FLUENT - How difficult is to use it?

[Panos_na]

Hello everyone!

I am about to choose a subject for a project in my University. A thought is to design a yacht keel and test with the use of CFD. My university uses FLUENT.

I wonder if there a good chance to learn how to use it by myself and reach such a level, so that I will be able to complete my project.

I've been told that using CFD is not easy and it is hard to deal with it. Of course, nothing is impossible and I wanna try, but the problem is time. For example, if the appropriate time to learn such a software is 5 months, that would be devastating for my project.


Anyone that can give me an opinion on that?

Thank you!

[Ad Hoc]

If your project is for university, then the results will be not so important. Understanding how the program works, it limitations and why is more important. Also being able to demonstrate the limitations by comparing known values of certain 'shapes', from other sources, to the CFD you are using.

You need to start small...not think big!

[pavel915]

It will not be that much hard if you have the basics of cfd,

The most important tips i can give you is to brawse in the forum of fluent in www.cfd-online.com, many helpful guyz are there and you can get many existing marine related discussions there,

You will simulate in 3d or 2d? If 3d, the knowledge of any surface modelling software like rhino will help you to make the model, which helped me very much for going through CFD,