Our mission is to make computational fluid dynamics (CFD) accessible and inclusive by developing free, open source CFD software — OpenFOAM — and providing services to its users.
OpenFOAM Training
Unlock the power of OpenFOAM to deliver robust CFD solutions. Essential, Applied, Programming and Cloud OpenFOAM Training courses from the Architects of OpenFOAM.
OpenFOAM Development
Our team undertakes OpenFOAM Development projects and code customisation, with experience of managing and executing over 100 development projects.
OpenFOAM Support
OpenFOAM Support, direct from the founders and architect of OpenFOAM, covering software deployment and operation, CFD practice, and code customisation.
CFD Direct Year 6: 2020-2021
In Year 6 of CFD Direct, our developments of OpenFOAM included new interface capturing methods and multicomponent transport models. We provided core maintenance, including redesign of fvOptions and transport modelling, and repaired issues, e.g. in meshing and conjugate heat transfer. We managed the OpenFOAM Foundation, releasing OpenFOAM v8, packaging OpenFOAM-dev and publishing websites and documentation. During the Covid restrictions, we delivered 67 days of Live Virtual OpenFOAM Training, and provided cloud CFD with CFDDFC® to over 700 subscribers.
AWS HPC Competency 2021
CFD Direct Limited has become one of the first approved Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partners to achieve High Performance Computing (HPC) Competency status. This designation recognises that CFD Direct has demonstrated deep experience helping customers optimise their computational fluid dynamics (CFD) workloads on AWS. Using CFD Direct From the Cloud™ (CFDDFC®), engineers and scientists can launch instances, pre-configured with OpenFOAM, in minutes — with up to 48 processors and clusters of 100s of processors.
OpenFOAM v8 Training 2021
In Spring/Summer 2021, CFD Direct is running its OpenFOAM Training courses — Essential CFD, Applied CFD and Programming CFD — fully updated with the latest features of the new version 8 release of OpenFOAM. The training uses new features in OpenFOAM v8 for more productive and effective CFD. All courses are delivered as live virtual training due to Covid-19 travel restrictions in 2021. Essential and Applied CFD courses are available: 1-5 Feb, 15-19 Mar, 26-30 Apr. Programming CFD is available 26-28 Jan, 23-25 Feb, 23-25 Mar, 18-20 May.
Redesigning OpenFOAM for the Future
In 2020, CFD Direct were tasked to develop multicomponent diffusion modelling in OpenFOAM with funding from the Process Engineering Consortium. The Consortium need models, e.g. Maxwell-Stefan, that represent complex diffusion of species in fluid mixtures, affecting both specie concentration and energy. As part of the work, we created a new ThermophysicalTransportModels library with a new interfaces for: fluxes of heat, q() and divq(); and fluxes of mass, j() and divj(). As a consequence, heat transfer became consistent across applications, boundary conditions and data processing. This critical code redesign is typical of our strategy for sustainable development of OpenFOAM, supported by dedicated maintenance funding from OpenFOAM supporters.