code_saturne: CFD atmospheric dispersion
May 25-26, 2027
Course summary
See the course pageDo you recognize yourself?
- You carry out air quality or industrial risk studies, and Gaussian models are no longer enough once buildings and terrain shape the flow.
- You struggle to build a realistic model of the site: retrieving topography and buildings, defining a relevant computational domain, meshing without spending days on it.
- You don't know how to turn weather data into input conditions: wind rose, boundary layer profile, atmospheric stability.
- You doubt your results: where do recirculation zones form? Is the plume plausible? How sensitive are your concentrations to wind direction and speed?
Why our training in particular?
Theory revisited, straight into practice
Two days of hands-on work built on the fundamentals of atmospheric dispersion. Five progressive practicals on the same site: you build the model, then simulate the flow, the release and finally a sensitivity campaign.
From geographic data to post-processing: the complete workflow
You learn to run the tools of a real atmospheric study together: BD TOPO geographic data (IGN, France), weather data, meshing with Salomé, code_saturne analysis, ParaView post-processing and automation with csauto. Not just the solver: the whole simulation chain.
Practising experts, right in front of you
Our CFD engineers and PhDs use code_saturne every day on industrial projects at Simvia. They share first-hand the best practices of atmospheric CFD, the pitfalls to avoid and the limits of the modelling.
Close supervision
1 trainer for a maximum of 8 trainees during practicals. When you get stuck, an expert is right beside you.
A network, not just a course
The inter-company format brings together engineers from the environment, energy and industrial sectors around the same dispersion challenges. You compare approaches and leave with a network of peers who share your day-to-day technical work.
Audience
- Industry: engineers and technicians who carry out or review atmospheric dispersion, air quality or industrial risk studies.
- Academia: researchers, PhD students and students from higher education and research institutions working on atmospheric flows and dispersion.
Prerequisites
Command of code_saturne for simple studies. Knowledge of fluid mechanics.
Detailed programme
Day 1: Setting up an atmospheric dispersion analysis
Fundamentals of atmospheric dispersion
- Atmospheric boundary layer, turbulence and stability
- Influence of terrain and buildings
- Best-practice guidelines for atmospheric CFD
Practical 1 — Building the model
- Retrieving and processing BD TOPO data
- Defining the computational domain
Practical 2 — Weather conditions
- Using weather data
- Building and analysing a wind rose
- Setting atmospheric conditions in code_saturne
Practical 3 — Atmospheric flow around buildings
- Mesh generation with Salomé
- Setting up the analysis without release
- Analysing velocity and turbulence fields
- Identifying recirculation zones and wakes
Day 2: Simulating dispersion
Modelling pollutant transport
- Turbulent transport of a scalar
- Defining and configuring a release
Practical 4 — Simulating an atmospheric release
- Setting up the analysis with release
- Analysing the plume and concentrations
- Post-processing with ParaView
Practical 5 — Sensitivity study with csauto
- Automating a simulation campaign
- Influence of weather conditions
- Comparing and analysing results
Course wrap-up
- Best practices and modelling limits
- Questions, discussion and review
Practical details
- Dates
- May 25-26, 2027
- Duration
- 2 day(s)
- Location
- EDF Lab Paris-Saclay
- Language
- French
Available for online training or at the EDF Lab Saclay, depending on the dates
Performance indicators
- Trained participants
- -
- Attendance rate
- -
- Satisfaction rate
- -
- Success rate
- -
Accessibility
We are committed to making our training accessible to people with disabilities. Every situation is unique, so please contact us before registering so that we can study together the educational, technical or organisational adaptations that can be put in place.
More info
Florian Hermet
Holding a PhD and teaching in fluid mechanics, I practice CFD with one simple conviction: a simulation is only useful if you truly understand what you are doing. Every mesh, every model, every convergence criterion directly influences the results. Between advanced research and industrial projects, I have learned to never take a simulation for granted and to always challenge it against the physics and common sense. In my training courses on code_saturne, I share a pragmatic approach: structuring your methodology, avoiding classic pitfalls, and producing reliable and defensible simulations. My goal is simple: to make you autonomous and confident in your simulations.
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Included: lunches, coffee breaks, help installing the latest version of the code...