Verification and Validation in Computational Fluid Dynamics : the FLOWNET Database Experience

The aspects of verification and validation of computational fluid dynamics must always be addressed with an emphasis on the quantification of the uncertainties due to the model assumptions (either physical or geometrical), and to the numerical and experimental approximations. The credibility of computational fluid dynamics can only be established by a rigorous process of verification and validation. Verification is the process of determining how accurate a computational simulation represents a given conceptual model. Validation establishes how accurate a simulation (i.e. the conceptual model) represents the phenomenon to be investigated. In the present paper we discuss a roadmap toward the development of a verification and validation procedure through the use of a flow library on the Web. In particular, we describe the experience of the web-based FLOWnet database and we analyze some representative test cases installed in the data base.