Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations of Formula Student Car Using HPC

Project reference: 1916

The objective of this project is to present the scalability of CFD simulations on IT4Innovations parallel platforms and calculating external aerodynamics around the VSB-TUO formula student car (lift and drag coefficient calculation). Formula Student is a student engineering competition. Student teams from around the world design, build, test, and race a small-scale formula style racing car. The cars are judged on a number of criteria. One of the criteria being evaluated in this competition is engineering design, the quality of computational simulations etc.

This project will be focused on the application of Open Source Field Operation and Manipulation of C++ libraries (OpenFOAM) for solving engineering problems on parallel platforms. OpenFOAM is a free, open source CFD software package developed by OpenCFD Ltd. at the ESI Group and distributed by the OpenFOAM Foundation. It has a large user base across most areas of engineering and science, from both commercial and academic organisations. The parallel scalability of OpenFOAM with various setups of linear solvers implemented in OpenFOAM (PCG, GAMG…) will be tested to find the optimal solver settings for the IT4I clusters. For lift and drag coefficients evaluation, a variation of different types of turbulence models will be tested.

Visualization of the CFD results, pressure and velocity streamlines

Project Mentor: Ing. Tomáš Brzobohatý, Ph.D.

Project Co-mentor: Ing. Marek Gebauer, Ph.D.

Site Co-ordinator: Karina Pešatová, Martina Kovářová

Participant: David Izquierdo

Learning Outcomes:
Parallel CFD simulations for car external aerodynamic based on an open source solution.

Student Prerequisites (compulsory):
Basic knowledge of Linux OS

Student Prerequisites (desirable):

• Basic knowledge of any CAD type software
• Basic knowledge of CFD simulation in any open source or commercial codes
• basic awareness of Linux shell scripting
• basic knowledge of C++

Training Materials:

• www.openfoam.org
• www.openfoam.com
• training videos on YouTube – keyword: OpenFOAM

Workplan:

• Create a computational mesh in OpenFOAM using the snappyHexMesh utility
• CFD steady-state simulation of the external aerodynamics in parallel using OpenFOAM
• Comparison of different turbulence models

Final Product Description:
Formula student external aerodynamics CFD simulation with parallel scalability report.

Adapting the Project: Increasing the Difficulty:
Programming a new boundary condition in OpenFOAM, create automatized meshing and solver utility as the formula student team needs.

Adapting the Project: Decreasing the Difficulty:
Work with one turbulence model only.

Resources:

• CAD software, Autodesk Inventor, etc. – student version
• Linux – free
• OpenFOAM – open source
• ParaView – open source
• Salomon supercomputer – the student will be given a login to IT4I facilities

Organisation:
IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center at VSB – Technical University of Ostrava