ASTON UNIVERSITY REG/03/53(2)

QUALITY AND STANDARDS COMMITTEE

Module Specification
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Please complete all sections of the form, referring to the guidance notes where necessary.

School and Subject Group

School of Engineering and Applied Science / Engineering Systems and Management

Module Code
ME4501

Module Title
Computational Fluid Dynamics and Applications

Module Type
Taught module

Module Replaces (where appropriate)

Date of introduction of new module

October 2005

Level Credit Value

4 10

Programme(s) in which module is available

MSc Mechanical Engineering (Modelling)

Involvement of Other Schools

None
Resource Split

Name of Module Co-ordinator

Professor Geoff Tansley

Related Modules Pre-requisites

Engineering Mathematics

Co-requisites

Prohibited Combinations Students who have studied Product Design and therefore don’t have the required mathematics
prerequisites will find this module taxing and will normally be excluded. Exceptions are
possible on an individual case basis.

Minimum and Maximum

Intake Sizes Minimum 10, no maximum limit
Aims of the Module

The purpose of this module is to enable graduate engineers to use widespread commercial CFD codes for research, development and design tasks.

The module aims to give students a working knowledge of computational fluid dynamics through :
• introducing the (mathematical) background and theory to computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based on finite volume method
• an awareness of the limitations of commercial codes and their application to fluid flow problems
• practical sessions of running a proprietary CFD package (Fluent).

In addition the transferable skills of planning, scoping and conducting an investigation are intended learning outcomes.

Summary of Content

Lectures:

The main subject areas are:

• Basic concepts of fluid flows: conservation principles, classification of physical behaviour, classification of fluid flow equations,
incompressible and compressible flows.
• Introduction to Finite Difference Methods: simple partial differential equations, discretization.
• Matrix inversion methods: direct and iterative, including manual relaxation techniques.
• Complex geometry: choice of grid, grid generation, velocity components, variable arrangement, axi-symmetric problem, boundary
conditions.
• The governing equations of fluid dynamics – principally the Navier-Stokes Equations, and dimensionless groups.
• Turbulence and turbulence modelling – principally k-ε and its variants.
• Numerical solution of partial differential equations.
• Solution methods, errors and uncertainties.
Summary of Methods and Frequency of Teaching

Lectures (11 hours)

Laboratory-based tutorials and practical sessions (22 hours)

Summary of Methods of Assessment

Assignment 30%, Project 70%

Module Outcomes – what the student should gain from successful completion of the Learning and Teaching and Assessment Strategies to
module: enable outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated

The successful students will understand the principles of fluid dynamics and Learning and Teaching Assessment Methods
algorithms of CFD modelling. The student will be able to employ commercial codes to Methods
develop CFD models and interpret the results into the physical process.
Knowledge and Understanding

Understand the underlying principles of CFD analysis and finite difference methods.
Understand the numerical models in flow modelling, e.g. turbulence models Lectures and Laboratory Coursework
Practicals

Intellectual Skills
Coursework
To apply numerical models to fluid flow and heat transfer calculations. Lectures and Laboratory
To employ solution algorithms for efficient convergence control. Practicals

Professional/Subject Specific Skills

To apply commercial CFD codes to research, development and design. Lectures and Laboratory Coursework
To plan and organize the system optimisation in response to a challenge. Practicals
To apply effective analysis and evaluation.
Transferable Skills
Laboratory Practicals Coursework
Mathematics, computing, programming.

Planning, scoping and conducting an investigation

Please provide either or both of:

(i) Introductory Learning Versteeg, H.K., Malalasekera, W., 2007. An introduction to computational fluid dynamics
Resources (2nd Edition), Prentice Hall ISBN: 978-0-13-127498-3

(ii) Core Texts Handouts

Reading Lists Not Attached – see Blackboard entries for this module for the reading list.
Specification completed by: Professor Geoff Tansley

Date August 13th 2008

Date module approved by Teaching

Committee(s)

Date module approved by School

Board(s)

RPS/SJD/DLL/Module Specification/24 March 2003(f)

SJD/LAP/Module Programmes