HPC4E · Project

Supercomputer Simulations That Cut Costs in Wind, Biogas, and Oil Exploration

energyTestedTRL 4

Imagine you could test a wind farm design, a biogas furnace, or an oil drilling location on a computer before spending millions building the real thing. That's what HPC4E did — it pushed supercomputer simulations to extreme scales so energy companies can model wind turbine wake effects across entire farms, predict how biogas burns in industrial combustors, and map underground oil reservoirs with far sharper detail. Think of it like upgrading from a blurry satellite photo to a high-resolution 3D scan of what's happening inside the Earth or inside a flame. The project brought together computing centers and energy companies across Spain, France, and the UK to make these massive simulations practical.

By the numbers

consortium partners

countries involved (ES, FR, UK)

industry partners in consortium

44%

industry participation ratio

total deliverables produced

energy sectors addressed (wind, biogas, oil & gas)

The business problem

What needed solving

Energy companies waste millions on suboptimal wind farm designs, unpredictable biogas combustion, and low-resolution seismic imaging because their simulation tools cannot handle the computational scale needed for accurate results. Current models either oversimplify the physics or take too long to run, forcing engineers to rely on approximations that lead to costly real-world surprises.

The solution

What was built

The project produced 27 deliverables across three energy domains: extreme-scale CFD simulations for wind farm assessment, industrial combustion models for biogas fuels, and full wave-form geophysical imaging tools. A key demo deliverable was a deployed website running a suite of geophysical tests for wave propagation problems on extreme-scale machines.

Audience

Who needs this

Wind farm developers needing accurate resource assessment and turbine layout optimizationOil and gas exploration companies seeking higher-resolution subsurface imagingBiogas plant operators struggling with combustion instabilities from complex fuel mixesCombustion equipment manufacturers designing furnaces for biomass-derived fuelsHPC service providers looking to offer energy-sector simulation packages

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Wind Energy

enterprise

Target: Wind farm developers and operators

If you are a wind farm developer struggling with inaccurate wind resource assessments and unexpected turbine wake losses — this project developed extreme-scale computational fluid dynamics models that simulate atmospheric flow across entire wind farms, capturing turbine wake and array effects. This means more accurate power production forecasts and optimized farm layouts before you break ground. The consortium included 4 industry partners across 3 countries working on these simulations.

Oil & Gas Exploration

enterprise

Target: Exploration and production companies

If you are an exploration company spending heavily on seismic surveys but still missing subsurface features — this project built full wave-form modelling and inversion tools for seismic and electromagnetic data that reveal underground structures with unprecedented image quality. A demo deliverable deployed a suite of geophysical tests for wave propagation problems on extreme-scale machines. The 9-partner consortium tested these at scales relevant to real exploration campaigns.

Biogas and Biomass Energy

mid-size

Target: Biogas plant operators and combustion equipment manufacturers

If you are a biogas plant operator dealing with unpredictable combustion performance and instabilities in your industrial combustors due to complex fuel composition — this project developed combustion simulations at parameter regimes relevant to industrial applications using alternative fuels. These tools help design efficient furnaces and power plants that reliably burn biomass-derived fuels. The work was carried out by a consortium with 44% industry participation.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would this cost us to implement?

Budget details are not available in the dataset. However, the project focused on software simulation tools running on high-performance computing infrastructure, so adoption costs would primarily involve HPC access (cloud or on-premise) and integration with your existing engineering workflows. Contact the Barcelona Supercomputing Center for licensing and access details.

Can these simulations run at industrial scale?

Yes — that was the core objective. The project specifically targeted exascale computing to handle simulations at parameter regimes relevant to industrial applications. The geophysical test suite was deployed for wave propagation problems on extreme-scale machines, demonstrating industrial-grade capability.

What about intellectual property and licensing?

This was a publicly funded RIA project (Horizon 2020), so results are subject to EU open access and IP rules. The Barcelona Supercomputing Center coordinated the work. Specific licensing terms for the simulation codes should be discussed directly with the consortium partners.

How accurate are these simulations compared to real-world measurements?

The project used computational fluid dynamics with Large Eddy Simulation (LES) models for wind and full wave-form modelling for geophysics — both are considered high-fidelity methods. Based on available project data, the 27 deliverables produced during the project include validation results, though specific accuracy benchmarks should be requested from the consortium.

Is this ready for our engineers to use today?

The project ended in November 2017 and produced 27 deliverables including a deployed web-based geophysical test suite. The simulation tools were demonstrated at scale but may require adaptation for specific industrial workflows. The project website at hpc4e.eu may have further details on current tool availability.

Which industries have already tested this?

The consortium of 9 partners included 4 industry participants alongside 2 universities and 3 research organizations across Spain, France, and the UK. The three target sectors were wind energy, biogas combustion, and oil & gas exploration geophysics — all tested within the project.

Does this comply with energy sector regulations?

The simulations themselves are engineering tools, not regulated products. However, they can help companies meet regulatory requirements by providing more accurate environmental assessments for wind farms, emissions predictions for combustion systems, and safer exploration planning for oil & gas operations.

Consortium

Who built it

The HPC4E consortium of 9 partners across 3 countries (Spain, France, UK) is well-balanced for a computing-meets-energy project, with 4 industry partners (44% ratio) complementing 2 universities and 3 research organizations. The coordinator, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, is one of Europe's leading HPC facilities, lending strong credibility to the computational claims. The absence of SMEs (0 out of 9) suggests this is enterprise-grade technology requiring significant computing infrastructure — not a plug-and-play tool for smaller companies. For a business considering adoption, the industry partners' involvement signals that the simulations were tested against real industrial requirements, not just academic benchmarks.

BARCELONA SUPERCOMPUTING CENTER CENTRO NACIONAL DE SUPERCOMPUTACIONCoordinator · ES
INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE EN INFORMATIQUE ET AUTOMATIQUEparticipant · FR
SCOTTISHPOWER RENEWABLE ENERGY LIMITEDthirdparty · UK
TOTALENERGIES SEparticipant · FR
CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES ENERGETICAS MEDIOAMBIENTALES Y TECNOLOGICASparticipant · ES
REPSOL SAparticipant · ES
IBERDROLA RENOVABLES ENERGIA SAparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTERparticipant · UK
QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDONparticipant · UK

How to reach the team

Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), Spain — a national research center, reachable through their public website and project contacts

Order a report on this consortium See BARCELONA SUPERCOMPUTING CENTER CENTRO NACIONAL DE SUPERCOMPUTACION profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to know if HPC4E's energy simulation tools fit your operations? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the Barcelona Supercomputing Center team and help you evaluate the technology for your specific use case.

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