X

CFD Software Guide

Students Guide for Installation Popular CFD Software

Recent Updates in ANSYS 2026

  • To get Free CFD Software and a user guide kindly click on the links, Recent Updates in ANSYS 2026R1

Strong push into AI & Generative Engineering

  • Introduction of generative AI capabilities across the platform
  • First agentic AI workflows (AI that can act autonomously in engineering tasks)
  • New GeomAI platform:
    • Enables AI-driven concept design exploration
  • New Mesh Agent:
    • Helps debug meshing issues automatically in preprocessing
  • Improved Physical Models:
    • New models and automation options added for electro-chemical and aerospace studies
    • Improved  battery thermal abuse models
    • Enhanced  solver for numerical schemes for high-speed external aerodynamics studies.
    • Improved the speed of FGM combustion model for Gas turbine combustion on GPU machine
  • Faster meshing :
    • pre-processing times in ANSYS FLUENT have been improved by up to 30X
    • These mesh speed-ups are  for the fault-tolerant and watertight meshing workflows .
  • Fluent Web Interface Updates:
    • Latest  Fluent Web Interface was updated with watertight meshing  for better user workflow experience in single GUI

Recent OpenFOAM V2512

The current release, OpenFOAM-v2512 for window. Key points about OpenFOAM updates in 2025:
  • Version 13 for Linux system:
    • Improved boundary conditions
    • Significant improvements are meshing ans models in solvers in areas like multi-phase flow, heat transfer, particle tracking,
  • Modular Solvers:
    • Support for source terms for one variable in equations of other variables.
  • Function Objects:
    • New function objects added and moved to a system/functions file.
  • Case Configuration: Ability to include units in parameters.
  • Programming Enhancements: “foamFind” script for easier code searching

Commercial CFD Solvers without Automatic Meshing

How to Install ANSYS CFD Solvers

  • There are CFD solvers that are  widely used in both academia and industries
  • Students can use up to a maximum of 10,48,000 cells ( 1 Million ) for CFD simulations using ANSYS FLUENT
  • They provide a free version for students
  • Refer to the user guide for CFD modeling
  • Check your system hardware before installing CFD analysis software
  • Students can Tecplot for post-processing of CFD results. Tecplot has good control over streamlines and vectors.

Application and Modules:

  • Geometry Tools: ANSYS Space claim, ANSYS Work Bench
  • Meshing platform: ANSYS Mesher, ICEM CFD, FLUENT Mesher
  • CFD Solver: FLUENT, CFX
  • Post-processing: CFD- Post, ANSYS EnSight

Download the Latest ANSYS Students Version

Click here To Download the Latest ANSYS Student Version:

  • ANSYS FLUENT 2025 R1 :
    • It is valid  till 1st March 2024
    • Size of file around 10 GB Zipped files
    • Zip in a separate folder and unzip
    • Click on the set-up of the file.
    • ANSYS will be automatically installed in C drive
  • ANSYS FLUENT 2022 R2:
    • it is valid till 31 July 2023
    • To get download files, refer to the Prior Release Section

Note:

  • The commercial ANSYS Fluent Premium cost is around $12,000 for base license and $8000 for one HPC packages

 

 

Requirement of your Laptop or PC

    Operating Systems: Microsoft Windows 10, 64-bit

 Minimum Hardware Requirements:

  • Processor(s): Workstation class
  • RAM: 4 GB
  • Hard Drive space: 25 GB
  • Installation in C Drive:  C:/” drive present
  • Graphics card and driver:   Professional workstation class 3-D, Discrete Graphics card is recommended for larger end simulations
  • OpenGL-capable

New Update in ANSYS FLUENT

  1. Direct ECAD workflow for PCB: New workflow for printed circuit board (PCB) that enables the import of an ECAD directly from the Fluent interface without the need to use additional products
  2. Full Release of Multi-GPU Solver: The multi-solver has added support for species transport, non-stiff reacting flows, enhanced LES
    numerics, sliding mesh  and compressible flows
  3. Models for Hydrogen Value Chain: PEM and Alkaline electrolysis models for green hydrogen production and extended PEMFC and SOFC
    Fuel Cells models for hydrogen consumption
  4. Virtual Blade Model for Turbomachinery: A Virtual Blade Model (VBM) replaces 3D rotors with actuator disks by adding  their effect using the source terms in the governing equations
  5. Modeling of High-speed Numerics in  Aero Mode: Access High-Speed Numerics (HSN) within FluentAero Workspace with seamless setup and improved robustness and convergence for all flight regimes
  6. Embedded Parametric / Morphing in the car Model: A new workflow for parametric design optimization
    and morphing embedded in the Fluent interface
  7. Built-in Aero-Optical Workflow:

 

ANSYS User Guide

CFD Solvers with Automatic Meshing

  • Star CCM+ and CONVERGE are also used as a popular CFD solver in many  automotive industries
  • They do not require a separate meshing platform. It directly generates dynamic grid adaptive mesh based on gradients of flow variables.
  • Siemens provides free access for universities  students and faculty to Simcentre  STAR-CCM+
  • Students can download Star CCM+ by clicking here: University: Star CCM+
  • COMSOL has the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) in their solver
  • Students or faculty can contact to get a trial version
  • Students can download tutorials of CONVERGE

Open source  CFD Solvers  (Free Software)

  • OpenFOAM  is  a  popular open-source CFD software for both academia and industries
  • This CFD solver  has no licensing fee
  • Download Open Foam CFD tools for Linux or Ubuntu
  • For block meshing creates structures meshing. Refer to this for more details: block Mesh for Different Geometries
  • Code Saturn is also a free and  open-source CFD software

Application and Modules:

User Guide of Open Foam

SimFlow – Open F0am GUI

  • SimFlow is a user-friendly graphical interface for OpenFOAM, a powerful open-source Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solver.
  • By integrating OpenFOAM with a more accessible GUI, SimFlow simplifies the process of setting up, running, and analyzing CFD simulations.
  • Here’s a look at key features and benefits of using SimFlow with OpenFOAM

Download and Features of Sim FLow

    • Free version for single CPU
    • Mesh limit 2,00,000
  • Down load links for Sim Flow Free version
  • One year cost is USD 8000
  • No additional HPC cost like ANSYS FLUENT ( USD 8000 )

Steps in CFD Modeling in Sim Flow

Creating a CFD flow model in SimFlow with OpenFOAM involves several steps, from pre-processing and simulation setup to post-processing for analyzing results. Here’s a breakdown of the key steps:

Define the Problem and Set Up Project in SimFlow

  • Open SimFlow and create a new project for the flow simulation.
  • Define the problem type: determine if it’s a steady-state or transient problem, single-phase or multiphase, laminar or turbulent flow.
  • Select the appropriate solvers (OpenFOAM solvers integrated with SimFlow) based on your project requirements, such as incompressible or compressible flow solvers.
Sim flow serial and parallel computation in CFD

Geometry Import and Setup

  • Import the geometry file if it’s pre-modeled in another CAD tool or create simple geometries directly in SimFlow.
  • Ensure the geometry is clean, with no overlapping surfaces or small features that might interfere with meshing.

Meshing

  • Choose between structured or unstructured mesh types, depending on the complexity of the geometry and the desired accuracy.
  • Set mesh parameters, including cell size and refinement regions, to achieve a balance between accuracy and computational cost.
  • Perform mesh quality checks to ensure the mesh is suitable for simulation (e.g., aspect ratio, skewness, and orthogonality).
  • Generate the mesh and inspect it visually in SimFlow to identify and correct any meshing issues.
Simflow CFD meshing tool

Define Physics and Boundary Conditions

  • Set the physical properties of the fluid, such as density and viscosity, and choose a turbulence model (e.g., k-epsilon, k-omega) if the flow is turbulent.
  • Apply boundary conditions to the inlet, outlet, walls, and any symmetry planes. Common conditions include:
    • Inlet: Set velocity, pressure, or mass flow rate.
    • Outlet: Set zero-gradient or specified pressure.
    • Walls: Apply no-slip or slip conditions depending on the flow scenario.
  • Assign initial conditions for pressure, velocity, and any other required variables.
Boundary conditions in SimFLow solver

Define Solution Controls

  • Set up solution controls such as time step for transient problems, relaxation factors, and convergence criteria.
  • Configure the solver settings, including iterations per time step and maximum simulation time for transient simulations.
  • Configure the numerical schemes for discretization, such as gradient, divergence, and Laplacian schemes, to ensure stable and accurate simulations.
SimFlow Solver for CFD simulations

Run the Simulation

  • Start the simulation and monitor convergence by observing residuals for variables like velocity and pressure.
  • Adjust solver settings if necessary to improve convergence (e.g., reduce relaxation factors or refine the mesh in high-gradient regions).
  • For long simulations, periodically check intermediate results to ensure the model is running correctly.
Sim flow CFD simulation monitors

Post-Processing

  • Once the simulation completes, move to the post-processing phase to analyze results.
  • Visualize flow variables (e.g., pressure, velocity, temperature) using contours, streamlines, vectors, and isosurfaces.
  • Generate plots for specific points or surfaces, such as velocity profiles, pressure drops, or flow rates.
  • Use ParaView integration for advanced visualizations if needed
  • Post-processing capabilities include visualization of simulation results through contours, streamlines, and vector fields
  • SimFlow integrates with ParaView for advanced visualization, allowing users to gain insights into flow behavior and design performance.

Validation and Analysis

  • Validate the simulation results by comparing them with experimental data or literature if available.
  • Analyze the results in relation to design goals or performance criteria. This can include calculating parameters like pressure drop, drag, heat transfer rates, or flow uniformity.
  • Based on findings, adjust your model if necessary (e.g., mesh refinement, different boundary conditions) and rerun the simulation if additional accuracy is needed.

 

How to Install Open FOAM in Windows

Install  Ubuntu for Programming Environment

  • The first step to installing Open FOAM, your computer must have a programming environment to run the C++ libraries of Open FOAM
  • You can create it by installing Ubuntu either within Windows 10 or a separate operating system
  • Watch videos: click on the links
  • Then download and  install OpenFOAM after copying files in Ubuntu

Download and Installation Guides

  1. Download the Open-FOAM files as per the Ubuntu version in your system
  2. Start Bash on Ubuntu by typing bash in the search toolbar
  3. Click on the Desktop app Bash on Ubuntu on Windows

  1. In the bash-terminal,
    • Copy “OpenFOAM-v2012-windows10.tgz ” from the Download folder to the local bash-environment by entering the following command: cp -ar /mnt/c/Users/<USER>/Downloads/OpenFOAM-v2012-windows10.tgz
    • You need to replace the string with your own user name while copying the file: here shown by the user pgh
    • The final dot (.)need to specify the current location
  2. Untar the OpenFOAM installation file by running the following command 
    sudo tar -xvzf  OpenFOAM-v2012-windows10.tgz -C /opt/
sudo chown -R $USER /opt/OpenFOAM

    Enter your Linux password to allow the process to start. if tar is not installed in your Linux version, you have to install it using the command: sudo apt install tar

  3. You can Install the additional dependencies 
    sudo apt install bison flex m4

Configure the bash-shell

  • Once only you need to Run the following command to set the OpenFOAM working environment
echo "source /opt/OpenFOAM/OpenFOAM-v2012/etc/bashrc" >> ~/.bashrc
source $HOME/.bashrc

Checking of Open FOAM Installation

  • OpenFOAM installation needs to verify by running any one OpenFOAM tutorial
  • You have to copy any tutorial ( e.g. cavity) to the Ubuntu folder
    • Enter command in the terminal to make a mesh of geometry (blockMesh)
    • Run it by typing: icoFoam
mkdir -p /mnt/c/Users/<USER>/tutorial
cd /mnt/c/Users/<USER>/tutorial
cp -ar $FOAM_TUTORIALS/incompressible/icoFoam/cavity/cavity .
cd cavityNew
blockMesh
icoFoam

Installation  of Pre and POst Processing Tools

Para View and FoamToTecplot

  • Install Para View to visualize mesh files, a GUI-based post-processing tool
  • The case can be visually checked using Para View.
  • You can download the Para view and install it within Windows 10: Download Para view
  • Click here : Userguide of Paraview

Free Video for CFD Learning

Geometry in Space Claim and  CFD Flow Engineering (CFE)

Geometry and Meshing in ANSYS ICEM CFD

 

2) Rerer CFD learning videos of ANSYS FLUENT