Lecture 09

Domains, Boundary Conditions and

Sources
14. 5 Release

Introduction to ANSYS
CFD Professional
2012 ANSYS, Inc.

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Domains
Domains are regions of space in which the equations of fluid flow
or heat transfer are solved

e.g. A simulation of a copper heating coil in water

will require a fluid domain and a solid domain.

Only the mesh components which are included in a domain are

included in the simulation

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How to Create a Domain

Define Domain Properties
Right-click on the domain and pick Edit
Or right-click on Flow Analysis 1 to insert a new domain
When editing an item a new tab panel
opens containing the properties. You
can switch between open tabs.

Sub-tabs contain
various different
properties
Complete the required
fields on each sub-tab
to define the domain

Optional fields are

activated by enabling a
check box

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Domain Creation
Basic Settings panel:
Location: Assemblies and 3D primitives
Domain Type: Fluid or Solid
Coordinate Frame: select coordinate frame to
which all domain inputs will be referred
The default Coord 0 frame is usually used

Fluids and Particles Definitions: select the

participating materials

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Domain Creation Reference Pressure

Basic Settings: Reference Pressure
Represents the absolute pressure datum from which
all relative pressures are measured
Pabs = Preference + Prelative

Pressures specified at boundary and initial conditions

are relative to the Reference Pressure

Used to avoid problems with round-off errors which

occur when the local pressure differences in a fluid
are small compared with the absolute pressure level
Pref

Pressure

Pressure

Prel,max=1 Pa
Prel,min=99,999 Pa

Prel,min=-1 Pa

Pref

Ex. 1: Preference= 0 Pa
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Ex. 2: Preference= 100,000 Pa

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Domain Types
The additional domain tabs/settings
depend on the Domain Type selected

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Domain Type: Fluid Models

Heat Transfer
Specify whether a heat transfer model for
convection and conduction is used to
predict the temperature throughout the
flow (None, Isothermal, Thermal Energy,
Total Energy)

Turbulence
Specify whether flow is turbulent (k-Epsilon

model) or Laminar
For the Wall Function to be valid, y+ should
be in the range 20 200.

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Domain Type: Solid Models

Solid Domains are used to model regions that
contain no fluid (for example, the walls of a
heat exchanger)

Heat Transfer (Conjugate Heat Transfer)

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Materials

Create a name for the fluid to be used

Select the material to be used in the domain

Currently loaded materials are available in the drop-down list
Additional Materials are available by clicking

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Materials
A Material can be created/edited by right clicking Materials in
the Outline tree

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Boundary Conditions
14. 5 Release

Introduction to ANSYS
CFD Professional
2012 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

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Defining Boundary Conditions

You must specify information for the dependent (flow) variables at
the domain boundaries

Specify fluxes of mass, momentum, energy, etc. into the domain.

Defining boundary conditions involves:

Identifying the location of the boundaries (e.g. inlets, walls, symmetry)
Supplying information at the boundaries

The data required at a boundary depends upon the boundary

condition type and the physical models employed

You must be aware of types of the boundary condition available and

locate the boundaries where the flow variables have known values
or can be reasonably approximated

Poorly defined boundary conditions can have a significant impact on your

solution

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Available Boundary Condition Types

Inlet
Velocity Components
Normal Speed
Mass Flow Rate
Total Pressure (stable)
Relative Static Pressure (Supersonic)
Static Pressure

Static Temperature
Total Temperature (Heat Transfer)
Total Enthalpy (Heat Transfer)
Inlet Turbulent conditions

Outlet

Wall
Inlet

Outlet
Average Static Pressure
Velocity Components
Static Pressure

Normal Speed
Mass Flow Rate

Opening
Opening Pressure and Dirn
Entrainment
Static Pressure and Direction
Velocity Components

Opening Temperature (Heat Transfer)

Opening Static Temperature (Heat Transfer)
Inflow Turbulent conditions

Symmetry

Opening

Wall
No Slip / Free Slip
Roughness Parameters
Wall Velocity (tangential motion only)

Adiabatic (Heat Transfer)

Fixed Temperature (Heat Transfer)
Heat Flux (Heat Transfer)
Heat Transfer Coefficient (Heat Transfer)

Symmetry
No details (only specify region which
corresponds to the symmetry plane

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How to Create a Boundary Condition

Right-click on the domain to insert BCs

After completing
the boundary
condition, it
appears in the
Outline tree
below its domain

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Inlets and Outlets

Velocity Specified Condition

Pressure or Mass Flow Condition

Inlet

Inlet
Inflow
allowed

Inflow
allowed
Outflow
allowed

Artificial wall
prevents outflow

Inlets are used predominantly for regions where inflow is expected. However,
inlets also support outflow when velocity is specified

The same concept applies to outlets

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Openings
The opening type boundary allows both inflow and outflow
You have to provide information on conditions, e.g. temperature, turbulence,
that apply to fluid flowing into the domain

Do not use opening as an excuse for a poorly placed boundary

Pressure Specified Opening

Inlet
Inflow
allowed

Outflow
allowed

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Symmetry
Used to reduce computational effort in problem.
No inputs are required.
Flow field and geometry must be symmetric:
Zero normal velocity at symmetry plane
Zero normal gradients of all variables at symmetry plane
Must take care to correctly define symmetry boundary locations

Can be used to model slip walls in viscous flow

symmetry
planes

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Specifying Well Posed Boundary Conditions

If possible, select boundary location
and shape such that flow either goes in
or out

Upper pressure boundary modified to

ensure that flow always enters domain.

Not necessary, but will typically observe

better convergence

Should not observe large gradients in

direction normal to boundary

Indicates incorrect boundary condition

location
This outlet is poorly located. It should
be moved further downstream

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Specifying Well Posed Boundary Conditions

Boundaries placed over recirculation zones
Poor Location: Apply an opening to allow inflow
Opening

Better Location: Apply an outlet with an accurate velocity/pressure

profile

(difficult)
Outlet

Ideal Location: Apply an outlet downstream of the recirculation zone to

allow the flow to develop. This will make it easier to specify accurate
flow conditions
Outlet

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Specifying Well Posed Boundary Conditions

Turbulence at the Inlet
Nominal turbulence intensities range from 1% to 5% but will depend on
your specific application.

The default turbulence intensity value of 0.037 (that is, 3.7%) is

sufficient for nominal turbulence through a circular inlet, and is a good
estimate in the absence of experimental data.

For situations where turbulence is generated by wall friction, consider

extending the domain upstream to allow the walls to generate
turbulence and the flow to become developed

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Specifying Well Posed Boundary Conditions

External Flow
In general, if the building has height H and width W, you would want your

domain to be at least 5H high, 10W wide, with at least 2H upstream of the

building and 10 H downstream of the building.
You would want to verify that there are no significant pressure gradients normal
to any of the boundaries of the computational domain. If there are, then it
would be wise to enlarge the size of your domain.

w
Concentrate mesh in
regions of high
gradients

5h

10w
At least 2H
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10H
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Specifying Well Posed Boundary Conditions

Symmetry Plane and the Coanda Effect
Symmetric geometry does not necessarily mean symmetric flow
Example: The coanda effect. A jet entering at the center of a symmetrical duct
will tend to attach to one side above a certain Reynolds number

Coanda effect
not allowed

Symmetry Plane

No Symmetry Plane

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Specifying Well Posed Boundary Conditions

When there is 1 Inlet and 1 Outlet
Most Robust: Velocity/Mass Flow at an Inlet; Static Pressure at an Outlet. The
Inlet total pressure is an implicit result of the prediction.

Robust: Total Pressure at an Inlet; Velocity/Mass Flow at an Outlet. The static

pressure at the Outlet and the velocity at the Inlet are part of the solution.

Sensitive to Initial Guess: Total Pressure at an Inlet; Static Pressure at an Outlet.

The system mass flow is part of the solution

Very Unreliable: Static Pressure at an Inlet; Static Pressure at an Outlet. This

combination is not recommended as the inlet total pressure level and the mass
flow are both an implicit result of the prediction (the boundary condition
combination is a very weak constraint on the system)

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Specifying Well Posed Boundary Conditions

At least one boundary should specify Pressure (either Total or Static)
Unless its a closed system
Using a combination of Velocity and Mass Flow conditions at all boundaries over
constrains the system

Total Pressure cannot be set at an Outlet

It is unconditionally unstable

Outlets that vent to the atmosphere typically use a Static Pressure = 0

boundary condition

With a domain Reference Pressure of 1 [atm]

Inlets that draw flow in from the atmosphere often use a Total Pressure = 0
boundary condition (e.g. an open window)

With a domain Reference Pressure of 1 [atm]

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Specifying Well Posed Boundary Conditions

Mass flow inlets produce a uniform velocity profile over the inlet
Fully-developed flow is not achieved
You cannot specify a mass flow profile

For a mass flow outlet, the mass flow distribution, by default, is based on
the upstream profile and the pressure distribution is an implicit part of the
solution. Options to modify are:

Constant flux uniform mass flow (used when flow highly tangential to outlet)
Shift pressure option to constrain pressure profile

Pressure specified boundary conditions allow a natural velocity profile to

develop

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Source Terms
14. 5 Release

Introduction to ANSYS
CFD Professional
2012 ANSYS, Inc.

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Source Terms
Sources add additional terms to the transport equations
Energy Transport Equation

Source

Transient
Convection

Conduction

Viscous work

They provide a source (or sink) of the solved variable, e.g.

A source term added to the energy transport equation represents a source of heat
A source / sink term added to the momentum equations represent adding / removing
work to / from the system e.g. a pump / turbine

Source terms are often used as black-boxes

The details of the process producing the source are not simulated
E.g. instead of modelling a fan by resolving the blades and simulating the rotating
motion, a source term is used to add momentum to the flow

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3D, 2D and 1D Sources

Sources can be applied at a 3D, 2D or

Solid heater with

energy source term

1D location

A Subdomain is a 3D region within a

domain that can be used to specify
values for volumetric sources

Boundary sources permit the

specification of sources as fluxes
(source per unit area) on boundary
condition surfaces

Source points are sources that act on a

single mesh element

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Dispersion of an
Additional Variable
from a point source

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3D Sources - Subdomains
To add a Subdomain right-click on a
Domain > Insert > Subdomain

A domain can contain many subdomains, if

necessary
Subdomains cannot span multiple domains
Create separate subdomains for each
domain

In Basic Settings the Location is

specified

This can be any 3D mesh region in the

domain, including the whole domain

When creating your geometry and mesh
you should account for any regions
where source terms are required

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3D Sources - Subdomains
On the Sources tab a source term for each
equation can be set

Momentum Sources have their own section on the

Sources panel see next slide

The source Option can be:

Source: An amount per unit volume, e.g. [W/m^3]
Total Source: The total amount applied to the
subdomain, e.g. [W]

The optional Source Coefficient should be set

(to improve convergence) if the source term is a function of the
solved variable

E.g. an energy source which is a function of temperature

Set to the derivative of the source with respect to the solved variable
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3D Sources Momentum Sources

Momentum Sources can be set using a:
General Momentum Source: similar to how sources are

set for other equations

Loss Model: when modeling porous materials, screens,
etc.
This is based on Darcys Law

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ui K loss u ui
xi K perm
2

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2D Sources Boundary Sources

2D sources are associated with a boundary
condition

Each boundary condition has a Sources tab

Settings are the same as 3D sources except

either a Flux (source per unit area) is
specified or a Total Source (total amount
over the boundary)

You cannot set momentum sources on

boundaries

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1D Sources Source Points

1D Sources are created by right-clicking on
the appropriate domain > Insert > Source
Point or using the toolbar icon

Settings are similar to 3D sources except

that you can only use the Total Source
option

You cannot set a momentum Source at a

point

Source points are actually implemented as

3D sources on a single mesh element

Mesh refinement will refine the source point

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Workshop
Workshop03 Mixing Tube

Mixing of hot and cold fluids

Inlet velocity profile using Profile Boundary Condition
Temperature-dependent viscosity
Use of Instance Transforms in CFD-Post

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