code_saturne

code_saturne

code_saturne, developed by EDF's R&D department, is an open-source fluid mechanics simulation software program.

💧 Code_Saturne: Overview of Features

Code_Saturne is a powerful general-purpose Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software suite. Historically developed by EDF R&D since 1997, it stands out for its Open Source approach and its use of the finite volume method with a co-located arrangement on unstructured grids.

1. Core Fluid Dynamics

At its heart, Code_Saturne solves the Navier-Stokes equations for 2D, 2D-axisymmetric, and 3D flows.

Incompressible & Compressible Flows

The solver handles a wide range of flow regimes.

  • Applications: Pump efficiency, aerodynamic profiles, duct flows, ventilation systems.
  • Key Features:
    • RANS (Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes): Includes standard models like $k-\epsilon$, $k-\omega$ SST, and Reynolds Stress Models (RSM) for industrial applications.
    • LES (Large Eddy Simulation): High-fidelity turbulence modeling for unsteady flows (Smagorinsky, WALE, dynamic models).
    • Handles both steady and unsteady simulations.

Heat Transfer

  • Applications: Cooling of electronic components, industrial furnaces, heat exchangers.
  • Key Features:
    • Solves the energy equation (enthalpy or temperature).
    • Handles conjugate heat transfer (fluid-solid thermal coupling) natively or via coupling with SYRTHES.
    • Accounts for radiative heat transfer (Discrete Ordinates Method, P-1 model).

2. Combustion & Fire Safety

Code_Saturne includes specialized modules for reacting flows.

Gas Combustion

  • Function: Simulation of burners, gas turbines, and industrial furnaces.
  • Key Features:
    • Several combustion models available (EBU/EBI, steady and unsteady flamelet models, PDF transport).
    • Detailed chemistry support via integration with standard chemical kinetic libraries.

Coal and Pulverized Fuel

  • Function: Simulation of coal-fired boilers and biomass combustion.
  • Key Features:
    • Lagrangian tracking of coal particles (drying, devolatilization, char combustion).
    • Coupling between the continuous gas phase and the dispersed particle phase.

Electrical Arcs (Joule Effect)

  • Function: Modeling of high-voltage circuit breakers and welding arcs.
  • Key Features:
    • Magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) module.
    • Solves for electric potential, current density, and Lorentz forces.

3. Multiphase Flows

Lagrangian Particle Tracking

  • Function: Tracking discrete particles, droplets, or bubbles within the fluid.
  • Key Features:
    • Stochastic modeling of turbulent dispersion.
    • Particle-wall interactions (rebound, deposition).
    • Used for erosion studies, spray drying, and pollutant dipersion.

Eulerian-Eulerian (Two-Fluid Model)

  • Function: Simulation of continuous multiphase flows (e.g., bubbly flows, fluidized beds).
  • Key Features:
    • Solves separate sets of equations for each phase.
    • Models inter-phase momentum transfer (drag, lift, virtual mass).
    • Includes specific boiling models for nuclear applications (DNB).

VoF (Volume of Fluid)

  • Function: Interface tracking for immiscible fluids (free-surface flows).
  • Key Features:
    • Used for dam breaks, tank sloshing, and mold filling.
    • Sharpening algorithms to maintain crisp interface definition.

4. Atmospheric Flows

Atmospheric Module

  • Function: Dispersion of pollutants and urban wind comfort studies.
  • Key Features:
    • Specific boundary conditions for atmospheric boundary layers.
    • Accounts for geometric complexity of urban environments (buildings, terrain).
    • Can model thermal stratification and humidity.

5. Turbomachinery

Rotor-Stator Interaction

  • Function: Simulation of rotating machines (pumps, fans, turbines).
  • Key Features:
    • frozen-rotor approach for steady-state approximations.
    • sliding mesh approach for full transient analysis of rotor-stator interaction.
    • Dedicated turbomachinery preprocessing tools.

6. Technical Features (IT & Performance)

What makes Code_Saturne robust for industrial and academic research:

  • Unstructured Polyhedral Meshes: Supports any type of cell (tetrahedra, hexahedra, pyramids, prisms, and general polyhedra). It can handle non-conformal mesh joining.
  • HPC Scalability: Highly optimized for massive parallelization via MPI and OpenMP. It scales linearly up to hundreds of thousands of cores on supercomputers.
  • Code Coupling: Part of the Salome-Meca platform. Capable of coupling with:
    • SYRTHES (Solid thermal conduction).
    • Code_Aster (Structure mechanics/FSI).
    • OpenTELEMAC (Hydrology).
  • Python Integration: The user interface (GUI) generates an XML file, but advanced users can control almost every aspect of the setup using user-defined C or Python scripts.

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