Adaptive mesh refinement in the drivaer fastback model

Abstract

This document includes the final project of the Automotive Engineering degree which has been carried out during the student’s internship in the Nuclear Engineering and Fluid Mechanics department of the University of the Basque Country, in the College of Engineering in Vitoria-Gasteiz. In this project an optimization of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations has been carried out, precisely a mesh optimization study. This optimization has been performed with the innovative Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) tool, provided on the Star CCM+ 2020.3.1 (15.06.008-R8) software, using four different criterions. The geometry in which the AMR has been used is the DrivAer FastBack model. Later on, the results obtained on the simulations have been studied and compared with the experimental data available to validate the simulations. Using CFD as main tool, a methodology has been developed for the design process, analysis and comparison of flows around the model. This method provides a valuable insight into the development of flow-fields around complex geometries in an efficient manner, while maintaining a low time and resource cost.