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Topic · Computational Mechanics

Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics

Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics is a research topic within Computational Mechanics. Science Explorer counts 61k research works in it since 1950. 9.8% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers covers advances in computational fluid dynamics, including high-order schemes, turbulence modeling, shock-wave interactions, adaptive mesh refinement, supersonic combustion, finite volume methods, detached-eddy simulation, hyperbolic conservation laws, aerostructural analysis, and the use of radial basis functions.

  • High-Order Schemes
  • Turbulence Modeling
  • Shock-Wave Interactions
  • Adaptive Mesh Refinement
  • Supersonic Combustion
  • Finite Volume Methods
  • Detached-Eddy Simulation
  • Hyperbolic Conservation Laws
  • Aerostructural Analysis
  • Radial Basis Functions
Research works
61k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
6k
per year above
Top-10% rate
9.8%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+10%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
China
38% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics

Which countries lead Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics research?

By volume, China and the United States publish the most (3k and 2k works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 China 3k works
  2. 2 United States 2k works
  3. 3 India 650 works
  4. 4 Russia 455 works
  5. 5 Germany 437 works
  6. 6 France 419 works
  7. 7 United Kingdom 351 works
  8. 8 Italy 285 works
  9. 9 Japan 255 works
  10. 10 South Korea 175 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 37.8%United States: 24.6%India: 8.1%Russia: 5.7%6 others listed: 23.9%38%largest
China3,037 · 37.8%United States1,973 · 24.6%India650 · 8.1%Russia455 · 5.7%6 others listed1,922 · 23.9%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics research?

By volume in 2022-now, Russian Academy of Sciences publishes the most Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics research, followed by Northwestern Polytechnical University and Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 Russian Academy of SciencesRussia 205 works
  2. 2 Northwestern Polytechnical UniversityChina 204 works
  3. 3 Nanjing University of Aeronautics and AstronauticsChina 179 works
  4. 4 National University of Defense TechnologyChina 157 works
  5. 5 China Aerodynamics Research and Development CenterChina 152 works
  6. 6 Beihang UniversityChina 150 works
  7. 7 United States Department of DefenseUnited States 134 works
  8. 8 National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationUnited States 134 works
  9. 9 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 134 works
  10. 10 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 120 works

Who are the leading researchers in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics include Zhong Lin Wang, Xiaogang Wang and Kai You Wang.

  1. 1 Zhong Lin Wang United States 491k citations
  2. 2 Xiaogang Wang China 260k citations
  3. 3 Kai You Wang China 224k citations
  4. 4 Hua Zhang Singapore 196k citations
  5. 5 Qiang Zhang China 184k citations
  6. 6 Jacob Cohen Israel 170k citations

Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.

What are the most cited papers in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics?

The most cited paper in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics is "Two-equation eddy-viscosity turbulence models for engineering applications" (Florian R. Menter, 1994), with 21,460 citations. Next come "Volume of fluid (VOF) method for the dynamics of free boundaries" (16,098) and "Towards the ultimate conservative difference scheme. V. A second-order sequel to Godunov's method" (7,144).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Two-equation eddy-viscosity turbulence models for engineering applications Florian R. Menter · AIAA Journal Aug 1994 21,460
2 Volume of fluid (VOF) method for the dynamics of free boundaries C.W. Hirt, B.D. Nichols · Journal of Computational Physics 1981 16,098
3 Towards the ultimate conservative difference scheme. V. A second-order sequel to Godunov's method Bram van Leer · Journal of Computational Physics Jul 1979 7,144
4 Efficient Implementation of Weighted ENO Schemes Guang-Shan Jiang, Chi‐Wang Shu · Journal of Computational Physics Open access Jun 1996 6,642
5 Compact finite difference schemes with spectral-like resolution Sanjiva K. Lele · Journal of Computational Physics Nov 1992 6,174
All 98 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics research done?

The largest centres of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Xi'an (China), Nanjing (China) and Moscow (Russia). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Zhukovskiy, Hampton and Wright-Patterson AFB.

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 BeijingChina 683 works
  2. 2 Xi'anChina 322 works
  3. 3 NanjingChina 269 works
  4. 4 MoscowRussia 210 works
  5. 5 ChangshaChina 194 works
  6. 6 ShanghaiChina 180 works
  7. 7 MianyangChina 177 works
  8. 8 CologneGermany 114 works
  9. 9 HarbinChina 112 works
  10. 10 ParisFrance 108 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. ZhukovskiyRU · 31.4 works187×
  2. HamptonUS · 91.0 works107×
  3. Wright-Patterson AFBUS · 50.3 works56×
  4. MianyangCN · 177.1 works35×
  5. CranfieldGB · 31.8 works26×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics than the world average.

See Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics on the map

Where is the best place to study Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics?

Among universities, judged by research, National University of Defense Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology and Northwestern Polytechnical University score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 21.12%fractional works in this field (log) →share of work in the world top 10% →Harbin Institute of …National University …Southern University …Northwestern Polytec…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the first ten of the table below, at the default weights. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

Excellenceshare of its work in the world top 10%, 2022-now and all time averaged
40%
Specialisationhow much of its work is in this field, counted up to 10× the world share
10%
Sizeits output in this field, on a log scale
30%
Growthoutput growth, counted from -20% to +20%
10%
Internationalshare of its work with a co-author abroad
10%
Each slider sets a weight; the share it gets of the score is beside it.
#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1National University of Defense TechnologyChina 78.925.2%24.9×157 +19.2%
2Harbin Institute of TechnologyChina 71.029.5%5.0×67 +77.7%
3Northwestern Polytechnical UniversityChina 70.318.4%21.9×204 +27.8%
4Southern University of Science and TechnologyChina 67.621.6%8.2×36 +248.7%
5Beihang UniversityChina 65.717.1%16.7×150 +62.3%
6Southwest University of Science and TechnologyChina 65.233.1%7.7×14 +218.8%
7Nanjing University of Aeronautics and AstronauticsChina 64.112.2%24.8×179 +46.7%
8Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyChina 63.621.9%5.9×20 +102.0%
9Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityChina 62.621.4%4.0×28 +156.2%
10University of TrentoItaly 61.310.8%7.4×16 +48.9%

Universities only. The score blends excellence (40%), size (30%), specialisation (10%), growth (10%), international reach (10%), 2022-now; growth compares 2018-21 with 2022-25 and counts up to +20%, since a jump from a small base is mostly noise.

Every institution in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics, country by country

Is Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 10% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics.

still counting19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.039% in 2024.

still counting0.050%0.10%0.15%Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics0.038% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year.

still counting5%10%15%Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics9.8% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's works in it, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. A field is the world for its own topics, so there is no other line to hold it against.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

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