The Continuous Adjoint Method For Optimization Problems
Aerodynamics is a discipline filled with optimization problems. Whether it is drag, lift or downforce, an aerodynamicists’ goal is to maximise the potential performance of an object within a set of constraints. To achieve this, the typical approach is to change an input variable and analyse the effect on the output. However, a more efficient […]
What is the Adjoint Method in CFD?
Every industry is trying to find new ways to improve performance, maximise productivity and increase efficiency. To achieve this, engineers, scientists and programmers are tasked with solving optimisation problems. The conventional way to optimise something in engineering is to change an input (typically a geometric parameter) and analyse its effect on the output (what we […]
Fan Noise Simulation Using HELYX
Automotive cooling fans are one of the major noise sources within a vehicle and can generate 85dBA at certain frequencies. That’s as loud as a lawn mower or a screaming child. Extended periods above 85dBA can lead to permanent hearing loss. With the average American spending 8.5 hours driving per week, reducing fan noise is […]
PUR Foaming Simulation with HELYX
Polyurethane or short PUR or even shorter PU is impossible to avoid in our modern life. Since its discovery in the late 1930’s in Leverkusen it has been used for countless purposes. In its foamed-up form it is insulating our houses and refrigerators, it lets us sleep soft and comfortable at night and is used […]
Saving Energy and Reducing Faucet Pressure Losses with Continuous Adjoint Optimization
In the United States alone, individuals use an average of 88 gallons of water a day within their home [1]. Delivering that tremendous quantity of water involves a complex system of valves, pumps, and piping systems, each with their own engineer problems to solve. Conservation of potable water and reduction in energy usage to deliver […]
Surface Optimization with Continuous Adjoint
Engineers routinely seek to improve their designs in order to increase a device’s efficiency, reduce energy losses, and increase performance at a new operating point. This is of course when the right driving forces (business or engineering) exist and design improvements are economically feasible. Oftentimes, the methods we use to improve designs rely on the […]
Enhanced Topology Optimization with Multi-Objective Continuous Adjoint
Topology optimization has proven to be an integral tool in the virtual prototyping process within industry. Engineers leveraging next generation optimization methods, such as continuous adjoint, can quickly gain valuable insight needed to enhance their products. Oftentimes, real designs must satisfy multiple objectives e.g. maximizing mass flow while maximizing swirl for an inlet port of […]
Simulating Conjugate Heat Transfer Multiphysics With HELYX
In real world flows, we often see combined modes of transport phenomena in which momentum + heat transport occurs simultaneously within and between fluid and solid regions. Systems that involve thermal energy transport within multiple fluid and/or solid regions, and possess energy exchange at the defined interface of the domains, are often called called conjugate […]