Rationale

Once was a tool for the scientific elites only. With the advancement of computer technology, CFD has become a tool of interest covering a wider base of industrial applications. CFD is used not only in an R&D or new product development phase, but also in later stages of the product’s life-cycle.

A reliable use of CFD requires a well-proven CFD expertise equipped with a sufficiently accurate numerical algorithm and adequate computing power. Consequently, setting up and maintaining an own CFD facility within a company may become undesirably expensive, partly because of incidental needs for CFD arising at crucial times.

CFD expertise involves experienced insights into the pre- through post-processing tasks:

  • flow domain modeling (defining geometry completeness),
  • discretization (defining physical spatial and temporal resolutions),
  • selecting simulation parameters (defining a well-posed solution procedure),
  • presentation and visualization of simulation to facilitate a decent interpretation.

Non-CFD specialists should be freed from the complexities involved in the above pre- through post-processing tasks. Their precious time should be devoted for discussing simulation results, drawing conclusions and making crucial decisions.

eCFD combines NLR expertise equipped with high-end software/hardware facilities at NLR with the ease of (mobile) email communication at the client’s end.