ANSYS TurboGrid Introduction
ANSYS TurboGrid Introduction
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Chapter 1: ANSYS TurboGrid Overview
ANSYS TurboGrid is a powerful tool that lets designers and analysts of rotating machinery create high-
quality hexahedral meshes, while preserving the underlying geometry. These meshes are used in the
ANSYS workflow to solve complex blade passage problems.
The ANSYS TurboGrid online product documentation is divided into five major areas:
A brief introduction, listing of new features, and detailed information about the ANSYS TurboGrid
Launcher
Detailed information about menu items, command actions, syntax, and so on.
Help on using ANSYS TurboGrid in ANSYS Workbench is provided in ANSYS TurboGrid in ANSYS Work-
bench (p. 5) and in the TurboSystem > ANSYS TurboGrid section of the ANSYS Workbench help.
ANSYS Workbench accepts commas as decimal delimiters, but translates these to periods when passing
data to ANSYS TurboGrid.
Note
TurboGrid will not function correctly on a Linux system with the environment variable
"LC_ALL" set to a locale which uses a comma delimiter. The environment variable "LANG"
can usually be used to set the locale instead.
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ANSYS TurboGrid Overview
Note
Note: The 3D viewer in CFX/CFD-Post/TurboGrid does not support the buttons of a 3Dcon-
nexion device. However it might be possible to use the software provided with the device
to configure the buttons so that they send key sequences that trigger 3D viewer actions.
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Chapter 2: Using the ANSYS TurboGrid Launcher
ANSYS TurboGrid can be run in two modes:
• ANSYS TurboGrid stand-alone, which refers to ANSYS TurboGrid running as a stand-alone application inde-
pendent of the ANSYS Workbench software.
• ANSYS TurboGrid Workbench, which refers to ANSYS TurboGrid running as a component inside of the ANSYS
Workbench software. This is described in ANSYS TurboGrid in ANSYS Workbench (p. 5).
ANSYS TurboGrid stand-alone has the ANSYS TurboGrid Launcher, which makes it easy to run all the
modules of CFX without having to use a command line. The launcher enables you to:
• Access various other tools, including a command window that enables you to run other utilities
The launcher automatically searches for installations of CFX and ANSYS products including the license
manager. Depending on the application, the search includes common installation directories, directories
pointed to by environment variables associated with CFX and ANSYS products, and the Windows registry.
In the unlikely event that a product is not found, you can configure the launcher using the steps outlined
in Customizing the ANSYS TurboGrid Launcher in the TurboGrid Reference Guide.
For more information about the launcher, see The ANSYS TurboGrid Launcher Interface in the TurboGrid
Reference Guide and Customizing the ANSYS TurboGrid Launcher in the TurboGrid Reference Guide.
• On Windows:
– From the Start menu, select Start > All Programs > ANSYS 18.0 > Meshing > TurboGrid 18.0.
– In a DOS window that has its path set up correctly to run ANSYS TurboGrid, enter cfxlaunch (otherwise,
you will need to enter the full pathname of the cfxlaunch command).
• On UNIX, enter cfxlaunch in a terminal window that has its path set up to run ANSYS TurboGrid.
To run ANSYS TurboGrid, start the launcher, set the working directory, then click TurboGrid 18.0.
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Chapter 3: ANSYS TurboGrid in ANSYS Workbench
Note
This chapter assumes that you are familiar with using ANSYS TurboGrid in stand-alone mode,
as described in Using the ANSYS TurboGrid Launcher (p. 3), and that you are familiar with
ANSYS Workbench.
This chapter describes using ANSYS TurboGrid in ANSYS Workbench. The following topics are discussed:
3.1.The ANSYS Workbench Interface
3.2. Example Workflow involving ANSYS TurboGrid
3.3. Known Limitations of ANSYS TurboGrid Running in ANSYS Workbench
For an example workflow that includes the use of ANSYS TurboGrid, see TurboSystem Workflows in the
TurboSystem User's Guide.
For information about using ANSYS Workbench journaling and scripting with ANSYS TurboGrid, including
a special note about playing older journal and session files, see Using ANSYS Workbench Journaling
and Scripting with TurboSystem in the TurboSystem User's Guide.
To launch ANSYS Workbench on Linux, open a command line interface, type the path to “runwb2” (for
example, “~/ansys_inc/v180/Framework/bin/Linux64/runwb2”), then press Enter.
The ANSYS Workbench interface is organized to make it easy to choose the tool set that will enable
you to solve particular types of problems. Once you have chosen a system from the Toolbox and moved
it into the Project Schematic, supporting features such as Properties and Messages provide orienting
information. These features and the status indicators in the system cells guide you through the completion
of the System steps.
The figure that follows shows ANSYS Workbench with a TurboGrid component system open and the
properties of cell C2 (Turbo Mesh) displayed:
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ANSYS TurboGrid in ANSYS Workbench
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The ANSYS Workbench Interface
3.1.1. Toolbox
The Toolbox shows the systems available to you:
Analysis Systems
Systems that match the workflow required to solve particular types of problems. For example, the Fluid
Flow (CFX) system contains tools for creating the geometry, performing the meshing, setting up the
solver, using the solver to derive the solution, and viewing the results.
Component Systems
Software elements upon which Analysis Systems are based. For example, the CFX component system
contains Setup (CFX-Pre), Solution (CFX-Solver Manager), and Results (CFD-Post). The Results component
system contains only Results (CFD-Post).
Custom Systems
Systems that combine separate analysis systems. For example, the FSI: Fluid Flow (CFX) > Static Structural
system combines ANSYS CFX and the Mechanical application to perform a unidirectional (that is, one-way)
Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) analysis.
Design Exploration
Systems that enable you to see how changes to parameters affect the performance of the system.
Note
Which systems are shown in the Toolbox depends on the licenses that exist on your system.
You can hide systems by enabling View > Toolbox Customization and clearing the check
box beside the name of the system you want to hide.
When you move a system from the Component Systems toolbox to the Project Schematic, you will
see a set of tools similar to the following:
Each white cell represents a step in solving a problem. Right-click the cell to see what options are
available for you to complete a step.
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ANSYS TurboGrid in ANSYS Workbench
• Transfer Data To New > CFX adds a new CFX component system that uses the mesh from the Turbo Mesh
cell.
To display the Properties for a particular cell, right-click the cell and select Properties. Once the
Properties view is open, simply selecting a cell in the Project Schematic will display that cell's properties.
The properties specific to the Turbo Mesh cell of the TurboGrid system are documented in TurboGrid
in the TurboSystem User's Guide.
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Example Workflow involving ANSYS TurboGrid
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ANSYS TurboGrid in ANSYS Workbench
In this example, the pump impeller is generated in BladeGen, has fillets added in BladeEditor, and is
meshed in ANSYS TurboGrid. The pump diffuser is generated in BladeGen and is meshed in ANSYS
TurboGrid. Both meshes are used in a CFD analysis.
3. Add a BladeGen system by double-clicking BladeGen in the toolbox, under Component Systems.
Alternatively, you can drag a BladeGen system from the toolbox to the Project Schematic.
4. Add a Geometry system to the BladeGen system by any one of the following methods:
• Double-click a Geometry system in the toolbox to add a Geometry system to the schematic, then drag
from the Blade Design cell to the Geometry cell to connect the systems.
• Drag a Geometry system from the toolbox to the Project Schematic, then drag from the Blade Design
cell to the Geometry cell to connect the systems.
• Drag a Geometry system from the toolbox to the Blade Design cell.
• Right-click the Blade Design cell and select Transfer Data To New > Geometry.
You can enter a name for a system when you first create the system. You can also initiate a rename
operation by right-clicking the upper-left corner of the system and selecting Rename from the
shortcut menu.
7. Edit each cell in sequence, starting from the upstream cell, and use the associated software to provide
the required data.
For example, after editing the Blade Design cell to provide a geometry, edit the Turbo Mesh cell
to create a mesh in ANSYS TurboGrid.
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Known Limitations of ANSYS TurboGrid Running in ANSYS Workbench
Important
Saving a project enables you to re-open the project on the machine that originally created
it. To make the project available on another machine, you need to use File > Archive to
create a project archive. To open the project on a different machine, run File > Restore
Archive on that machine.
• The mesh is always saved in the “Combined in one domain, one file” mode and in the user-preferred length
unit.
• ANSYS TurboGrid in ANSYS Workbench does not support the use of filenames or project names that contain
either the "$", ”#”, or "," characters anywhere in their filepath.
• If you play a journal file on a platform that is different from the one used to record it, you might encounter
a problem. For example, a journal file recorded on Windows and played on Linux can result in a different
number of outlet points being generated. This can happen due to different amounts of round-off error, and
can lead to errors being generated.
• If an upstream or downstream adjacent blade is specified for computing inlet or outlet locations and an
error occurs while loading/refreshing the geometry then the inlet/outlet locations will not be computed
based on the adjacent blade. Once the cause of the original error is fixed, closing and reopening TurboGrid
will fix this problem.
• If the number of blades in an upstream geometry is changed then TurboGrid may produce some error/warning
messages when it is opened. This is not indicative of a real issue. Closing and re-opening TurboGrid will
result in everything being updated correctly.
• Although the names of design parameters can be modified using the Parameter Manager within ANSYS
Workbench, this is not recommended, because the new names will not be reflected within the TurboGrid
application user interfaces.
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Chapter 4: ANSYS TurboGrid Help and Conventions
This chapter describes:
4.1. Accessing Help
4.2. Using the Search Feature
4.3. Document Conventions
• Select the appropriate command from the Help menu of the ANSYS TurboGrid Launcher or ANSYS TurboGrid.
The help will open in the ANSYS Help Viewer.
• Click a feature of the ANSYS TurboGrid interface to make it active and, with the mouse pointer over the
feature, press the F1 key for context-sensitive help (that is, the online help opens at the appropriate page
for the feature under the mouse pointer). Not every area of the interface supports context-sensitive help.
For information on using the ANSYS Help Viewer, see Using Help.
For further information about tutorials and documentation on the ANSYS Customer Portal, go to http://
support.ansys.com/docinfo.
PDF help is available in the ANSYS Customer Portal. The following table lists the PDF files available for
ANSYS TurboGrid:
For information on the ANSYS Help Viewer search function, see Searching in the Using Help section.
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ANSYS TurboGrid Help and Conventions
mkdir /usr/local/cfx
you should actually type cfx5 -def, and substitute a suitable filename for <def_file>.
Here the arguments -help, -verbose, and -display are optional, but if you specify -display,
you must then specify a suitable display server (represented by <display>).
On a Linux system, you may type the “\” characters, pressing Enter after each. However, on a Windows
machine you must enter the whole command without the “\” characters; continue typing if the command
is too long to fit in the command prompt window and press Enter only at the end of the complete
command.
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Document Conventions
<os> refers to the short form of the name which ANSYS CFX uses to identify the operating system in
question. <os> will generally be used for directory names where the contents of the directory depend
on the operating system but do not depend on the release of the operating system or on the processor
type. Wherever you see <os> in the text you should substitute with the operating system name. The
correct value can be determined by running:
<CFXROOT>/bin/cfx5info -os
<arch> refers to the long form of the name which ANSYS CFX uses to identify the system architecture
in question. <arch> will generally be used for directory names where the contents of the directory
depend on the operating system and on the release of the operating system or the processor type.
Wherever you see <arch> in the text you should substitute the appropriate value for your system,
which can be determined by running the command:
<CFXROOT>/bin/cfx5info -arch
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Chapter 5: Contact Information
Technical Support for ANSYS, Inc. products is provided either by ANSYS, Inc. directly or by one of our
certified ANSYS Support Providers. Please check with the ANSYS Support Coordinator (ASC) at your
company to determine who provides support for your company, or go to www.ansys.com and select
Contacts> Contacts and Locations.
If your support is provided by ANSYS, Inc. directly, Technical Support can be accessed quickly and effi-
ciently from the ANSYS Customer Portal, which is available from the ANSYS Website (www.ansys.com)
under Support > Customer Portal. The direct URL is: support.ansys.com.
One of the many useful features of the Customer Portal is the Knowledge Resources Search, which can
be found on the Home page of the Customer Portal. To use this feature, enter relevant text (error
message, etc.) in the Knowledge Resources Search box and click the magnifying glass icon. These
Knowledge Resources provide solutions and guidance on how to resolve installation and licensing issues
quickly.
NORTH AMERICA
All ANSYS Products except Esterel, Apache and Reaction Design products
Web: Go to the ANSYS Customer Portal (http://support.ansys.com) and select the appropriate option.
Toll-Free Telephone: 1.800.711.7199 (Please have your Customer or Contact ID ready.)
Support for University customers is provided only through the ANSYS Customer Portal.
GERMANY
ANSYS Mechanical Products
Telephone: +49 (0) 8092 7005-55 (CADFEM)
Email: [email protected]
All ANSYS Products
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National Toll-Free Telephone: (Please have your Customer or Contact ID ready.)
German language: 0800 181 8499
English language: 0800 181 1565
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English language: +49 6151 152 9982
Email: [email protected]
UNITED KINGDOM
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Contact Information
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CFX and Mechanical Products
Telephone: +81-3-5324-7305
Email:
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Fluent: [email protected];
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