OpenFOAM Installer

After having followed this guide you will be able to:

• WSL and Ubuntu: Easily switch between (source) different OpenFOAM versions
• WSL: You will have easier access to your simulation data because your OpenFOAM run folder ($WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR) will be changed to reside on the Windows partition

Preparation

Step 1 (WSL users only): Installing WSL

• First, follow the official guide to install WSL.
• Go to Microsoft Store and install Ubuntu.
• Open the Ubuntu App and go through the installation process, e.g. choose WSL Ubuntu username and password.
• When referred to a terminal throughout this guide, open a WSL terminal.

Step 2: Installing OpenFOAM

Open a terminal:

curl https://dl.openfoam.com/add-debian-repo.sh | sudo bash 

sudo apt-get update 

To install the latest version of OpenFOAM, do:

sudo apt-get install openfoam-default

Alternatively, you may choose to install a specific version, e.g.:

sudo apt-get install openfoam2312-default 

Step 3: Download the script to set OpenFOAM paths

From within a terminal, type (copy/paste):

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jakobhaervig/openfoam-installer/main/.bash_aliases -O - >> $HOME/.bash_aliases

Next, source your .bashrc file (or reopen the terminal):

source $HOME/.bashrc

Selecting (sourcing) your preferred OpenFOAM version

Let's assume we have the following setup:

• OpenFOAM version installed: latest

In a terminal you can now source OpenFOAM with paths set correctly by typing:

of

If you want another version than the latest, you can type:

of 2312

Now, if all is set up correctly, you can type:

mkdir -p $FOAM_RUN

run

cp -r $FOAM_TUTORIALS/incompressible/simpleFoam/squareBend .

./Allrun

Your simulation should be running. When it's done you can find the results in your home folder, e.g. $HOME/openfoam-data (linux) or C:\Users\jakob\openfoam-data (Windows).