Hi all

I want your opinion about which are the best CFD software to simulate chemical reactions in reactors. Where are the limitations nowdays.

Thank for your help.

marc

(1). I think, people are still trying to get converged solutions on the multi-processor computers or parallel processing on the computer network. (2). Since they are not sure about their solutions, it is very hard at this time to make comparison. (3). If you need to spend several months to get reacting flow solutions (a series of solutions with changes in parameters), you sure don't want to tell other researchers how you did it. The only time to find out which one is better is when the government has the money to do so. (4). Well, the reacting flow calculations are so difficult that a seemingly converged solution is good enough. And based on my recent experience (two years old), I did some 40 cases of combustor flow calculations, all 3-D, all non-converged, and tried to narrow down the optimum one. (5). Well, as long as it creates jobs, I really don't care whether it is science or art. (6). The advantage is, if they have the money to spend (in most cases, they don't have other choices), you can always have a hand on the better computer in the group. And that alone is good enough to keep you working hard. That's how managers interpret that you are interested in CFD. (for them, ideally, it should be 24 hours in front of the computer. Didn't Bill Gates also like to work late at night?)(6). The reality is I keep hearing the story that, the combustor cracked, or the parts melt-down, etc... (7). I guess, it should not prevent people from publishing papers in the journal. (8). And modern project managers always seem to know how to calculate the CPU time for you, I mean based on 24 hours a day. So, at one time, I was asked to run computers at two different locations at the same time to meet the dealine of the project. They are so smart that they know that if you can run several computers at the same time he can get many cases done easily.(but I refused, for other reasons. and you know the consequence..)