Centrale Nantes & Siemens Digital Industries Software chair on numerical simulation applied to fluid mechanics

Building on their long-standing collaboration with Nextflow Software, Centrale Nantes and Siemens Digital Industries Software are stepping up their cooperation in the field of numerical simulation applied to fluid mechanics by launching a new joint research chair in 2022.

The agreement provides for multi-year funding to the tune of several million euros, with the aim of keeping both organisations at the forefront of digital simulation technology using SPH methods.

Internationally recognised expertise in numerical simulation

In order to optimise their design, engineering and manufacturing processes, companies of all sizes rely on numerical simulation to verify the relevance and anticipate the short-and long-term performance of their products.

With more than 30 years of activity in this field, the Research Laboratory in Hydrodynamics, Energetics & Atmospheric Environment (LHEEA) - Centrale Nantes and CNRS - is now recognised as an international leader in the field of numerical simulation using the SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) method.  SPH is a calculation method used to simulate fluid flows, particularly those causing impacts or encountering rapidly moving parts. It is particularly useful for studying the lubrication of gearboxes, the cooling of electric motors, tyre aquaplaning, or vehicle water management.  Based on this method, researchers at Centrale Nantes, in collaboration with their counterparts at CNR-INM in Rome, co-developed alongside Nextflow Software "SPH Flow", a software package that brings together the best applications of predictive simulation and design with this method. Siemens acquired Nextflow Software and this technology in 2021.

A research chair to boost the numerical simulation capabilities of fluid flows

In the form of five modules, the scientific and technical programme of this new research chair aims to increase the accuracy, speed and robustness of Siemens' "Simcenter SPH Flow" software.
One of the modules involves using artificial intelligence to replace difficult physical equations and find solutions to complex problems.
With the aim of meeting the needs of engineering departments in the creation of new innovative products, three priority fields of application have been identified:

• fluid flows around vehicles,
• lubrication of transmissions
• and the cooling of electrical and electronic systems.