Case Requirements

Everything you need to know before submitting your OpenFOAM case for validation or a converge run.

1. Directory Structure

Upload your case as a .zip file. The archive must contain a standard OpenFOAM case directory with the following structure:

your-case/ ├── system/ │ ├── controlDict ← solver, timestep, write control │ ├── fvSchemes ← discretization schemes │ ├── fvSolution ← linear solvers, tolerances │ └── blockMeshDict ← optional (auto-meshed if present) ├── constant/ │ ├── physicalProperties ← or transportProperties (legacy) │ ├── turbulenceProperties ← optional │ └── polyMesh/ ← required if no blockMeshDict │ ├── owner │ ├── neighbour │ ├── faces │ ├── points │ └── boundary └── 0/ └── U, p, ... ← initial/boundary conditions

Mesh requirement: Your case must include either:

A pre-built mesh in constant/polyMesh/, or
A system/blockMeshDict — we will run blockMesh automatically during preflight

If neither is present, the case will be rejected at validation.

2. Supported Solvers

Set the application field in your controlDict. We automatically detect the solver and route your case to the correct engine.

Standard OpenFOAM Solvers

Solver	Type	Category
`simpleFoam`	Steady-state	Incompressible
`pimpleFoam`	Transient	Incompressible
`icoFoam`	Transient	Incompressible
`pisoFoam`	Transient	Incompressible
`interFoam`	Transient	Multiphase
`rhoSimpleFoam`	Steady-state	Compressible
`rhoPimpleFoam`	Transient	Compressible
`potentialFoam`	Steady-state	Potential flow

UCF Stability-Enhanced Solvers

UCF solvers include adaptive relaxation, divergence containment, and early-stop detection. Automatically selected when your controlDict uses a UCF solver name.

Solver	Type	Category
`UCF_simpleFoam`	Steady-state	Incompressible
`UCF-SimpleCompressibleFoam`	Transient	Compressible
`UCF_rhoSimpleFoam`	Steady-state	Compressible
`UCF_rhoPimpleFoam`	Transient	Compressible

Any solver with a UCF- or UCF_ prefix is automatically routed to the UCF engine. Unknown solvers will be rejected — contact us if you need a solver not listed here.

3. Tier Limits

Resource limits are enforced based on your selected tier. Cases exceeding these limits will be rejected during validation.

Resource	Standard	Professional
Upload size	500 MB	500 MB
Max mesh cells	5M	50M
Max files in bundle	2,000	2,000
Run wall time	2 hours	48 hours
CPU cores	8	16
Memory	16 GB	32 GB
Max output size	5 GB	5 GB
Validation attempts	3	3

Enterprise tier with custom limits is available — contact us for pricing.

4. What NOT to Include

The following will cause your case to be rejected during validation. These restrictions exist for security and reproducibility.

Forbidden file types

× Executables: .exe, .so, .dylib, .dll

× Scripts: .sh, .py, .pyc

× Object files: .o, .a

× Symlinks, hidden files (starting with .)

Forbidden OpenFOAM constructs

× codedFixedValue, codedMixed, codedFunctionObject, or any coded* directive

× #codeStream, dynamicCode, runtime code injection

× libs directive (external shared library loading)

× #include referencing external files outside the case directory

These constructs allow arbitrary code execution and cannot be safely run in our sandboxed environment.

5. Parameter Validation

Your case dictionaries are checked for physically reasonable values. Cases with out-of-range parameters will be flagged.

Parameter	Valid Range	Notes
deltaT (timestep)	1e-10 – 1000 s	Must be positive
endTime	> 0	Must be greater than startTime
writeInterval	> 1e-10 s	Very small values create excessive output
maxCo (Courant)	0.1 – 50	Recommended: 1–10 for stability
Relaxation factors	(0, 1]	Must be positive, at most 1.0
Viscosity	1e-10 – 1000 m²/s	Check units match your solver
Density	0.001 – 10,000 kg/m³	For compressible solvers

6. Tips for Success

✓ Test locally first — run your case for a few iterations with OpenFOAM to catch obvious errors before uploading

✓ Use blockMeshDict if you don't have a pre-built mesh — we generate it automatically during preflight

✓ Zip only the case directory — the .zip root should contain your case folder, not loose files

✓ Remove unnecessary output — delete old time directories (1/, 2/, etc.) to reduce upload size

✓ Check your controlDict — make sure application matches a supported solver

✓ Standard OpenFOAM format — use standard OpenFOAM dictionary syntax (no YAML, no JSON)

✓ You get 3 attempts — if validation fails, you can re-upload a corrected bundle without paying again

Ready to proceed?

Submit your OpenFOAM case and get automated validation in minutes.

Start intake

See the pipeline

From upload to sealed evidence pack — how the full process works.

How it works

Compare tiers

Standard, Professional, and Enterprise pricing side by side.

View pricing