A design office dedicated to CFD calculations
G-MET was founded in 2014 by Paulin Ferro and Marc Pescheux. Located in the Toulon region, in La Seyne-sur-Mer, it specializes in fluid mechanics (CFD) and finite element calculations. "Today, there are 4 people in the company. We work like a traditional design office, on a fixed-price basis, doing everything in-house in our offices. Our historical speciality is nuclear power. The maritime sector accounts for a third of our activity, with clients such as CMA, but also naval architects and the yachting sector. We work on all scales, from trimarans to container ships," explains Paulin Ferro.
An economical OpenFoam solution adapted to the maritime industry
For its hydrodynamic calculations, G-MET relies on the OpenFoam open source software. Its engineers have developed solutions adapted to the needs of the naval field. "The OpenFoam code dates back to the 1990s and was opened in 2004. It is the 3rd CFD calculation tool in the world. We have spent more than 3 years developing improved solutions, notably to match flows in the maritime sector. Script integration allows us to meet specific needs in OpenFoam. Our validations based on test cases compared to experimental results show an uncertainty of about 5% on calm sea" says Paulin Ferro.
The use of open-source software also makes it possible to maintain attractive costs and reduced calculation time. "OpenFoam reduces costs because it is free of charge and license-free. As the number of cores used for the calculation is not limited, there is also a time saving compared to other software on the market" says the co-founder of G-MET.
Services at posted prices
For the main demands in the nautical sector, G-MET displays a public tariff grid with an announced deadline. "It is enough to provide the geometry, without constraint of computer format, the mass, the position of the centre of gravity, the draught and a speed. For a resistance calculation on flat sea, the calculation point costs 400 euros and the delay is between 24 and 48 hours" illustrates Paulin Ferro.
G-MET also offers self-propulsion calculations, resistance studies with sea state or propeller simulations in open water to obtain Kt and Kq characteristic curves.
Through this offer, the company wants to develop in the maritime sector and make the CFD more affordable even in the nautical sector.
