OVERFLOW - the
OVERset grid FLOW solver - is a
software package
Software package may refer to:
* Package (package management system), in which individual files or resources are packed together as a software collection that provides certain functionality as part of a larger system
* Software suite, which provid ...
for simulating
fluid flow around solid bodies using
computational fluid dynamics
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical analysis and data structures to analyze and solve problems that involve fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations required to simulate t ...
(CFD). It is a
compressible 3-D flow solver that solves the time-dependent, Reynolds-averaged,
Navier–Stokes equations
In physics, the Navier–Stokes equations ( ) are partial differential equations which describe the motion of viscous fluid substances, named after French engineer and physicist Claude-Louis Navier and Anglo-Irish physicist and mathematician G ...
using multiple overset structured grids.
History
OVERFLOW was developed as part of a collaborative effort between
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeedi ...
's
Johnson Space Center
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight control are conducted. It was renamed in honor of the late ...
in
Houston, Texas and NASA
Ames Research Center (ARC) in
Moffett Field,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
. The driving force behind this work was the need for evaluating the flow about the
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program na ...
launch vehicle. Originally developed in the early 1990s by NASA's
Pieter Buning,
Dennis Jespersen and others, the code is an outgrowth of earlier codes F3D and ARC3D, and a result of ARC's long history of flow-solver development.
Usage
Scientists use OVERFLOW to better understand the
aerodynamic forces on a vehicle by evaluating the flowfield surrounding the vehicle. While
wind tunnel
Wind tunnels are large tubes with air blowing through them which are used to replicate the interaction between air and an object flying through the air or moving along the ground. Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft ...
testing provides limited data at many flow conditions, CFD simulations provide detailed information about selected conditions, and also provide a distribution of forces on the vehicle, aiding in structural design.
OVERFLOW has also been used to simulate the effect of debris on the space shuttle launch vehicle.
See also
*
Computational fluid dynamics
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical analysis and data structures to analyze and solve problems that involve fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations required to simulate t ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official NASA OVERFLOW CFD Code web site
Computational fluid dynamics
Fluid dynamics