Engineering Modelling & CFD

Computational fluid dynamics and finite element analysis for thermal, hydraulic and mechanical problems, so that designs can be tested before they are built.

Overview

Our engineering modelling services use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to solve complex thermal, hydraulic and mechanical problems. From optimising heat exchangers in power plants and analysing the thermal insulation of oil pipelines to designing efficient turbomachinery, we deliver numerical simulations that support industrial innovation.

Simulation lets you test a design before it exists. We turn the results into clear findings that you can explain and act on.

Simulation disciplines

The four disciplines of engineering simulation and the questions each one answers.
Discipline	What it analyses	Typical questions
Mechanical (FEA)	Stress, strain, deformation, vibration and stability of structures and components	Will it carry the load? Where does it crack or fatigue? How can the design be lighter and more durable?
Thermal	Heat transfer by conduction, convection and radiation, and the resulting temperature distribution	Will it overheat? How good is the insulation? How should the cooling be designed?
CFD	Air and fluid flow: velocity, pressure and mixing	Where are the pressure losses? Is the flow evenly distributed? Can the pump or heat exchanger perform better?
Electromagnetics (EM)	Magnetic fields, antennas, RF circuits and signal interference	How should an antenna be shaped? How does a magnetic field spread? Where does wireless interference arise?

Examples of simulation results

CFD streamlines, coloured by temperature, flowing through an engine bay — CFD: airflow through an engine bay, for thermal management in complex flows.

Temperature field across an electronic chip package and its neighbouring components, hottest at the die — Heat transfer: the temperature field across an electronic package, for reliability and performance.

Finite-element model of a bracket coloured by stress, highest around its central hole — FEA: stress and deformation of a bracket, for durability and design improvement.

Why simulate

Insight before building: the physics is solved numerically, so a design can be examined in detail before a prototype exists.
Lower cost and risk: variants are compared on a computer instead of being built and tested one by one.
Coupled effects: thermal, flow and structural effects can be studied together, as they act together in reality.
Better decisions: results show where a design loses energy, overheats or is over-dimensioned.

Case studies

Our case studies in this area include the flow through a shell-and-tube heat exchanger, the thermal insulation of an oil pipeline, the hydraulics of a centrifugal water pump and the stress around a crack in a composite material. They are listed below.