Modern aircraft are stuffed with electronics systems, with 
uses ranging from control surface actuation to providing 
inflight entertainment systems. CFD has a role to play in 
designing cooling strategies for many of these systems, 
some of which are safety critical, with fuel being actively 
considered as a cooling fluid for the electronics. Long 
service lifetimes require all aspects of the design to be 
highly durable, from the airframe to the electronics, which 
impacts weight, requiring more lift, which results in more 
drag and consequently requires more thrust. Turbomachinery 
design has also pushed the development of CFD, which plays 
a critical role in engine and nacelle design. 

In-cabin environmental systems is yet another area where 
CFD finds application, where there are concerns about cabin 
air pollution. Non-commercial aircraft share many of the 
same design challenges, and more, such as rotor modelling 
for rotorcraft, and more recently the design of UAVs, their 
associated equipment and payloads have all become topical. 

Aircraft design clearly involves compromise, yet safety is 
paramount. High quality, reliable results from the CFD 
analysis are essential to many aspects of design in the 
industry that was the earliest adopter of CFD technology.

Please see the NAFEMS website for a full agenda - 
www.nafems.org.