Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

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Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Main Menu bar

Command line

Operation toolpad

Description window
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Global Control
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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Fluent User Services Center

www.fluentusers.com

Topology in Gambit
Volume
mesh

Face
mesh
Edge
mesh

Volume
Faces
Edge
Vertex
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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Geometry Creation

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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Geometry Creation

ACIS - geometry engine ("kernel")

z

Provides tools for bottom-up creation by:

Add, Grid Snap, etc.

Line, Arc, Ellipse, Fillet, B-spline, etc.
Wire Frame, Sweep, Net, etc.
Wire Frame, Sweep, Face Stitch, etc.

Provides tools for top-down creation by

Vertex:
Edge:
Face:
Volume:

Face Primitives:
Volume Primitives:
Volume/Face Booleans:
Volume/Face Decompose:

Rectangle, Circle, Ellipse

Brick, Cylinder, Sphere, etc.
Unite, Subtract, Intersect
Split

Geometry creation typically involves use of all tools.

2-4

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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Geometry Creation (3)

Color Identification
z

Connected Vertices and Edges are colored according to

the highest order entity to which they are connected. To.
The coloring scheme is:

Vertex (white)
Edge (yellow)
Face (light blue)
Volume (green)

Undo/Redo:
z

10 levels of undo by default.

z
z

Undoes geometry, meshing, and zoning commands.

Description window provides command to be undone
when mouse is passed over undo button.

Left click to execute visible button operation.

Right click to access options.
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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Mesh Generation

2-6

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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Design and Create the Grid

triangle

tetrahedron

pyramid

Quad/hex or tri/tet?

Grid resolution?

Sufficient computer memory?

quadrilateral

hexahedron

prism/wedge

2-7

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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Edge Meshing

Edge meshing form

z

Picking

Grading

Spacing

z
z

Single-sided grading
Symmetric grading
Asymmetric grading
Interval Count
% of edge length
Interval Sice

Special characteristics
Options

2-8

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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Face Meshing - Quad Examples

Quad: Map

Quad: Submap

Quad: Tri-Primitive

Quad: Pave

2-9

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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Volume Meshes - Hex Examples

Hex: Map

Hex: Cooper

Hex: Submap

Hex: Stairstep

Hex: Tet-Primitive

2-10

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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Inputs to the Solver

GUI commands have a corresponding TUI command.

Journal/Transcript write capability.

2-11

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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Fluent User Services Center

www.fluentusers.com

Topology in Fluent

Cell = control volume

Face = boundary of a cell
Edge = boundary of a face
Node = grid point
Zone = grouping of
nodes, faces, and/or cells
z
z

node

cell
center

face
cell
Simple 2D mesh

Boundary data => face zones.

Material data and source terms => cell zones.
node
edge
face

cell

Simple 3D mesh
2-12

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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Reading Mesh: Zones

orifice
(interior)
orifice_plate and
orifice_plate-shadow

outlet

wall
inlet

Fluid (cell zone)

Example: Face and cell zones

associated with Pipe Flow
through orifice plate.

Default-interior is
zone of internal cell
faces (not used).
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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Models in Fluent 6 (1)

Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer

z
z

Turbulence
z

Momentum, Continuity, and Energy Equations

Radiation Models
RANS based models
including k-, k-, and RSM.
LES

Species Transport
Volumetric Reactions
z
z

Eddy Dissipation, Non-Premixed,

Premixed, Partially premixed

Turbulent finite-rate chemistry

Pressure contours in near ground flight

Arrhenius finite-rate chemistry

Turbulent fast chemistry

EDC, laminar flamelet

Surface Reactions
Temperature contours for kiln burner retrofitting.
2-14

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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Fluent User Services Center

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Models in Fluent 6 (2)

Gas outlet

Inlet

Multiphase Flows
z
z

z
z

Discrete Phase Model (DPM)

Volume of Fluid (VOF) model for
immiscible fluids
Contours of oil volume fraction
Mixture Model
in three phase separator.
Eulerian-Eulerian and EulerianGranular Models
Liquid/Solid and Cavitation Phase Change Models

Oil outlet

Flows involving Moving Parts

z

Moving zones

Water outlet

Single/Multiple Rotating Reference Frames

Mixing Plane Model
Sliding Mesh Model

Moving and Deforming Mesh

Pressure contours for squirrel cage blower.

User-Defined Scalar Transport

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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Solver Enhancements: Grid Adaption

Grid adaption increases cell resolution in Fluent

Fluent adapts on cells listed in register.

2-16

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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Solver Enhancements: Parallel Solver

With 2 or more processes,

Fluent can be run on multiple
processors.
Multiprocessor machine, or
network of machines.
Mesh can be partitioned
manually or automatically.

Partitioned grid for multi-element airfoil.

2-17

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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Choosing a Solver

The Segregated (implicit) solver should be first choice

z
z

Less memory.
Flexibility.

The Coupled solvers are recommended if a strong inter-dependence exists

between density, energy, momentum, and/or species.
z
z

Coupled-Implicit solver is recommended.

Coupled-Explicit solver only for unsteady flows with time scale around acustic
time scale e.g., tracking transient shock wave

2-18

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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Discretization (Interpolation Methods)

Interpolation schemes for the convection term:

z
z
z
z

FLUENT interpolation schemes for Face Pressure:

z
z
z
z
z

First-Order Upwind Scheme

Power Law Scheme
Second-Order Upwind Scheme
Quadratic Upwind Interpolation (QUICK)
Standard
Linear
Second-Order
Body Force Weighted
PRESTO!

Pressure-Velocity Coupling
z
z
z

SIMPLE
SIMPLEC
PISO (iterative & non-iterative)

2-19

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Introductory FLUENT Notes

FLUENT v6.1
Feb 2003

Convergence and Accuracy

At convergence:
z
z
z

Solution no longer changes.

Overall mass, momentum, energy, and scalar balances are achieved.
Monitor Residuals, relevant key variables and overall mass balance

A converged solution is not necessarily a correct one.

z
z

Use the second-order upwind discretization scheme for final results.

Ensure that solution is grid-independent:

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