Zenotech is delighted to be supporting the ERCOFTAC Knowledge Base WIKI, an important global knowledge repository which is now free to access. The KB WIKI is a much needed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) resource that new users can consult when setting up their own simulations.
How did the ERCOFTAC Knowledge Base WIKI come about?
It stems from a European Union Network on Quality and Trust in the Industrial Application of CFD. This network included industry, university and national research centres and major European CFD code vendors.
When the network ended in 2004, ERCOFTAC undertook to maintain the database, expanding it and making it available to users worldwide. You can find out more about its history here.
Shifting from restricted to free access
In order to provide special benefits to ERCOFTAC members and thereby help to cover the costs of maintaining and growing the knowledge base, the WIKI was separated into different sections; one free and open, and an area with premium content originating from the EU network restricted to ERCOFTAC members.
However, there were calls for it to be freely accessible, and since mid-2017 ERCOFTAC has swapped to a sponsorship model with a growing number of organisations, including Zenotech, supporting the activity. All of the content is now freely available for all to use.
For us, this is an extremely positive move. The KB WIKI is a very important resource being referenced from other prominent sites as a valuable site for guidance on the application of CFD to a range of industrial applications; for instance on CFD online and NASA.
This change to open access has come at the perfect time. We see a growing need for training and expertise in the application of CFD tools to complement the availability and power of the new software options available.
