ANSYS FLUENT AND ACADEMIA: COURSES & PARTNERSHIPS

This precis covers some examples of Fluent and curriculum in universities. In the first section, we give a
few examples of basic introductory courses in American universities using Fluent. These tend to adhere
to a simple lab section of the course wherein the basic list of Fluent tutorials are covered. The second
section outlines a few examples of advanced courses using Fluent. These represent in-depth and
exhaustive introductions to Fluent. These courses range from instances where the course covers only
Fluent for the entire semester, entire degree programs using Fluent, courses using Fluent for applied
industrial problems and MOOCs. Many of these courses are sponsored by ANSYS Inc. Thence, in Section
III, we outline partnerships between ANSYS and universities where ANSYS has made a significant
monetary contribution to aid the popularization of its software. Finally, in Section IV, we make a few
suggestions regarding best practices and some features to integrate into the proposed course.
 SECTION I: BASIC INTRODUCTORY COURSES

These are some examples of introductory level courses offered in universities, where basic
Fluent tutorials are covered. (frankly, This page can be skipped)

1. Course Details: AENG 2000, Introduction to Aeronautics and Astronautics, Aerospace &
Mechanical Engineering, Saint Louis University

Software: XFOIL, XFLR5, Matlab

2. Course Details: Fluid Dynamics, Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering, Saint Louis University

Software: XFOIL, XFLR5, Matlab, SC/Tetra

3. Couse Details: Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering, Boise State University

Software: ANSYS Fluent

Details: Laminar flow tutorials using Fluent.

4. Course Details: ME450/550, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Mechanical Engineering, University of

Idaho

Software: ANSYS Workbench, Fluent

Details: Labs to teach external and internal, laminar and fluid flow cases using Fluent.
 SECTION II: ADVANCED/ IN-DEPTH COURSES

These are instances of advanced courses in universities where Fluent (and the ANSYS simulation
suite) are covered in detail. The selected examples are disused in depth.

1. Course Details: Aerodynamics/Introduction to CFD, Mechanical Engineering, Boise State

University

Software: ANSYS Fluent

Details: Labs covering options in FLUENT such as explicit and implicit formulation, meshing
options, velocitypressure coupling, under relaxation, nearwall treatments, and turbulence
theory and RANS turbulence modeling.

While there are many courses that cover Fluent tutorials as part of CFD instruction, what sets
this course apart is their focus on the End of semester Projects using Fluent. After going over
the basics, the students are given 4 weeks to choose and explore a particular problem of their
choice using Fluent. In the past the topics chosen have included flow around vehicles,
cardiovascular flows etc using Fluent. These projects lead to additional activities as well. For
instance, many students use these projects as a spring board for their theses, which would now
use Fluent. Similarly, some students in the Aerodesign Club at Boise State have selected CFD
projects that may improve the performance of their remotely controlled aircraft. They have
used Fluent to improve their airfoil and tail section designs and they have been successful in
regional and international competitions.

2. Degree: Numerical Simulation in Engineering (With ANSYS), Master of Science, Technical University of
Madrid.

Software: The entire ANSYS suite, with an optional specialization in particular modules.

The individual courses (or modules) focus on Fluid Mechanics, Fluid Structure Interaction and Solid
Mechanics. The students choice determine his/her specialization.
In the Fluid Mechanics Specialization, some of the topics covered using Fluent include meshing,
turbulence modeling, Advanced RANS based models, LES, DES, combustion and reacting flows,
turbomachinery.

3. Course: ME469B, Computational Methods in Fluid Dynamics using commercial CFD codes, Stanford
University

Software: Fluent, Gambit, TGrid

Details: An intermediate to advanced level course covering both basics and more advanced topics such
as Turbulence models and User Defined Functions and their application. The course has a final project
section as well.

4. Course: A Hands On Introduction To Engineering Simulations, Cornell University

Software: ANSYS Workbench

Details: This is a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) that the Cornell University is offering in
partnership with edX. The first iteration of this 6-week course was started on June 1, 2016 and is
available free of charge to anyone, and offers certificates of completion. The costs for the course are
being sponsored by ANSYS Inc.

The curriculum focuses on teaching undergraduates how to use the ANSYS Workbench software to solve
problems in fluid dynamics, heat transfer and structural mechanics.

(https://www.edx.org/course/hands-introduction-engineering-cornellx-engr2000x#!)
5. Course: Product Realization Course, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of
Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Software: ANSYS Workbench

Details: This is a regular 14 week course offered to undergraduates where students get to form
interdisciplinary teams. Local industrial firms provide small design or simulation problems that they
have, along with a mentor for the problem. The student teams review the companys product
statement, set a time line and start the simulations or design process. Through the simulation and
design procedure, they are aided by the faculty instructor, the companys assigned mentor and the
ANSYS support engineer at the institute. The hardware and software for the course is provided by ANSYS
Inc.

At the end of the course, the student teams submit a detailed report (and/or design) to the faculty and
the company. The faculty and the company provide critiques of the utility, efficiency and practicality of
the design.

6. Course: Multiple courses (MAE4320, MAE5230, MAE3250), Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering,
Cornell University.

Software: ANSYS workbench

Details: This set uses the SimCafe Wiki to integrate ANSYS simulation software based exercises into 12
separate courses of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department. This exposes hundreds of
engineering students to the ANSYS suite every year. In addition to the exercise problems for the courses,
the wiki offers ANSYS tutorials in small learning modules.

All the modules and exercises are available online and have attracted over 200,000 unique visitors over
the last 2 years from over 150 countries and 200 educational institutions. Other universities are using
this Cornell resource for adding to their own engineering course.

The software requirements to set up this resource were provided by ANSYS Inc. The other sponsorship
was from the Swanson Engineering Simulation Program at ANSYS (John Swanson, Cornell Alumnus and
the founder of ANSYS)

(https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/Home)
 SECTION III: PARTNERSHIPS

CASE STUDY I: ANSYS & CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

As part of a recent partnership, ANSYS is funding a new engineering building on the CMU campus at
Oakland, titled the ANSYS Building. The ANSYS Building will include collaboration areas, conference
rooms, training and lecture space, and office spaces. Additionally, ANSYS will fund the software and
hardware for simulations and design in this building. In addition, Ansys will staff the building with
resident engineers to help with questions and aid in collaborative ventures.

Furthermore, ANSYS is funding an ANSYS Career Development Chair in Engineering. The endowed
Early Career Professorship will be awarded to a faculty member who is conducting education and
research in areas related to engineering simulation software.

CASE STUDY II: ANSYS & THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, MILWAUKEE

ANSYS set up the ANSYS Institute for Industrial Innovation at UW-Milwaukee, a new research and
educational facility. The 2800 square foot facility includes classrooms, presentation and conference
halls, training rooms and design studios.

AI3 allowed the formulation and running of new courses to act as centerpieces for the ANSYS simulation
suite. (Some of these courses have been discussed in the prior sections of the report)

In additional to the educational aspect, the Institute caters to the technology firms in Wisconsin and
provides them with solutions to engineering problems using ANSYS.

CASE STUDY III: ANSYS & THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO, FORMULA MOTORSPORTS CLUB

The Formula Motorsports club of the University of Waterloo is an engineering project undertaken by 40
students of the Universty every year, under the aegis of the Department of Mechanical & Mechatronics
Engineering and the Faculty of Engineering. The Formula Motorsports team takes part in the annual
Formula SAE competition.

ANSYS is one of the key sponsors to the Formula Motorsports team, providing both access to software
and expertize, along with monetary donations. In a quasi-Formula 1 model, the awards and successes of
the team are utilized by ANSYS to highlight their utility and partnerships with student engineering
program. In the recent past, the team was awarded the Formula SAE CFdesign CFD Award for their use
of ANSYS to design the air intake restrictor for their race car engine.
CASE STUDY IV: ANSYS & SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY

In 2014, ANSYS made a donation worth 268,000$ to SJSUs Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering.
The donation provides SJSUs Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical, and, Civil Engineering departments with
the entire suite of ANSYS simulation tools, for research and educational purposes.

In the very recent past, ANSYS has made similar software donations to many other educational
institutions, such as the West Virginia University, University of California, Irvine, University of California,
Riverside, University of Connecticut, Florida International University, besides many others.
 SECTION IV: BEST PRACTICES & RECOMMENDATIONS

a. Most of the courses stick to the regular list of Fluent tutorials released by ANSYS. It may be a better
idea to come up with a different set of exercises to act as tutorials and relegate the Fluent tutorials to
homework.

b. The project section of the courses seems to be one of the most fruitful parts. Furthermore, allowing
the students to select their own projects has paid off handsomely in many cases, wherein engineering
clubs have started using Fluent or the projects have led to undergraduate theses using Fluent.

However, an adequate project may require 6-8 weeks. Thus, due to time constraints, it may be a good
idea to split the course over 2 quarters. The first course could be a Basics of CFD offering, covering
introductory concepts and simpler Fluent tutorials and exercises. The second part of the course can
cover advanced topics such as UDFs, RANS models, LES, along with the project.

c. Furthermore, in the project, using the AI3 approach may be advisable, where the students can come
up with their own problems, or choose from a list of 4-6 small problems offered by local engineering
firms.

d. Finally, from the forays of the Cornell University along with ANSYS, it seems clear that ANSYS supports
the usage of MOOCs. These allow thousands of engineering students and practicing engineers to get
exposed to and trained in the ANSYS suite. In this regard, it is a good idea to share the videos of the
lectures and the assignments to some degree. But this also allows use to address the shortcomings of
MOOCs, like the lack of interactivity and discussions.