Laminar Pipe Flow: Fluent Solution

Outline
Problem specification
• Tutorial URL: https://goo.gl/c371PT
• See tutorial and ppt slides from class for problem specification

Geometry
• Start Workbench
• Select Fluid Flow (Fluent) analysis system
• Properties > 2D
• Start SpaceClaim
• Cancel any firewall warnings
• File > SpaceClaim options > Units > m
• Select xy plane
• Draw rectangle
• Dimension: Length = 3 m, Height = 0.1 m
• Switch to 3D mode
• Domain for the BVP is defined at this point
• Exit SpaceClaim
• Save project in wbpj or wbpz format

Mesh
• In this section, we divide the domain into cells or control volumes
• Try default mesh
• Need more regular mesh: use Face Meshing
• Edge sizings: 10x100
• Statistics: 1000 elements (cells)
• We have marked out the locations at which the solver needs to calculate the primary
unknowns
• How many algebraic equations will the solver have to generate?
• Specify named selections: inlet, outlet, centerline, pipe_wall, flow_domain
• Exit mesher
• Update Mesh cell (in project page)

1
• Save project

Physics Setup
• Start Fluent from Setup
• Select Double precision
• Display mesh
• Check mesh
• Select Axisymmetric:
o 2D cartesian is default
o Switch to cylindrical cords
o Horizontal axis is always the axis of symmetry
• Specify material properties: 𝜌𝜌 = 1 kg/m3, 𝜇𝜇 = 2e-3 kg/(m s)
• Governing equations are defined
• Boundary conditions
o Inlet: 1 m/s
o Outlet: p=0 Pa
 This is gauge pressure
 Check operating pressure
o Centerline: axis
o Pipe_wall: wall
• BVP is completely defined at this point

Numerical Solution
• Residuals = 1e-6
• Create drag monitor
o Area ref = pi*D*L = 6.2832e-4 m2
• Solution initialization
o Look at cell center values of axial vel.
• Run 1, then 100 iterations
o Look at cell center values of axial vel.
o Look at residuals

Numerical Results
• Start CFD-Post from Results
• Velocity magnitude contours
o Increase # of contours to 51

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 o Flow near the centerline has speeded up, flow near wall has slowed down
 Notice boundary layer development
o Reflect in View tab, doesn’t work
o Reflect using instancing transform
• Pressure contours
o Increase # of contours to 51
o Not much variation across pipe, pressure drops along pipe … can show this is mostly
linear
• Velocity profile at outlet
o Create line at outlet: Location > Line
o Create velocity profile using Chart option
o Note velocity at centerline and wall
o Load analytical solution for comparison

Verification and Validation

• Mesh refinement
o Double number of divisions in axial and radial directions