Within the Fluids Group is located a specialised CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) Laboratory. This conducts research into all aspects of the CFD process including three-dimensional computational geometry, geometry parameterisation, and optimisation, mesh generation for arbitrary 3D domains, steady and unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes simulations, large Eddy simulations, noise generation, combustion and acoustic-coupled instabilities. Our emphasis is on physical modelling to help solve real industrial problems.

The CFD Laboratory has recently formed a Collaboration Partnership with Rolls-Royce to develop the company codes and systems. The group also collaborates strongly with other groups in the department, especially the Energy, Turbomachinery, Structures and Design groups. Unusually for a university these days, the group has excellent, high quality wind tunnel facilities, which are used together with CFD to solve a very wide range of fluid mechanics problems. This combination of computational and experimental resources has put the group in a strong position to interact with the oil and gas as well as the aerospace and power-generation sectors of industry.