Speeding mechanical design with Engineering Fluid Dynamics

A recent independent study reports best-in-class companies are twice as likely to use fluid-flow simulation as their counterparts. However, until recently, high costs and difficult-to-use programs kept computational fluid dynamics (CFD) mostly in the hands of research, academia, and large OEMs. Fortunately, a newer approach called engineering fluid dynamics (EFD) now places CFD on the desktop of the everyday engineer. Application examples might include building a better shield for laser optics, curbing constriction in a flow valve, and improving the thermodynamic efficiency of huge heat exchangers.