ANSYS CFD

Dr. Mohand YOUNSI

Senior Application Engineer
ANSYS France
1 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Agenda

What is CFD?
Why do Companies Use CFD?
Every Industry Benefits from CFD
Every Application Benefits from CFD

2 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 What is CFD?

3 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 A Definition of CFD

Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) is a simulation technique which

analyzes and fluid flow. It can be used to asses both liquid and gas
flows as well as their interactions. Depending on the application, CFD
can be used to obtain better insight into, for example:
•Aerodynamics
•Cooling and heating
•Chemical reaction and combustion
•Application where more than one phase are present

4 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Why do Companies use CFD?

5 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 An Independent Report on the Use of CFD

www.ansys.com/Products/Simulation
+Technology/Fluid+Dynamics

6 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Key Drivers in Product Development

7 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 The Benefits of CFD
ANSYS CFD Solutions allows you to quickly and accurately predict and capture
the impact of any fluid system on your product performances
Being a simulation tool, CFD allows you to:
– Simulate rather than test
– Gain a better insight into your product behavior

In turns, CFD allows you to meet your company challenges:

– Reduce time-to-market
– Reduce development costs
– Increase your product performances, quality, and reliability
– And so much more!

Check the Aberdeen Report!

8 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Leading Impacts of Not Using CFD

9 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Every Industry Benefits from CFD

10 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Automotive Industry

Interior Comfort
Images created in Fieldview

Formula 1
Courtesy of Red Bull Racing

Courtesy of Daimler Chrysler

Courtesy of BMW

Engine Cooling
Internal Combustion Engine
11 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Automotive Industry

12 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Aerospace Industry

Aerodynamic

Cabin Comfort

Propulsion Systems

13 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Processing Industry

Heaters

Separator
Mixing Systems
14 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Processing Industry

15 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Energy Industry

Nuclear Reactors

Burners
Wind Farms

GE Energy and Environmental Research Corporation

16 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

Hydraulic Turbine
 Turbomachinery Industry
Axial Compressor

Courtesy of Siemens AG Radial Compressors

Fan and Blowers Water Pumps

17 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Turbomachinery Industry

18 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Healthcare Industry

Flow through the carotid

Flow and heat transfer in

the human eye

CFD: Velocity Magnitudes and Strain

19 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc. Rates in Stented Artery
 Turbulent Flows

Pressure drop prediction

Drag/Lift
Mixing
Noise prediction Mixing Tank

Aerodynamic of a F1
Noise generation from an aircraft wheel

Flow over a swimmer

20 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Multiphase Flows

Water surface The wall film on a car mirror with

droplets released due to wind shear

Particles laden flows

Liquid Films
Mixtures (Liquid/Gas)
Boiling

Water boiling simulation - DEBORA Test Facility, courtesy of

HZDR (formerly FZD)
NETL Fluidized Bed
Simulation
21 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Multiphase Flows

22 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Radiation and Heat Transfer

System temperatures
Material temperatures
Energy losses

Radiation from a light bulb

- Courtesy of Valeo Sylvania

Heat Exchanger Radiation from a car engine and exhaust system

23 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Combustion and Reacting Flows

Flame location
Fuel consumption
Power generation
Pollutant emissions Ultra Low NOx Burner

Contours of temperature during coal

combustion in a tangentially fired furnace

Swirl injector

24 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc. Temperatures on a flame surface

 Rotating Machinery

Pumps
Compressors
Turbochargers
Turbines

25 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Design and Optimization Procedure
Ansys
BladeModeler + VistaTF TurboGrid
CFD

Objectives
(Efficiency,
Pressure Pre-Design 3D Geometry Mesh Generation Calculation
ratio, etc.)

CFD- 2D

ANSYS ANSYS CFD Post

DesignXplorer CFD/Structure.
Manufacturing Optimization FSI Modelling Results Analysis

26 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 BladeModeler
- 3D Parameterized Impeller

3D View
Meridional View

Angles View Thickness View

27 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Turbulence and Acoustics

All types of Flow

– Laminar
– Turbulent
– Subsonic Wake structure behind the wheel
– Supersonic of a F1 car model simulated with SAS

Aero-acoustics capabilities

Noise generation from an aircraft wheel

28 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 The CFD ROI:
Benefiting from Fast and Reliable CFD

29 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Simulate Early and Often
Number of Problems
Resolution CDF & Simulation
CAD and Traditional Analysis

Prototyping Testing Only

Design Change Cost

Design Change Cost

Design Change Cost Development

Concept Detail Production Full Phase
Prototyping Evaluation
Design Design Ramp-Up Production
Cost/Resolution 1X 10 X 100 X 1,000 X 20,000+ X

30 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc. Source: Aberdeen Group: The Impact of Strategic Simulation on Product Profitability
 Saving 6+ months over built-and-test methods

Problem
Select the best boiler design

Solution
ANSYS Fluent

Result
6+ months saved over a traditional built-and-test approach

Weil McLain was looking at 2 designs with very different heat transfer performance.
The company applied ANSYS FLUENT simulation software to guide its selection of a
final set of design, arriving at one that was the most efficient and economical design.

Weil-McLain
31 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Reducing Prototyping Expenses by $150,000

Problem
Unexpected flow patterns leading to inefficiency

Solution
ANSYS Fluent and impeller housing simulations

Result
6+ months and $150,000 saved over a traditional
built-and-test approach

AcoustiFLO’s original fan impeller housing showed significant areas of flow

recirculation. The improved design, evaluated using CFD, showed much higher
efficiency. Using ANSYS FLUENT to perform CFD simulation, engineers discovered
unexpected interactions between the diffuser and the impeller, which would have
been diffi cult to assess with physical testing only.

AcoustiFLO
32 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 FSI Makes for Cool Gas Turbine Blades

Problem
Cool turbine blades with minimum impact on gas
turbine performances

Solution
ANSYS Advanced CFD and FSI capabilities

Result
Improved cooling efficiency

This allowed the Wood Group Industrial Turbines to replace costly experiments by
virtual prototyping

Wood Group Heavy Industrial

Courtesy of Wood Group Heavy Industrial Turbines
Turbines, AG, Switzerland
33 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 CFD Brings a Breadth of Fresh Air

Problem
Develop respiratory drugs is very expensive

Solution
CFD of real pulmonary network

Result
Possibility for huge reduction in development costs and
time

The cost of developing a respiratory therapy drug for asthma is estimated at more
than $1 billion; the process can take up to 14 years and involve thousands of patients
in clinical studies. The impact of CFD on development costs and time could be
stunning.

Courtesy FluidDA FluidDA (Belgium)

34 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 A Quieter Train Ride

Problem
Develop new quiter fans

Solution
ANSYS CFD and multi-design evaluation

Result
Prototype costs reduced by 2/3

In Germany, Voith Turbo used CFD to develop quieter fans by simulating a

complete railcar cooling system Voith reduced its prototype costs by two-thirds.

Courtesy of Voith Turbo Voith Turbo (Germany)

35 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 An Optimized Fan

Problem
Need multiple design options to boost fan performance

Solution
ANSYS FLUENT enabled 10X design variation analysis

Result
250% improvement over original design

Dyson Air
Multiplier™ Fan
“The team investigated 200 different design iterations using simulation, which was 10
times the number that would have been possible if physical prototyping had been the
primary design tool. With critical acclaim from many reviewers, the Dyson Air
Multiplier fan has been a resounding success in the marketplace.”

Richard Mason
Courtesy of Dyson Research Design & Development
Manager
36 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
Dyson
 New Valves Swing into Action

Problem
Optimize the shape of a valve

ANSYS CFD Solution

ANSYS CFD and DesignXplorer

ANSYS CFD Value

Generate results in hours instead of weeks

The flow performance curve for a wide range of feed conditions was generated for
each of the 50 valves, providing solutions in hours rather than weeks.

Courtesy of Cameron Cameron, Inc

37 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Solid Suspensions Get a Lift

Problem
Design an optimized hydrofoil for mixing equipment

ANSYS CFD Solution

ANSYS CFD and moving reference frames

ANSYS CFD Value

Dramatic performance improvement

The solid concentration variance was improved by 48.5% and the pumping
effectiveness increased by 410.2%

Universidade Estadual de
Courtesy of ESSS and UNICAMP
Campinas
38 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Better Steam Turbines

Problem
Improving performance

Solution
CFD for turbomachinery

Result
Gain insight impossible to obtain using physical testing

Engineers used CFD to acquire insight into the flow parameters; a task that
would have been impossible without simulation tools

Courtesy BHEL Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited

39 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Victories for Red Bull

Problem
Quickly design and analyze parts to enhance car performance

Solution
ANSYS FLUENT for Aerodynamic CFD simulation

Result
Reliable, accurate analysis in record time; won 2010 and 2011
Formula 1 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship

“ANSYS [CFD] simulation software is incredibly reliable and accurate.

Simulation enables us to drastically reduce lead times and get solutions to
the circuit much quicker, so we are more competitive race to race.”

Steve Nevey
Business Development Manager
Red Bull Technology
40 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Wining the Americas' Cup

Problem
Design the best performing boat both from the aerodynamic
(sails) and hydrodynamic (boat haul and keel)
Courtesy of BMW Oracle Racing
Solution Courtesy of Team Shosholoza
ANSYS CFD multiphase capabilities and HPC speed-up

Result
Evaluate quickly different design and find the best performing
one

Courtesy of Emirates Team New Zealand

Emirates Team New Zealand won the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup and
Team Alinghi won the 2007 America’s cup

Alinghi, BMW ORACLE Racing

Emirates Team New Zealand
Courtesy of Emirates Team New Zealand Team Shosholoza
41 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Maintaining Power

Problem
Too much erosion in a boiler

ANSYS CFD Solution

ANSYS CFD Turbulence, Multiphase and Combustion

ANSYS CFD Value

Decreased Maintenance Downtime

Without the insight provided by ANSYS CFX software, Tractebel would have been
limited to trial-and-error testing to identify and mitigate the cause of the undesirably
high erosion. Tractebel was able to determine the erosion pattern and make
informed and cost-effective decisions regarding the operation of the burner and,
consequently, the plant

Courtesy of ESSS and Tracteble Tractebel Energia

42 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Warranty Costs Go Down

Problem
Increasing warranty costs

Solution
Using CFD to upgrade the design

Result
Better design in a few weeks instead of 12 months

CFD simulation made it possible to quickly upgrade the turbine bypass valve
in a few weeks, compared to the six to 12 months that would have been
required using conventional methods.

Courtesy Control Components Inc. Control Components Inc.

43 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 The Cost of Inaccuracy
Only accurate CFD is Computational Fluid Dynamics
Inaccurate CFD is “Colorful” Fluid Dynamics
What you need:
• Thoroughly validated CFD Software
• Knowledgeable technical support teams

44 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Gasing Up with Coal

Problem
Study the complex phenomena of gasification

Solution
ANSYS advanced chemistry modeling and dense particles
modeling

Result
Ability to gain more insight into the gasifier performance

After carefully validating the simulation tool with experimental data, CFD can
be used to gain more insight into the gasifier performance

National Energy
Courtesy of NETL Technology Lab
45 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Conclusions

CFD helps reduce both development times and

development costs
CFD allows you to optimize your design
CFD reduces warranty costs
CFD helps reduce the probability of critical failure
CFD reduces equipment downtime
Chose your CFD partner wisely

46 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 The ANSYS Advantage

47 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Agenda

The Power of ANSYS CFD

ANSYS Workbench Enhances the Power of ANSYS CFD

48 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 The Power of ANSYS CFD

49 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Why Should You Care?

• You need insight into your product performance

o Capable tools are needed

• You need to predict your product performance with confidence

o Accurate tools are needed

• You need to shorten your development cycles

o Fast and robust tools are needed

ANSYS CFD are capable, accurate, fast and robust tools

ANSYS CFD MEETS YOUR NEEDS

50 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Advanced and Accurate Turbulence
Some of the problems are we solving
– Optimal fluid supply design
– Drag reduction(automotive, aerospace)
– Efficient mixing (energy, processing)
– Noise reduction

Courtesy of NInsight, Inc.

We have the most comprehensive portfolio of capabilities: from steady to

advanced unsteady turbulent models, along with world leading technical expertise

51 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Multiphase Challenges? Multiple Solutions
Some of the problems we are solving
– Avoiding fuel tank sloshing
– Designing clean fuel injection
– Designing safe nuclear systems designs
– Avoiding aircraft wing icing

Courtesy of SMS Demag AG, Germany

Courtesy Intelligent Fluid Solutions, Ltd.

We have the most comprehensive portfolio of capabilities , along with world

leading technical expertise

52 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Combustion and Reacting Flows
Some of the problems we are solving
– Design advanced IC engines
– Design efficient aircraft engines
– Design environmentally friendly power plants

Courtesy MTU Aero Engines GmbH

Courtesy John Zink Company, LLC

We have the most advanced combustion modeling solutions, along with world
leading technical expertise

53 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Complete and Thorough Validations
Your Challenge
• Trust the data generated by software

ANSYS Solution
• ANSYS strives to make sure that all the
modeling capabilities are accurate

The ANSYS Advantage

• ANSYS CFD has a comprehensive library of
validations

54 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Using a Company “Secret Ingredient”

Your Challenge
• Use and re-use proprietary data

ANSYS Solution
• ANSYS CFD allows company boundless
customization

The ANSYS Advantage

• Solutions with boundless and easy-to-
implement customization

55 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Reacting to Emissions
Problem
Reduce pollutant emissions

ANSYS CFD Solution

ANSYS CFD Turbulence, Multiphase and Combustion

ANSYS CFD Value

Design and optimize a complex chemical-looping
Combustion system

Fundamental insights offered by these models make substantial contributions

toward identifying and optimizing important design parameters to accelerate
the development of this important CO2 capture technology

Flow Technology Research Group

Courtesy of SINTEF Materials and Chemistry SINTEF Materials and Chemistry
56 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Constant Progress in Scalability

Your Challenge
• Fast simulation of large and complex systems

ANSYS Solution
• ANSYS CFD extract the maximum return on
HPC pack and hardware investment

• Brazing GPU speed-up (R&D effort)

The ANSYS Advantage

• The most scalable general CFD solution on the
market

R&D Effort: Example viewfactor calculation

times for different combinations of GPUs and
CPUs
57 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Shape Optimization Acceleration
Classical Shape optimization process Design 1 Design 2 Design 3 Design 4
ANSYS CFD optimization acceleration Design 1 Design 2 Design 3 Design 4

Your Challenge
• Shape optimization

ANSYS Solution
• ANSYS CFD has innovative solution for
shape optimization

The ANSYS Advantage

• ANSYS has the broadest offering for
scalable shape optimization

58 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 A summary of ANSYS CFD Strengths

• ANSYS CFD offers solutions for a wide range of industries and applications
• ANSYS CFD solutions can be trusted because they are well validated
• ANSYS CFD solutions are fast and scalable
• ANSYS CFD offers innovative solutions to market problems

59 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 ANSYS Workbench Enhances the
Power of ANSYS CFD

60 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 An Automated Simulation Process

Your Challenge
• Increasing engineering productivity

ANSYS Solution
• Automated simulation process

The ANSYS Advantage

• The level of automation of high end CFD
capabilities is unmatched

61 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 WorkBench Environment

CAD

Mesh

CFD Analysis

Parameters
Post-Processing

Fluid/Structure
Interaction

62 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Optimization and Robust Design
Probabilistic
Optimization
Goal-Driven
Optimization
Parametric
Your Challenge Simulation
Single
• Optimize their design – Create robust products Design

ANSYS Solution
• Built-in 6-Sigma analysis, design of experiments,
“What-if” scenarios

The ANSYS Advantage

• Workbench Integrated Solution – No need for a
3rd party tool

63 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Fluid-Structure Interactions Made Simple

Your Challenge
• Gain insight into the entire system

ANSYS Solution
• Easy to set and accurate FSI capabilities

The ANSYS Advantage

• ANSYS multiphysics solutions are both advanced and
integrated: no 3rd party tools are required

64 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Electronic Heat Losses and Performance

Your Challenge
• Simulate the entire system

ANSYS Solution
• Easy to set and accurate EM/Fluid capabilities

The ANSYS Advantage

• ANSYS multiphysics solutions are both advanced and
integrated: no 3rd party tools are required

65 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Customization for Higher Productivity

Your Challenge
• Perform more simulations, faster

ANSYS Solution
• Customize and automate tools

• Dramatically reduce setup time

• Democratize simulation to designers

The ANSYS Advantage

• ANSYS offers unmatched automation or
customization capabilities

66 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Keeping it Cool at 30,000 Feet

Problem
Quickly evaluate aircraft cabin ventilation
performance

ANSYS CFD Solution

ANSYS CFD and ICEM customization

ANSYS CFD Value

Fast and accurate performance evaluation

“For a Bombardier CRJ700 passenger comfort study, we used […] an

application-specific interface […] to allow the Bombardier engineers to easily
adjust the parameters such as the number of seats, seat positions, emergency
exit seating, window positions, storage and kitchen compartment and bulkhead
location. We tie an […] optimization […] in order to improve the design and
performance of components”
Marc Doroudian
Courtesy of Mindware Engineering, Inc Director, Engineering Services
Mindware Engineering, Inc
67 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 A summary of ANSYS CFD Strengths

• ANSYS offers solutions which amplify engineering productivity

• ANSYS offers solutions which can easily be deployed on any IT infrastructure
• ANSYS offers solutions to simulate the entire system
• ANSYS offers solutions to design high quality, high performance, and robust
products

68 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 ANSYS is the Trusted Partner in CFD

Trust in ANSYS Company

– 40 years of existence
– Public Company
– Large investment in R&D
Trusted CFD Solutions
– ANSYS Fluent
– ANSYS CFX
Experienced CFD Development & Technical Support Teams
– World-renowned Developers
– Extremely experienced Technical Support Team (CFD and
Industries)

ANSYS, a Trusted Partner in CFD for Today and Tomorrow

69 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Going Beyond CFD Only

70 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Products Integrate Many Physics…

71 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

… which Interacts Together
72 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 Oil & Gas

• 2-way FSI analyses of a Jumper

Pipe with multiphase fluid flow

• Goal: Calculate long term fatigue

caused by internal and external
flow conditions.
FSI analyses enables better
prediction of stresses and
vibration frequencies for various
flow conditions

• ANSYS products used

• CFX, Mechanical & nCode

• Other Industrial Applications

• Process equipment, slug
flow
• Nuclear piping Transferred quantities:
• Force &
Displacements
73 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
 2 Ways FSI

74 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

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 FSI

79 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Introduction to CFD

80 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 How Does CFD Work?
ANSYS CFD solvers are based on the finite volume method
Control
• Domain is discretized into a finite set of control volumes Volume*

• General conservation (transport) equations for mass, momentum, energy,

species, etc. are solved on this set of control volumes

Unsteady Convection Diffusion Generation Equation f

Continuity 1
X momentum u
• Partial differential equations are discretized into a system of algebraic equations Y momentum v
Z momentum w
• All algebraic equations are then solved numerically to render the solution field Energy h

• FLUENT control volumes are cell-centered (i.e. they

correspond directly with the mesh) while CFX
control volumes are node-centered

81 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Step 1. Define Your Modeling Goals
What results are you looking for (i.e. pressure drop, mass flow rate), and how will
they be used?

What are your modeling options?

– What simplifying assumptions can you make (i.e. symmetry, periodicity)?
– What simplifying assumptions do you have to make?
– What physical models will need to be included in your analysis

What degree of accuracy is required?

How quickly do you need the results?

Is CFD an appropriate tool?

82 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Step 2. Identify the Domain You Will Model
How will you isolate a piece of the complete
physical system?

Where will the computational domain begin

and end?
• Do you have boundary condition information at
these boundaries?
• Can the boundary condition types
Domain of Interest
accommodate that information? as Part of a Larger
• Can you extend the domain to a point where System (not modeled)
reasonable data exists?

Domain of interest
Can it be simplified or approximated as a 2D isolated and meshed
or axi-symmetric problem? for CFD simulation.

83 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Step 3. Create a Solid Model of the Domain
How will you obtain a model of the fluid region?
• Make use of existing CAD models?
• Extract the fluid region from a solid part?
• Create from scratch?

Can you simplify the geometry?

• Remove unnecessary features that would complicate Original CAD Part
meshing (fillets, bolts…)?
• Make use of symmetry or periodicity?
– Are both the flow and boundary conditions symmetric /
periodic?

Do you need to split the model so that boundary

conditions or domains can be created? Extracted
Fluid Region

84 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Step 4. Design and Create the Mesh
What degree of mesh resolution is required in each
region of the domain?
• Can you predict regions of high gradients?
– The mesh must resolve geometric features of interest and capture
gradients of concern, e.g. velocity, pressure, temperature gradients
• Will you use adaption to add resolution?

What type of mesh is most appropriate?

• How complex is the geometry?
• Can you use a quad/hex mesh or is a tri/tet or hybrid mesh suitable?
• Are non-conformal interfaces needed?

Do you have sufficient computer resources?

• How many cells/nodes are required?
• How many physical models will be used?

85 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Step 5: Set Up the Solver
For complex problems solving a
simplified or 2D problem will provide
valuable experience with the models
and solver settings for your problem
in a short amount of time
86 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
For a given problem, you will need to:
• Define material properties
– Fluid
– Solid
– Mixture
• Select appropriate physical models
– Turbulence, combustion, multiphase, etc.
• Prescribe operating conditions
• Prescribe boundary conditions at all boundary zones
• Provide initial values or a previous solution
• Set up solver controls
• Set up convergence monitors
 Step 6: Compute the Solution
A converged and mesh-
independent solution on a well-
posed problem will provide useful
engineering results!
87 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
The discretized conservation equations are solved
iteratively until convergence
Convergence is reached when:
• Changes in solution variables from one iteration
to the next are negligible
– Residuals provide a mechanism to help
monitor this trend
• Overall property conservation is achieved
– Imbalances measure global conservation
• Quantities of interest (e.g. drag, pressure drop) have reached
steady values
– Monitor points track quantities of interest
The accuracy of a converged solution is dependent upon:
• Appropriateness and accuracy of physical models
• Assumptions made
• Mesh resolution and independence
• Numerical errors
 Step 7: Examine the Results
Examine the results to review solution and extract
useful data
• Visualization Tools can be used to answer such questions
as:
– What is the overall flow pattern?
– Is there separation?
– Where do shocks, shear layers, etc. form?
– Are key flow features being resolved?

• Numerical Reporting Tools can be used to calculate

quantitative results:
– Forces and Moments
– Average heat transfer coefficients
Examine results to ensure correct physical behavior – Surface and Volume integrated quantities
and conservation of mass energy and other – Flux Balances
conserved quantities. High residuals may be caused
by just a few poor quality cells.

88 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.

 Step 8: Consider Revisions to the Model
High residuals may be caused
by just a few poor quality cells
89 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.
Are the physical models appropriate?
• Is the flow turbulent?
• Is the flow unsteady?
• Are there compressibility effects?
• Are there 3D effects?
Are the boundary conditions correct?
• Is the computational domain large enough?
• Are boundary conditions appropriate?
• Are boundary values reasonable?
Is the mesh adequate?
• Can the mesh be refined to improve results?
• Does the solution change significantly with a refined mesh, or
is the solution mesh independent?
• Does the mesh resolution of the geometry need to be
improved?
 Summary and Conclusions
Summary:
All CFD simulations (in all mainstream CFD software 1. Define Your
products) are approached using the steps just Modeling Goals
described 2. Identify the Domain
Remember to first think about what the aims of the You Will Model
3. Create a Solid Model
simulation are prior to creating the geometry and
of the Domain
mesh
4. Design and Create
Make sure the appropriate physical models are applied in the Mesh
the solver, and that the simulation is fully converged 5. Set Up the Solver
(more in a later lecture) 6. Compute the
Solution
Scrutinize the results, you may need to rework some of 7. Examine the Results
the earlier steps in light of the flow field obtained 8. Consider Revisions to
the Model
What Next:
Trainer will now demonstrate FLUENT in action

90 © 2012 ANSYS, Inc.