Introduction to Autodesk SIMULATION CFD
Did you know that CFD is now considered to be an essential tool in engineering? Within the design cycle of any engineering product or process there is a CFD analysis stage which is used to optimize the design in order to improve efficiency as well as reduce product design cost and time. Learn the CFD process using Autodesk Simulation CFD. If you are a student then you will also get software access for three years from Autodesk. Join this FREE course ‘Introduction to Autodesk Simulation CFD’ and start your career in CFD.
Recommended background
A science background is recommended for this course. Though prior CFD knowledge is not required to take this course but we assume that you have fundamental knowledge of subjects like Fluid mechanics, Thermodynamics, Heat transfer. Anyone who wants to learn CFD using Autodesk Simulation CFD can join this course. CFD analysis is based on fundamental equations of fluid dynamics and heat transfer; hence participants from mechanical, chemical, civil and petroleum fields find themselves more comfortable than other background. They will also benefit more than participants from other background.
Your Learning
This course will introduce you to CFD from software perspective using Autodesk Simulation CFD and it will help you to develop your skills in CFD. The course is focused for beginners in CFD. This software has many features which are simple and easy to use for beginners. You will understand how to visualize and analyze the performance of your product using this software. By the end of this course, you would be in a position to simulate your own design using this Autodesk Simulation CFD.
This course contains video lessons. These videos will explain the basics of the software in a very interactive way. Within the video there are quiz questions to refresh your knowledge. Along with video lessons there are various examples and their demonstrations. It will explain you how to set up the CFD problem, how to set boundary conditions and simulate it. You can utilize this knowledge of CFD to simulate and check performance of your own design.
Course Format
This course is in video lesson format and length of video varies from few minutes to 30 minutes. Each video lesson explains concepts and basics of the software with various examples. Considering the number of concepts covered in each video lesson and required background study that you need to do, it is expected to finish this course in 2 to 3 weeks.
Course Syllabus
The course is a collection of learning videos. Each video will teach you a specific concept of software skill. The duration of every video varies in length. It can be few minutes for a small concept and about 30 minutes for software demonstrations. To learn some specific concept of software skill you can navigate to any video and watch it any number of times till you are comfortable with the concept. For example if you are new to Autodesk Simulation CFD, and you need to download and try out Autodesk Simulation CFD, then a video will tell you what is the procedure for getting access to the software and install it. Below is the list of videos which are part of this course.
Video 1: What is Autodesk Simulation CFD?
CFD is one of the vital tools in product design process. By using CFD as a tool you can enhance design quality, reduce the product development time. Autodesk Simulation CFD covers a wide range of fluid flow and heat transfer scenarios to perform reliable 3D simulations of high-speed turbulent and incompressible flows, along with conduction and convective heat transfer. Know more about features and proficiencies of Autodesk Simulation CFD.
Video 2: How to access Software?
Are you a student? If yes then you can get license of this software for three years. If you are not a student don’t worry, you can still get trial version of this software. This video will direct you to access the software and to get the license.
Video 3: Workflow of Simulation CFD
This video focuses on overview of the procedure for a complete simulation in Simulation CFD software. Workflow of the Simulation CFD involves various steps such as importing a CAD model, assigning materials and boundary conditions. This video will give an overview of all these steps. You will also learn how to navigate a model. At the end of this video you will have a complete idea of the overall CFD process involved in order to simulate a CFD problem using Autodesk Simulation CFD.
Video 4: GUI of Simulation CFD
The objective of this video is to explain graphical user interface (GUI) of simulation CFD software. GUI of this software comprises of ribbon tabs which have different tabs like setup, view and result tabs, design study bar, graphic window, and output bar. Video will explain use of all tabs and buttons in tabs. At the end of this video you will be comfortable in handling GUI of Simulation CFD. We strongly recommend not to skip this video as further courseware is based on the concepts explained in this video.
Video 5: Workflow tutorial using valve simulation
This video will demonstrate you the complete simulation of a hydraulic valve using Autodesk Simulation CFD. Aim of the simulation is to visualize the flow and find out pressure drop through the valve. Video will explain you about how to import CAD model, apply materials and boundary conditions, solve the problem and visualize the flow. The objective of the video is to demonstrate you how to simulate various flow problems using Simulation CFD.
Video 6: How to handle CAD geometries in Simulation CFD
An effective simulation starts with good CAD techniques both in terms of model integrity and proper creation of the flow region. The first step is to design your CAD model for the flow analysis. This means modeling the flow geometry and optimizing the model for simulation. For modeling geometry Autodesk provides Inventor software along with Simulation CFD. This video highlights the geometry tools used in Simulation CFD software and how to use Autodesk inventor for importing or creating geometries for simulation purpose.
Video 7: How to assign material to a CFD model
The very first step in any Autodesk Simulation CFD design study is to define the materials of the components in the design. This video covers how to assign materials, how to define material properties and create new materials, how to specify varying material properties, how and when to use material devices.
Video 8: Boundary conditions
By assigning boundary conditions such as flow rate, pressure, temperature to openings and other specific locations, we effectively "relate" the design with the physical world. Additionally, boundary conditions allow us to specify internal heat loading, such as heat dissipation often found in electronics thermal management simulations. This video will focus on setting up different types of boundary conditions for CFD simulations in Simulation CFD software.
Video 9: Mesh generation
Before running CFD analysis we need to mesh the geometry. Simulation CFD has an automatic mesher which performs a comprehensive topological interrogation of the analysis geometry and determines the mesh size and distribution on every edge, surface, and volume in the model. Geometric curvature, gradients, and proximity to neighboring geometry are all considered when assigning element sizes and mesh distributions. This video will cover details of mesh generation.
Video 10: How to solve a CFD model in Simulation CFD
After assigning mesh settings, the subsequent step is solving. Physics to be simulated could be incompressible flow, compressible flow, heat transfer, radiation, gravity, turbulence. Solver setup has to be done according to physics to be simulated. Setups are different for steady state simulation and transient state simulation. Learn more about solver setup in this video.
Video 11: How to extract and analyze results in Simulation CFD
When the run (CFD analysis) is over, the successive step is to visualize and extract the results of the simulation. Simulation CFD has variety of tools to visualize and extract this data. This video will demonstrate you about how to plot different contour plot, iso-contours, and extract values of specific properties at specific locations. You will also learn how to compare performances of two or more different designs using design review center.
1. What resources will I need for this class?
For this course you will need an internet connection, a modern browser and Autodesk Simulation CFD software.
2. Can I get software access?
LearnCAx does not provide Autodesk Simulation CFD software. But if you are a student then you can get three year license of this software form Autodesk. And if you are not a student then you can avail a free trial of this software. Our course lesson has guidelines for accessing this software.
3. Can I use a Mac or Linux for the course?
No, this software cannot run on Mac or Linux, so you will need Windows XP or 7 for this software.
4. When I can start the course and how much time is needed to complete the course?
The course is available all the time. Time necessary to start the course is what you need to create a LearnCAx login :). Considering difficulty level, understanding capacity and necessary extra reading, on average, we expect this course to be finished in 2 to 3 weeks.
5. How difficult is this course?
The course is designed for beginners and we believe that it’s easy for everyone.
6. Will I get a certificate after completing this course?
No, you will not get certificate for completing this course.
7. I have few queries related to work I am doing. Can I contact you?
As the course is designed for beginners, so you might have specific questions. Feel free to ask those questions using the link “Ask a Question” given on course page.
8. This course has only 4 video lessons visible right now. How can I see remaining video lessons?
This course is part of free course initiative by LearnCAx. Within a free course, lessons are developed and launched one by one. The remaining lessons are under preparation and will be launched soon. You can provide us your email address and we will notify you once the new lesson is launched.