Computational Analysis
Vorticity has the capability in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Fluid-Structure Interaction simulation necessary to develop aerodynamic databases of complex objects.
// KEY CAPABILITIES
Optimised mesh generation in Pointwise
Structured, unstructured and overset meshes
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in CFD++ and SU2
Subsonic to hypersonic continuum flow
Steady RANS and time-accurate transient hybrid RANS-LES turbulence modelling
High-temperature multi-species aerochemistry and combustion
Surface pressure, friction and heat flux load prediction
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Fluid–Structure Interaction (FSI) in LS-DYNA
Flexible inflatable and parachute simulations
Material behaviour (stress, strain and thermal analyses)
Engine plume modelling with thermochemical effects
Enabling accurate assessment of plume-induced flow separation and base region interactions
Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) of rarefied flows
Parallel post-processing and GPU-rendering in ParaView and Python
Two onsite high-performance computing clusters for rapid case solution
160 CPU cores and over 2.5 TB of RAM.
Rigorous simulation quality procedures
// KEY CASE STUDY - EXOMARS
Vorticity completed an extensive series of CFD simulations of the ESA Rosalind Franklin Mission entry vehicle. Multi-body overset meshes and hybrid RANS-LES turbulence models were used for time-accurate simulation of the massively-separated wake flow. The interaction between the entry vehicle wake and its parachute assembly was successfully simulated in both subsonic and supersonic flow.
Vorticity used these results to improve the modelling of supersonic parachute deployment in blunt aeroshell wakes. This is critical for successful parachute system design, as the loss of dynamic pressure in asymmetric wakes can strongly affect parachute drag and deployment dynamics.
// KEY CASE STUDY - SUPERSONIC PARACHUTES
Vorticity designed and tested several subscale parachutes in the NRC 1.5 m Trisonic Wind Tunnel in Ottawa, Canada. The parachutes were deployed at Mach numbers between 1.6 and 2.25, to explore the behaviour of supersonic parachutes in Mars-representative conditions.
Vorticity used the Fluid–Structure Interaction capabilities of LS-DYNA to complete numerical rebuilds, deepening understanding of the flow phenomena and parachute performance. The FSI simulation showed the same complex interaction between supersonic bow shock and flexible parachute canopy seen in wind-tunnel testing.
