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Overview Syllabus FAQ

Overview

Use of simulations as part of design process is increasingly becoming a standard practice in industry and research mainly because it leads to efficient design in lesser time. Due to same reason CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) is rapidly becoming an integral part of product development cycle. When CFD was newly invented it was just part of research laboratories. Now since the growth of commercial CFD software and more powerful computing resources, CFD is part of every design team in industry. The most critical obstacle toward learning CFD is the fundamental knowledge and high level of expertise in software usage. 

STAR CCM+ is among the world's most comprehensive engineering simulation environment inside a single integrated package. This course will teach you every aspects of CFD process within STAR CCM+. Students can also get the FREE software access. Read more details about terms and conditions and how to apply for software access.

The course covers all five learning aspects which include fundamental knowledge of fluid dynamics, theory of CFD, CFD software skill and lastly how to use CFD results for making design decisions. The course consists of variety of learning techniques like course lessons, software demos, software practice schedule, quiz, practice assignments, course projects, and online mentoring. Due to all these aspects this course on CFD modeling using STAR CCM+ is among the most intensive software dedicated CFD course which is offered by LearnCAx.

Recommended background

A science background is recommended for this course. One should be familiar with basic physics concepts like scalars, vectors, pressure, velocity, forces etc. The course will start with a review of fundamental concepts of fluid dynamics and heat transfer. So you do not need any pre-requisite for this course other than having an interest in CFD. No specific educational degree is necessary to take this course. CFD analysis is based on fundamental equations of fluid dynamics and heat transfer; hence participants from mechanical, chemical, civil and petroleum fields find themselves more comfortable than other background. They will also benefit more than participants from other background. 

Your Learning

By the end of this course you will gain expertise in conducting CFD using STAR CCM+. Apart from software skills our objective of this course is also to make you understand how CFD is used as a design tool. 

Below will be your learning in this course:

  • You will have better understanding of fluid dynamics and heat transfer
  • You will clearly understand what CFD is?
  • You will be able to conceptualize a CFD problem.
  • You will learn how to construct a CAD model in STAR CCM+ and make it ready for CFD. 
  • You will learn mesh generation process using STAR CCM+. 
  • You will be able to independently define and solve a fluid flow CFD problem using STAR CCM+. 
  • You will learn how to use CFD results for making design decisions.
  • You will be inspired to pursue CFD as a professional or academic field of your choice.
  • You will be able to obtain sufficient hands-on practice of using STAR CCM+ through the course. 

The course mainly contains video lessons based on fundamental theory and software skills. Apart from video lessons, the course also contains other components like software demos, assignments, quizzes, and project. The course is delivered based on a concept of ‘learning lessons accompanied with live mentoring sessions’. The course starts with lessons based on overview of STAR CCM+. The middle section deals with geometry handling and mesh generation lessons. The end part consists of lessons which teach how to solve and analyze a CFD simulation in STAR CCM+. Based on the content of the video lessons and accompanied assignments, projects you can expect to complete the course in 6 to 7 weeks. 

Course Format

The course mainly contains of video lessons. The duration of each lesson varies from few minutes for some lessons to 40 minutes for some lessons. For short software demos the duration is very small and for detailed theory lessons or software knowledge lessons the duration is large. The course also contains other content like tests, assignments, and project. 

The course is delivered based on a concept of ‘online learning using video lessons accompanied with live mentoring’. 

Below are features or elements of our training process:

Video lessons : The course consists of video lessons on various topics of theory and software knowledge. You can gain knowledge and software skills by watching these video lessons any number of times.

Software Demos : The course also consists of software demos. These short videos explain some tools or operations of software so that you can watch and practice on your own. 

Objective Test and Quiz : After some specific amount of video lessons you will be asked to give objective test or quiz. These tests or quizzes are based on theory knowledge and software skills. The purpose of these tests or quizzes is to refresh your learning till that point. These will also help you later to review or understand important concepts.

Software Assignments : After certain software learning is complete you will be provided with assignments. These assignments will be industrial level mesh generation or CFD solution problems which you will have to do on your own using skills acquired in the course. You will be provided with all the necessary input files for the assignments. Once you complete these assignments you will have to submit them to us for evaluation.

Course project : At the end of the course you will be assigned a course project. This project will be a complete CFD problem from start to end. You will be provided with the problem statement and input files. Using your acquired skills of the software STAR CCM+ you will conduct this CFD project and present a CFD project report by the end of your course. Our mentors will evaluate your report and provide you suggestions or additional mentoring based on your performance in the project. 

Mentoring :  Along with our course content we also provide mentoring for the participants in this course. The mentoring is provided to resolve any of your doubts or question related to the course learning. There are two types of mentoring :

  1. Unlimited mentoring through email : During the course you may have queries or doubts about the course content. To resolve those queries our mentors will interact with you using email. You can ask your queries through email and our mentors will provide you with specific answers to help resolve your queries. 
  2. Limited hours of live mentoring : In this our mentors will conduct a live mentoring session with you every week for an hour. So total you get 6 hours of live mentoring as part of the course. These live mentoring sessions will be sought of Q & A sessions to resolve any of your doubts related to the course learning. You can directly ask your questions to our mentor. 

Please note that mentoring through email and live session is meant to resolve your queries related to learning through the course. This mentoring does not cover any queries which are not related to the course or for any of your other CFD related queries. For such queries we recommend to you our other learning services. Information of such learning services can be found on course page. 

Certification : At the end of the course based on your performance and our evaluation you will be granted a certification from LearnCAx for successful completion of the course. 

Software Practice : Student can get FREE access to STAR CCM+ software so that they can practice the skills learned within the course. Students can also get the FREE software access. Read more details about terms and conditions and how to apply for software access.

Course Syllabus

The course is divided into 10 lessons and additional content like assignment and project. Each lesson has a specific objective and is designed to satisfy the needs of subsequent lesson. It is recommended that you do not move to the next lesson until all the concepts in the lesson are well understood.

Video Lessons :

Lesson 1: Study of Fluid flows

Have you ever observed common fluid flow phenomenon around you? Have you ever wondered about the physics behind such fluid flows? Whether they can be described by using mathematics and who discovered such mathematical equations of fluid flows? Fluid flow is present everywhere. The aim of this lesson is to show you how every phenomenon around us involves fluid flow. The lesson will present a discussion on the three fundamental methods used to study fluid flow. In the end you will also understand where simulation finds its place as tool to study fluid flow and allied phenomenon. 

Lesson 2: Introduction to CFD 

Assuming that most of the participants are new to the topic of CFD, the first lesson is designed as an introduction to CFD. CFD is a distinct field of simulation sciences which is based on physics and mathematical equations. Hence our first lesson is designed in order to provide you a complete understanding of overall concept of CFD. This lesson provides the basics of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) without going into details of the mathematics or numerical algorithms. By the end of this lesson you will have a clear understanding of CFD and terms like Design, Modeling, Simulation and CFD. You will also realize that CFD is very interesting and highly useful design tool.

Lesson 3: CFD Equations and Numerical Solution 

We believe that every participant of our course, who uses CFD software, should also be aware of what is happening behind the software. Behind the software there are physics equations solved using numerical methods. This lesson is design in a way that you will get a basic understanding of the generalized CFD equations and the numerical methods that are used to solve these equations. The objective of this lesson is to refresh the knowledge of mathematical equations which govern fluid flow and heat transfer and also to provide an overview of the additional equations that are solved in CFD. By the end of this lesson you will be familiar with Navier Stokes equations and the difference between exact and numerical solution of differential Equations.

Lesson 4: Fundamentals of Finite Volume method

One of the most commonly used algorithms to convert the partial differential equation to algebraic equations is the Finite Volume Method. Hence it is critical to understand the finite volume method. In this lesson we will see how the Navier Stokes equations are converted into mathematical formulations using the finite volume methods. This lesson would explain how to convert the integral form of conservation equations into linear algebraic equations, using Finite Volume Method.  By the end of this lesson you will have a clear understanding of the Finite Volume Method.

Lesson 5: STAR CCM+ software installation

This is a short video lesson which tells you how to get access to the software for practice. The lesson will provide you instruction so that you can download the software package and install it quickly without any hassle. After completing the process as mentioned in this lesson you can start using STAR CCM+ for this course. 

Lesson 6: Introduction to STAR-CCM+ Workflow

Before using STAR CCM+ for any CFD simulation, you need to understand the workflow and software components in detail. This lesson will explain you the general workflow of a simulation within the software. Understanding the Graphic User Interface and workflow of the software will built enough experience so that you can start using the software for basic operations.  

Lesson 7: Geometry Modelling in STAR CCM+

For every CFD simulation we require a CAD model to create virtual CFD environment. We have to either generate CAD model in STAR CCM+ or import it from third party software. Also many repair operations are needed to be performed on the imported CAD model as it is not ready for CFD. By the end of this lesson you will be able to create and import geometries in STAR CCM+. You will also know all skills to make geometry ready for CFD.

Lesson 8: STAR CCM+ Meshing

Mesh generation is among the most critical and complex tasks within a CFD analysis process. When we use STAR CCM+ for CFD analysis, meshing is also done within STAR CCM+. Although this makes the file handling easy but one has to be expert in meshing in order to take advantage of this facility. This lesson will teach you mesh generation process right from the beginning and cover all details of this task. 

Lesson 9: STAR CCM+ Physics modelling

There are three steps in a CFD analysis. First is to prepare a virtual model of the real world problem in CAD format. Then generate grid or mesh for that model. But after doing this, the virtual model of CFD does not have any idea of physics that is happening in the real world problem of phenomenon. The tasks of providing sensible real world conditions to the CFD model are done by physics modelling. In this lesson you will learn how to provide different physics conditions to the CFD model and solve it as a simulation.

Lesson 10: Analysing results in STAR CCM+

This lesson will teach you how to extract results from the generated CFD solution and how to apply these results to modify design. It will teach you how to extract CFD results in the form of quantitative and qualitative data. You will learn how to generate contours, vector plots, streamlines and other result entities to explain your CFD results. STAR CCM+ has an interactive result extraction facility which means you can also plot results even when calculations are in progress. You will learn all this process in this lesson. 

Course Assignments :

Assignment 1: Create 2D sketch in STAR CCM+ 

In this assignment you will create a 2D sketch using the 3D CAD feature in STAR CCM+. The aim of the assignment is to provide you practice of geometry creation in 3D CAD. 

Assignment 2: Create 3D geometry in STAR CCM+

In this assignment you will create a 3D volume using the 3D CAD feature in STAR CCM+. The aim of the assignment is to provide you practice of preparing a 3D volume for CFD. 

Assignment 3: Mesh generation in STAR CCM+ 

It is based on volume mesh generation within STAR CCM+. Within this assignment you will practice how to generate volume mesh for a given CAD model.

Assignment 4: CFD simulation of duct flow using STAR CCM+

As part of this assignment you will conduct a CFD simulation of duct flow using STAR CCM+. The assignment will provide you software practice on setup of CFD models, CFD solution process, and CFD result analysis. 

Course Project :

CFD modeling of turbulence flow through nozzle geometry

This is the course project for final evaluation. In this project you will perform a complete CFD analysis from start to end. The project will involve a mesh generation task and a simulation task. The CFD problem is based on modeling turbulent flow through nozzle geometry. You will practice various CFD analysis operations like mesh type selection, mesh generation, solution setup and result extraction in this project. Your evaluation will be based on final report you submit on the CFD results of this project.

1. I do now know what CFD is? How should I decide whether to take this course o not? 

Many of our participants do not know about CFD before they start the course. If you are from science background or if you are from any of the fields of mechanical, chemical, petroleum, or civil engineering field then learning CFD can benefit you in many ways. In order to know more about CFD please use “Ask a Question” link on course page and our mentors and representative will contact you to explain CFD and its application.

2. When can I start the course and how much time is needed to complete the course?

The course is available all the time. Time necessary to start the course is what you need to create a LearnCAx login :). Considering difficulty level, understanding capacity and necessary extra reading and assignments to be done; on an average, we expect this course to be finished in 6 to 7 weeks. 

3. Why is it important to learn CFD skills? Why is CFD becoming popular in industry? 

CFD has become an important tool in design process in product and process industry across industry domain. The importance of simulation is increasing rapidly as it results in better product in shorter design cycle. Also the end cost of product is reduced because of use of simulations and CFD forms an important part of simulation based product development. Hence the use of CFD in industry and research has increased and will keep on growing. Due to same reason, it becomes beneficial to acquire CFD skills. 

4. How difficult is this course?

This course is intensive in terms of knowledge, training, and practice involved. But it is not a difficult course. You do not need any prerequisite knowledge to join the course. An interest in CFD and willingness to study and practice is certainly required. 

5. I have few queries related to work I am doing. Can I contact you? 

As the course is designed for beginners, so you might have specific questions. Feel free to ask those questions using the link “Ask a Question” given on course page.

6. I am a student in undergraduate degree. Is it too soon to learn CFD? Will I understand it?

No. It is not too soon. In fact this is the right time to get involved in CFD related learning. The earlier you gain knowledge of CFD, the better it is for you. You can conduct research in CFD in your academic life as well as this will open up many career opportunities related to CFD. 

7. What is STAR CCM+?

STAR CCM+ is among the world’s most comprehensive engineering simulation inside a single integrated package. It is widely used CFD software in academia and industry and is unrivalled in its ability to tackle problems involving multi-physics and complex geometries. STAR-CCM+ has an established reputation for producing high-quality results in a single code with minimum user effort. 

Visit STAR CCM+ software page for more details.

8. Why is this course based on STAR CCM+? 

We believe that STAR CCM+ is compressive CFD software which has well established user base and popularity in industry as well as research. The software is unique in its capabilities and user experience and is among the most user friendly software for CFD analysis. The usage of this software is growing at a rapid rate and learning this software will definitely benefit our course participants in their professional and academic work. 

9. How to get STAR CCM+ software access for practice?

Students can also get the FREE software access. Read more details about terms and conditions and how to apply for software access.

10. Do you provide certification?

Yes. After successful completion of the course we provide certification to participants. 

11. Is it possible to learn software using online learning?

Yes. Online learning has already been established as one of leading methods for cost effective and flexible software learning. 

12. I am weak in fundamentals of fluid dynamics or forgotten them. Can I take this course?

Our course content will help you review your fundamental knowledge about fluid dynamics. Also our course mentors will guide you on methods to strengthen your knowledge of fluid dynamics. So this is not a problem while you take the course. 

13. How will I ever use CFD if I am a student?

Currently many student in undergraduate or post graduate degrees use CFD as a tool for their research activity. If you are in a field where CFD simulation has applications you may use CFD for any of your research activity. 

14. How should I decide whether to learn CFD using FLUENT or STAR CMM+? 

Selecting CFD software depends on many factors like software capabilities, user experience, software reputation and validation studies, software release schedule and the CFD problem at hand. Both ANSYS FLUENT and STAR CCM+ are highly popular and capable software tools to carry out CFD simulation. STAR CCM+ stands out with its user experience and robustness as it has a single user experience and vast physics capabilities. The course also provides software access to STAR CCM+. Hence if you do not have any restriction on software usage, you can select STAR CCM+ as you CFD software. You should also check the feasibility of your CFD problem before selecting any software for the project or problem. If you want to receive detailed information on this topic, feel free to ask your questions using the link “Ask a Question” given on course page.