Scalability and Applications of a DSMC Code

A direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) code, called dsmcFoam, has previously been developed, benchmarked and applied to a variety of problems by researchers at the University of Glasgow and the University of Strathclyde. This code is within the opensource C++ fluid dynamics toolbox, OpenFOAM and is released online here: https://bitbucket.org/dsmcStrath/dsmcstrathpublic.

The current project aims first to provide a comprehensive profiling and scaling study of the dsmcFoam code, including the effect of physical number of the gas flow. This has not previously been undertaken and would provide some insight in to how the code performs and where its performance could possibly be improved. It would, in effect, be the first step in investigating the possibility of making use of GPUs for dsmcFoam.

The applicability of DSMC is very wide, and so also will the types of simulations performed with dsmcFoam. Firstly, re-entry type flows, including new features such as adaptive mesh refinement and ionisation, will be performed. In addition, micro- and nano-scale gas flows will be investigated, including flows through porous materials such as Berea sandstone, pictured below, which was previously performed on ARCHIE-WeSt.

For more information about the project contact Dr Craig White (craig.white.2@glasgow.ac.uk), Lecturer (Aerospace Sciences) at the School of Engineering at the University of Glasgow.
For a list of the research areas in which ARCHIE-WeSt users are active please click here.