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ISSN Online: 2377-424X

ISBN Print: 978-1-56700-421-2

International Heat Transfer Conference 15
August, 10-15, 2014, Kyoto, Japan

Making Computational Heat Transfer and Fluid Dynamics Accessible to All

Get access (open in a dialog) DOI: 10.1615/IHTC15.cpm.010568
pages 1697-1708

Abstract

Computational Heat Transfer (CHT), with its partner Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), is capable of making for design engineers and physical scientists, valuable predictions of what will (probably) happen if a process is launched with prescribed initial and boundary conditions. However, there is a problem: successful practitioners of CHT and CFD must possess much specialist knowledge; and it is impossible that the would-be beneficiaries of the technology can themselves acquire that knowledge. Yet it is possible to make "minutes" the (truthful) answer; and code vendors, in the author's opinion, would be wise to exhibit no images of which that is not true. How it can be made true is rather simple. Every would-be CHT user is concerned with equipment or a process of a particular class, be it shell-and-tube heat exchanger, stirred-tank reactor, or air pollution of a city, The problem is characterised therefore by a few parameters (exchanger geometry, inflow rate of reactants, wind direction and strength) which he or she knows. The code-vendor's task is therefore to provide an application-specific user-interface, requiring the user to supply ONLY known-to-him parameters; and thereafter produces the information which the user desires to the CHT/CFD package to provide. Given the will to do it, this can always be done. The paper will show how some examples, and explain how many more can be created.