Code_Saturne
Code_Saturne is an open-source computational fluid dynamics software designed for industrial applications and research. It simulates 3D turbulent fluid flow using an unstructured collocated finite volume method.
cfd
fluid-flow
turbulence-modeling
finite-volume-method
open-source
Code_Saturne: Open-Source CFD Software for Industrial Applications
Code_Saturne is an open-source computational fluid dynamics software designed for industrial applications and research. It simulates 3D turbulent fluid flow using an unstructured collocated finite volume method.
What is Code_Saturne?
Code_Saturne is an open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software designed to solve complex flow problems encountered in industrial applications. It is developed mainly by EDF R&D and released under the GNU GPL license.
Code_Saturne uses an unstructured collocated finite volume method to simulate a variety of flow types, including incompressible/compressible flows, turbulent flows, conjugate heat transfer, radionuclide transport, magnetohydrodynamics, and more. Some of its key features are:
- Advanced turbulence modeling using RANS, LES, and hybrid approaches
- Parallel processing using MPI standard for high performance computing
- Advanced meshing tools for complex CAD geometries
- Coupled solvers for multifield problems
- Scripting interface for automation and customization
Code_Saturne has been validated through rigorous benchmark testing and used for production runs in the energy, oil and gas, process engineering, environment, and automotive industries. Its capabilities combined with open-source accessibility make it well-suited for both industrial usage and academic research.
Code_Saturne Features
Features
- Computational fluid dynamics
- Turbulence modeling
- Conjugate heat transfer
- Radiative heat transfer
- Lagrangian particle tracking
- Immersed volumes method for complex geometries
- Parallel processing with MPI
- Pre- and post-processing with Salome platform
- Scripting with Python
Pricing
- Open Source
Pros
Open source and free
Good for research and industrial applications
Advanced physics modeling capabilities
Scriptable and extensible
Scales to large simulations with MPI
Pre- and post-processing integration
Cons
Steep learning curve
Limited user support compared to commercial CFD
Not as user friendly as some commercial packages
Lacks some standard features of commercial CFD
Official Links
The Best Code_Saturne Alternatives
Top Science & Engineering and Computational Fluid Dynamics and other similar apps like Code_Saturne
Here are some alternatives to Code_Saturne:
Suggest an alternative ❐
ANSYS Fluent
ANSYS Fluent is a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software package used to model fluid flow and heat transfer in complex systems. Fluent utilizes the finite volume method to solve fluid flow problems and has extensive capabilities for modeling turbulent flows, multiphase flows, heat transfer, and chemical reactions.Some key features and...
FEATFLOW
FEATFLOW is an open-source, parallelized finite element software package for simulating fluid flow, conjugate heat transfer, and fluid-structure interaction. It can model incompressible, laminar and turbulent flow, heat conduction and convection, mass transfer, and interactions between fluids and deformable solids.Some key capabilities and features of FEATFLOW include:Flexible hybrid meshing with...
OpenFOAM
OpenFOAM (Open source Field Operation And Manipulation) is a free, open source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software package produced by OpenCFD Ltd at the ESI Group and distributed by the OpenFOAM Foundation. It has an extensive range of features to solve complex fluid flow problems involving chemical reactions, turbulence, heat...
SimFlow
SimFlow is a cloud-based Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation software that helps engineers perform complex fluid flow and heat transfer simulations without the need for expensive hardware or software investments.With an intuitive drag-and-drop user interface, SimFlow makes it easy for anyone to set up and run high-fidelity CFD simulations on...
Elmer
Elmer is a finite element software for numerical simulation of multiphysical problems. It was originally developed at CSC - IT Center for Science Ltd. in collaboration with Finnish Universities and research institutes.Some of the key features and capabilities of Elmer include:Modeling capabilities for thermomechanical problems, fluid dynamics, electromagnetics, heat transfer...
Calculix
Calculix is an open-source finite element analysis suite that was designed to solve field problems numerically, with a focus on mechanical applications. It utilizes the finite element method to compute displacements, stresses, and strains in mechanical systems given various loading conditions.Some of the key features and capabilities of Calculix include:Linear...
CFDTool
CFDTool is an open-source, cross-platform computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software application designed for simulating fluid flows. Some key features of CFDTool include:User-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) for setting up simulationsBuilt-in CAD tools for geometry creation and editingAutomatic mesh generation with options for structured and unstructured gridsVarious numerical solvers for different...
XFlow CFD
XFlow CFD is a comprehensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software package used to simulate fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, chemical reactions, and related phenomena for engineering design and analysis. It provides an intuitive user interface and advanced numerical methods for accurate and fast simulation of complex physics.Some key features...
SimScale
SimScale is a cloud-based computer-aided engineering (CAE) platform that provides engineers and designers an online workspace to perform simulations like computational fluid dynamics (CFD), finite element analysis (FEA), and thermal simulation using an intuitive web interface.Traditionally, running these simulations required expensive workstation hardware and software licenses costing thousands of dollars...
QuickerSim CFD Toolbox for MATLAB®
QuickerSim CFD Toolbox for MATLAB® is an extensive collection of MATLAB functions and utilities for the numerical solution of fluid flow and heat transfer problems. It provides a complete framework for building up a CFD model and postprocessing the results.The toolbox includes capabilities for:Mesh generation using structured and unstructured meshesSetup...
SU2
SU2 is an open-source software suite for multiphysics simulation and design optimization. It originated as a dedicated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver but has expanded to handle aerodynamics, aeroelasticity, and multiphase physics problems. Some of the key features and applications of SU2 include:- Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and large eddy simulation...