Outline

Overview

The objective of this unit is to provide students with advanced knowledge of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques and skills in solving thermal fluid flow problems relevant to Civil and Environmental Engineering applications. Students will also gain experience in using a state-of-the-art commercial CFD package and advanced understanding of a range of engineering problems through working on projects.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Civil Engineering
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	CIVL5669
Assumed knowledge ?	CIVL3612 or CIVL9612
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Chengwang Lei, chengwang.lei@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 31 August 2026

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length	Use of AI
Oral exam	Oral Exam Test understanding of CFD concepts and procedures	30%	Formal exam period	20 minutes (oral)	AI prohibited
Outcomes assessed:
Practical skill	Assignment Take-home assignment	15%	Week 04 Due date: 30 Aug 2026 at 23:59	Up to 6 pages in total	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Practical skill	Project 1 A written report plus CFD model & data submission	30%	Week 08 Due date: 27 Sep 2026 at 23:59	Up to 10 pages for the written report	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Q&A following presentation, submission or placement	Oral Presentation Oral presentation on Project 2 followed by Q&A	15%	Week 13	10-15 minutes	AI prohibited
Outcomes assessed:
Practical skill	Project 2 CFD model & data submission only	10%	Week 13 Due date: 04 Nov 2026 at 23:59	No written report	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Assignment: The purpose of the assignment is to gain an appreciation of the CFD technique and its applications and understand the basic CFD procedures through working on simple test cases.

Projects: You will work on two major CFD projects during the semester. The purpose is to develop your CFD skills and more importantly, use CFD as a tool to enhance your understanding of fluid flow problems relevant to Civil and/or Environmental Engineering applications. You may choose specific fluid flow and/or heat transfer problems of your interest. You then formulate CFD models, conduct CFD simulations, process CFD data, and write up a report (for Project 1) or give an oral presentation (for Project 2) on the respective projects. For both projects, submission of CFD models and data is required. Specific requirements for the written report, oral presentation, and data submission will be given in due course.

Oral Exam: The Oral Exam may cover all concepts and procedures discussed in the semester as well as topics related to all assessments.

Criteria for Passing the Unit of Study

In order to achieve a ‘Pass’ grade in this unit of study, all the following criteria must be satisfied:

Attending minimum 80% of the lectures and tutorials
Achieving minimum 50% in Project 2 Oral Presentation
Achieving minimum 50% in the Oral Exam
Having an overall mark ≥ 50%

Students who do not meet all these criteria will not receive a pass grade in the unit of study, and regardless of their performance in individual components of the unit of study, will not receive a mark greater than 47%.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

You can use generative AI tools for open assessments. Restrictions on AI use apply to secure, supervised assessments used to confirm if students have met specific learning outcomes.

Refer to the assessment table above to see if AI is allowed, for assessments in this unit and check Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks and AI use.

If you use AI, you must always acknowledge it. Misusing AI may lead to a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

The University's standard late penalty rate will be applied to late submissions of assessments.

Academic integrity

The University expects students to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

Our website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. This includes advice on how to avoid common breaches of academic integrity. Ensure that you have completed the Academic Honesty Education Module (AHEM) which is mandatory for all commencing coursework students

Penalties for serious breaches can significantly impact your studies and your career after graduation. It is important that you speak with your unit coordinator if you need help with completing assessments.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	An overview of Computational Fluid Dynamics	Lecture (1.5 hr)
Week 01	An introduction of ANSYS Workbench and ANSYS Fluent	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 02	Introduction of numerical methods	Lecture (1.5 hr)
Week 02	Assignment	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	Boundaries and boundary conditions	Lecture (1.5 hr)
Week 03	Assignment	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	Research Topic 1: Plumes, jets, and fountains	Lecture (1.5 hr)
Week 04	Assignment	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	Numerical accuracy and stability	Lecture (1.5 hr)
Week 05	Project 1	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	Verification, validation, and best practice guide	Lecture (1.5 hr)
Week 06	Project 1	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 07	Research Topic 2: Mixing and transport in natural water bodies	Lecture (1.5 hr)
Week 07	Project 1	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 08	Introduction and description of turbulent flows	Lecture (1.5 hr)
Week 08	Project 1	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 09	Research Topic 3: Environmental load on structures & fluid-structure interaction	Lecture (1.5 hr)
Week 09	Project 2	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 10	Direct numerical simulation	Lecture (1.5 hr)
Week 10	Project 2	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	RANS turbulence models	Lecture (1.5 hr)
Week 11	Project 2	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 12	Large eddy simulation	Lecture (1.5 hr)
Week 12	Project 2	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 13	Project 2 Oral presentation	Lecture (1.5 hr)
Week 13	Project 2 Oral presentation	Tutorial (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Minimum 80% attendance to the weekly lectures and tutorials in computer lab is required.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

The following textbook is recommended:

J.H. Ferziger & M. Peric – Computational Methods for Fluid Dynamics. Springer, 2002

The following web site contains general resources related to CFD (computational fluid dynamics):

https://www.cfd-online.com/

Further, ANSYS web site (ansys.com) has information specific for individual modules including ANSYS Fluent which will be used in this unit of study.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Understand CFD principles and procedures
LO2. Operate a commercial CFD package to solve fluid flow problems
LO3. Understand various CFD approaches for dealing with turbulent flows
LO4. Formulate and solve engineering fluid flow problems using CFD tools
LO5. Describe CFD-based solutions through written reports and oral presentation

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Major changes to the assessment structure have been made in response to the need in the AI age. Most importantly, an Oral Exam is introduced to evaluate individual's understanding of the CFD approaches and CFD skills.

Disclaimer

Important: the University of Sydney regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

CIVL6669: Applied Fluid Engineering Computing

Semester 2, 2026 [Normal evening] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links