COMFLOW USER GROUP

Running

Within a series of JIPs the offshore industry, MARIN and the Universities of Groningen and Delft have worked together on the development of the Volume-of-Fluid CFD code ComFLOW to study complex free-surface flows around ships and offshore structures. These developments are now followed-up by the introduction of a dedicated ComFLOW user group, open to all interested parties.

introduction

ComFLOW is a Cartesian-grid based Volume-of-Fluid CFD simulation method specifically designed for the fast and efficient simulation of violent free-surface flows. More than a decade of developments within a series of JIPs resulted in a unique combination of numerical algorithms, which sets ComFLOW apart from many other CFD codes and makes it particularly effective for solving complex free-surface flow problems both in terms of CPU time and level of accuracy.

Over the years, ComFLOW has been successfully applied and validated for a wide range of free-surface applications for fixed and moving structures, both moored and at forward speed:
• sloshing (e.g. in LNG containment systems and swimming pools on yachts);
• wave run-up and deck impacts (e.g. semi-submersibles, TLPs, monopiles);
• air entrapment during breaking wave impacts (“cushioning”);
• green water (e.g. at the bow and alongside FPSOs and ocean-going vessels);
• non-linear wave propagation, deterministic breaking and crest distributions;
• global response analysis;
• design optimization (e.g. bulwarks, green water protection, riser balconies, local deflectors for on-deck structures such as lifeboats);
• bow and stern slamming (e.g. cruise ships).

With the introduction of a dedicated user group, ComFLOW is now available to all interested industrial partners for use within their daily design and engineering practice.

Contact

Contact person photo

Joop Helder

Senior Project Manager

organisation and contact

The ComFLOW user group will be managed by MARIN. The Universities of Groningen and Delft will act as consultants to the user group. The ComFLOW user group will meet every 6 months, were possible during the FPSO JIP week. ComFLOW usergroup members receive:
• yearly license for unlimited use of executables (windows and linux);
• built-in gridding tool and ParaView visualisation plugins;
• Maintenance and support;
• Half-yearly meetings to share knowledge and experience;
• Additional developments when agreed upon by users.

The ComFLOW user group is open to all interested parties at an annual user fee of 7.5kEuro/year. Additional entry costs of 7.5kEuro/year in the first two years apply for new members.
jip members only

For JIP members only

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