SU2 — The Complete Guide: Free, Open-Source CFD and Aerodynamic Optimisation
SU2 is an open-source CFD suite originally developed at Stanford University and maintained today by the SU2 Foundation. It was built for aerodynamics and optimisation and is used in academia and the aerospace industry.
SU2
SU2 Foundation
Multiphysics CFD with adjoint-based design optimisation — systematic shape improvement.
Get it from the vendorWhat it can do
- Compressible flow — Euler, Navier-Stokes and RANS, including supersonic flow.
- Incompressible flow — with heat transfer.
- Shape optimisation — the adjoint method, which computes how every point on the shape affects lift or drag.
- Coupled problems — fluid-structure and conjugate heat transfer.
- Parallel computing — MPI, from a laptop to a cluster.
How to use it
SU2 works with a text configuration file and a mesh file. Build the mesh in Gmsh or SALOME, and view the results in ParaView. Start with the official tutorials, which come with ready meshes for wings and airfoils.
SU2 or OpenFOAM?
SU2 is stronger in compressible aerodynamics and optimisation. OpenFOAM is broader: multiphase flow, combustion and process applications, with a larger community. For preliminary wing design before CFD — XFLR5.
OpenFOAM
OpenFOAM Foundation
Comprehensive CFD solvers — flow, turbulence, heat transfer and multiphase. Text-file driven, no GUI.
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Gmsh
Gmsh Project
FEA mesh generator with built-in geometry and scripting — standard infrastructure for open numerical work.
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ParaView
Kitware / Sandia / Los Alamos
Large-scale simulation post-processing — slices, streamlines and animation.
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XFLR5
XFLR5 Project
Aerofoil and aircraft analysis for low Reynolds numbers.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
SU2 is the best free choice for aerodynamics and shape optimisation, for anyone willing to work with configuration files.