2016-17

MSc/PgDip/PgCert in
Computational Fluid
Dynamics

www.cranfield.ac.uk
Postgraduate study
Cranfield University

MSc/PgDip/PgCert in
Computational Fluid Dynamics
Aviation, space, automotive, chemical and process industries, atmospheric
sciences, energy, medicine and environment, micro and nanotechnology. What
do all of these areas have in common? Fluid flows. Our atmosphere is fluid, our
environment is, to a certain extent, fluid and even our bodies are composed
primarily of fluid. Computational Fluid Dynamics is an inherently interdisciplinary
branch of science which has an extremely broad spectrum of applications.

There has been considerable growth in the development and application
of CFD in all aspects of fluid dynamics. CFD has become a standard
modelling tool widely utilised within industry. In a recent survey by Technavio,
the global market for CFD is projected to grow at 16.5% per year due
to increasing computational power and integration of CFD into the
design process.
Make no mistake about size – although distributed, this industry is
worth billions of pounds. As a consequence there is a considerable
demand for specialists in the subject which is not covered in sufficient
detail at undergraduate level.
This course has been designed to reflect the wide application of CFD. It
covers a broad range of fields from aerospace, turbomachinery, multi-
phase flow and heat transfer, to microflows, environmental flows and
fluid-structure interaction problems.
This course is suitable for graduates and professional engineers who
are looking to kick-start an industrial or research career in the rapidly
growing field of Computational Fluid Dynamics.

Stand out from the crowd Unique facilities

The MSc in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) course at Cranfield
provides a solid background so that you will be able to apply CFD
methods as a tool for design, analysis and engineering applications.
It also gives an understanding of the underlying methods enabling
enthusiastic students to write their own CFD codes. Accreditation by both
the IMECHE and the RAeS is a testament to our excellent teaching standards.
For graduates interested in an academic career we provide you with
an excellent basis from which to specialise. Within 6 months from
graduation 94% of our students are in relevant employment. Our
graduates have gone on to work for organisations such as Alstom,
BAe Systems, Cummins Turbo Technology, BHR, ESTEC, Hindustan
Aeronautics Ltd, NUMECA, ONERA, Rio Tinto, Rolls-Royce and Seimens
or under-take PhDs in a range of prestigious research institutes worldwide.
The strategic links with industry ensures that all of the materials taught
on the course are relevant, timely and meet the needs of organisations
competing within the computational analysis sector. This industry led
education makes Cranfield graduates some of the most desirable in the
world for companies to recruit.
Focus on your interests
The MSc in CFD is comprised of a taught component with 16 modules
(11 compulsory and 5 optional) and an individual MSc thesis research
project.
The individual research project provides the opportunity for students to
deepen their knowledge of an area that is of particular interest to them
and is often associated with a problem that one of our industry partners
are looking to resolve.
In the current academic year there are industrial seminars given by
leading CFD experts from ANSYS, AWE, the Aircraft Research Association,
BAE Systems, DSTL, Jaguar Land Rover, Red Bull Technology and
Rolls-Royce.
Students on the course benefit from a wealth of University-wide and
Departmental computational facilities. HPC facilities range from the
76 core Departmental HPC to the 22TeraFlops,1200 core university HPC
‘Astral’. This provides students with the opportunity to run large scale
computational thesis projects.
In addition to the excellent facilities, the staff within the Department of
Fluid Mechanics and Computational Science conduct world leading
research into CFD methods and analysis of fluid flows in applications
as diverse as nano-scale detectors through to hypersonic re-entry.
Students on the course interact closely with the academic staff,
benefitting greatly from their enthusiasm and expertise.
Each student will have the opportunity to use and understand both
advanced in-house codes and leading commercial software packages
such as FLUENT. This creates an exciting environment to pursue CFD
studies in.
Learning environment
Cranfield University is a wholly postgraduate institution which offers
a mature and focused learning environment. This makes Cranfield
uniquely structured to maximise its alliances with industry, ensuring
our students benefit from being involved in extensive delivery of
applied research.
It has an international student body and reputation offering a rich
learning environment for a potentially global career path.
As well as attracting top level students, Cranfield also attracts some of
the most proficient academic staff which combined with its industrial
scale facilities, offers an exceptional learning experience.

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Cranfield University MSc/PgDip/PgCert in Computational Fluid Dynamics
 Postgraduate study
Cranfield University

Research and Careers

Research at Cranfield University

The Department of Fluid Mechanics and Computational Science

at Cranfield University has an established range of teaching and
research activities. The Department offers three taught Masters
programmes, MSc by Research and PhD programmes as well as
professional development courses.

It also has a broad portfolio of research activities funded by the
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, European
Union and industry, in the UK and abroad. Its areas of specialisation
include computational fluid dynamics, experimental fluid mechanics,
instrumentation, scientific computing, wind tunnel activities,
aerodynamics, flight dynamics and control, flight simulation,
autonomous systems, micro and nanotechnology, acoustics,
materials modelling, energy and environmental applications,
combustion and technology management.
Recent high-profile clients have included the European Commission,
Ministry of Defence, BAE Systems, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, AWE, UKAEA
and MBDA among many others.
MSc Research Thesis Project
Pressure contours and streamlines over a generic aircraft
Stuart Wybrow (MSc CFD thesis project 2010-11).
“The MSc CFD course at Cranfield is perfectly
designed for application as well as research
orientation. It couples numerical, analytical
and application subjects in a very good manner
which benefits students in pursuing a career as
an engineer or a researcher. Personally, it has
encouraged me to continue my CFD studies and
helped me to obtain a PhD position.”
Santosh Kumar, PhD Researcher

The taught element of the course finishes in May, at which point students
will have an excellent understanding of CFD methods and applications.

From May to September students work full time on an individual

research project. The research project gives students the opportunity
to produce a detailed piece of work either in close collaboration with
industry, or on a particular topic which they are passionate about.

Previous projects have included:

• A study of A-pillar vortices on the Jaguar XF using transitional
turbulence models
• Aerodynamic analysis and optimisation of the Aegis UAV
• Performance analysis of Hypervapotron Inlet region
• Phase separation of oil-water flow in a pipe bend Modelling of the Jaguar XF A-Pillar vortex structure
• CFD Simulation of a novel CO sensor Giulia Ghezzi (MSc in CFD 2010-11).
• Shock wave interaction with biological membranes for drug therapy
• High resolution Implicit Large Eddy simulation of Ariane 5
aerodynamics.

Your career “The course is designed to meet the educational

needs of graduates planning to make CFD one of
There is a considerable demand for CFD specialists with in depth their professional skills. It sets out to bridge the
technical knowledge and practical skills. Cranfield graduates gap between the introductory level of undergradu-
are targeted for recruitment by companies and organisations ate courses and the applied expertise acquired by
competing in the computational analysis sector. engineers using CFD in industry. Students will gain
the knowledge and appreciation of CFD methods
Graduates of the course have been successful in gaining necessary for strong foundations to a career in this
employment in: exciting engineering discipline.”
• Aeronautical industry Chris Carey,
• Automotive industry
Fluent Europe’s Technical Services Manager
• Process engineering
• Engineering consultancies
• Research organisations
• Finance industry
• Academic institutions.
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www.cranfield.ac.uk
Postgraduate study
Cranfield University

Course information
The MSc in CFD is delivered via a combination of structured lectures, computer based labs and private study. Knowledge and understanding
are further enhanced by seminars that are delivered by invited industrial or academic experts.

The taught component of the course is split into 11 mandatory core modules covering fundamentals of CFD and 5 optional
application modules covering application-specific methods and techniques. In order to keep our modules up-to-date and industry
relevant, they are reviewed each year. Below is a list of typical modules, but as this brochure is prepared up to a year in advance,
please refer to the website for the latest information.

Example core modules

• Introduction to Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer
Fundamental flow physics including analytical solutions for
canonical cases.
• Numerical Methods for PDEs
Introduces the basics of numerical analysis and methods for
partial differential eqautions and algebraic equations.
• Numerical Modelling for Steady/Unsteady Incompressible Flows
Details the state-of-the-art CFD methods used for incompressible
flows in science and engineering.
• Numerical Modelling for Steady/Unsteady Compressible Flows
Introduces the fundamental concept of discretisation of
hyperbolic systems describing the flow of compressible fluids.
• Classical Turbulence Modelling
Turbulent flow physics and the modelling of turbulent flows using
Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes methods.
• High Performance Computing for CFD
Parallel computing methods and theory utilising our HPC facilities.
• Advanced Turbulence Modelling and Simulation: LES and DNS
Numerical methods and modelling approaches for Direct
Numerical Simulation, Large-Eddy Simulation and Detached Eddy
Simulation.
• Managing Uncertainty in Simulations: Validation and
Verification
Quantification and control of error and uncertainties in CFD
simulations.
• Grid Generation/CAD
Concepts of grid generation and Computer Aided Design,
including structured and unstructured methods.
• Data Analysis, Data Fusion and Post Processing
The use of visualisation, data mining, analysis and human-
computer interfaces for the analysis of CFD simulations.
• The Role of Experimental Data in CFD
Experimental methods, data collection and post-processing,
guides to validating CFD data with experiment.

Example optional modules

• CFD for Aerospace Applications
Methods employed in the aeronautical and aerospace industry.
• CFD for Micro and Nano Flows
Micro-scale and nano-scale phenomena, and methods used to
compute fluid flow on these scales.
• CFD for Rotating Wings
Introduces the approaches used for flows around rotorcraft,
propellors, wind turbines and turbomachinery.
• CFD for Automotive Flows
Application of CFD approaches to typical automotive flows.
• CFD for Multiphase Flows and Combustion
Numerical methods for multiphase flows such as oil, gas and
sand mixtures and reacting flows.
• CFD for Environmental Flows
Physics and methods for analysis of a wide range of
environmental flows including the atmospheric boundary layer,
rivers and flooding.
• CFD for Fluid-Structure Flows
Details of computational approaches for fluid-structure interaction
problems and practical examples.

Key facts
Entry requirements Fees
1st or 2nd class UK Honours degree or equivalent in mathematics, Please contact the enquiries office. You can find more
physics, computing or an engineering discipline. information at www.cranfield.ac.uk/fee-information

Methods of study
Full time or Part time

Duration Contact
1 year full time, 2-3 years part time
For further details and application forms please contact the
Start date Enquiries Office on:
October Tel: +44 (0)1234 758008
Email: enquiries@cranfield.ac.uk
Number of places
20 www.cranfield.ac.uk

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Cranfield University MSc/PgDip/PgCert in Computational Fluid Dynamics Date published: November 2015