Ingenieur-Tool IV: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) mit OpenFOAM

Goals

Participants will learn to use the open source simulation software OpenFOAM on a user level (i.e. to conduct classical CFD studies). We will also introduce the students into programming with OpenFOAM so they will be able to implement additional equations into existing solvers.

Prerequisites

• Knowing C++ or at least having some experience in another programming language will be of an advantage but is not strictly required to follow this course.
• Having some basic skills in using Linux and the command-line in particular are very useful. If you do not have any such experience, this course will be tough going for you. If you'd like to learn these very useful skills and be better prepared for this course, fetch a Linux on a Live-CD (i.e. the Linux will run from your CD drive without any installation!) and start getting acquainted. A very famous Live-Linux is knoppix. If you want to learn something about the command line, working through LinuxCommand.org will give you a good introduction.

Time and Place

This course will take place on three afternoons during the first week of the summer break: 16-18.09.2009 from 13:00 (sharp!) to 17:00. We will meet in ML H41.2.

Lecturers

The course is organized and held by Prof. P. Jenny and Prof. L. Kleiser.

About OpenFOAM

OpenFOAM is a very professional open-source simulation package which is freely (CHF 0.-) available under the GNU General Public License (GPL). It consists of a vast C++ library, many different applications and additional tools. Although most of the existing applications are flow solvers, OpenFOAM can be used in many different areas, as varied as solid dynamics, electromagnetics or pricing of financial options.

Most users make only use of the included applications. One particular strength of OpenFOAM, however, is that new applications and even extensions of the library can be developed in a rather compact and elegant way.

Documentation

• User Guide
• Programmer's Guide
• Collection of OpenFOAM related information (News, Doctoral Theses and many more things)
• The official OpenFOAM Wiki (tutorials, guides, examples, contributed tools etc.)
• Command Line Reference (German Version)
• Combined Unix and OpenFOAM Quick Reference

Materials

Preparations

For those interested in installing OpenFOAM on their own laptops or computers, the following sections will give some short instructions on how to do so under Linux and Mac OS X (Leopard). Unfortunately there is no recent OpenFOAM version for Windows available, and the old ones are really bad hacks.

By installing OpenFOAM yourself you ensure that you will be able to make the most of the 3 afternoons and really can dig into OpenFOAM. A further advantage to you will be the availability of the software on your laptop for further projects or lectures, such as Turbulence Modeling and Advanced CFD Methods.

For all others, there will be 16 workstations available for your use during the course.

Installation Instructions

Please first follow the installation instructions appropriate to your system. Then come back to this page and continue with the installation checks.

• Linux users read this.
• Apple users read this.

How to test OpenFOAM-1.5

In the first part of the tools-course we use OpenFOAM-1.5 to solve some simple CFD-problems. To test whether your installation is ready, run one of the several tutorial-cases, i.e. the "lid driven cavity" case as follows (see also "Getting Started" of the README included in the OpenFOAM distribution):

mkdir -p $HOME/OpenFOAM/${LOGNAME}-1.5/run
cp -r $WM_PROJECT_DIR/tutorials $HOME/OpenFOAM/${LOGNAME}-1.5/run
cd $HOME/OpenFOAM/${LOGNAME}-1.5/run/tutorials/icoFoam
blockMesh -case cavity
icoFoam -case cavity

If these commands fail, you either put the files in the wrong place or didn't source the rc-file. Re-check that everything is where it should be and that you sourced the rc-file as documented in the installation instructions.

In the second part of the tools-course we will (re-) compile parts of OpenFOAM. To test whether your installation is ready, proceed as follows:

mkdir -p $WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR/applications/solvers/incompressible
cd $WM_PROJECT_DIR
cp -riv applications/solvers/incompressible/icoFoam $WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR/applications/solvers/incompressible
cd $WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR/applications/solvers/incompressible/icoFoam

Edit the file Make/files with your favorite editor (Linux users type e.g. "nano Make files", "gedit Make/files" or "kedit Make/files" depending on your particular system and Mac OS X users simply type open Make/files) and change the last line to read:

EXE = $(FOAM_USER_APPBIN)/myIcoFoam

Save the file, exit the editor and continue with:

wclean
wmake

Everything should have compiled cleanly, without any errors (Mac users, do not fret about the "could not open file XXX for source file YYY" messages).

ls -la $FOAM_USER_APPBIN

should display something containing a line like

-rwxr-xr-x  1 mwild  staff  423936 Feb  1 14:33 myIcoFoam

Now you should be able to run the cavity case using the myIcoFoam program, instead of icoFoam.

Where to get help

In the OpenFOAM Discussion Board there are a lot of answers to common installation problems. Make sure to read them before posting any questions.