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Intro

This document provides an introduction to using Fluent CFD software. It discusses that Fluent aims to numerically solve fluid flow equations for a given geometry. It provides tools for mesh generation, setting up problems, implementing models, and post-processing results. The document warns that CFD simulations still greatly simplify turbulent fluid behavior and many models are empirical. It emphasizes validating simulations and gaining a strong understanding of modeling assumptions.

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Ankur Mour
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
21 views

Intro

This document provides an introduction to using Fluent CFD software. It discusses that Fluent aims to numerically solve fluid flow equations for a given geometry. It provides tools for mesh generation, setting up problems, implementing models, and post-processing results. The document warns that CFD simulations still greatly simplify turbulent fluid behavior and many models are empirical. It emphasizes validating simulations and gaining a strong understanding of modeling assumptions.

Uploaded by

Ankur Mour
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to Fluent

What CFD packages do


 Aim is to solve, numerically, the equations of
motion (continuity and motion) for a fluid for a
given flow geometry:

 Plus transport equations for any additional models


such as heat transfer and/or turbulence models
What CFD packages provide
 Offer a CAD/GUI based facility for generating meshes
or grids for a flow geometry
 Provide a GUI based facility to set up flow problems
using the grid
 Can enable established models without hard coding
 Provide reasonably robust solvers to get converged
numerical solutions
 Provide post processing tools to analyse results
 Provide a facility to implement user defined models
 The UQ licence is for Fluent
Why are you doing CFD?
 If you have an accurate CFD simulation then
– You will gain a detailed understanding of the flow
physics. This should enable you to understand
why particular things happen, which may be
difficult or impossible to verify experimentally
– You can use the simulations to quickly assess
geometric and flow modifications for design or
R&D purposes without resorting to prototyping
– This is CFD from an industrial perspective as it
should be
Why are you doing CFD?
 If you don’t have an accurate simulation then
– You are doing CFD research
– You need to think about experimental verification
– You need to get a competent grasp of the physical
assumptions behind the models so that you find
out what is going wrong and propose
modifications
– This is a PhD project
– This is also as it should be
In Practice
 Industry may see CFD as a quick fix
 Some dope who doesn’t really
understand the physics of flows will
cook up an apparent solution that looks
pretty but results in a total stuff up
when implemented. This is easy to do
The aim of this course
 To teach you not to be that dope
(hopefully)
A warning
 CFD is a very young branch of engineering
 Even though the modeling capabilities of CFD
packages appear to be immense, the modeling still
grossly simplifies the behavior of turbulent flows
 Most (All??) turbulence models are empirical and it
may come as a surprise but are based on some very
smelly assumptions (particularly the k-e model!!!!)
 Advanced turbulence modeling (RSM or LES) is still
under development
 CFD is only now being applied to multiphase flows
Questionable assumptions of the
Standard k-e turbulence model
 Makes the Bousinessq approximation
 treats the turbulence only as a turbulent kinetic energy
and makes no attempt to model scales of turbulence
 this intrinsically assumes that turbulence is iso-tropic
 the model is an empirical model tuned for high Re flows
 but it wasn’t until the mid 1990’s that computers came
into wide spread use that could even use this model for
engineering flows !!!!
 but for a lot of problems it gives accurate results
 for others it gives poor results
Example of what to expect
 Cyclone separator for Overflow

mineral processing
Feed
 concentration of mineral
slurries on density or particle
size
 swirl induced due to
tangential feed
%UF
 flow reversal
 air core forms due to
negative pressure induced by
swirl m
Increasing particle density

Underflow
CFD modeling of cyclone
separators
 Swirl and flow reversal results in highly
strained flows
 air core makes modeling at least a two
phase flow problem
 if you consider the solids it is a three
phase flow problem
 Air core for
a DMC with
a poor
mesh
 t-grid mesh
 Air core
for a DMC
with a
better
mesh
 cooper
mesh
but…..
 Even with the better mesh the flow out the
underflow is too large
 Experimental underflows are ~15% of feed
flow rate. I am getting ~40% reporting to
underflow
 This happens with the RSM turbulence model
which is supposed to be the best model for
swirling flows if you survey the literature
so...
 I have have to think fairly hard about
the physics over the next few months
 and also think about the funding for
project
Basic Steps in CFD are
 Mesh Generation - Gambit
 Problem set up - partly Gambit, partly
Fluent
 Initialisation and solution - Fluent
 Validation
 Maybe start again
Gambit
 This is the meshing tool used by Fluent
 Geometric model of the flow domain is
drawn using the CAD functionality (points,
lines, faces, volumes)
 Mesh is generated (line, face and volume
meshes)
 and mesh is checked
 Nature of the flow domain is specified
Gambit
 Boundary condition types are specified
(wall, velocity inlet, outlet)
 Solver type is specified (Fluent 4, 5, 6)
 Mesh is exported to a file *.msh
 Mesh and geometry is stored in a
database *.dbs
Fluent
 Mesh is read into Fluent
 Mesh is checked by Fluent and scaled
 Type of fluid is specified in Fluent (eg water air)
 If flow is turbulent then specify a turbulence
model
 Boundary conditions are chosen
 Other models are enabled depending on the
nature of the problem
Fluent
 Implement user designed functions
 Discretization methods are chosen
 Problem is initialized
 Solver is started
 Once convergence is reached (non-trivial),
the solution is checked for validity
 Intermediate cases should be saved along the
way (you’ll learn this the hard way)

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