code_asturne Thermohydraulics and heat transfer
December 3-4, 2026
Why register?
Do you recognize yourself?
- You want to switch to open-source code for better technological control and a cost advantage, but you don't know where to start.
- You waste time re-running calculations that fail: a poorly defined boundary condition, a mesh that is too coarse, a forgotten density–temperature coupling — and you only find out after hours of simulation.
- You lack a method to read and interpret code_saturne log files: has the calculation actually converged? Are the residuals acceptable? Impossible to decide without solid benchmarks.
- You don't know how to validate your results. Your simulations run, but without comparison against experimental data or reference cases, you are moving forward without a safety net.
Why our training in particular?
Theory revisited, immediate practice
Two days of hands-on practice backed by a review of theoretical fundamentals. Each practical exercise is more demanding than the previous one: you progress in concrete steps, from discovery to industrial-level work — not through slides.
From geometry to post-processing: the complete workflow
You learn to operate and master the tools (Salomé, code_saturne and Paraview) together, as in your day-to-day work. Not just the solver: the entire simulation chain.
Practitioner trainers, in front of you
Our CFD engineers and PhDs use code_saturne daily on industrial projects at Simvia. In person, they share with you live the best practices, the pitfalls to avoid and the troubleshooting tips you won't find in any documentation.
Close-knit supervision
1 trainer for a maximum of 6 trainees during practical work. When you get stuck, an expert is right beside you — not behind a shared screen with 30 other people.
A network, not just a training course
The inter-company format brings together engineers from different sectors and backgrounds around the same CFD challenges. You exchange feedback, compare approaches and leave with a network of peers who share your technical day-to-day.
Description
Master thermo-hydraulic modeling with code_saturne: convection, CHT, and radiation.
By the end of the training, you will know how to model flows with heat transfer and the associated thermo-hydraulic couplings. You will be able to select the turbulence models best suited to their configurations. These skills will enable you to simulate cases representative of industrial applications with code_saturne.
Target audience
- Thermal/energy engineers
- CFD engineers
- PhD students in thermo-hydraulics
Prerequisites
- CFD basics
- Experience with code_saturne or introductory training in code_saturne
Application examples illustrated in practical exercises
- Forced convection (heated channel): Cooling of a fluid circulating in a heated pipe, similar to heat exchangers or industrial cooling circuits.
- Natural convection (heated cavity): Study of convection movements in a differentially heated cavity, representative of thermal stratification and passive cooling phenomena.
- Programmed heat source: Modeling of a localized heat source, similar to the heat dissipation of an electronic component or heating element.
- Combined fluid-solid heat transfer (CHT): Simulation of a cooling system for a wall or solid component using flow, typical of industrial energy equipment and thermal systems.
- Convection and thermal radiation
- Analysis of heat exchanges combining convection and radiation, encountered in high-temperature systems such as industrial furnaces or thermal processes.
Practical information
- Date: December 3-4, 2026
- Duration: 2 days
- Hours: 9:00 a.m. → 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. → 5:00 p.m.
- Location: EDF Lab Paris Saclay
- Training language: spoken in FR / support in EN
In order to provide trainees with an optimal learning experience, each of our trainers will supervise a maximum of 6 trainees.
Training program
Day 1: Modeling thermohydraulic flows
Fundamentals of thermohydraulics in CFD
- Principles of thermohydraulics applied to CFD
- Physical couplings in thermohydraulic flows
- Modeling turbulent heat transfer
- Thermal parameterization in code_saturne
TP1 — Forced convection: turbulent flow in a heated channel
- Setting up a thermo-hydraulic simulation in code_saturne
- Analysis of turbulent heat transfer
- Comparison of different turbulence models
- Extraction of thermal profiles and flow analysis with ParaView
TP2 — Natural convection: differentially heated cavity
- Modeling natural convection and buoyancy effects
- Implementation of the Boussinesq approximation
- Analysis of convective structures and circulation cells
- Comparison between the Boussinesq hypothesis and expandable fluid
Day 2 — Advanced thermo-hydraulic applications
Customization and extension of models in code_saturne
- Principle of user files
- Structure of the
SRCdirectory - Modification – compilation – execution cycle
TP3 — Customization of a thermo-hydraulic model with user files
- Implementation and compilation of a user file
- Addition of a localized heat source in the domain
- Implementation of time-dependent boundary conditions
- Introduction of customized physics in a simulation
TP4 — Fluid–solid coupled heat transfer (CHT)
- Simulation of conduction–convection coupling in code_saturne
- Use of the coupled heat transfer module
- Analysis of heat flows at the solid–fluid interface
TP5 — Convection and thermal radiation
- Extension of a heated case taking thermal radiation into account
- Activation of the radiation model
- Analysis of the contribution of radiation to the energy balance
- Comparison between convection alone and convection with radiation
End of training
- Questions, discussion, and review
Florian
Hermet
Your trainer
Pricing
Included: lunches, coffee breaks, help installing the latest version of the code, end-of-training certificate...
Frequently asked questions
Our commitments
We are committed to making our training courses accessible to people with disabilities. As every situation is unique, we invite you to contact us before registering so that together we can identify the learning, technical or organisational adjustments that can be put in place.
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