Computer modelling is widely used by designers, analysts and engineers to understand 'what-if' situations in science and engineering projects. The computer models represent how things might look, feel or behave. The more accurate the model, the better it demonstrates what would happen in real life.

Unstructured grid technology – a computer modelling technique - allows design engineers to use techniques that accurately simulate how something will behave under certain conditions and to model dynamics around complex configurations, for example, aircraft, ships and land vehicles.

Developing new technology

The research team at Swansea University developed an unstructured grid system called FLITE to model aerodynamic flows. FLITE proved to be a significant advance in technology and attracted development funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the EU and industry.

Further EPSRC funding allowed the FLITE system to be extended to enable the simulation of a supersonic land vehicle and the system was subsequently used in the design of the BLOODHOUND supersonic car (SSC), a vehicle intended to achieve speeds up to 1,000 mph.

Economic benefits

The team's research has brought significant economic benefits to the aerospace and other industries, with the FLITE system being employed at:

  • Airbus Defence and Space (ADS)
  • The Aircraft Research Association
  • BAE Systems
  • The Institute of High-Performance Computing (IHPC) in Singapore.

ADS has used the FLITE mesh generator in 99% of its fluid dynamics computations, which has helped it build and develop fighter jets, drones and other weapons systems. The software has helped the company save several million euros.

The IHPC developments based on FLITE attracted funding from government agencies and industry partners in Singapore, which allowed the Institute to broaden its research programme. One of the FLITE applications is the development of a computational fluid dynamic system for urban flow simulations, providing an evaluation tool for the Green Mark buildings certification in Singapore. With FLITE at the technological core, this modelling tool is currently being adopted by industries for their building designs and energy sustainability performance evaluations

As a result of the team's research, Swansea University set up a spinout company, WebSim, to develop an online, on-demand computer modelling system that integrates FLITE.  The WebSim environment has already attracted inward investment of tens of thousands of pounds. It has been installed at Airbus ADS in both Germany and Spain, making use of its unique capability at providing a common working platform for collaborative design at different sites.

Public Engagement

The use of FLITE in the design of the BLOODHOUND SSC has been used to demonstrate to young people the role that can be played by science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in tackling the technological challenges of the 21st Century. In the BLOODHOUND Education Programme, over 600 education events and activities have been delivered by 120 ambassadors, reaching over 6,000 schools and 116,000 students.

The successful test of the SSC in the Kalahari Desert in 2019, led to 2,047 unique pieces of global online and UK broadcast media coverage for BLOODHOUND, with a potential reach of five billion people. Meltwater, an independent technology platform, has estimated that this generated an advertising value equivalent of £46.8 million.

Research team

Professor Kenneth Morgan, Professor Oubay Hassan, Professor Ben Evans – Swansea University

Read the full REF impact case study