Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics CFD Introduction

Numerical Simulations

S System-level l l CFD problems bl

Includes all components in the product Identifies the issues in a specific component or a sub-component

Component or detail-level problems

Different tools for the level of analysis Coupled p physics p y (fluid-structure ( interactions) )

CFD Codes

Available A il bl commercial i l codes d fluent, fl star-cd, d Exa, E cfd-ace, fd cfx f etc. Other structures codes with fluids capability ansys, algor, cosmos etc. Supporting grid generation and post-processing codes NASA and other government lab codes Netlib, , Linpack p routines for new code development p Mathematica or Maple for difference equation generation Use of spreadsheets (and vb-based macros) for simple solutions

What is Computational Fluid Dynamics?

Computational C i l Fluid Fl id Dynamics D i (CFD) i is the h science i of f predicting di i fluid flow, heat transfer, mass transfer, chemical reactions, and related phenomena by solving the mathematical equations which govern these processes using a numerical process (that is, is on a computer). computer) The result of CFD analyses is relevant engineering data used in:

conceptual studies of new designs d il d product detailed d development d l troubleshooting redesign Reduces the total effort required in the laboratory.

CFD analysis complements testing and experimentation.

Courtesy: Fluent, Inc

Applications

Applications of CFD are numerous!

flow and heat transfer in industrial processes (boilers, heat exchangers, combustion equipment, pumps, blowers, piping, etc.) aerodynamics of ground vehicles, aircraft, missiles film coating, thermoforming in material processing applications flow and heat transfer in p propulsion p and p power g generation systems y ventilation, heating, and cooling flows in buildings chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for integrated circuit manufacturing heat transfer for electronics p packaging g g applications pp and many, many more...

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CFD - How It Works

Analysis A l i begins b i with i h a mathematical h i l model d l of a physical problem.

Filling Nozzle Bottle

Conservation of matter, momentum, and energy must be satisfied throughout the region of interest.

Fluid properties are modeled empirically.

Simplifying assumptions are made in order to make the problem tractable (e.g., steadystate, incompressible, inviscid, twodimensional). Provide appropriate initial and/or boundary conditions for the problem.
Domain for bottle filling problem. bl

Courtesy: Fluent, Inc

CFD - How It Works (2)

CFD applies numerical methods (called di discretization i i ) to develop d l approximations i i of f the h governing equations of fluid mechanics and the fluid region to be studied.

Governing G i diff differential ti l equations ti algebraic l b i The collection of cells is called the grid or mesh.

The set of approximating equations are solved numerically i ll (on ( a computer) t ) for f the th flow fl field fi ld variables at each node or cell.

System of equations are solved simultaneously to provide solution solution.

Mesh for bottle filling problem problem.

The solution is post-processed to extract quantities of interest (e.g. lift, drag, heat transfer, separation points, pressure loss, loss etc etc.). )
.

Courtesy: Fluent, Inc

An Example: Water flow over a tube bank

Goal

compute average pressure drop, heat transfer per tube row flow is two-dimensional, laminar, incompressible flow approaching tube bank is steady with a known velocity body forces due to gravity are negligible fl i flow is translationally l i ll periodic i di (i.e. (i geometry repeats itself)

Assumptions

Physical System can be modeled with repeating geometry.

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Mesh Generation

Geometry created or imported into preprocessor for meshing. Mesh is generated for the fluid region (and/or solid region ( g for conduction). )

A fine structured mesh is placed around cylinders to help resolve boundary layer flow. Unstructured mesh is used for remaining fluid areas.

Identify interfaces to which boundary conditions will be applied.

cylindrical walls inlet and outlets symmetry and periodic faces

Section of mesh for tube bank problem

Courtesy: Fluent, Inc

Using the Solver

Import mesh. Select solver methodology. Define operating and b boundary d conditions. diti

e.g., no-slip, qw or Tw at walls.

Initialize field and iterate for solution. Adjust solver parameters and/or mesh for convergence problems.

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Post-processing

Extract relevant E l engineering i i data from solution in the form of:

x-y plots l t contour plots vector plots surface/volume f / l integration i t ti forces fluxes particle i l trajectories j i
Temperature contours within the fluid region.

Courtesy: Fluent, Inc

Advantages of CFD

L Cost Low C

Using physical experiments and tests to get essential engineering data for design can be expensive. C Computational t ti l simulations i l ti are relatively l ti l inexpensive, i i and d costs t are likely lik l to decrease as computers become more powerful. CFD simulations i l ti can be b executed t d in i a short h t period i d of f time. ti Quick turnaround means engineering data can be introduced early in the design process Many flow and heat transfer processes can not be (easily) tested - e.g. hypersonic flow at Mach 20 CFD provides the ability to theoretically simulate any physical condition .

Speed

Ability to Simulate Real Conditions

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Advantages of CFD (2)

Ability to Simulate Ideal Conditions

CFD allows great control over the physical process, and provides the ability to isolate specific phenomena for study. Example: a heat transfer process can be idealized with adiabatic, constant heat flux, or constant temperature boundaries.

Comprehensive Information

Experiments only permit data to be extracted at a limited number of locations in the system (e.g. pressure and temperature probes, heat flux gauges LDV, gauges, LDV etc etc.) ) CFD allows the analyst to examine a large number of locations in the region of interest, and yields a comprehensive set of flow parameters for examination. Courtesy: Fluent, Inc.

Limitations of CFD

Ph i l Models Physical M d l

CFD solutions rely upon physical models of real world processes (e.g. turbulence, compressibility, chemistry, multiphase flow, etc.). Th solutions The l ti that th t are obtained bt i d through th h CFD can only l be b as accurate t as the physical models on which they are based. S l i equations Solving ti on a computer t invariably i i bl introduces i t d numerical i l errors

Numerical Errors

Round-off error - errors due to finite word size available on the computer Truncation error - error due to approximations in the numerical models

Round-off Round off errors will always exist (though they should be small in most cases) Truncation errors will go to zero as the grid is refined - so mesh refinement is one way y to deal with truncation error. .

Courtesy: Fluent, Inc

Limitations of CFD (2)

B Boundary d C Conditions di i

As with physical models, the accuracy of the CFD solution is only as good as the initial/boundary conditions provided to the numerical model. E Example: l Flow Fl i in a d duct t with ith sudden dd expansion i

If flow is supplied to domain by a pipe, you should use a fully-developed profile for velocity rather than assume uniform conditions.
Computational Domain Computational Domain

Uniform Inlet Profile

Fully Developed Inlet Profile

poor
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better

Summary

Computational C i l Fluid Fl id Dynamics D i is i a powerful f l way of f modeling d li fluid fl id flow, heat transfer, and related processes for a wide range of important scientific and engineering problems. Th cost of The f doing d i CFD has h decreased d d dramatically d i ll in i recent years, and d will continue to do so as computers become more and more powerful.

Courtesy: Fluent, Inc

Numerical solution methods

C it Consistency and d truncation t ti errors

As h-> 0, error -> 0 (hn, tn) Converging methodology Gets close to exact solution Physical quantities are conserved Higher order schemes can have overshoots and undershoots

Stability

Convergence

Conservation

Boundedness (Lies within physical bounds)

Realizability (Be able to model the physics) Accuracy (Modeling, Discretization and Iterative solver errors)

CFD Methodologies

Fi i difference Finite diff method h d

Simple grids (rectangular) Complex geometries -> Transform to simple geometry (coordinate t transformation) f ti ) Complex geometries (conserve across faces) Complex geometries (element level transformation) Higher order interpolations in elements Basic momentum principle-based p p

Finite volume method

Finite element method

Spectral element method

Lattice-gas methods