Solve CFD problems from your desktop

Author: Guest blogger

Posted: 29 Nov 2019 | 11:50

ENGYS is a global computer software company specialising in the development and distribution of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and design optimisation solutions for enterprises based on open-source technologies. The company’s software products include HELYX, a general-purpose CFD and design optimisation package for engineering applications, and ELEMENTS, a dedicated computer simulation software for automotive design.

As part of ENGYS’ expansion plans to take advantage of advances in cloud and high-performance computing, in 2017 the company introduced a client-server framework across all its software products. The client-server enables users to connect interactively from their desktop to access any remote machine running the HELYX or ELEMENTS server. The seamless connection allows for setting up and solving CFD problems from scratch using powerful HPC resources on demand to achieve complex flow solutions beyond the installed hardware capacity of the user’s local workstation.

With the introduction of the client-server, ENGYS approached EPCC to deploy its CFD server on its Cirrus facility and test the cluster as a viable platform for remote computing. With the exceptional support received from EPCC’s technical team, a new SaaS offering was introduced by ENGYS to provide on-demand access to HELYX and ELEMENTS via Cirrus.

Besides the simplicity of running the software interactively on Cirrus from a desktop computer, existing customers also gained the ability to access over 10,000 computer cores to solve extremely large and complex CFD cases at a very reasonable rate per core-hour. Usage is fully monitored using the SAFE interface hosted by EPCC to provide all customers with complete control over their expenditure in real time. Security is also guaranteed by giving each customer their own protected space in the cluster and by establishing all client-server communications with Cirrus using fully encrypted SSH connections.

The open-source nature of the CFD products developed by ENGYS facilitated enormously the deployment of the software on Cirrus and the creation of the subsequent on-demand software service. The absence of complex licensing schemes and the ability to compile the source code directly in the cluster made it possible to achieve a reliable solution in a very reasonable timeframe.

CIRRUS

Cirrus is an EPSRC Tier-2 National HPC Facility and is available for academic and industrial use. Housed in EPCC’s Advanced Computing Facility, Cirrus is a flexible, state-of-the-art high performance computing system that provides an ideal platform for solving computational, simulation, modelling, and data science challenges. Users can run their own codes as well as accessing a range of commercial software tools on an on-demand, pay-per-use basis. These are used to solve CFD and FEA simulation and modelling problems in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, energy, oil and gas, general engineering, life sciences and financial services.

Find out more

To apply for time on Cirrus, contact our Business Development Manager, Julien Sindt.

ENGYS offers HELYX and ELEMENTS on demand to all existing software customers with a valid licence for either software product. See https://engys.com

Author

Francisco Campos, ENGYS

f.campos@engys.com