The motion of liquids and gases plays a significant role in a large number of scientific and engineering fields. The theoretical description of such motion is a branch of continuum mechanics that has evolved substantially with the development of efficient numerical methods to solve the complex governing partial differential equations. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is employed in a wide range of industrial fields, including the traditional aeronautical and automotive areas as well as in energy, biomedical, sports, computer graphics, etc.
At EPFL, research is undertaken in the development of advanced numerical algorithms for resolving the fluid equations, enhanced physical modeling to broaden their applicability, improved efficiency on high performance computer systems, and the implementation of these advances for the analysis of complex multi-disciplinary flow problems.
Specific laboratories involved in CFD activities include:
- ANMC – Chair of Computational Mathematics and Numerical Analysis (Prof. Assyr Abdulle)
- ASN – Chair of Numerical Analysis and Simulation (Prof. Jacques Rappaz)
- CMCS – Chair of Modelling and Scientific Computing (Prof. Alfio Quarteroni)
- EFLUM -Environmental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory (Prof. Marc Parlange)
- IAG – Interdisciplinary Aerodynamics Group (Dr Pénélope Leyland)
- LENI – Industrial Energy Systems Laboratory (Prof. Daniel Favrat)
- LFMI – Laboratory of Fluid Mechanics and Instabilities (Prof. François Gallaire)
- LHTC – Hemodynamics and Cardiovascular Technology Laboratory (Prof. Nikolaos Stergiopulos)
- LMH – Hydraulic Machines Laboratory (Prof. François Avellan)
- LTCM – Heat and Mass Transfer Laboratory (Prof. John Thome)
- GTT – Applied Thermodynamics and Thermal Turbomachinery Group (Dr Peter Ott)
- WIRE – Wind Engineering and Renewable Energy Laboratory (Prof. Fernando Porté-Agel)