ECCOMAS 2024

Development of a Coupling Methodology Between CFD Codes

  • Sirotti, Lucia (University of Bologna)
  • Barbi, Giacomo (University of Bologna)
  • Cervone, Antonio (University of Bologna)
  • Giangolini, Federico (University of Bologna)
  • Manservisi, Sandro (University of Bologna)

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This paper explores the integration of multiple Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes within a unified numerical platform to enable simulations of coupled multiphysics and multiscale problems. The objective is to develop a versatile and robust tool capable of simulating complex systems encompassing multiple regions with different, interconnected physical phenomena. The coupling of these codes is achieved through the external library MEDCoupling. This library has been developed to provide algorithms for communications between different codes directly in memory (i.e., without using external files), ranging from a standard data file format, field management over computational domains, and interpolation schemes. The platform is tested by coupling the in-house finite element code FEMuS with OpenFOAM, an open-source finite volume code. Both packages can simulate complex engineering problems such as fluid-structure interaction, heat transfer, and turbulent flow phenomena.