Method Development

Best practice specifies the manner in which a specific simulation problem is solved within a company, and as a rule, takes place prior to the actual product development. The establishment of a best practice ensures the utility, quality and comparability of the results from the individual simulations. Here we work out a compromise between

• Quality of the solution
• Speed
• Robustness

Our Procedure

1. Together with you we analyze the problem, so that at the end our development is precisely tailored to your needs.
2. We select a suitable solver and appropriate boundary conditions
3. We establish the necessary level of detail for the input data and the data processing requirements
4. We define a networking strategy: The majority of problems with numerical simulations can be traced back to unsuitable networks
5. We examine the computation initialization, structure the spatial and temporal discretization, flow limitation etc.– in short: the numerical details
6. We validate the results – against the theory or experimentally generated comparative data

As a rule, during the development of a best practice it is useful to first translate the problem into a representative, simpler case, before the fine tuning is conducted on the “real” case. The shorter calculation time and the possibility of separating different problems ultimately saves time and money.

The Difference between Exact and Sufficient

It would be ideal if a simulation were to exactly reproduce reality. However, this is in principle never the case as errors are inherent to every simulation. What then is the goal if, from the outset, exact can never be achieved? Our answer to this is: sufficient! Sufficient, so that developers can make the right decisions on the basis of the results. Otherwise an unnecessary approach to the exact result would primarily be one thing: unnecessarily expensive. Here you can profit from our understanding of physics and engineering, which goes far beyond the operation of simulation software. This puts us in a position to find, together with you, the best approach for your simulation task.

In open source software the source code can be changed in order to provide new functions tailored to the user. The most well-known representative in the CAE world is OpenFOAM®. Through the contributions of companies, research institutes and private users, this CFD software has developed into a mature and powerful simulation tool.

According to our experience, investment in the development of one’s own functionalities is justified from an economic perspective when

• The required function is not provided by the available software.
• The license costs for a commercial alternative exceed the costs for the development of the function in the medium-term.

A concrete example of a function developed by us at the behest of a customer is the extension of OpenFOAM® by Joule Heating, in other words, heat input as a result of current flow.

Our procedure is as follows:

1. We analyze the problem together with you, and translate it into a mathematical formulation.
2. We coordinate the realization of the programming, which is carried out by professional code developers.
3. We test and document the new development and ensure that it precisely meets your needs.

Mine?

In the case of open source software the function that we have developed for you also belongs exclusively to you. Although there are good reasons for integrating the developed function into the public release, at the conclusion of the project all rights of use are transferred to you.