How many of you, reading this, are certain that you are keeping your job this year?

I thought that would deviate a bit from my usual technical musings, and dedicate this post to those of you who are not all that certain about where your next paycheck will be coming from. This post is for you - the highly talented and skilled engineers and scientists who might have to look for a job, or a total change in your career, this year.

Recently, I had a chance to work with some companies in chemical and automotive industries, and it has been impossible to ignore the pink elephant in the room - the massive amounts of talented scientists and engineers being laid off from their jobs at these companies due to the economy.

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Recently  I have become curious about simulation software other than CFD for geometrically complex problems or software designed to deal specifically with detailed chemistry. Working with automotive groups made me take a closer look at GT-Power Suite from Gamma Technologies and WAVE from Ricardo Software. The two software tools are direct competitors and are widely used in the automotive industry.

I wanted to know, quite simply, which software is better for simulating reactive flow processes, such as combustion or after-treatment processes in an engine? In order to answer those questions, I first needed to define what “better” means. So, I put together a list of systematic questions that a software customer would have to ask before purchasing simulation tools for his/her simulation. Then I spoke with both companies and studied their product literature (flushing out most of the marketing fluff) to answer those questions. Read more »