Modeling CFD Specific Domain Using HyperMesh 10.

0 for a Display Case Used

in the Retail Industry
Sandeep Palaksha

Abhijith Balakrishna

CAE Analyst
Ingersoll Rand
Plot No.35, KIADB Industrial
Area, Bidadi
Bangalore - 562109, India

CFD Engineer
Ingersoll Rand
Plot No.35, KIADB Industrial
Area, Bidadi
Bangalore - 562109, India

Abbreviations: CFD - Computational Fluid Dynamics.

Keywords: CFD, Display Case.

Abstract
Island Case Display Merchandisers (Medium Temperature) are used in supermarkets across the globe, wherein customers can directly
access the Products kept on the Shelves of the Case. So the Product Temperatures are critical to our Business. For a complete CFD and Heat Transfer
Analysis, HyperMesh Tool was used to build a domain incorporating the display case as well as the Test Lab conditions to realize CFD simulation
results closer to that of Lab results.
Advantages of using HyperMesh over other Pre-Processing tools:
1. One of the major advantages we found was that we could build our mesh without actually having pre-defined surfaces or geometries. This saved a
lot of modeling time as we did not have the CAD model for the Lab Room and other critical components.
2. Any modification on the fluid domain like inserting a new surface or re-positioning an existing surface is easier in HyperMesh, as we need not
delete the entire fluid domain. Just have to re-generate that volume were the modifications were made.
In CFD simulation, we achieved good results which were comparable with the actual Lab tested results. Thus, the HyperMesh Model serves as a
Virtual Test Bed for all our future CFD Simulations.

Introduction
CFD and Heat Transfer Analysis is critical in Refrigerated Display case Market, as it predicts the flow and the
related thermal behavior in and around the case which in turn determines the Temperature of the Products kept on the
shelves of these cases. Thus, a Pre-Processing tool such as HyperMesh plays a major role in terms building a
computational Domain for achieving close results to that of the real time tests.

Process Methodology
As a preliminary step, CAD model shown in Figure 1 was imported into HM for geometry clean up. Only
those surfaces were retained through which the flow interacts, in other terms the Fluid Domain was extracted. Once the
base model was done, features that were missing in the initial CAD model were built based on the available data like
placement of products on shelves (Figure 2) and modeling of LAB conditions around the Case. Also, an additional case
was attached, shown in Figure 3, to the base model for which we did not have the CAD data. HM tool was extremely
useful in doing this. Triangular and Tetrahedral elements were used to generate shell and solid elements respectively.

Simulation Driven Innovation

The total element count came close to 3.5 Million (Tetrahedral Cells). A cut section of the completed Mesh Model is
shown in Figure 5. Care was taken make sure that any approximation made was validated.
Quality Parameters Checked:
Tet Collapse
Skewness
Aspect Ratio

Figure 1: Iso-View of the CAD Model

Figure 3: Additional Case Attached to Initial Case.

Simulation Driven Innovation

0.1
60 Deg
8-10

Figure 2: Case with Products after meshing.

Figure 4: Complete Domain with Case.

Figure 5: Cut Plane showing the Mesh.

Results & Discussions

Once the Mesh Model was ready, it was imported into CFD Solver FLUENT for carrying out Flow and
Thermal Simulations. It was found that, the CFD predicted results in terms of Product Temperatures were close to that
of the LAB measured Data. Thus, this HM Model was further used to carry out the design alternatives more
economically.

Benefits Summary
1. One of the major advantages we found was that we could build our mesh without actually having pre-defined
surfaces or geometries. This saved a lot of modeling time as we did not have the CAD model for the Lab Room and
other critical components.
2. Any modification on the fluid domain like inserting a new surface or re-positioning an existing surface is easier in
HyperMesh, as we need not delete the entire fluid domain. Just have to re-generate that volume were the modifications
were made.

Challenges
While modeling it was found that if many sub-volumes existed (within which we did not want the mesh)
within the bigger volume, while generating solid mesh for the bigger volume, elements used to creep into the smaller
volumes. To overcome this, we had to subdivide the bigger volume into sub-volume and then generate the solid mesh,
Also, when the mesh file was imported into FLUENT solver, we had issues with some elements which
showed a Skewness value greater than 0.95, whereas it had passed all quality checks in HyperMesh. So there is some
level of ambiguity that exists between a Pre-Processor like HyperMesh and a Solver like FLUENT.

Simulation Driven Innovation

Future Plans
HyperMesh Software, will be extensively used for the Current set of Analyses, as well as all future projects as
we have now established a virtual test bed in it.

Conclusions
HyperMesh, as a Pre-Processing tool has helped us believe that, complex problems can be modeled and
solved with accuracy and economically.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank Dr. K.S. Ravichandran and Dr. Wilson Lawrence of the Advanced Engineering Team,
Ingersoll Rand, Bangalore for their constant support throughout this project.

REFERENCES
[1]

None.

Simulation Driven Innovation