In a traditional HPC environment, launching an OpenFOAM simulation feels like a project in itself. You have to manage version sourcing, write manual decomposition scripts, and handle the tedious task of reconstructing parallel results. At cloudHPC.cloud, we’ve eliminated this overhead. When you run a simulation, our specialized OpenFOAM script takes Read more
In the world of fluid dynamics, few phenomena are as visually arresting—and engineeringly significant—as the Von Kármán Vortex Street. Whether it’s the swaying of a skyscraper, the “singing” of power lines, or the swirling patterns in clouds captured by satellites, this phenomenon is a masterclass in how fluids interact with Read more
In the world of OpenFOAM, generating a high-quality mesh is often 80% of the battle. While snappyHexMesh is incredibly powerful for snapping to complex geometries, getting those elusive, crisp boundary layers can feel like more of an art than a science. If your layers are collapsing or looking “jagged” around Read more
A technical deep dive into creating conformal solid-fluid interfaces using snappyHexMesh and SALOME. Introduction In the world of Computational Fluid Dynamics with OpenFOAM, moving from single-phase fluid flow to Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) is a significant step up in complexity. CHT involves the coupled simulation of heat transfer between a Read more
Modern Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) algorithms are capable of running transient analyses with advanced turbulence modeling, making them popular for designing turbomachinery. However, achieving a higher level of accuracy and running multiple analyses simultaneously for optimization requires a complete High-Performance Computing (HPC) system. The challenge is compounded by the continuous Read more
A crucial step in any CFD simulation is creating a good quality mesh. The mesh discretizes your geometry into small control volumes, and the accuracy and efficiency of your simulation depend heavily on its characteristics. Helyx-OS, with its powerful pre-processing tools, makes mesh generation accessible and efficient. This tutorial assumes Read more
The world of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is constantly pushing the limits of technology, and at its heart lies High-Performance Computing (HPC). To truly innovate and solve complex engineering problems, we need robust, efficient, and scalable computing infrastructure. That’s why the HPC Challenge at the OpenFOAM Workshop 2025 in Vienna was such Read more
Hexahedral Meshes (Hex-dominant, Structured, Unstructured Hex) – SNAPPYHEXMESH Hexahedral cells are 6-faced, 8-vertex elements (like bricks or cubes). Pros: Cons: Tetrahedral Meshes (Unstructured) – SALOME Tetrahedral cells are 4-faced, 4-vertex elements (like pyramids). Pros: Cons: The Common and Often “Best” Solution: Hybrid Meshes (Tetrahedral Core + Prism Layers) In modern Read more
Recently, the engineering community was treated to an insightful live session on YouTube titled “The Power of Open Source CFD in Engineering,” featuring esteemed guests Dr. Henry Weller and Dr. Jenya Collings from CFD Direct, the driving force behind OpenFOAM®, alongside Jousef Murad from cloudHPC. This discussion delved deep into the transformative Read more
For simulating turbomachinery like Pelton turbines, a stationary mesh just won’t cut it. We need to account for the actual rotation of the rotor to accurately capture the fluid dynamics. That’s where dynamicMeshDict in OpenFOAM comes into play! This powerful tool allows us to define and control the motion of Read more