Autumn 2025
CFD Direct are running their OpenFOAM Training courses, Essential CFD, Applied CFD, Productive CFD, and Programming CFD fully updated with the latest features of OpenFOAM v13. Productive CFD course is delivered in person in Cologne, Germany and Chicago, USA. It teaches how get better, relevant CFD results with OpenFOAM, in fewer attempts, fixing issues quickly with confidence — rather than just how to operate the software. The other courses, which focus more on the process of operating OpenFOAM, are delivered as live, virtual training. The following courses are available from September 2025.
- 15-18 Sep: Cologne, Germany : Productive CFD 1 & 2
- 22-26 Sep: Virtual, Europe : Essential CFD and Applied CFD.
- 6-10 Oct: Virtual, Americas : Essential CFD and Applied CFD.
- 20-22 Oct: Virtual, Europe : Programming CFD.
- 20-23 Oct: Chicago, US : Productive CFD 1 & 2
- 3-5 Nov: Virtual, Americas : Programming CFD.
OpenFOAM v13
CFD Direct manages, maintains and develops OpenFOAM. We make OpenFOAM more robust and easier to use in incremental steps that are first released in the development version (OpenFOAM-dev). Those improvements subsequently appear in version releases, so that over time we accumulate numerous tools that improve efficiency on routine tasks — see “Useful Tools in OpenFOAM” and “Useful Tools in OpenFOAM v11”. Our training teaches these tools and is fully updated for the latest improvements in v13, including:
- a rewrite of mesh zones which can dynamically update and are easier to use;
- associated replacement utilities, e.g. createZones (replacing topoSet) and refineMesh (making refineHexMesh redundant);
- improved utilities, including setFields, createPatch (with simpler file format) and subsetMesh;
- particle simulations with new field-based Lagrangian, see “Field-Lagrangian in OpenFOAM”;
- the foamVTKSeries script for visualising series of VTK files and creating animations;
- the foamMergeCase script for creating variant cases to a given source case;
- a MULES limiter that guarantees boundedness, see “MULES in OpenFOAM in 2025”;
This is in addition to improvements in previous releases, e.g. from v12 and v11:
- code searching with foamFind;
- dimensional units and unit conversion, and the foamUnits script;
- coded and packaged function objects;
- meshing multiple regions and coupling with boundary conditions;
- modular solvers and the foamRun application;
- the snappyHexMeshConfig utility to preconfigure input files for meshing;
- the foamToC utility to search the contents of OpenFOAM.
The Process of Operating OpenFOAM
We design our Essential CFD, Applied CFD, and Programming CFD courses to give users the confidence to carry out CFD analysis, repeatedly, to a defined standard in a timely manner. We build competency by teaching how to create CFD solutions through a process of design:
- Prototype – building a representative solution, from a template, rapidly (timely manner).
- Production – refining the solution by an iterative design process, making small changes and testing frequently (confidence).
- Packaging – making the solution reliable, cost effective and easy to use again and again (repeatedly, defined standard).
Better, Relevant CFD Results
Productive CFD teaches how to do CFD effectively. Using the OpenFOAM software is only part of the story. It is just a calculation method replacing hand calculations from the past. The calculations are part of a broader analysis of a problem that involves fluid flow, heat transfer, etc. The aim is to understand the problem. Before doing anything at the keyboard, the analyst needs to form an initial understanding of the problem, anticipating the expected flow patterns and regimes. That enables them to plan a prototype CFD simulation, which is then executed. They need to relate the results of the CFD calculation back to their initial understanding. Where there are discrepancies, did they make a mistake in their CFD or it there something wrong with their understanding? Once these questions are resolved, and they are confident they understand what the CFD is telling them, they are able to re-evaluate their ideas about flow patterns and regimes and begin another round of CFD calculations.
Productive CFD teaches the process above. It teaches how to work at the problem away from the keyboard, making an initial assessment of flow patterns and regimes. It also teaches how to check for mistakes in a CFD analysis and to calculate and extract data from simulations which help to re-evaluate the initial understanding of the problem. Notably, OpenFOAM’s coded frameworks (code in input files) is used extensively for three types of quick calculation:
- Preliminary – calculating dimensionless numbers to establish flow and heat transfer regimes.
- Diagnostic – accessing data which can be monitored and quality checked.
- Objective – extracting useful data from the simulation, e.g. to characterise a design.