consider AMR to be a key component for automated CFD processes that increase accuracy whilst minimising computational cost and user burden.

Results from advanced Detached-Eddy Simulation (DES) methods will also be contributed. DES resolves the unsteady, three-dimensional turbulent eddies in regions of massive flow separation, thereby achieving greater accuracy than RANS in such regions. Although the computational cost is higher than pure RANS, the overhead is minimised by using RANS in the boundary layers. The figure shows the complex turbulent structures resolved by DES in the wake.