IMPACT CFD

In 2007, IMPACT announced the launch of its computational fluid dynamics division: IMPACT-CFD. The division, led by IMPACT Team Leader Alain Bourhis, formalizes and expands IMPACT’s commitment to building a world-class organization focused on applying CFD to development, scale up, and optimization of specialty chemical and pharmaceutical products and processes. IMPACT-CFD uses FLUENT®, AcuSolveTM, CFX®, and internally-developed CFD packages.

Since IMPACT’s inception in 1998, CFD has been a core competency used frequently by the team for process development and scale-up for our clients. During the last decade, IMPACT has also maintained strong ties with CFD software developers and academic institutions such as MIT for access to cutting edge advances and applications of CFD.

IMPACT-CFD offers consulting and design services employing the above software platforms, which will be expanded as the division grows.

About CFD:

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) studies the dynamics of things that flow. Using CFD, a computational model is built (typically within commercial software packages such as Fluent) that represents a system or device to be studied. Then fluid flow physics is applied to this virtual prototype, and a prediction of the fluid dynamics is produced. CFD is a sophisticated analysis technique.

It not only predicts fluid flow behavior, but also the transfer of heat, mass (such as in perspiration or dissolution), phase change (such as in freezing or boiling), chemical reaction (such as combustion), mechanical movement (such as an impeller turning), and stress or deformation of related solid structures (such as a mast bending in the wind).

There are many devices and systems that are very difficult to prototype. Often, CFD analysis shows parts of the system or phenomena happening within the system that would not otherwise be visible through any other means. CFD gives you a means of visualizing and enhanced understanding of a design.

Because CFD is a tool for predicting what will happen under a given set of circumstances, it can answer many ‘what if?’ questions very quickly. In a short time, predictions on how your design will perform under many variations can be studied until an optimal result is achieved. All of this is done before physical prototyping and testing.

The foresight you gain from CFD helps you to design better and faster. Better and faster design or analysis leads to shorter design cycles. Time and money are saved. Products get to market faster. Equipment improvements are built and installed with minimal downtime. CFD is a tool for compressing the design and development cycle.