Method and system for simulating an unsteady flow field

A method for simulating a flow field, the method comprising:

• receiving a set of user inputs associated with a flow field;
• electronically determining a set of initial conditions for the flow field based at least on the received set of user inputs;
• electronically generating a grid comprising a plurality of cells, each cell associated with a set of variables describing a portion of the flow field at that cell;
• at each of a predetermined plurality of periods, calculating a value for each variable associated with each cell based at least on a previous value calculated at the previous period for that variable associated with that cell by applying a Navier-Stokes function to the previous value, at least a portion of the calculated values being calculated based at least on the set of electronically determined initial conditions, wherein a larger cell has a period less than a period for a smaller cell;
• electronically recording the values calculated at periodic ones of the plurality of steps such that the values calculated at only a portion of the steps are recorded;
• electronically averaging the values recorded at the periodic steps for each variable of each cell to yield an averaged value for each variable;
• adjusting the averaged values to a survey grid;
• and
• applying a simulation process to the adjusted values.

A system for simulating a flow field, the system comprising:

• a grid generator electronically generating a grid comprising a plurality of cells, each cell associated with a set of variables describing a portion of the flow field at that cell;
• a flow field module coupled to the grid generator, the flow field module using a computerized computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver to calculates at each of a predetermined plurality of steps, a value for each variable associated with each cell based at least on a previous value calculated at the previous step for that variable associated with that cell;
• a recording module operable to electronically record the values calculated at periodic ones of the plurality of steps such that the values calculated at only a portion of the steps are recorded;
• and
• an averaging module coupled to the flow field module, the averaging module electronically averaging the values recorded at the periodic steps for each variable to yield an averaged value for each variable.

A system for simulating a flow field, the system comprising:

• a grid generator electronically generating a grid comprising a plurality of cells, each cell associated with a set of variables describing a portion of the flow field at that cell;
• a flow field module coupled to the grid generator, the flow field module calculating, at each of a predetermined plurality of periods, a value for each variable associated with each cell based at least on a previous value calculated at the previous period for that variable associated with that cell by applying a Navier-Stokes function to the previous value, at least a portion of the calculated values being calculated based at least on the set of electronically determined initial conditions, wherein a larger cell has a period less than a period for a smaller cell;
• an averaging module coupled to the flow field module, the averaging module electronically averaging the values recorded at the periodic steps for each variable to yield an averaged value for each variable;
• an interpolation module coupled to the averaging module, the interpolation module adjusting the averaged values to a survey grid;
• and
• a simulation module coupled to the interpolation module, the simulation module applying a simulation process to the adjusted values.