General Fluid Dynamics Consulting Services
Exploiting CFD and other analytical methods, Wilde has experience in solving problems involving liquids and gases in many applications and within most industries, including oil & gas, wind energy, process, chemical and water. This service can complement your own use of FEA software or as an alternative if you do not have the resources to undertake the work in-house.
Case Studies
Oil & Gas
Whether pushing the envelope in marginal field development, squeezing more from current assets, or complying with tightening regulations, the pressure is on to deliver guaranteed performance and service life against demanding specifications. With testing a costly & time-consuming option, simulation can answer questions like:
- How long?
- Is it safe?
- Does it comply?
- How much more?
- What if?
In the real world, sometimes equipment does under-perform or worse still, fail, damaging your hard-earned reputation unless quickly put right. In addition to physical evidence from the field, simulation can be used to identify underlying causes, quantify problematic behaviour and evaluate redesign options. Typical applications include:
- Separators
- Valves
- Elbows
- Seals
- Bearings
- Pigging
- Swivel joints
- Couplings
- Pressure drop calculations
- LNG handling
Chemical & Process
As a process engineer, you want to know how a process or a piece of equipment will perform before you specify it, install it, modify it or change its operating conditions. Sometimes you need to understand why it is not performing as intended, or what could happen if things went wrong. We use simulation technology, such as CFD, and design know-how to develop, evaluate or troubleshoot your designs. Examples of process sectors we have worked with include:
- Bulk and intermediates
- Speciality chemicals
- Pharmaceutical and biotechnology
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) can simulate behaviour with the right materials at the right scale and operating conditions. Unlike correlations and “black box” models, it gives a full 3-D view of temperature, concentrations and flow patterns inside your equipment and allows you to track transported species that may be reacting and / or changing phase. Applications include:
- Process scale-up and scale-down
- Evaluation of candidate up-grade and retrofit options
- Safety assessment
- Standards compliance
- Equipment selection
- Troubleshooting plant problems
We also offer specialist consultancy services in mixing and reactor design, as well as offering insight into the design of process equipment such as:
- Mixers
- Reactors and fermenters
- Pumps, valves and seals
Water & Wastewater
As an engineer in today’s water industry, you are under pressure to attain higher throughput with current assets, whether you are on the potable or wastewater treatment side. You are now being asked to push the operational envelope with plant that was designed for lower demand. However, you still have to meet exacting quality standards with less chemical dosing and lower energy consumption. Not only must upgrades and retrofits be cost-effective and safe, but this must be demonstrated in advance, sometimes with new technology, like UV disinfection. Simulation tools, such as CFD, can help evaluate alternative options quickly and reliably, steering you to the right investment decisions.
In many units such as settling tanks and disinfection units, internal flow details can have a huge influence on performance. We use CFD simulation to match retention, mixing, reaction or settling time requirements to actual residence time distribution, diagnose underperforming units, evaluate alternative design or selection options and retrofits. Evaluations include:
- Flow distribution
- Solids settling, suspension and hold-up
- Agitator sizing
- Energy consumption
- Residence time distribution
- Dosing effectiveness
Applications include:
- Clarifiers
- Service reservoirs
- Chlorine and ozone contact tanks
- UV disinfection units
- Digesters
- Mixing zones
- Aeration lanes
Civil Engineering & The Built Environment
CFD is used extensively within civil engineering to understand and optimise the performance of buildings; both internally and in relation to the external environment. Fluid dynamics simulations enable architects and consultant engineers to optimise their structures considering static and dynamic wind pressures, pedestrian and resident comfort, safety and energy efficiency. Applications include:
- External wind flow around and between buildings.
- Flow induced vibrations and aerodynamic noise
- Pollution or dispersed particle tracking
- Thermal insulation and ventilation
- Fire hazard and escape
Wilde has extensive experience in simulation of the external and external flows and provides clients with an efficient modelling methodology to envelope a design for different wind directions and pressures.
