After a great workshop in Barcelona last October, ‘Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Turbulence Modelling targeting HPC’ is returning as a summer school this coming October.
Building on the October 2025 workshop, it will have the same practical focus, more time to dig into the methodology, and plenty of opportunities to learn from each other.
STFC Scientific Computing is once again teaming up with CECAM (Centre Européen de Calcul Atomique et Moléculaire) and the EuroHPC EXCELLERAT P2 project to run the hands‑on school at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) in Spain.
The school draws on expertise from three of the skilled collaborative computational communities supported by STFC’s CoSeC Programme (Computational Science Centre for Research Communities) – CCP‑Turbulence, CCP‑NTH and the UK Turbulence Consortium (UKTC). It brings researchers and engineers together to tackle chaotic real‑world flows.
Registration is open until 1 October 2026.
The October 2025 workshop connected advanced CFD with multiphysics and multiscale modelling, showing why some cutting‑edge simulations are only practical when you can run them at scale on modern supercomputers. Participants were also able to explore what it takes to optimise a massively parallel code, so it runs efficiently on large HPC systems.
The workshop was led by Charles Moulinec, Stefano Rolfo and Wei Wang from STFC Scientific Computing, alongside Yvan Fournier (EDF, France) and Guillaume Houzeaux (BSC, Spain). Yvan and Guillaume joined Wei to deliver a lively and well-received keynote lecture.
Principle Computational Scientist Wei Wang said, “Workshops like this help researchers turn turbulence theory into simulations that can influence real engineering decisions. By combining advanced modelling with practical HPC skills, we are helping build capability that aligns with the UK’s wider drive for digital and computational skills.”
Guillaume Houzeaux contributed through the EXCELLERAT P2 project, which provides a single point of access for expertise on how data management, analytics, visualisation and simulation‑driven design can benefit engineering when combined with high‑performance computing (HPC). EXCELLERAT P2 provided essential administrative support and helped secure access to MareNostrum5, BSC’s pre‑exascale EuroHPC system, which was used for practical exercises during the course.
Why turbulence modelling matters
Turbulence models sit behind many everyday design and safety decisions. For example:
• Aviation: predicting turbulent airflow over wings helps reduce drag and fuel burn, and improves confidence in stall margins.
• Wind energy: modelling wake turbulence – the swirling air that forms between turbines – supports better wind‑farm layout and higher energy production.
• Cars and trains: understanding under‑body and cross‑wind turbulence improves stability, noise, and aerodynamic efficiency.
• Buildings and cities: simulating turbulent mixing informs ventilation design, outdoor comfort, and how pollutants disperse in streets and around buildings.
• Power and process industries: simulating turbulence-driven combustion and reactive flowscan mean cleaner burners, safer operation, and lower emissions.
For full details, please contact cosec@stfc.ac.uk