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Time-marching
Generated from SU2 commit
6b54b78464on 2026-10-23. Do not edit this page. Edit the comment above the option inCommon/src/CConfig.cppinstead.
TIME_MARCHING
Unsteady simulation
More in config_template.cfg: Unsteady simulation (NO, TIME_STEPPING, DUAL_TIME_STEPPING-1ST_ORDER, DUAL_TIME_STEPPING-2ND_ORDER, HARMONIC_BALANCE)
- Type: one of the values below
- Values:
NO,TIME_STEPPING,DUAL_TIME_STEPPING-1ST_ORDER,DUAL_TIME_STEPPING-2ND_ORDER,HARMONIC_BALANCE,ROTATIONAL_FRAME - Default:
NO - In config_template.cfg:
TIME_MARCHING= NO - Mentioned in: Guide to Version v7, Hybrid RANS/LES (DES), Setup Guide: Heat Transfer and Conjugate Heat Transfer, Setup Guide: Incompressible Flows, Setup Guide: Unsteady Flows and DES, Solver Setup and 5 more
- Used in 70 test case files, for example:
aeroelastic_NACA64A010.cfg(DUAL_TIME_STEPPING-2ND_ORDER),cylinder.cfg(DUAL_TIME_STEPPING-1ST_ORDER),HB.cfg(HARMONIC_BALANCE) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1901
CFL_NUMBER
Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy condition of the finest grid
More in config_template.cfg: CFL number (initial value for the adaptive CFL number)
- Type: real number
- Default:
1.25 - In config_template.cfg:
CFL_NUMBER= 15.0 - Mentioned in: Setup Guide: Heat Transfer and Conjugate Heat Transfer, Setup Guide: Incompressible Flows, Setup Guide: Laminar-Turbulent Transition, Setup Guide: Non-Ideal Compressible Flows, Setup Guide: Shape Optimization with the Discrete Adjoint, Setup Guide: Species Transport and Combustion and 8 more
- Used in 372 test case files, for example:
aeroelastic_NACA64A010.cfg(100.0),air_nozzle_restart.cfg(1000.0),backwardStep.cfg(2.0) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1903
MAX_DELTA_TIME
Max time step in local time stepping simulations
More in config_template.cfg: Maximum Delta Time in local time stepping simulations
- Type: real number
- Default:
1000000 - In config_template.cfg:
MAX_DELTA_TIME= 1E6 - Mentioned in: Setup Guide: Non-Ideal Compressible Flows
- Used in 35 test case files, for example:
air_nozzle_restart.cfg(1E6),solid.cfg(1.0),def_NACA4412.cfg(1E10) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1905
OUTLIER_MITIGATION_PARAM
! DESCRIPTION: Parameters of the outlier mitigation strategy: start iteration, update frequency, print frequency, and number of standard deviations (N sigma) to identify outliers statistically.
More in config_template.cfg: For the compressible solver only (EULER, NS, RANS). Detect non-physical solutions statistically instead of relying just on zero or negative pressure or temperature, treat all points where temperature is further than N standard deviations from the mean as non-physical (MUSCL off and potentially higher dissipation). Strategy starts at inner iteration I, mean and sigma update every F, and distribution is printed every P updates.
- Type: fixed-size list of integers
- Default: Not extracted; see the code.
- In config_template.cfg:
% OUTLIER_MITIGATION_PARAM= (I, F, P, N). With the default start iteration this is essentially off. - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1910
CFL_ADAPT
Activate The adaptive CFL number.
More in config_template.cfg: Adaptive CFL number (NO, YES)
- Type: YES / NO
- Default:
NO - In config_template.cfg:
CFL_ADAPT= NO - Mentioned in: Setup Guide: Incompressible Flows, Setup Guide: Laminar-Turbulent Transition, Setup Guide: Non-Ideal Compressible Flows, Setup Guide: Species Transport and Combustion, Setup Guide: Steady RANS for External Aerodynamics, Setup Guide: Unsteady Flows and DES and 3 more
- Used in 254 test case files, for example:
air_nozzle_restart.cfg(NO),config.cfg(YES) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1912
CFL_ADAPT_PARAM
! DESCRIPTION: Parameters of the adaptive CFL number (factor down, factor up, CFL limit (min and max)[, acceptable linear residual][, starting iteration]). Parameters in square brackets are optional, parameter “starting iteration” only valid with parameter “acceptable linear residual”. Factor down generally <1.0, factor up generally > 1.0 to cause the CFL to increase when the under-relaxation parameter is 1.0 and to decrease when the under-relaxation parameter is less than 0.1. Factor is multiplicative.
More in config_template.cfg: Parameters of the adaptive CFL number (factor-down, factor-up, CFL min value, CFL max value, acceptable linear solver convergence, starting iteration) After the starting iteration has passed, local CFL increases by factor-up until max if the solution rate of change is not limited, and acceptable linear convergence is achieved. It is reduced if rate is limited, or if there is not enough linear convergence, or if the nonlinear residuals are stagnant and oscillatory. It is reset back to min when linear solvers diverge, or if nonlinear residuals increase too much.
- Type: list of real numbers
- In config_template.cfg:
CFL_ADAPT_PARAM= ( 0.1, 2.0, 10.0, 1e10, 0.001, 0) - Mentioned in: Changes in Version 8, Setup Guide: Incompressible Flows, Setup Guide: Laminar-Turbulent Transition, Setup Guide: Non-Ideal Compressible Flows, Setup Guide: Species Transport and Combustion, Setup Guide: Steady RANS for External Aerodynamics and 3 more
- Used in 203 test case files, for example:
config.cfg(( 0.5, 1.01, 1.0, 5, 0.0001)),inv_NACA0012.cfg(( 1.5, 0.5, 1.0, 100.0 )),flow_cylinder.cfg(( 1.5, 0.5, 10.0, 10000.0 )) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1924
CFL_REDUCTION_ADJFLOW
Reduction factor of the CFL coefficient in the adjoint problem
- Type: real number
- Default:
0.8 - In config_template.cfg:
CFL_REDUCTION_ADJFLOW= 0.8 - Mentioned in: Setup Guide: Shape Optimization with the Discrete Adjoint, Unconstrained shape design of a transonic inviscid airfoil at a cte. AoA
- Used in 61 test case files, for example:
inv_NACA0012.cfg(0.5),inv_wedge_ROE.cfg(0.8),lam_cylinder.cfg(0.75) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1926
CFL_REDUCTION_TURB
Reduction factor of the CFL coefficient in the level set problem
More in config_template.cfg: Reduction factor of the CFL coefficient in the turbulence problem
- Type: real number
- Default:
1.0 - In config_template.cfg:
CFL_REDUCTION_TURB= 1.0 - Mentioned in: Setup Guide: Laminar-Turbulent Transition, Setup Guide: Species Transport and Combustion, Setup Guide: Steady RANS for External Aerodynamics
- Used in 67 test case files, for example:
air_nozzle_restart.cfg(1.0),turb_SST_RAE2822.cfg(0.5),aachen_3D_MP_restart.cfg(0.1) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1928
CFL_REDUCTION_ADJTURB
Reduction factor of the CFL coefficient in the turbulent adjoint problem
More in config_template.cfg: Reduction factor of the CFL coefficient in the adjoint turbulent problem
- Type: real number
- Default:
1.0 - In config_template.cfg:
CFL_REDUCTION_ADJTURB= 0.01 - Used in 1 test case file, for example:
transonic_stator.cfg(0.01) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1930
CFL_REDUCTION_SPECIES
Reduction factor of the CFL coefficient in the species problem
- Type: real number
- Default:
1.0 - In config_template.cfg:
CFL_REDUCTION_SPECIES= 1.0 - Mentioned in: Setup Guide: Species Transport and Combustion, Species Transport
- Used in 24 test case files, for example:
lam_prem_ch4_cfd.cfg(1.0),species2_primitiveVenturi_mixingmodel_TURBULENT_MARKERS.cfg(0.1) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1932
EXT_ITER_OFFSET
External iteration offset due to restart
- Type: integer
- Default:
0 - In config_template.cfg:
EXT_ITER_OFFSET= 0 - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1934
RK_ALPHA_COEFF
Runge-Kutta alpha coefficients
- Type: list of real numbers
- In config_template.cfg:
RK_ALPHA_COEFF= ( 0.66667, 0.66667, 1.000000 ) - Used in 150 test case files, for example:
backwardStep.cfg(( 0.66667, 0.66667, 1.000000 )),InviscidVortex.cfg(( 0.666667, 0.666667, 1.0 )),fem_NACA0012.cfg(( 0.666667, 0.666667 , 1.0 )) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1937
LEVELS_TIME_ACCURATE_LTS
Number of time levels for time accurate local time stepping.
More in config_template.cfg: Number of time levels for time accurate local time stepping. (1 by default, max. allowed 15)
- Type: integer
- Default:
1 - In config_template.cfg:
LEVELS_TIME_ACCURATE_LTS= 1 - Used in 2 test case files, for example:
fem_Sphere_reg_ADER.cfg(4),fem_unst_cylinder_ADER.cfg(8) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1939
TIME_DOFS_ADER_DG
Number of time DOFs used in the predictor step of ADER-DG.
More in config_template.cfg: Number of time DOFs for the predictor step of ADER-DG (2 by default)
- Type: integer
- Default:
2 - In config_template.cfg:
TIME_DOFS_ADER_DG= 2 - Used in 2 test case files, for example:
fem_Sphere_reg_ADER.cfg(3) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1941
UNST_CFL_NUMBER
Unsteady Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy number of the finest grid
- Type: real number
- Default:
0.0 - In config_template.cfg:
UNST_CFL_NUMBER= 0.0 - Mentioned in: Setup Guide: Unsteady Flows and DES
- Used in 11 test case files, for example:
backwardStep.cfg(0.0),fem_Sphere_reg_ADER.cfg(0.15),fem_unst_cylinder.cfg(0.05) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1943
TIME_INSTANCES
Integer number of periodic time instances for Harmonic Balance
- Type: integer
- Default:
1 - In config_template.cfg:
TIME_INSTANCES= 1 - Used in 2 test case files, for example:
HB.cfg(3),davis.cfg(7) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1945
HB_PERIOD
Time period for Harmonic Balance wihtout moving meshes
- Type: real number
- Default:
-1.0 - In config_template.cfg:
HB_PERIOD= -1 - Used in 2 test case files, for example:
HB.cfg(0.05891103435003335),davis.cfg(0.057465) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1947
HB_PRECONDITION
Turn on/off harmonic balance preconditioning
- Type: YES / NO
- Default:
NO - In config_template.cfg:
HB_PRECONDITION= NO - Used in 1 test case file, for example:
davis.cfg(YES) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1949
UNST_ADJOINT_ITER
Starting direct solver iteration for the unsteady adjoint
- Type: integer
- Default:
0 - In config_template.cfg:
UNST_ADJOINT_ITER= 0 - Mentioned in: Unsteady Shape Optimization NACA0012
- Used in 18 test case files, for example:
chtMaster.cfg(56),inv_NACA0012_pitching.cfg(151),inv_NACA0012_pitching_deform.cfg(5) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1951
ITER_AVERAGE_OBJ
Number of iterations to average the objective
More in config_template.cfg: Number of iterations to average the objective function for unsteady adjoints, 0 averages over all time iterations, “N” averages over the last N iterations.
- Type: integer
- Default:
0 - In config_template.cfg:
ITER_AVERAGE_OBJ= 0 - Mentioned in: Unsteady Shape Optimization NACA0012
- Used in 9 test case files, for example:
chtMaster.cfg(54),config.cfg(3),cylinder.cfg(10) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1953
TIME_DISCRE_FLOW
Time discretization
More in config_template.cfg: Time discretization (RUNGE-KUTTA_EXPLICIT, EULER_IMPLICIT, EULER_EXPLICIT)
- Type: one of the values below
- Values:
RUNGE-KUTTA_EXPLICIT,EULER_EXPLICIT,EULER_IMPLICIT,CLASSICAL_RK4_EXPLICIT,ADER_DG - Default:
EULER_IMPLICIT - In config_template.cfg:
TIME_DISCRE_FLOW= EULER_IMPLICIT - Mentioned in: Setup Guide: Heat Transfer and Conjugate Heat Transfer, Setup Guide: Incompressible Flows, Setup Guide: Laminar-Turbulent Transition, Setup Guide: Shape Optimization with the Discrete Adjoint, Setup Guide: Species Transport and Combustion, Setup Guide: Steady RANS for External Aerodynamics and 4 more
- Used in 325 test case files, for example:
aeroelastic_NACA64A010.cfg(EULER_IMPLICIT),inv_channel_RK.cfg(RUNGE-KUTTA_EXPLICIT),InviscidVortex.cfg(CLASSICAL_RK4_EXPLICIT) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1955
TIME_DISCRE_FEM_FLOW
Time discretization
More in config_template.cfg: Time discretization (RUNGE-KUTTA_EXPLICIT, CLASSICAL_RK4_EXPLICIT, ADER_DG)
- Type: one of the values below
- Values:
RUNGE-KUTTA_EXPLICIT,EULER_EXPLICIT,EULER_IMPLICIT,CLASSICAL_RK4_EXPLICIT,ADER_DG - Default:
RUNGE-KUTTA_EXPLICIT - In config_template.cfg:
TIME_DISCRE_FEM_FLOW= RUNGE-KUTTA_EXPLICIT - Used in 35 test case files, for example:
InviscidVortex.cfg(CLASSICAL_RK4_EXPLICIT),fem_NACA0012.cfg(RUNGE-KUTTA_EXPLICIT),fem_Sphere_reg_ADER.cfg(ADER_DG) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1957
ADER_PREDICTOR
ADER-DG predictor step
More in config_template.cfg: Type of discretization used in the predictor step of ADER-DG (ADER_ALIASED_PREDICTOR, ADER_NON_ALIASED_PREDICTOR)
- Type: one of the values below
- Values:
ADER_ALIASED_PREDICTOR,ADER_NON_ALIASED_PREDICTOR - Default:
ADER_ALIASED_PREDICTOR - In config_template.cfg:
ADER_PREDICTOR= ADER_ALIASED_PREDICTOR - Used in 2 test case files, for example:
fem_Sphere_reg_ADER.cfg(ADER_ALIASED_PREDICTOR) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1959
TIME_DISCRE_ADJFLOW
Time discretization
More in config_template.cfg: Time discretization (RUNGE-KUTTA_EXPLICIT, EULER_IMPLICIT)
- Type: one of the values below
- Values:
RUNGE-KUTTA_EXPLICIT,EULER_EXPLICIT,EULER_IMPLICIT,CLASSICAL_RK4_EXPLICIT,ADER_DG - Default:
EULER_IMPLICIT - In config_template.cfg:
TIME_DISCRE_ADJFLOW= EULER_IMPLICIT - Mentioned in: Unconstrained shape design of a transonic inviscid airfoil at a cte. AoA
- Used in 61 test case files, for example:
inv_NACA0012.cfg(EULER_IMPLICIT) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1961
TIME_DISCRE_TURB
Time discretization
More in config_template.cfg: Time discretization (EULER_IMPLICIT, EULER_EXPLICIT)
- Type: one of the values below
- Values:
RUNGE-KUTTA_EXPLICIT,EULER_EXPLICIT,EULER_IMPLICIT,CLASSICAL_RK4_EXPLICIT,ADER_DG - Default:
EULER_IMPLICIT - In config_template.cfg:
TIME_DISCRE_TURB= EULER_IMPLICIT - Mentioned in: Setup Guide: Laminar-Turbulent Transition, Setup Guide: Steady RANS for External Aerodynamics, Setup Guide: Unsteady Flows and DES, Turbulent Flat Plate
- Used in 126 test case files, for example:
air_nozzle_restart.cfg(EULER_IMPLICIT),turb_NACA0012_sst_expliciteuler.cfg(EULER_EXPLICIT) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1963
TIME_DISCRE_ADJTURB
Time discretization
More in config_template.cfg: Time discretization (EULER_IMPLICIT)
- Type: one of the values below
- Values:
RUNGE-KUTTA_EXPLICIT,EULER_EXPLICIT,EULER_IMPLICIT,CLASSICAL_RK4_EXPLICIT,ADER_DG - Default:
EULER_IMPLICIT - In config_template.cfg:
TIME_DISCRE_ADJTURB= EULER_IMPLICIT - Used in 1 test case file, for example:
transonic_stator.cfg(EULER_IMPLICIT) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1965
TIME_DISCRE_SPECIES
Time discretization for species equations
More in config_template.cfg: Time discretization for species equations (EULER_IMPLICIT, EULER_EXPLICIT)
- Type: one of the values below
- Values:
RUNGE-KUTTA_EXPLICIT,EULER_EXPLICIT,EULER_IMPLICIT,CLASSICAL_RK4_EXPLICIT,ADER_DG - Default:
EULER_IMPLICIT - In config_template.cfg:
TIME_DISCRE_SPECIES= EULER_IMPLICIT - Mentioned in: Setup Guide: Species Transport and Combustion, Composition-Dependent model for Species Transport equations, Species Transport
- Used in 29 test case files, for example:
lam_prem_ch4_cfd.cfg(EULER_IMPLICIT) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1967
TIME_DISCRE_FEA
Time discretization
- Type: one of the values below
- Values:
NEWMARK_IMPLICIT - Default:
NEWMARK_IMPLICIT - In config_template.cfg:
TIME_DISCRE_FEA= NEWMARK_IMPLICIT - Mentioned in: Changes in Version 8, Linear Dynamics
- Used in 6 test case files, for example:
configFEA.cfg(NEWMARK_IMPLICIT) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1969
TIME_DISCRE_RADIATION
Time discretization for radiation problems
More in config_template.cfg: Time discretization for radiation problems (EULER_IMPLICIT)
- Type: one of the values below
- Values:
RUNGE-KUTTA_EXPLICIT,EULER_EXPLICIT,EULER_IMPLICIT,CLASSICAL_RK4_EXPLICIT,ADER_DG - Default:
EULER_IMPLICIT - In config_template.cfg:
TIME_DISCRE_RADIATION = EULER_IMPLICIT - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1971
TIME_DISCRE_HEAT
Time discretization
- Type: one of the values below
- Values:
RUNGE-KUTTA_EXPLICIT,EULER_EXPLICIT,EULER_IMPLICIT,CLASSICAL_RK4_EXPLICIT,ADER_DG - Default:
EULER_IMPLICIT - In config_template.cfg:
TIME_DISCRE_HEAT= EULER_IMPLICIT - Mentioned in: Setup Guide: Heat Transfer and Conjugate Heat Transfer
- Used in 25 test case files, for example:
solid_cylinder1.cfg(EULER_IMPLICIT) - Code:
CConfig.cppline 1973
TIMESTEP_HEAT
Time discretization
- Type: one of the values below
- Values:
LOCAL,CONVECTIVE,VISCOUS,BYFLOW - Default:
LOCAL - Not in config_template.cfg.
- Mentioned in: Setup Guide: Heat Transfer and Conjugate Heat Transfer
- Code:
CConfig.cppline 1975