Use Of Computational Fluid Dynamics (Cfd) In Teaching Fluid Mechanics

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a tool that allows the solution of fluid flow problems numerically by the use of computers.Its development is derived mainly by i) its use in the academia and research institutions for the inevitable need for understanding complicated flow phenomena where experimental and theoretical approaches either are not possible or do not provide enough insight, ii) its use in the industry via commercial software for an economical speed up of the design process.The use of CFD in engineering education is mostly limited to graduate level courses where the mathematical background necessary to write CFD programs is taught.Although recent undergraduate level fluid mechanics books involve CFD related chapters, references indicating the use of CFD as an undergraduate level teaching aid are limited.This paper is about the possible use of CFD in teaching undergraduate level fluid mechanics.In the first part, the topics of a typical fluid mechanics course that may be supported with CFD are investigated.In the second part the tools necessary and suitable for the efficient use of CFD in teaching fluid mechanics are examined and a CFD software called Virtual Flow Lab developed by the authors is introduced and its capabilities and potential use for educational purposes are discussed.