Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has become an essential technology for engineers developing next-generation aircraft, eVTOLs, UAVs, automotive vehicles, and other high-performance products. As engineering teams seek faster, more accurate, and easier-to-use simulation tools, software innovation continues to play a critical role in accelerating product development.
In this exclusive interview with DailyCADCAM, Dr. Patrick Hanley, Founder of Hanley Innovations, shares his remarkable journey from pioneering CFD research at MIT to developing innovative aerodynamics software solutions for industry and academia. He discusses the vision behind Stallion 3D and the company’s simulation portfolio, the importance of automation in CFD workflows, the growing role of Artificial Intelligence, and how accessible engineering software can empower startups, universities, and engineering organizations worldwide.
1. Dr. Hanley, thank you for speaking with DailyCADCAM. Could you begin by sharing your professional journey—from your research at MIT to founding Hanley Innovations? What inspired you to develop your own aerodynamics and CFD software?
Thanks for your invitation and the opportunity to share my experience with the DailyCADCAM audience.
Towards the end of my undergraduate studies, I became interested in partial differential equation solutions and numerical methods. This seamlessly led into my research at MIT where, as a graduate student, I worked on the unsteady transonic small disturbance equations. This has practical applications for transport aircraft to determine lift, drag and flutter boundaries in the transonic regime of flight.
Although assuming small perturbations reduced the complexity of the nonlinear terms, I still had an unsteady, nonlinear partial differential equation to solve. In those days, there were no GPUs or HPC clusters to rapidly crunch the numbers, so finding an efficient method to solve unsteady transonic flows was a big deal.
The solution was to develop a new method that exhibited high accuracy. Solvers with high accuracy compensate for computational power. The proposed solution was a solver based on Pseudospectral methods implemented with Chebyshev polynomials. This method exhibited exponential accuracy for smooth solutions. This means that doubling the resolution exponentially decreases the approximation errors to provide a solution and required significantly lower computer performance for the same accuracy.
The catch was this method worked best for continuous domains. Having an airfoil in the middle of the domain reduced the accuracy. My contribution was to develop a multi-domain solution that maintained the original exponential accuracy of the spectral method for airfoil solutions.
2. Hanley Innovations has built a reputation for developing practical CFD and aerodynamics tools that are both accurate and easy to use. What gap in the simulation market did you identify, and how has your vision evolved over the years?
After MIT, I pursued a career in academia. I taught courses in aerodynamics and fluid dynamics early in my career. I wanted a way for students to instantly use their personal computer and quickly design and analyze airfoils and wings for their final project. The available tools at the time were script-based and students often had to code their own panel and vortex lattice solutions almost from scratch. This was in and of itself years long projects.
Around the same time, Microsoft introduced Windows 3.1. This gave me the idea of coding an interactive airfoil analysis software package that students and professionals can use as easily as a word processor. The gap was in the workflow. Most CFD packages can solve very complex problems, but many engineers spend an enormous amount of time preparing simulations instead of learning from them. This was the spark that gave me the desire to start Hanley Innovations as aerodynamics software company serving education and industry. I left academia to work on this airfoil analysis software which eventually evolved into VisualFoil.
3. Your flagship product, Stallion 3D, offers automatic mesh generation and compressible RANS CFD for aircraft, UAVs, eVTOLs, and automotive applications. What differentiates Stallion 3D from conventional CFD software available today?
Stallion 3D was in some ways, a return to my original problem with Pseudospectral methods. That is, developing a high-fidelity CFD method that can be implemented on a minimal computational platform, a MS Windows PC. The problem escalated into solving the 3D compressible Navier-Stokes equations instead of a single 2-dimensional equation.
I used a Cartesian grid methodology to solve the problem. In their pure form, Cartesian grids can be an order of magnitude more accurate compared to tetrahedral grids often used in 3D CFD methods. Again, like my Ph.D. topic, having an immersed geometry reduced the theoretical order of accuracy. This is because for the Navier-Stokes equations, one had to implement cut-cells (tetrahedral grids) at the boundaries to snugly fit the underlying geometry. Cut-cells degrade the accuracy of the Navier-Stokes solution. Again, I developed a method to overcome this deficiency. Stallion 3D does not require cut-cells at the boundaries. It reaps the full accuracy of the method. This is accomplished using a proprietary method called Hanley Innovations Boundary Treatment (HIST).
4. Many engineers struggle with long setup times and complex meshing workflows. How does Hanley Innovations simplify the CFD process while maintaining engineering accuracy?
Generating the computation grid for CFD methods is a necessary and often a time-consuming manual process for CFD engineers. Using a Cartesian grid makes the process automatic. Implementing HIST makes the process accurate. Automation removes repetitive work without hiding the underlying physics. The engineer spends time thinking about lift, drag, stability and performance instead of clicking through dozens of setup dialogs.
5. Your software portfolio also includes MultiSurface Aerodynamics, VisualFoil, MultiElement Airfoils, and Airfoil Digitizer. Could you explain how these tools complement each other throughout the aerodynamic design process?
Each program addresses a different stage of aerodynamic development. Some are intended for conceptual studies, others for detailed CFD, while utilities preserve valuable geometry and engineering data. Together they form a toolkit that grows naturally with a project instead of forcing users into a single monolithic application.
The software suite also has built-in upwards compatibility. Airfoils and wings designed and developed in MultiSurface and the VisualFoil airfoil software can be used in Stallion 3D. When a wing geometry is created and setup in MultiSurface Aerodynamics the project file can be imported into Stallion 3D (without change) and solved with RANS CFD instead of the vortex lattice method.
6. The aerospace industry is rapidly evolving with electric aircraft, eVTOLs, drones, and Urban Air Mobility. What new aerodynamic challenges do these technologies present, and how can CFD help address them?
Distributed propulsion, electric aircraft, and eVTOL systems introduce aerodynamic interactions that did not exist in conventional aircraft. Propellers influence wings, ducts influence propellers, and transition flight introduces entirely new questions. These are exactly the kinds of problems where CFD can reduce technical risk before expensive flight testing begins.
A big risk is navigating the transition from vertical flight to cruise. The use of computational methods early to accurately model and represent all the physics can significantly derisk these critical tests.
7. CFD is increasingly being used in the automotive industry for vehicle aerodynamics, battery thermal management, cooling systems, and motorsports. How do you see Hanley Innovations contributing to automotive engineering and high-performance vehicle development?
Automotive aerodynamics continues to become more important as manufacturers pursue efficiency, cooling performance, and vehicle stability. The underlying physics is the same whether the vehicle flies or stays on the road. The Hanley Innovations tools are excellent at predicting vehicle downforce, drag and stability in ground effect. However, the niche market does not include cooling, engine performance and other technologies critical to automotive engineering. These can be addressed by more comprehensive and expensive tools currently available in the CFD ecosystem.
8. Artificial Intelligence is transforming engineering software across CAD, CAE, and simulation. How do you see AI influencing CFD workflows over the next five years? Do you envision AI replacing parts of the traditional simulation process, or primarily assisting engineers?
I view AI as one of the most exciting opportunities for engineering software in many years but not because it replaces engineers. I think it will replace repetitive tasks.
In the next generation of our software, AI will help automate reporting, compare design iterations, create meaningful engineering summaries and simplify the user experience. Engineers should spend more time designing and less time operating software.
Aircraft design, especially transport vehicles, jets, general aviation aircraft, eVTOLs require, at least initially, human factor identification in the designs.
9. Cloud computing and High-Performance Computing (HPC) are becoming increasingly common in engineering simulation. Hanley Innovations focuses on efficient Windows-native applications. What advantages does this approach offer to engineers and small design teams?
Many innovative companies still design products on Windows workstations. Native desktop software offers excellent performance, straightforward deployment and complete ownership of engineering data. That combination remains very attractive for consultants, universities and growing companies
10. For startups, universities, and small engineering companies that may not have access to expensive enterprise simulation tools, how does Hanley Innovations make advanced aerodynamics and CFD more accessible?
Innovation shouldn’t depend on having a massive simulation budget. Throughout my career I’ve tried to make advanced aerodynamics available to organizations that simply want reliable engineering answers. If a small startup can answer difficult aerodynamic questions on its own workstation, the entire industry benefits. For universities, Hanley Innovations provides site licenses to universities and single-user companies. The software uses a novel licensing technology the user can install on many computers using the same login and password. The license does not need dongles or other licensing restrictions.
11. For young engineers and students interested in computational fluid dynamics, what skills should they focus on developing to build successful careers in simulation and aerodynamics?
Learn the physics first. Software evolves every few years, but conservation of mass, momentum and energy stays the same. Also a good mathematical interest is a good hobby to pursue.
12. Finally, what message would you like to share with the global engineering community and the readers of DailyCADCAM.com about the future of CFD and digital engineering?
Engineering has always progressed by making powerful tools more accessible. I believe CFD is entering that same stage. The future is not software with hundreds of additional buttons; it is software that quietly helps engineers make better decisions.
If Hanley Innovations contributes to that future by making aerodynamics more approachable without compromising scientific rigor, I will consider that a successful career.
DailyCADCAM thanks Dr. Patrick Hanley for sharing his valuable insights and experiences with our readers. His perspective on advancing CFD technology, simplifying engineering workflows, and embracing AI-assisted simulation highlights the exciting future of digital engineering. We wish Dr. Hanley and the entire Hanley Innovations team continued success in driving innovation in aerodynamics and simulation software.
Connect with Dr. Patrick Hanley on Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/hanleyinnovations/
For more details on the Hanley Innovations solutions – Visit https://www.hanleyinnovations.com
Thank you,
Sachin Nalawade | Founder & Editor DailyCADCAM
