The Case for Using CFD as a Decision Support Tool During the Product Design Process

The use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) as a predictive tool for design engineers to use during the early stages of product design has been seen as a desirable goal for many years. Studies have shown that design errors caught during the early stages of design lead to large " downstream " savings in manufacturing, material, and warranty [1]. Furthermore, it has been shown that once a design is chosen, there is a significant emotional reluctance to change it even if it is not optimal [2]. Up to this point in time, CFD has been used primarily as a " forensic tool " to study the behavior of existing designs, or to determine why a particular design has failed. However with the maturing of this advanced area of science, together with the significant performance improvements of today's desktop computers, the opportunity to use CFD much earlier in the design process as a decision support tool exists. Indeed, unrelenting economic market pressure is driving companies to use these tools as a means to attain competitive advantage in time to market of new designs while simultaneously improving quality and reducing overall product lifecycle cost. The application of CFD in the design process requires careful consideration from several perspectives, however. Issues of user training, tool development, and support are all key to the successful deployment of this advanced technology.