code_saturne

code_saturne, developed by EDF's R&D department, is an open-source fluid mechanics simulation software program.

About code_saturne:

code_saturne is a general-purpose CFD solver designed for industrial and research applications, with advanced capabilities for complex physics and large-scale simulations.

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High-Performance Open-Source CFD Software

code_saturne is designed for massively parallel simulations on modern HPC systems. It relies on distributed-memory parallelism (MPI), with optional shared-memory support (OpenMP), ensuring scalability from engineering workstations to large supercomputers.

Its domain-decomposition strategy, based on advanced mesh partitioning (ParMETIS, PT-SCOTCH) and ghost-cell communication, provides efficient and robust parallel performance.

code_saturne is routinely used for:

  • 10–50 million cell industrial simulations
  • Large-scale production cases exceeding 200 million cells
  • Runs above 1 billion cells on thousands of MPI ranks

Recognized as part of the European UEABS benchmark suite, code_saturne has demonstrated strong scalability on major HPC infrastructures.

GPU acceleration support is currently under active development, aiming to extend performance to heterogeneous computing architectures.

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Advanced Flow Physics and Modeling Capabilities

Designed for demanding industrial applications as well as academic research, code_saturne enables the simulation of complex flows in 2D, 2D axisymmetric, and 3D configurations. code_saturne solves the Navier–Stokes equations with scalar transport for flows that are:

  • Steady or unsteady
  • Laminar or turbulent
  • Incompressible or weakly compressible
  • Isothermal or thermally coupled

Its flexible architecture allows users to address a wide range of multiphysics problems within a unified framework.

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Turbulence Modeling

A comprehensive range of turbulence models is available, including:

  • RANS (Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes) models
  • LES (Large Eddy Simulation) models This versatility makes code_saturne suitable for both industrial design studies and high-fidelity research simulations.

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Dedicated Multiphysics Modules

code_saturne includes specialized modules designed for advanced industrial applications:

  • Combustion: Gas, pulverized coal, heavy fuel oil, and biomass combustion modeling.
  • Radiative Heat Transfer: Semi-transparent radiative transfer modeling for high-temperature systems.
  • Atmospheric Flows: Dry and humid air modeling, including atmospheric microphysics and microchemistry, suitable for environmental and urban CFD studies.
  • Joule Effect and Electric Arcs: Modeling of three-phase alternating current, electromagnetic forces, and unsteady arc dynamics for electrical and aerospace applications.
  • Rotor/Stator Interaction: Dedicated tools for hydraulic machinery and rotating equipment simulations.
  • Weakly Compressible Flows: Efficient treatment of low-Mach-number flow regimes.
  • Magnetohydrodynamics: Coupled electromagnetic and fluid flow simulations.
  • Particle Tracking: Lagrangian modeling of polydispersed particles including evaporation, heat transfer, deposition, and impact phenomena.

Its numerical framework supports fully unstructured meshes and is optimized for large-scale parallel computing, making it suitable for both engineering design studies and high-fidelity scientific simulations.

With its open architecture and extensible multiphysics capabilities, code_saturne provides a transparent, scalable, and industrial-grade CFD platform for energy, environmental, aerospace, and manufacturing applications.

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