In addition to new features described on other pages linked to from the version 2.0.0 release announcement, there are some other new developments in OpenFOAM. Other new solvers adjointShapeOptimizationFoam – steady-state solver for incompressible, turbulent flow of non-Newtonian fluids with optimisation of duct shape by applying ”blockage” in regions causing […]

Cyclic Boundary Condition The cyclic boundary condition, also know as a periodic boundary condition, treats 2 boundary regions as if they are physically connected. They are used for repeated geometries , e.g. heat exchanger tube bundles. In versions of OpenFOAM before v2.0.0, a cyclic patch contained the faces for both […]

Run-time Code Compilation OpenFOAM now includes the capability to compile, load and execute C++ code at run-time. It includes a new general directive called #codeStream that can be used in any input files for run-time compilation. For example, the following code in the controlDict file looks up dictionary entries and […]

Function Objects OpenFOAM can carry out post-processing (and run-time control) automatically while the simulation is running using function objects. In v2.0.0, the range of available functionality has been extended to include the following: abortCalculation – Watches for presence of the named file in the case directory and aborts the calculation […]

Dynamic Lagrangian Model The latest release includes the new dynLagrangian large eddy simulation (LES) turbulence model, a Lagrangian two equation eddy-viscosity model. In LES, large turbulent structures in the flow are resolved by the governing equations, while the effect of the sub-grid scales (SGS) are modelled. Conventional models predict SGS […]

Pyrolysis modelling As part of OpenFOAM’s continual development for fire safety simulation, we have introduced modelling of pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is the decomposition of organic material at elevated temperatures, and is usually the primary chemical reaction that occurs in the burning of solid matter, such as wood. The process produces gases […]

View Factor Radiation Model In addition to the P1 model and finite volume discrete-ordinate method (fvDOM), OpenFOAM now has an implementation of a view factor model for radiative heat transfer, specifically between surfaces. The method begins with the generation of rays between discrete faces of the surfaces, using the viewFactorsGen […]

Discrete Element Modelling In this version of OpenFOAM an implementation of the discrete element method (DEM) has been introduced for particle simulations. The implementation of DEM includes the following features. runs efficiently in parallel with no restriction on the shape or size of mesh cells, and with interactions occurring between […]

An approach has been developed to run simulations involving complex physics to steady-state, quickly and reliably. The method is local-time stepping (LTS), in which the time step is manipulated for each individual cell in the mesh, making it as high as possible to enable the simulation to reach steady-state quickly. […]

A new surface film modelling library offers the capability to predict the complex behaviour of thin films with optional coupling to the bulk flow, both continuum and discrete (particle) phases, in parallel. The film equations are solved on a separate mesh region, typically defined at a surface region of a […]