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I just want to get the main idea/principle of openFOAM and how you create a simulation, please let me know where I go wrong, So basically you have a object that interacts with gas or liquid and you want to simulate this, so you create model of the object, mesh it, specify where the gas will flow in and out and what are the walls, and set the other correct parameters and then run the program (with the approprate time step etc)?

Travis_Dudeson
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Cleo
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  • Sorry, but this question does seem to broad and unclear for this site. Basically your understanding is correct (although OpenFOAM is suitable for a much wider range of simulations, not only gas or liquid), and if you have any more specific question, please come and ask that. – Petr Jun 07 '16 at 07:55
  • Thanks Petr, I am quit new to it so i am just trying to understand it but thanks for confirming your explanation is sufficient – Cleo Jun 08 '16 at 10:39

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OpenFOAM is an open source C++ library which implements the finite volume method (FVM), which is widely used in CFD.

Dohn Joe
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What you have explained is a vague understanding of some of the applications of CFD. Those things you specified might not always be the case (i.e. the fluid might not necessarily be (a) gas and so on.

The main stages of a CFD problem are: making the geometry - mesh generation - preprocess - solving - postprocess. There might be more stages added depending on the resolution and other specifics of the case.

Now OpenFoam is an open source (free for all) tool which is in C++ and helps solve the CFD problems. If the problem is simple and routine, and you have access to a commercial solver such as ANSYS fluent, then you can use that since it is easier and much less work if the problem is not specific. However, if the problem is specific and there are customized criteria OpenFoam is a nice tool. It is written in C++ thus it is object oriented and also there are many many different solvers already written and available to use, so you will not have to write all the schemes and everything on your own from scratch.

However, my main advice to you is to read more about CFD to have a clear understanding, there are tens of good books avaiable.

Travis_Dudeson
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