Master PAIP - Computational Engineering

Computational Fluid Dynamics

Incompressible flows
Agathe Chouippe
ICube
2, rue Boussingault
67000 Strasbourg
chouippe@unistra.fr

Chapter 1 : Introduction
2022-2023
Introduction :

Objective of this chapter :

 Get familiar with the concept of CFD
 Have an overview of the different steps involved in a simulation in CFD
 Get familiar with the equations which will be considered in this course
 Be able to distinguish between the different types of equations
 Have an overview of the plan of the course and the objectives of the
different chapters

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 2/17

Introduction :

CFD =
Computational Fluid Dynamics :

COMSOL multiphysics
The aim is to simulate with the aid of
(super-)computers a problem of fluid
mechanics.

Chouippe & Uhlmann,Acta Mech. (2019)

Stevens et al., Wind Energ. (2015)

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 3/17

Introduction :

CFD = 1
Equation system

Problem
Computational Fluid Dynamics : Geometry Modelisation
Initial and Boundary
The aim is to simulate with the aid of conditions
(super-)computers a problem of fluid
mechanics.
2
System
Discretization Approximation

3
Equation Discretization Approximation

4
Solving Algebraic Approximation
Equations

5
Approximate Solution
of the Problem

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 4/17

Introduction :

CFD = 1
Equation system

Problem
Computational Fluid Dynamics : Geometry Modelisation
Initial and Boundary
The aim is to simulate with the aid of conditions
(super-)computers a problem of fluid
mechanics.
2
System
Structure of the course Discretization Approximation
 7 lecture sessions (CM)
 5 programming sessions (TD) 3
Equation Discretization Approximation
Tools that will be used
 FreeFEM : Geometry + Discretization
 Octave : Initial and Boudary conditions 4
Solving Algebraic Approximation
+ Resolution + Visualization Equations

Evaluation 5
Approximate Solution
1/3 mid-term report + 2/3 oral exam of the Problem

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 4/17

Conservation equations :

General case :
∂ρ
+ ∇ · (ρu) = 0 Continuity (1)
∂t
∂ρu  
+ ∇ · ρu ⊗ u + pI = ∇·τ +f Momentum (2)
∂t

Projection of the momentum equation in cartesian coordinates in direction i

∂ρui ∂ ∂ τij
+ (ρui uj + pδij ) = + fi (3)
∂t ∂xj ∂xj
 
∂ui ∂uj 2 ∂uk
with τij = µ + − δij
∂xj ∂xi 3 ∂xk
µ : Dynamic viscosity and ν = µ/ρ : Kinematic viscosity

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 5/17

Conservation equations :

Incompressible Navier-Stokes : Incompressible =⇒ constant density

∇·u = 0 Continuity (4)

∂u ∇p f
+ (u · ∇) u + = ∇ · (ν∇u) + Momentum (5)
∂t ρ ρ

in direction i
Projection of the momentum equation in cartesian coordinates

∂ui ∂ui 1 ∂p ∂ ∂ui fi
+ uj + = ν +
∂t ∂xj ρ ∂xi ∂xj ∂xj ρ

Advection-Diffusion equation
∂T
+ (u · ∇) T − ∇ · (κ∇T ) = s (6)
∂t
T : scalar quantity (e.g. temperature, concentration, ...)
s : source term
 
∂T ∂T ∂ ∂T
Projection in cartesian coordinates + uj − κ =s
∂t ∂xj ∂xj ∂xj

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 6/17

 Example : Taylor-Green vortex solution (2D)

Dimensionless solution :
u(x, y, t) = cos(x) sin(y) exp(−2νt)
v(x, y, t) = − sin(x) cos(y) exp(−2νt)
ρ
P(x, y, t) = − [cos(2x) + cos(2y)] exp(−2νt)
4

Visualize velocity : Initial solution at t = 0

−
→
u = (u, v)T u v
x

y y y

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 7/17

Example : Taylor-Green vortex solution (2D)

Dimensionless solution :
u(x, y, t) = cos(x) sin(y) exp(−2νt)
v(x, y, t) = − sin(x) cos(y) exp(−2νt)
ρ
P(x, y, t) = − [cos(2x) + cos(2y)] exp(−2νt)
4
−
→
Vorticity : −
→
ω =∇∧ u
−
→
u and ω

∂
   
 ∂x   u 
   
   
−
→  ∂   
ω =   ∧ v  x
 ∂y   
   
   
  w 
∂
∂z

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 8/17

Types of equations :
PDE with 2 variables : φ function of x and y

∂2φ ∂2φ ∂2φ

a 2
+b +c 2 = d (7)
∂x ∂x∂y ∂y

Introduce D = b 2 − 4ac

PDE classification :
 D > 0 Hyperbolic equation
 D = 0 Elliptic equation
 D < 0 Parabolic equation

Characteristics : Lines in the (x, y) plane along which information propagates.

Type of equation influences how information propagates (existence and structure of

characteristics), as well as the existence and location of domain of influence and domain
of dependence.

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 9/17

Types of equations :
Two-way and one-way coordinates : (Patankar (1980))
 Two-way coordinate : conditions on a point in that coordinate are influenced by
changes on both sides of that location
Ex : 1D steady heat equation
 One-way coordinate : conditions on a point in that coordinate are influenced by
changes only on one side of that location
Ex : Time is always a one-way coordinate

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 10/17

Types of equations :
Two-way and one-way coordinates : (Patankar (1980))
 Two-way coordinate : conditions on a point in that coordinate are influenced by
changes on both sides of that location
Ex : 1D steady heat equation
 One-way coordinate : conditions on a point in that coordinate are influenced by
changes only on one side of that location
Ex : Time is always a one-way coordinate

PARABOLIC :
t One-way behavior

Things to specify :
zone of
influence  Initial value
 Boundary values on all points of the border

zone of Example : Advection-Diffusion :

dependence ∂φ ∂φ ∂2φ
+b −ν 2 =0
x ∂t ∂x ∂x

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 11/17

Types of equations :
Two-way and one-way coordinates : (Patankar (1980))
 Two-way coordinate : conditions on a point in that coordinate are influenced by
changes on both sides of that location
Ex : 1D steady heat equation
 One-way coordinate : conditions on a point in that coordinate are influenced by
changes only on one side of that location
Ex : Time is always a one-way coordinate

ELLIPTIC :
Two-way behavior
y
Things to specify :
zone of  Boundary value of each variable needs to
influence
be specified along the entire boundary
 No initial value needed

zone of Example : Poisson equation :

dependence
∂2φ ∂2φ
2
+ =0
x ∂x ∂y 2
CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 12/17
Types of equations :
Two-way and one-way coordinates : (Patankar (1980))
 Two-way coordinate : conditions on a point in that coordinate are influenced by
changes on both sides of that location
Ex : 1D steady heat equation
 One-way coordinate : conditions on a point in that coordinate are influenced by
changes only on one side of that location
Ex : Time is always a one-way coordinate

HYPERBOLIC :
t Kind of One-way behavior : not along coordinate
directions but along the characteristics
zone of
influence Things to specify :
 Initial value
 Boundary values only for "incoming"
zone of characteritics
dependence
∂2φ ∂φ
Example : Wave equation − α2 2 = 0
x ∂t 2 ∂x

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 13/17

Navier-Stokes equations : Parabolic-elliptic

Unsteady Navier-Stokes equations are a combination of parabolic and elliptic.

Pressure-Velocity coupling :
By taking the divergence of the momentum equation we obtain
   
∂ ∂p ∂ ∂(ρui uj )
= − (8)
∂xi ∂xi ∂xi ∂xj

Prototypical problems :
We will focus first on the following problems in order to study simple parabolic and elliptic
problems :
 Steady heat equation −∇ · (κ∇T ) = s

 Unsteady heat equation ∂T

− ∇ · (κ∇T ) = 0
∂t
We will first consider these equation and discuss boundary conditions and numerical
discretisation (next chapters).

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 14/17

Types of Boundary Conditions :

z We consider the evolution of the

dS S temperature on a domain Ω
limited by the boundary S .
Ω
y
x
Different types of Boundary Conditions :
 Dirichlet : T (x ∈ S) = f

 Neumann : (∇T · n) (x ∈ S) = h

 Robin : [aT + b (∇T · n)] (x ∈ S) = h, with b 6= 0

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 15/17

Outline of the course

Steady Heat ∇ · (κ∇T ) = s Discretization families

∂T
Unsteady Heat − ∇ · (κ∇T ) = s Time integration
∂t

∇p
Steady Stokes − ∇ · (ν∇u) = g
ρ Pressure-Velocity coupling
∇·u=0 and its implementation

∂u ∇p
Unsteady Stokes + − ∇ · (ν∇u) = g
∂t ρ Time integration
∇·u=0

∂u ∇p
Navier-Stokes + (u · ∇) u + − ∇ · (ν∇u) = g
∂t ρ Advective Term
∇·u=0

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 16/17

References :

This chapter has been prepared with the aid of the following material :
 The original slides of Prof. Jan Dušek "CFD - Incompressible flows"
 The lecture notes of the lecture "Numerical Fluid Mechanics I"
from Prof. Markus Uhlmann
 The book of Suhas V. Patankar, "Numerical Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow"
(1980)
 The book of Joel H. Ferziger and Milovan Períc, "Computational Methods
for Fluid Dynamics" (2002)
 The book of Charles Hirsch, "Numerical Computation of Internal and
External Flows" (2007)
 The book of George Em Karniadakis and Spencer J. Sherwin,
"Spectral/hp Element Methods for Computational Fluid Dynamics" (2005)

CFD - Incompressible Flows | Master PAIP - MNI | Chap 1 17/17