Scribd
Upload
2 views

TP Practical 1

The document outlines a practical exercise for simulating and analyzing the velocity profile of a Newtonian fluid in laminar flow between two horizontal plates using COMSOL Multiphysics. It details the steps for setting up the workspace, creating geometry, assigning material properties, defining physics, setting up the mesh, running the simulation, visualizing results, investigating parametric effects, and exporting results. The objective is to observe how the velocity profile changes with varying speeds of the moving top plate.

Uploaded by

Theodore Rogers
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
2 views

TP Practical 1

The document outlines a practical exercise for simulating and analyzing the velocity profile of a Newtonian fluid in laminar flow between two horizontal plates using COMSOL Multiphysics. It details the steps for setting up the workspace, creating geometry, assigning material properties, defining physics, setting up the mesh, running the simulation, visualizing results, investigating parametric effects, and exporting results. The objective is to observe how the velocity profile changes with varying speeds of the moving top plate.

Uploaded by

Theodore Rogers
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Course: Unit Operations I (Transport Phenomena)

Practical 1: Momentum Transport Between Horizontal Plates

Objective
To simulate and analyze the velocity profile of a Newtonian fluid undergoing laminar flow
between two horizontal plates, where the top plate is moving, and the bottom plate is
stationary.

Step 1: Setting Up Your COMSOL Workspace


1. Open COMSOL Multiphysics.
2. In the Model Wizard:
o Select 2D as the space dimension.
o In the Select Physics tree, select Fluid Flow>Single-Phase Flow>Laminar Flow (spf.
o Click Study and select Stationary.
o Click Done to create your workspace.
Step 2: Creating the Geometry
1. Navigate to the Geometry node.
2. Create a rectangle to represent the flow domain:
o Go to Geometry > Rectangle.
o Set the dimensions to Width = 10 cm (length of the plates) and Height = 1 cm
(gap between the plates).
o Position the rectangle at (0, 0).
o Click Build All to generate the shape.

Step 3: Assigning Material Properties


1. Navigate to the Materials node.
2. Add a material from the built-in library:
o Select Water, liquid from the Material Library to represent the Newtonian fluid.
o Assign the material to the geometry.

Step 4: Defining Physics


1. Navigate to the Laminar Flow (spf) node.
2. Set up boundary conditions:
o Top Plate (Moving Wall):
▪ Select the top boundary of the rectangle.
▪ Set the boundary condition to Wall.
▪ Enable Slip Velocity and set the velocity to u = 0.1 m/s in the x-direction.
o Bottom Plate (Stationary Wall):
▪ Select the bottom boundary of the rectangle.
▪ Set the boundary condition to Wall with a No-Slip condition.
o Inlet (Flow Initialization):
▪ Select the left vertical boundary.
▪ Apply an Inlet condition with a velocity of 0 m/s (fluid enters the domain
with no initial flow).
o Outlet:
▪ Select the right vertical boundary.
▪ Apply an Outlet condition with Pressure = 0 Pa.

Step 5: Setting Up the Mesh


1. Navigate to the Mesh node.
2. Choose Physics-Controlled Mesh and select Finer as the mesh size.
3. Click Build All to generate the mesh.

Step 6: Running the Simulation


1. Navigate to the Study node.
2. Click Compute to run the simulation.

Step 7: Visualizing Results


1. After the simulation completes, navigate to the Results node.
2. View the Velocity Profile:
o Click Surface Plot to visualize the velocity distribution across the flow domain.
o Adjust the color legend for better clarity.
3. Add a Line Plot:
o Under Velocity, select Line.
o Choose a vertical line at x = 5 cm to display the velocity profile across the gap
between the plates.
o Plot the velocity as a function of the height (y-coordinate).

Step 8: Investigating Parametric Effects


1. Navigate to the Study node.
2. Add a Parametric Sweep:
o Sweep the velocity of the top plate from 0.05 m/s to 0.2 m/s in increments of
0.05 m/s.
o Recompute the simulation to observe the changes in the velocity profile.
3. Analyze Results:
o Compare the line plots for different top plate velocities.

Step 9: Exporting Results


1. Save your work as a COMSOL file.
2. Export the simulation report
3. Export visualizations

You might also like