MeshMorphingand

theAdjointSolverin
ANSYSR14.0

SimonPereira

1 2011ANSYS,Inc. October14,2011
 Agenda
FluentMorphingOptimizationFeature
RBFMorphwithANSYSDesignXplorer
AdjointSolver
Whatdoesanadjoint solverdo,andhow
doweusetheresults?
Supportingtechnologiesandchallenges
CurrentFunctionality
Examples
Summary

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 FLUENTMorpherOptimizationfeature

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 FLUENTMorpherOptimizationfeature

Allowsuserstooptimize
productdesignbasedon
shapedeformationto
achievedesignobjective
BasedonFreeForm
Deformationtool
coupledwithvarious
optimizationmethods

4 2011ANSYS,Inc. October14,2011
 MeshMorphing
Appliesageometricdesignchangedirectlytothemeshinthesolver
UsesaBernsteinpolynomialbasedmorphingscheme
Freeformmeshdeformationdefinedonamatrixofcontrolpointsleadstoa
smoothdeformation
Worksonallmeshtypes(Tet/Prism,CutCell,HexaCore,Polyhedral)
Userprescribesthescaleanddirectionofdeformationstocontrol
pointsdistributedevenlythroughtherectilinearregion.

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 Examples
SomeBasicexamples
Optimizationbasedmorphing

Baseline
Modified
RegionDefined

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 Process
Whatif? OR Optimizer
SetupCase SetupCase
Run Run
Regions
Setup Setup
Morph Parameters Optimizer
Morph Deformation Optimize
Optimizer Auto
Evaluate
Choose Optimal
bestdesign Solution
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 ObjectiveFunction

ObjectiveFunction:Equalflowrate

BaselineDesign OptimizedDesign

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 Example SimpleSedan

SequentialTabs

DefineControlRegion(s)

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 DeformationDefinition

Defineconstraint(s)(ifany)
Selectcontrolpointsand
prescribetherelativerangesof
motion

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 Optimizer Algorithms;Compass,Powell,
Rosenbrock,Simplex,Torczon

Auto

Optimize!
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 Questions?
Results
PleasecontactANSYS
Incompressibleturbulentflow
Techsupportforhelpin
ObjectiveFunction;MinimizeDrag applyingthistechnology

BaselineDesign OptimizedDesign

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 RBFMorph

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 RBFMorph

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 HowRBFMorphWorks?
Oncedisplacementsaredefinedbythe
useratthesourcepoints,RadialBasis
Functioninterpolationisusedtoderivethe
displacementatanylocationinthespace,
soitisalsoavailableateverygridnode.

TheRBFproblemdefinitionismesh
independent,samesetupcanbeapplied
todifferentmeshes

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 Externalflowexample

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 RBFMorphmainfeatures
Fully integrated within FLUENT and Workbench
Easy to use
Parallel calculation allows to morph large size models
(many millions of cells) in a short time
Mesh independent solution works with all element types
(tetrahedral, hexahedral, polyhedral, etc.)
Superposition of multiple RBF-solutions makes the
FLUENT case truly parametric (only 1 mesh is stored)
RBF-solution can also be applied on the CAD
Precision: exact nodal movement and exact feature
preservation.

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 Testcasedescription

Shiphull:Series60,CB=0.6 ConductedbyPranzitelli &Caridi

externalhydrodynamics
multiphaseflow(air&water)
shipadvancingsteadlyincalmwater
trimandsinkagefixed
displacedvolumeasconstraint
resistanceprediction

Objective:
Optimizationofthehullshape
Reductionofthe
withnodisplacementreduction resistance
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 Process
CAD
operator

MeshICEMCFD

Baselinesim.
Fluent grid cells
Coarse 331,652
Workbenchand
RBFmorphsetup Medium 692,984
Fine 1,274,742 CT CT
workbench

DOERUNS
Coarse 5.81x10-3 -2.52%

Optimization Medium 5.94x10-3 -0.34%

Fine 5.96x10-3 0%

Finalsolution Exp.* 5.96x10-3 -

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 Process
CAD
operator

MeshICEMCFD Morphingdomain
Sectiondeformation
Eightcrosssections
Symmetryplane
defined
applied
specified
fixed
Baselinesim.
Fluent

Workbenchand
RBFmorphsetup
workbench

DOERUNS

Optimization

Finalsolution

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 Process
CAD
operator

MeshICEMCFD

Baselinesim. Parametersare
Fluent definedand DXbuildsaDOE
transferredtothe anddrivesFluent
Workbenchand parametersetbar andRBFMorph
RBFmorphsetup
forusewithANSYS
DesignXplorer
workbench

DOERUNS

Optimization

Finalsolution

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 ANSYSDesignXplorer
Results
Sensitivityanalysis
Input
parameters
Output
DesignofExperiments
parameters
ResponseSurface 45DesignPoints

DOE SolvedinBatch
Settings

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 OptimizewithANSYSDesignXplorer
Optimize
Baseline Optimized
Fx 6.83N 6.29N

baseline
7.9%resistancereduction
Novolumereduction

optimized

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 PerformancewithRBFMorphinWorkbench:
Meshgeneration:6manhours
Fluentcasesetup:1manhours
Baselinesimulation(coarsegrid):4CPU*hours
WorkbenchandRBFMorphsetup:1manhours
DOE(45simulations):45CPU*hours 8manhrs
Optimization:Minutes
2CPUdays
WithoutWorkbench&RBFMorph....?
Meshgeneration(firstmesh):6manhours
~100manhrs
Geometry(CAD)andmeshmodificationforeachcase
(consideringmeshautomationinICEMCFD):1x45=45 2CPUdays
manhours
Casesmanagement(Fluent):1x46=46manhours
(optimistically)
Casesexecution:4+45=49CPU*hours
useofotheroptimizationtools:??

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*oneIntel i7quadcoreprocessor,2.8GHz
 FluentAdjoint

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 Preface
AdjointsolverinANSYSFluent14istheculmination
ofseveralyearsofR&Deffort.
Thisprojectwasrisky,buttherewardsaregreatfor
ANSYSclients.
Therewereanumberoffalsestartsanddeadends.
Writinganadjoint solverthatmeetstheneedsofthe
engineeringcommunityisnotatrivialtask.
Wearepleasedtohavecomesofar,andlook
forwardtogoingmuchfurther.

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 Whatisanadjoint solutionandhowdo
weusethoseresults?
Anadjoint solverallowsspecificinformationaboutafluidsystemtobe
computedthatisverydifficulttogatherotherwise.
Theadjoint solutionitselfisasetofderivatives.
Theyarenotparticularlyusefulintheirrawformandmustbepostprocessed
appropriately.
Thederivativeofanengineeringquantitywithrespecttoall oftheinputsforthe
systemcanbecomputedinasinglecalculation.
Example:Sensitivityofthedragonanairfoiltoitsshape.

Thereare4mainwaysinwhichthesederivativescanbeused:
1. Qualitative guidanceonwhatcaninfluencetheperformanceofasystemstrongly.
2. Quantitative guidanceontheanticipatedeffectofspecificdesignchanges.
3. Guidanceonimportantfactorsinsolvernumerics.
4. Gradientbaseddesignoptimization.
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 Howtousetheresults Qualitative
GOAL:Identifyfeaturesofasystemdesignthataremostinfluential
intheperformanceofthesystem.

EXAMPLE:
SensitivityoftheDragonaNACA0012airfoiltochangesinthe
shapeoftheairfoil.
Theshapesensitivityfieldisextractedfromtheadjoint solutionina
postprocessingstep.

Highsensitivity changestoshapehaveabigeffectondrag

Lowsensitivity changestoshapehaveasmalleffectondrag
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 Howtousetheresults Quantitative
GOAL:Identifyspecificsystemdesignchangesthatbenefittheperformance
andquantifytheimprovementinperformancethatisanticipated.

EXAMPLE:
Designmodificationstoturningvanesina90degreeelbowtoreducethe
totalpressuredrop.
Theoptimaladjustmentthatismadetotheshapeisdefinedbytheshape
sensitivityfield(steepestdescentalgorithm).
Effectofeachchangecanbecomputedinadvancebasedonlinear
extrapolation.
Baseline
Modified
Original P=232.8Pa
Expectedchangecomputedusingtheadjoint
andlinearextrapolation=10.0Pa
Makethechangeandrecompute thesolution.
Actualchange=9.0Pa

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 Howtousetheresults SolverNumerics
GOAL:Identifyaspectsofthesolvernumerics andcomputationalmeshthathave
astronginfluenceonquantitiesthatarebeingcomputedthatareofengineering
interest.

EXAMPLE:
Usetheadjoint solutiontoidentifypartsofthemeshwheremeshadaptionwill
benefitthecomputeddragbyreducingtheinfluenceofdiscretization errors.

BaselineMesh AdaptedMesh

AdaptedMesh
Detail

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 Howtousetheresults Optimization
GOAL:Performasequenceofautomateddesignmodificationstoimproveaspecific
performancemeasureforasystem

EXAMPLE:
Gradientbasedoptimizationofthetotalpressuredropinapipe.
Flowsolutionisrecomputedandtheadjoint recomputedateachdesigniteration.
100

90

80
Initialdesign
70

60

ptot [Pa]
50

40

30
Finaldesign 20
30%reductionintotalpressure 10
dropafter30designiterations
0
0 10 20 30
Iteration
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 Howdoesanadjoint analysisfitintothe
familiarCFDworkflow?
StandardCFDWorkflowelements
Defineaflowproblem.
Createageometricrepresentationoftheproblemandcreateacomputationalmesh.
Setupandsolvetheflowproblem.
Postprocesstheresults.

Ifthedesignisnotmeetingperformancerequirements
Useinsight,experienceandintuitiontodecidehowtoselectdesignchangesthatwillimprove
theperformanceofthesystem
or
Adjoint workflowelements
Usetheresultstoimprovethedesignsystematicallyusingoneofthe4strategiesoutlined
Pickanobservationthatisofengineeringinterest.
Lift,drag,totalpressuredrop?
Setupandsolvetheadjoint problemforthisobservationforthespecificcomputedflowfield
Defineadjoint solutionadvancementcontrols
Setadjoint convergencecriteria
Initializetheadjoint solutionfield
Iteratetoconvergence
Postprocess

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 SupportingTechnologies

Meshmorphing
Meshmorphing&Adjoint Data
MeshMorphing,Adjoint Data&Constraints

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 MeshMorphing
Onceadesiredchangetothegeometryofthe
systemhasbeenselected,howisthatchangeto
bemade?
Meshmorphingprovidesaconvenientandpowerful
meansofchangingthegeometryandthecomputational
mesh.
UseBernsteinpolynomialbasedmorphingscheme
discussedearlier

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 MeshMorphing&Adjoint Data
Example: Sensitivityofliftto
surfaceshape Flow
Selectportionsofthegeometry
tobemodified
Adjoint todeformation
operation
Surfaceshapesensitivitybecomes
controlpointsensitivity(chainrule
fordifferentiation)
Benefitofthisapproachistwo
fold
Smooths thesurfacesensitivityfield
Providesasmoothinteriorand
boundarymeshdeformation
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 MeshMorphing,Adjoint Data&Constraints
Theadjoint solutionisdeterminedbasedonthespecificflow
physicsoftheprobleminhand.
Theeffectofotherpracticalengineeringconstraintsmustalsobe
takenintoaccount.
Example:
Somewallswithinthecontrolvolumemaybeconstrainednottomove.
Aminimaladjustmentismadetothecontrolpointsensitivityfieldsothat
deformationofthefixedwallsiseliminated.

Fixedwall
Fixedwall

Moveablewalls

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 CurrentFunctionality
ANSYSFluentflowsolverhasverybroadscope
Adjoint isconfiguredtocomputesolutionsbasedonsomeassumptions
Steady,incompressible,laminarflow.
Steady,incompressible,turbulentflowwithstandardwallfunctions.
Firstorderdiscretization inspace.
Frozenturbulence.
TheprimaryflowsolutiondoesNOTneedtoberunwiththeserestrictions
Strongevidencethattheseassumptionsdonotunderminetheutilityoftheadjoint
solutiondataforengineeringpurposes.
Fullyparallelized
Gradientalgorithmforshapemodification
Meshmorphingusingcontrolpoints.
Adjointbasedsolutionadaption

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 CurrentFunctionality
Theadjoint solverisanaddon thatwillbepartoftheFluent14distribution.
Documentationisavailable
Theory
Usage
Tutorial
Casestudy
Trainingisavailable.
Functionalityisactivatedbyloadingtheadjoint solveraddon module.
Anewmenuitemisaddedatthetoplevel.
Limitationsincludeunsupportedmodels(porousmedia,MRFetc.),convergence
canbechallengingforlargecases(510M+cells)andcasesthatexhibitunsteady
floworstrongshearflows
Stabilizedsolutionadvancementalgorithmisinplace

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 UserInterface
GUI
Followascloselyaspossiblethe
samedesignlayoutasFluent
solver
Specifyobservable
Adjoint solutionadvancementcontrols
Residualmonitors
Initializationanditeration
Postprocessing:contours,vectors.
Resultsreporting
Meshmorphingwithprecalculationof
expectedchangeinobservable.

TUI /adjoint>
controls morphing/ reporting/
monitors/ observable/ run/

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 Examples

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 TotalPressureDropinaBend
Fulldiscreteadjoint forshapesensitivity
Frozenturbulence
Reducetotalpressuredrop,P,throughsystem

P=232.8
Baseline
132 Expectchange10.0
Actualchange9.0
P=223.8
Expectchange8.9
Actualchange6.9
P=216.9
Expectchange7.0
Actualchange3.1
P=213.8

Totalimprovement
of8%

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 TotalPressureDropinaDuct

Flowresiduals

Flow

Outflow
Adjoint residuals

Goalistoreducethetotalpressuredrop
throughthesystem
Setupandsolvetheadjoint systemwitha
totalpressuredropobjectivefunction

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 TotalPressureDropinaDuct
TotalPressureDrop(Pa)

Geometry Predicted Result

Original 22.0

Modified 14.8 18.3

Aggressiveadjustmentresultsina17%
reductioninlossinjustonedesign
iteration

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 Summary
TheadjointsolverwillbereleasedwithR14
Anadjoint solvercomputessensitivitydatathatcanbeusedtoaid
withdesigndecisionsin4mainways:
1. Qualitativeidentificationofcriticalpartsofthesystemofinterest.
2. Quantitativepredictionsoftheoptimalchoiceforadesignchangeanda
predictionoftheeffectofthatchange.
3. Aidinginthenumericalanalysisoftheflowsolutiontoimprovesolution
quality.
4. Gradientbasedoptimization.
Supportingtechnologiessuchasmeshmorphing,andthe
applicationofdesignconstraints,areseenasimportant.
Theadjoint solverforthepresentreleaseislimitedtosteady
incompressibleflows,withotherrestrictionsonmodels.

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