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3. The default boundary condition for the top wall of the hood, called "hood
wall" is okay (wall), so nothing needs to be done to it.
4. For a two-dimensional slot, the default boundary condition for the symmetry
plane called "axis" (symmetry) is okay, but for an axisymmetric inlet (a
circular inlet), as desired here, this boundary condition will need to be
changed to an axis of rotation. Fluent requires that the horizontal x-axis be
the axis of rotation for axisymmetric flows. Select the Zone called axis, and
change Type to axis. Yes, and OK.
5. Select the Zone called far-field, which was declared in Gambit to be a
pressure inlet. Set. Note that the gage pressure is zero, i.e. atmospheric
pressure conditions exist in the far field. That is what we desire, so OK.
6. Finally, select the Zone called face, to which we had assigned a pressure
outlet in Gambit. Set. The inlet must have a negative gage pressure, i.e. a
vacuum pressure, so that air is sucked into the inlet. It is desired to have an
average face velocity through the inlet of 10 m/s. The Bernoulli equation
can be used to estimate the required pressure at the inlet. Change the Gage
Pressure to the appropriate negative gage pressure in Pascals. OK.
7. Boundary conditions are complete, so Close the Boundary
Conditions window.
Set up some parameters and initialize:
1. In the main Fluent window, Define-Models-Solver. 2-D flow is the default,
but we want axisymmetric instead; so under Space,
select Axisymmetric. OK.
2. In the main Fluent window, Define-Models-Viscous. Laminar flow is the
default, so we really don't need to do anything here. Later on, however, you
may wish to try turbulent flow calculations; this is where the turbulence
models are specified in Fluent. OK.
3. Now the convergence criteria need to be set. As the code iterates, "residuals"
are calculated for each flow equation. These residuals represent a kind of
average error in the solution - the smaller the residual, the more converged
the solution. In the main Fluent window, Solve-Monitors-Residual. In
the Residual Monitors window that pops up, turn on Plot in
the Options portion of the window. The Print option should already be on by
default. Here, Print refers to text printed in the main Fluent window,
and Plot causes the code to plot the residuals on the screen while the code is
iterating.
2. While Fluent is iterating, the main screen will list the residuals after every
iteration. Meanwhile, the graphical display window will plot the residuals as
a function of iteration number. The residuals may rise at first, but should
slowly start to fall. It is normal for the residuals to fluctuate up and down.
Do not be concerned if there are reverse flow warnings; these usually
disappear in time.
3. At the end of 100 iterations, check to see how the solution is progressing. In
the main Fluent window, Display-Vectors-Display. The graphical display
window will show the velocity vectors.
4. Zoom in with the middle mouse, as described above, to view the velocity
field near the inlet in more detail. Is there any flow separation near the top
corner of the inlet?
5. In the main Fluent window, Display-Contours. The default is contours of
pressure. Display. This shows contour lines of constant pressure (isobars).
6. More interesting in this problem are the contours of constant velocity
magnitude (isopleths), and contours of the stream function, (streamlines).
Change Contours of to Velocity. The default value below that is Velocity
Magnitude. Display. At this point, the solution has not converged
sufficiently, so the isopleths are not realistic.
7. Now look at the streamlines. Select Stream Function from the pull-down list
right below the word Velocity under Contours of. Display. Since the solution
has not yet converged, the streamlines are not yet correct.
Iterate towards a final solution:
1. Iterate some more - (To restart the iteration, either find the Iterate window,
which is probably hidden under some other windows at this point, or click
again on Solve-Iterate to re-open the Iterate window.) In theIterate window,
set Number of Iterations to about 200, Apply, and Iterate.
2. After these iterations, check the velocity vectors and/or streamlines, as
described above, to see how the flow is progressing towards a final solution.
3. If the residuals have flattened out, (or if they oscillate up and down, but no
longer decay), it usually means that either the solution has converged, or the
grid resolution is not sufficient for an accurate solution - it may be necessary
to adapt the grid. Grid adaption is a feature of Fluent which enables one to
add grid points to regions in the flow where more grid points would be
helpful. There are many options for the adaption process; we shall adapt by
velocity gradient. In other words, a finer grid will be generated in locations
where there is a large change in velocity, such as along the solid wall, and
close to the inlet.
4. To adapt the grid, from the main Fluent window, Adapt-Gradient.
Select Gradients of to be Velocity. Under that, the default Velocity
Magnitude is fine.
5. In the Gradient Adaption window, Compute. This will display the minimum
and maximum velocity gradients in the flow field. Change the Refine
Threshold to about 1/10 of the value of the maximum gradient. Mark. The
number of cells chosen for refinement are displayed in the
main Fluent window.
6. To see where the grid will be adapted, Manage-Display in the Grid
Adaption window. Cells to be adapted will be highlighted. You may have to
zoom out to see the whole domain.
7. Fluent has chosen cells to be adapted, but has not actually adapted anything
yet. To adapt, Adapt from the Gradient Adaption window, and Yes (Hanging
nodes are acceptable).
8. Back in the main Fluent window, Display-Grid-Display. See if you can spot
where new cells were added to the grid.
9. Iterate some more (a couple hundred iterations). The residuals will always
jump up immediately after a grid adaption, as the flow needs to readjust.
The residuals will quickly recover and begin to fall, hopefully to lower
values than before the adaption.
10.The adaption process can be repeated. Each time prior to adapting the
grid, Compute to display the minimum and maximum velocity gradients in
the flow field, and change the Refine Threshold to about 1/10 of the value of
the maximum gradient. Keep in mind that every time the grid is refined,
each iteration will take more computer time and memory. If one is not
careful, the limits of the computer may be exceeded!
11. Iterate and perhaps adapt some more as necessary until the solution
converges. The residuals may bounce up and down. This is normal, as the
code attempts to zero in on a solution. When the residuals all go below the
convergence criteria, the calculations will stop. In some cases, however, the
residuals reach a lower limit, and further iterations don't improve the
solution.
12.You should not need more than a couple thousand total iterations for this run
to converge. Note that there may sill be some reverse flow warnings. This is
normal for this case.
13.In the main Fluent window, File-Write-Case & Data. In the Select
File window which pops up, the default file name should be the same as
previously entered. OK to write the file onto your directory. OK again since
it is okay to overwrite these files.
Examine the streamlines and velocity vectors in detail, and save the image
files:
1. Once the solution has converged, the streamlines and velocity vectors will
be examined in detail. First examine the streamlines: Display-Contours,
choose Contours of to be Velocity, and below that Stream Function.Display.
2. Zoom out so that the entire computational domain is shown. If the solution
is correct, the streamlines should look nearly like rays (spokes of a wheel),
as the streamlines from "far away" should resemble those of a potential flow
sink. To display more than the default 20 streamlines, change Levels to 50,
and Display. When the display is to your liking, the image file will be saved
for printing out later.
3. Before saving the image file, add a label. Click on the area just below the
title at the bottom of the plot. A cursor will appear which will allow you to
enter a more descriptive title. Put your name(s) or initials here, along with
the words "Axisymmetric Unflanged Inlet", if you have room.
4. In the main Fluent window, File-Hardcopy. Select the TIFF graphics format,
which I have found to give the best results.
5. Maximize the graphical display window so that the image files you create
have the maximum possible resolution.
6. Return to the main Fluent window by clicking on its box in the tool bar at
the bottom of the screen.
7. Change Coloring to Monochrome if your printer is black and white.
8. Save, and name the file (something like "axi_unflanged_streamlines.tif" is
appropriate). OK. Ignore the warning.
9. Zoom in so that the field of view shows the inlet occupying about half the
vertical distance of the plot window. Observe how the streamlines go into
the inlet.
10.Isopleths near the inlet should also be examined. In the Contours window,
change the second entry under Contours Of from Stream
Function to Velocity Magnitude. Display. The rapid decay of the velocity
magnitude with distance from the inlet plane should be obvious.
11. Also experiment with the other contour options provided in Fluent. In
the Contours window, try changing Contours Of to Pressure. Display. This
shows isobars, i.e. contours of constant pressure. Contours of constant
residuals is an interesting plot - it can show the user where in the flowfield
the solution has converged the most and the least. When done
experimenting, Close the Contours window.
12.Next, the velocity vector field near the inlet will be plotted and examined in
detail.
13.In the main Fluent window, Display-Vectors.
14.In the window called Vectors, change Style to arrow, and select Vector
Options. Change the default Scale Head from 0.1 to 0.3 so that the flow
direction is easier to visualize. Apply and Close.
15.Back in the Vectors window, Display.
16.Zoom in around the hood face if necessary. The arrows may still be too
small to see clearly, so change the Scale to about 2 or 3, and
change Skip to 1 (i.e skip every other point), and Display.
17.Play around with these velocity vector parameters such that the flow pattern
can be more clearly seen, yet without much overlap from one vector to
another. The flowfield should have converged enough that flow is clearly
being sucked into the inlet.
18.When the plot is to your liking, save the image as a TIFF file as previously
(name it something like "axi_unflanged_vectors.tif"). OK.
19.Also experiment with the color options provided in Fluent. In
the Vectors window, try changing Color By to Pressure. Display. This
enables the user to visualize the velocity field, while simultaneously viewing
the pressure field, since pressure changes are indicated by color changes.
Finally, Close the Vectors window.
Generate an isopleth contour plot:
1. In this section, we generate isopleths (contours of constant normalized
velocity magnitude).
4. In the upper middle part of that window, the default Plot Direction should
be X = 1 and Y = 0. This will make the x-coordinate position appear on the
x-axis, as desired for the plot.
5. The upper right part of the window selects the variable to be plotted. Select
the Y Axis Function to Custom Field Functions, and below that, Isopleths.
For the X Axis Function, the default choice of Direction Vector is fine as
is. Plot.
6. If done properly, the plot should show the normalized velocity magnitude
decaying from a face value of around 100% at the inlet face to nearly zero
far away.
7. The plot can be made a little nicer looking, and the axes limits can be
changed as follows: Axes. Choose X if necessary (X should already be the
default). Unselect Auto Range, and select Major Rules.
Set Rangefrom 0 to 1, which is about 5 inlet diameters away. Apply.
(Nothing will happen to the plot yet, so don't panic.)
8. Now choose the Y axis. Unselect Auto Range and select Major Rules for
this axis as well. Set the range from 0 to around 100 (%).
9. To make the scale more readable, change Type under Number
Format to Float, and change Precision to 0. Apply. Close.
10.Back in the Solution XY Plot window, Plot. Adjust the axes limits and/or
number format as desired to obtain a nice-looking plot.
11. The data points created for this plot will be written out to an ASCII (text)
file for later use. For example, they can be imported into Mathcad or into a
spreadsheet for further analysis. In the Solution XY Plot window, turn on the
option called Write to File, and then Write.
12.Type in an appropriate file name, like " axi_unflanged_data_points.txt",
and OK.
13.Finally, a hardcopy file of this plot will be saved. In the
main Fluent window, File-Hardcopy-Save, name the file (something like
"axi_unflanged_decay.tif" is appropriate). As before, OK, and Close.
Save your calculations and exit Fluent:
1. In the main Fluent window, File-Write-Case & Data. OK. It is okay to
overwrite the files, so OK again.
2. Exit Fluent by File-Exit. This will return you to the Unix shell.