Numerical Simulation of Turbulent Flow in a Wind Tunnel

The objective of this numerical simulation is to guide you through using ANSYS Workbench
for the first time. The CFD package used for the numerical simulation is FLUENT and the
simulation is based around your 2nd year Flow Around a Cylinder laboratory. However, you
will be tasked to come up with your own benchmark test.

Summary: A three dimensional model of the laboratory wind tunnel is created in ANSYS
Geometry. A flow domain around the cylinder is meshed. Boundary conditions are specified
and different turbulent models are applied. Plots of static pressure, velocity magnitude and
streamlines are produced. The drag coefficient and force measurements are computed by
the software.

Access ANSYS from UCL desktop. Please make sure you save your work regularly.
Windows > All Programs > ANSYS 18.0 > Workbench 18.0
Under Analysis Systems click and drag Fluid
Flow(Fluent) onto the Project Schematic.

File > Save. > Save the project on your

dedicated workspace (N: drive). Create a new
folder (ie ANSYS/Demo)

Geometry
In this part you will create the domain of the wind tunnel and insert a cylinder. You can use
AutoCAD to build more complicated geometries. For this exercise you will be shown a quick
way of building your geometry in Design Modeller.
Right click on Geometry open with New Design Modeller
Geometry. (not the default Space Claim Geometry).

Click on Create > Primitives > Box

In the Point 1 Definition (set everything to zero) – this sets
the origin of the domain
In the Diagonal Definition define FD6, Diagonal X
Component as 10m, FD7, Diagonal Y Component as 1m,
FD8, Diagonal Z Component as 2m – this defines the size of
the domain.

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Click on Generate then on use the following functions to change the

visualisation of the box you have generated

Now you need to include the cylinder – or should I say cut the cylinder from the domain.

Create > Primitives > Cylinder

In the details of Cylinder 1. Use the
following settings

Click on Generate. The cylinder

should be cut out from the box
domain.
Save Project and Close
DesignModeller
On Workbench ensure you have a
green tick next to the geometry

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Mesh Generation
This section shows how to generate the mesh for the domain where you want the flow to be
calculated. At each node (corner) a conservation of momentum calculated. You should
consider the velocity gradients you are expecting in order to determine the mesh resolution.

Right click on Mesh and click Edit

Right click the Mesh > Generate Mesh

You can edit the mesh options

Select Face function. Left click on

the face as shown. Then right click
Create Name Section. Change the
name to outlet. Then similarly define
the inlet and cylinder. For the outer
wall you will have to press the ctrl
button

File > Save Project and quit Mesh

In workbench update project and ensure Geometry and Mesh have ticks

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Fluent
Right click Setup and click Edit
Check Double Precision and select OK
_____YOU MAY SEE THE BELOW MESSAGE – IN THAT CASE FOLLOW THE NEXT STEPS_____
>>>> Go back to the Mesh Generation and export the
mesh as FLUENT Input Files (*.msh)

Within open WINDOWS > ANSYS >

FLUENT18.0 [Click on 3D + Double
Precision

File > Read > Mesh

___________________________________________________________________________
Setup > General. Set the parameters as shown (include gravity)

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Setup > Models > Viscous > Edit. Select parameters as shown (default settings) and click OK

Setup > Materials > Fluid > air >Create/Edit Materials. Change the fluid properties to the
values in the diagram. Change the name to air-test. Click Change/Create. Then click Close

Now click on the Cell Zone Conditions tab and click on the Edit button. Change the Material
Name from air to air-test. Click OK.

Now we input the boundary conditions. Select inlet and left click on Edit.
Set the velocity components (0.5 m/s) as given. This value will need to be adapted
depending on your free stream wind tunnel velocity. Click OK.

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On the outlet make sure that the Type is set to pressure-outlet. Use default parameters.

Make sure the boundary condition type is wall for walls and cylinder

Solution > Solution Methods. Use default settings

Solution > Monitors > Residuals > Edit Use default settings.

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Solution > Initialization. Right click Initialize.
Solution > Run Calculation. Set number of
iterations to 500, Reporting Interval to 50 and
Profile Update Interval to 100. Right click
Calculate
Once the solution has converged we proceed to
review the results. Under the Results section click
on Graphics and Animations >Contours > Set Up.
Select the option Filled, and select Contours of
Velocity with the option Velocity Magnitude.
Click on New Surface > Plane (take the plane
down the middle of your wind tunnel as shown
below.

Then click on new plane then click on Display.

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Determine the drag exerted by the fluid on the cylinder using the Reports section under
Results. Click on Reports, select Forces and press the Set Up button. Select only the Wall
Zone corresponding to Cylinder by highlighting it. Click on Print. A print out with all the
forces acting on the cylinder will be shown in the command window.

To extract velocity profiles, you will need to create rake the use the XY Plot option with the
write to file.

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Next steps

• Build your own model and compare your CFD results with existing data set – this is
called benchmarking. Investigate the impact the different viscous models have on
the results (two or three).

Report – 6 pages (maximum) / submit in threes or fours

1. Introduction and Motivation 10%

a. What are the aims of this numerical laboratory?
b. What will you be testing?
c. Is there any literature on this?
2. Numerical model 40%
a. Provide a brief overview of your model domain (mesh, boundary conditions)
b. Justify the use of the turbulence models you have used. When should they
be used and are computational demands? This can be done by comparing
results using different turbulence models.
3. Results and discussion 40%:
a. Quality of the figures/tables
b. Comparison between physical and numerical data
c. Extraction of key observations
4. Structure + technical writing 10%