Extraction of Boundary Layer Characteristics from Fluent Results

Fluent 2005 CFD Summit, Dearborn, MI Kent P. Misegades, CEI Inc., Apex, NC

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Topics
Background & Real Flow Visualization Traditional Visualization of CFD results Boundary Layer Characterization Boundary Layer Characteristic Extraction Other Techniques Future Work
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Background
Subject: Viscous, High-Speed, Compressible Flows
Slender bodies & wings at low angle-of-attack High Reynolds numbers, thus thin boundary layers Shock / boundary layer interaction significant BL thickness and flow distortion in engine inlets Extensive laminar flow may exist, thus BL transition critical
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Background

Boeing 787

Lockheed-Martin HCV

Aerion SSBJ

SAI SSBJ
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Advanced Aircraft with Extensive Laminar Flow

Background
High-Fidelity Fluent CFD Aerodynamic Simulations
Accuracy now comparable to legacy lab aero codes Dense meshes needed for turbulence models & shocks Boundary layers for RANS+SA models are well resolved DNS, LES, DES all produce far more detail than RANS Traditional post-processing ignores rich data in results We need to return to basics & real flow visualization
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Real Flow Visualization

Laminar BL Separation and Turbulent BL Reattachment, M. Selig, UIUC analyze, visualize, communicate

Real Flow Visualization

Boundary Layer Surface Flow using Paint Dots, Flometrics analyze, visualize, communicate

Real Flow Visualization

Schlieren Photographs, NASA analyze, visualize, communicate

Real Flow Visualization

Shadowgraph of Spacecraft Model, NASA analyze, visualize, communicate

CFD Visualization
Fluent Test Case
Geometry: ONERA M6 Wing Mesh: 884,736 hexahedra Reynolds Number: 11.34 million Freestream Mach Number: 0.84 Angle of Attack: 3.07 degrees
M>1

Fluent 6.2 results courtesy Thomas Scheidegger, Fluent Inc. All images created using EnSight 8.0 from CEI, Inc.
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CFD Visualization
Simple Techniques
Results displayed on model surfaces & clip planes
Velocity, Cp, density, Mach number, etc.

Derived variables
total pressure, vorticity, entropy, helicity, etc.

Velocity profiles
qualitatively depicts BL profiles, thickness, separation, etc.

Isosurfaces
total pressure, sonic (Mach=1), vorticity, entropy, etc.
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CFD Visualization

Surface Pressure

Pressure on Clip Plane

Total Pressure on Clip Plane

Mach Number on Clip Plane analyze, visualize, communicate

CFD Visualization
Sophisticated Techniques
Regions of Reverse flow
Streamwise velocity at a small offset distance from a surface

Surface-Restricted Traces
Oil flow analog, particle traces in laminar sublayer

Lines of BL Separation and Attachment

Singularities on surface

Shock surfaces & Dilitation Contours Schlieren & Shadowgraph simulation

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CFD Visualization
Reverse Flow

Offset Velocity Magnitude

Offset Vx

Surface-Restricted Traces

Surface Traces and Offset Velocity analyze, visualize, communicate

CFD Visualization
Shock Surface Extraction

Lines of BL Separation (green) Lines of BL Attachment (magenta)

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CFD Visualization

Velocity Profiles under BL Separation Bubble analyze, visualize, communicate

CFD Visualization

Schlieren Simulation (| |)

Shadowgraph Simulation (2 ) analyze, visualize, communicate

BL Characterization

Boundary Layers on an Airfoil, NASA analyze, visualize, communicate

BL Characterization
Classical Boundary Layer Characteristics
See: Abbott & von Doenhoff, Theory of Wing Sections Thickness (): distance at which u = 0.99 x U Displacement thickness (*): how BL displaces flow Momentum Thickness (): loss of momentum in BL Shape Factor (H = * / ) separation tendency ): Skin Friction Coefficient (Cf): viscous drag, transition
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BL Characterization
BL Health Indicator: Total Pressure Loss
Total pressure drops due to viscosity and shocks Isosurface of 95% freestream Ptotal indicates BL growth Distance from surface to this 95% isosurface is desired

Boundary Layer Transition

Of increasing importance for DNS, LES, DES results Involves anaysis of variables at BL edge
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BL Characteristic Extraction
Incorporated in EnSight 8.x from CEI Classical BL Characteristics
Thickness, , determined by proprietary edge-finding algorithm developed at CEI * and are 1-D integrals computed on surface nodes Shape Factor is simply H = * / Cf is computed on surface Numerically intensive computations for irregular grids All characteristics available as surface variables
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BL Characteristic Extraction

BL Thickness,

BL Displacement Thickness, *

BL Momentum Thickness,

Shape Factor, H analyze, visualize, communicate

Other Techniques
Elevated surfaces of BL characteristics Distance to value variable on surfaces Variables on edge of boundary layers BL transition indicators Animations of all techniques for transient flows
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Other Techniques

Elevated Surface of

Elevated Surface of

Contour of 95% Ptotal

Distance to 95% Ptotal analyze, visualize, communicate

Other Techniques

BL Thickness,

Distance to 95% Ptotal

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Future Work
Further Validation against DPW-I & II DLR models Flow separation detection & reporting Laminar/turbulent area ratios Drag breakdown Interactive velocity profiling Smart flow mapping with GPS-like decluttering Faster methods, better defaults & filters
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DPW-I DLR-F4

Pressure analyze, visualize, communicate

DPW-I DLR-F4

Boundary Layer Thickness analyze, visualize, communicate

DPW-I DLR-F4

Distance to 95% Ptotal analyze, visualize, communicate

Thank You

Boeing 787

Boeing Commercial Airplane Company, for supporting this work Fluent Inc., for use of FLUENT and providing example datasets analyze, visualize, communicate