[CFDFoundation]

The OpenFOAM Foundation is pleased to announce the release of version 2.4.0 of the OpenFOAM open source CFD toolbox. The version number 2.4.0 has been chosen following a request on the issue tracking system to adopt semantic version numbering. Our numbering system is now MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH, where:

• MAJOR: breaks backward compatibility for usage, e.g. case files require changes;
• MINOR: changes some internal API, but backward compatible usage;
• PATCH: bug fixes that do not change internal API.

Based on this, v2.4.0 represents a minor release with changes to some internal API, some new features described below, particularly relating to pre- and post-processing, and further bug fixes of version 2.3.1. (The next major release will then be v3.0.0 based on functionality in the current OpenFOAM-dev repository.) OpenFOAM v2.4.0 includes over 200 code commits and almost 800 file changes. It is distributed under the General Public Licence by the OpenFOAM Foundation as:

• Deb packs created for Ubuntu Linux;
• source code for compilation on other Linux systems.

Pre-processing

• foamCloneCase provides a convenient way to clone a case: further details…
• Added -rm option to foamListTimes to clean out time directories from a case: further details…
• Introduced template case files to help quick setup of cases: further details…
• Boundary conditions for an atmospheric boundary layer have been improved and made easier to use: further details…
• Default settings for GAMG solver added: further details…
• New #includeEtc syntax to include configuration files conveniently: further details…
• potentialFoam included method to output pressure rather than potential: further details…
• shallowWaterFoam supports complex e.g. time-varying, BCs: further details…

Meshing

• blockMesh now supports multiple mesh grading within a single mesh block: further details…
• extrudeMesh includes new wedge and plane extrusions added for easy set up of axi-symmetric and 2D geometries: further details…
• refineMesh has improved command line argument handling: further details…

Thermophysical modelling

• Thermal baffles with multiple material layers with different thermal conductivities now correctly supported: further details…

Multiphase modelling

• Interface capturing has been made 2nd-order accurate in time, to preserve surface waves effectively: further details…

Post-processing

• Output of data probes has been improved: further details…
• Output of fieldMinMax improved, particularly for graph plotting: further details…
• Packaged function objects that simplify usage and plug conveniently into cases: further details…
• New residuals function object writes residuals of specified fields to file: further details…
• foamMonitor script provides live plots from time-value data files, e.g. force coefficients, residuals: further details…
• foamCreateVideo script to create an MPEG-4 (.mp4) video from PNG-format images: further details…
• Improve output of cellSource (further details…) and faceSource (further details…) function objects.

OpenFOAM v2.4.0 was produced by:

• Architect/Lead: Henry Weller
• Management: Henry Weller, Chris Greenshields
• Maintenance/Testing/Contributions: Henry Weller, Chris Greenshields, Bruno Santos, Richard Jones
• Other Contributions: Mattijs Janssens, Daniel Jasinski, Alexey Matveichev, Juho Peltola, Timm Severin

Thanks to the OpenFOAM enthusiasts who have contributed to a better code through the bug reporting system.
To download OpenFOAM 2.4.0, click here.