CFD Framework TRACE

Scale-resolved simulation of low-pressure turbine cascade under transient inflow influence

The TRACE flow solver is used in turbomachinery research and in the industrial design of aero engines and stationary gas turbines and is one of the core components of the virtual engine. TRACE can be used with high performance on workstations as well as on modern mainframe computers with several thousand processor cores. We have been developing the simulation environment in close co-operation with universities and industrial partners for more than three decades.

TRACE is not just a flow solver, but a complete simulation suite for setting up, running and analysing highly complex simulations. The software is used in research and industry as a tool for understanding the complex, multidisciplinary physics of turbomachinery. It is also used in the development and design of tomorrow's engines. TRACE offers a wide range of numerical methods, from steady-state calculations (RANS) to the resolution of turbulent structures (LES/DNS). The special feature is that the simulation suite combines state-of-the-art methods such as an adjoint solver or frequency domain methods.

TRACE characteristics

Finite-Volume and Discontinuous Galerkin method of higher orders

High quality, non-reflecting edge conditions

Non-linear frequency domain techniques

Scale-resolving simulation methods

Verbrennungs-modellierung

Higher-order turbulence, transition and heat models

Adjunct procedures

Multidisciplinarity

Flow-structure coupling for heat transfer and aeroelasticity

Linear solver for high speed flutter analysis

High performance implementation

Highly scalable for massively parallel applications on supercomputers

Hybrid parallelism (distributed and shared memory)

Flexible pre-, co- and post-processes

Graphical preprocessor

Online analysis and in-situ visualisation

Customised post-processes for turbomachinery

Quality assurance

Modern software development methods

Fully automated testing

Validation in close collaboration with industry partners

Userguide

In the TRACE User Guide you will find general information on TRACE, the theory behind the flow solver and details on the configuration and control of the simulations.