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COOLFluiD is a simulation environment focused on multi-physics simulations. Its applications vary widely from aerodynamics to structural analysis, from aeroacoustics to heat transfer.
It is focused on high-performace computing in large parallel machines (using MPI) and where it shows very good parallel scalability.
The coolfluid3 is the new open-source generation of the coolfluid2 environment, developed by the Von Karman Institute over the last 10 years.
COOLFluiD aims to be a flexible yet sufficiently simple environment for complex multi-physics simulations. It enables to pool together expertise from different knowledge fields to build simulations that otherwise would require the involvement of multiple experts.
To achieve this aim we develop a component environment, where each functionality is nicely wrapped within a component which can be reused for different purposes. It is a bit like building Lego(R) - we build complex simulations from simple building blocks.
The environment is based on components which plug into a kernel. Components are solvers, equations, numerical discretizations, functional spaces, etc. For example: the finite volume method, the finite element method, the Navier-Stokes and Magnetohydrodynamics equations, are examples of isolated components that collaborate together to form a simulation.
The Kernel combines the components together like Lego(R) bricks, using the best methodology for each application. This creates high-performant solvers, each dedicated to a specific application, while reusing the same components. This approach differs from typical monolithic solvers which employ only one methodology, and thus are sub-optimal in a variety of applications.
COOLFluiD is very flexible and every Physical Model or Numerical Method is a separate plug-in component which is loaded on demand. Developers contribute with their own components as plug-in's, in the form of numerical solvers, acceleration methods, new physical models, equation terms, etc...
The environment is also a collaborative platform, where diverse research centers join together their developments. Combining each other expertise we provide state-of-the-art solutions to complex multi-disciplinary problems.
The documentation is maintained as in doxygen. The latest version can be viewed here: http://coolfluidsrv.vki.ac.be/webfiles/coolfluid3/api/nightly/index.html