Introduction to Computational
Fluid Dynamics
Dr. Hainam Do
Outline
What is CFD?
Why use CFD?
Where is CFD used?
Physics
Modeling
Numerics
CFD process
Resources
2
What is CFD?
What is CFD and its objective?
Computational Fluid Dynamics
Historically Analytical Fluid Dynamics (AFD) and EFD
(Experimental Fluid Dynamics) was used. CFD has become
feasible due to the advent of high speed digital computers.
Computer simulation for prediction of fluid-flow phenomena.
The objective of CFD is to model the continuous fluids with
Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) and discretize PDEs into
an algebra problem (Taylor series), solve it, validate it and
achieve simulation based design. 3
Why use CFD?
Why use CFD?
– Analysis and Design
Simulation-based design instead of “build & test”
– More cost effectively and more rapidly than with experiments
– CFD solution provides high-fidelity database for interrogation of
flow field
Simulation of physical fluid phenomena that are difficult to be
measured by experiments
– Scale simulations (e.g., full-scale ships, airplanes)
– Hazards (e.g., explosions, radiation, pollution)
– Physics (e.g., weather prediction, planetary boundary layer,
stellar evolution)
– Knowledge and exploration of flow physics
4
Where is CFD used? (Aerospace)
Where is CFD used?
– Aerospace
– Appliances
– Automotive
F18 Store Separation
– Biomedical
– Chemical Processing
– HVAC&R
– Hydraulics
– Marine
– Oil & Gas
– Power Generation
– Sports Wing-Body Interaction Hypersonic Launch
Vehicle
5
Where is CFD used? (Appliances)
Where is CFD used?
– Aerospace
– Appliances
– Automotive
– Biomedical
– Chemical Processing
– HVAC&R
– Hydraulics
– Marine
– Oil & Gas Surface-heat-flux plots of the No-Frost
refrigerator and freezer compartments helped
– Power Generation
BOSCH-SIEMENS engineers to optimize the
– Sports location of air inlets.
6
Where is CFD used? (Automotive)
Where is CFD used?
– Aerospace
– Appliances
– Automotive
– Biomedical
– Chemical Processing External Aerodynamics Undercarriage
Aerodynamics
– HVAC&R
– Hydraulics
– Marine
– Oil & Gas
– Power Generation
– Sports
Interior Ventilation
Engine Cooling 7
Where is CFD used? (Biomedical)
Where is CFD used?
– Aerospace
– Appliances
– Automotive
– Biomedical
Medtronic Blood Pump
– Chemical Processing
– HVAC&R
– Hydraulics
– Marine
– Oil & Gas
Temperature and natural
– Power Generation convection currents in the eye
following laser heating.
– Sports
Spinal Catheter 8
Where is CFD used? (Chemical Processing)
Where is CFD used?
– Aerospace
– Appliances
– Automotive
– Biomedical Polymerization reactor vessel - prediction
of flow separation and residence time
– Chemical Processing effects.
– HVAC&R
– Hydraulics
– Marine
– Oil & Gas
Twin-screw extruder
– Power Generation modeling
– Sports
Shear rate distribution in twin-
screw extruder simulation 9
Where is CFD used? (HVAC&R)
Where is CFD used?
– Aerospace
– Appliances
– Automotive
Particle traces of copier VOC emissions
– Biomedical colored by concentration level fall
Streamlines for workstation behind the copier and then circulate
– Chemical Processing ventilation through the room before exiting the
exhaust.
– HVAC&R
– Hydraulics
– Marine
– Oil & Gas
– Power Generation
– Sports Flow pathlines colored by
pressure quantify head loss
Mean age of air contours indicate
location of fresh supply air
in ductwork 10
Where is CFD used? (Hydraulics)
Where is CFD used?
– Aerospace
– Appliances
– Automotive
– Biomedical
– Chemical Processing
– HVAC&R
– Hydraulics
– Marine
– Oil & Gas
– Power Generation
– Sports
11
Where is CFD used? (Marine)
Where is CFD used?
– Aerospace
– Appliances
– Automotive
– Biomedical
– Chemical Processing
– HVAC&R
– Hydraulics
– Marine
– Oil & Gas
– Power Generation
– Sports
12
Where is CFD used? (Oil & Gas)
Where is CFD used?
– Aerospace
Volume fraction of gas
– Appliances
– Automotive
– Biomedical
Flow vectors and pressure Volume fraction of oil
– Chemical Processing distribution on an offshore oil rig
– HVAC&R
– Hydraulics
– Marine Volume fraction of water
– Oil & Gas
Analysis of multiphase
separator
– Power Generation
– Sports
Flow of lubricating
mud over drill bit 13
Where is CFD used? (Power Generation)
Where is CFD used?
– Aerospace
– Appliances
– Automotive
– Biomedical
Flow around cooling Flow in a
– Chemical Processing towers burner
– HVAC&R
– Hydraulics
– Marine
– Oil & Gas
– Power Generation
– Sports Pathlines from the inlet
Flow pattern through a water colored by temperature
turbine. during standard 14
operating conditions
Where is CFD used? (Sports)
Where is CFD used?
– Aerospace
– Appliances
– Automotive
– Biomedical
– Chemical Processing
– HVAC&R
– Hydraulics
– Marine
– Oil & Gas
– Power Generation
– Sports
15
Physics
CFD codes typically designed for representation
of specific flow phenomenon
– Viscous vs. inviscid (no viscous forces)
– Turbulent vs. laminar
– Incompressible vs. compressible
– Single- vs. multi-phase
– Thermal/density effects and energy equation
– Free-surface flow and surface tension
– Chemical reactions, mass transfer
– etc…
16
Governing Equations
(Equations based on “average” velocity)
ux u y uz 0
t x y z
Continuity
u u u u p
x u x x u y x u z x xx yx z x g x
t x y z x x y z
Equation of motion
17
Navier-Stokes Equations
Claude-Louis Navier George Gabriel Stokes
C.L. M. H. Navier, Memoire sur les Lois du Mouvements des Fluides, Mem. de l’Acad. d. Sci.,6, 398 (1822)
C.G. Stokes, On the Theories of the Internal Friction of Fluids in Motion, Trans. Cambridge Phys. Soc., 8, (1845)
Navier-Stokes Equations
(constant and m)
u x u x u x u x p 2 ux 2 ux 2 ux
ux uy uz m 2 2 2 g x
t x y z x x y z
y u u u u y p 2
u 2
u 2
uy
u x y
uy
y
uz m 2 2 2 g y
y y
t x y z y x y z
u z u z u z u z p 2uz 2uz 2uz
u x uy uz m 2 2 2 g z
t x y z z x y z
D
v p m 2v g
Dt 19
Navier–Stokes Example
u y u y u y u y p 2 u y 2 u y 2 u y
u x uy uz m 2 2 2 g y
t x y z y x y z
dp d 2uy
0 m 2 g
dy dx
duy x dp Fluid
Integrate g C1
dx m dy
x2 d p L
Integrate u y g C1 x C2
2m dy
B.C. u y 0 at x 0, u y 0 at x L
y
L dp
C1 C2 0
2m dy
g
x
1 dp
Final Expression u y g ( Lx - x 2
) Laminar Flow
2m dy Static Parallel Plates
20
Modeling
Mathematical representation of the physical problem
– Some problems are exact (e.g., laminar pipe flow)
– Exact solutions only exist for some simple cases. In these
cases nonlinear terms can be dropped from the N-S
equations which allow analytical solution.
– Most cases require models for flow behavior [e.g., K-e, K-w,
Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equations (RANS) or
Large Eddy Simulation (LES) for turbulent flow]
Initial —Boundary Value Problem (IBVP), include:
governing Partial Differential Equations (PDEs),
Initial Conditions (ICs) and Boundary Conditions
(BCs)
21
Numerics / Discretization
Method dependent upon the model equations
and physics
Several components to formulation
– Discretization and linearization
– Assembly of system of algebraic equations
– Solve the system and get approximate solutions
22
Finite Differences
u u i 1, j u i , j 2u x 3u x 2
2 3
x i, j x x i, j 2 x i, j 6
Finite difference Truncation error
representation
Methods of Solution
Direct methods Iterative methods
Cramer’s Rule, Gauss elimination Jacobi method, Gauss-Seidel
LU decomposition Method, SOR method
23
Numeric Solution
(Finite Differences)
u 2u x 2 3u x 3
u i 1, j u i , j x 2 3
x i, j x i, j 2 x i, j 6
x
jmax
j+1
j
y Taylor’s Series Expansion
j-1
u i,j = velocity of fluid
o i-1 i i+1 imax x
Discrete Grid Points 24
CFD process
Geometry description
Specification of flow conditions and properties
Selection of models
Specification of initial and boundary conditions
Grid generation and transformation
Specification of numerical parameters
Flow solution
Post processing: Analysis, and visualization
Uncertainty assessment
25
Geometry description
Typical approaches
– Make assumptions and
simplifications
– Engineering drawings
– Coordinates include Cartesian
system (x,y,z), cylindrical system (r,
θ, z), and spherical system(r, θ, Φ)
26
Flow conditions and properties
Flow conditions and properties required are
unique for each flow code and application
– Because of focused application, research codes
often use non-dimensional variables.
27
Selection of models for flow field
Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) is to solve the N-S
equations directly without any modeling. Grid must be fine
enough to resolve all flow scales. Applied for laminar flow
and rare be used in turbulent flow.
Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (NS) equations
(RANS) is to perform averaging of NS equations and
establishing turbulent models for the eddy viscosity. Too
many averaging might damping vortical structures in
turbulent flows
Large Eddy Simulation (LES), Smagorinsky’ constant
model and dynamic model. Provide more instantaneous
information than RANS did. Instability in complex
geometries
Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) is to use one single
formulation to combine the advantages of RANS and LES.28
Initial and boundary conditions
For steady/unsteady flow
– IC should not affect final solution, only convergence path,
i.e. iteration numbers needed to get the converged solution.
– Robust codes should start most problems from very crude
IC, . But more reasonable guess can speed up the
convergence.
Boundary conditions
– No-slip or slip-free on the wall, periodic, inlet (velocity
inlet, mass flow rate, constant pressure, etc.), outlet (constant
pressure, velocity convective, buffer zone, zero-gradient),
and non-reflecting (compressible flows, such as acoustics),
etc.
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Grid generation
Grids can either be structured (hexahedral)
or unstructured (tetrahedral). Depends
upon type of discretization scheme and
application
– Scheme
Finite differences: structured
Finite volume or finite element:
structured or unstructured
– Application
Thin boundary layers best resolved
with highly-stretched structured
grids
Unstructured grids useful for
complex geometries
Unstructured grids permit automatic
adaptive refinement based on the
pressure gradient, or regions of
interest (FLUENT)
30
Grid Resolution
31
Grid generation and transformation
Grids designed to resolve important
flow features which are dependent
upon flow parameters (e.g., Re)
Commercial codes such as Gridgen,
Gambit
For research code, grid generated by
one of several methods (algebraic vs.
PDE based, conformal mapping)
For complex geometries, body-fitted
coordinate system will have to be
applied (next slide). Grid Sample grid established by
transformation from the physical Gambit of FLUENT
domain to the computational domain
will be necessary
32
Numerical parameters & flow
solution
Numerical parameters are used to control
flow solution.
– Under relaxation factor, tridiagonal or
pentadiagonal solvers
– CFD Labs using FlowLab
Monitor residuals (change of results between iterations)
Number of iterations for steady flow or number of time
steps for unsteady flow
Flow solution
– Solve the momentum, pressure Poisson equations
and get flow field quantities, such as velocity,
turbulence intensity, pressure and integral
quantities (drag forces)
33
Numerical parameters & flow
solution
Typical time
history of
residuals
The closer the
flow field to the
converged
solution, the
smaller the speed
of the residuals
decreasing.
Solution converged, residuals do
not change after more iterations
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Post-processing
Analysis, and visualization
– Calculation of derived variables
Vorticity
Wall shear stress
– Calculation of integral parameters: forces,
moments
– Visualization (usually with commercial
software)
Simple X-Y plots
Simple 2D contours
3D contour carpet plots
Vector plots and streamlines (streamlines are the
lines whose tangent direction is the same as the
velocity vectors)
Animations (dozens of sample pictures in a
series of time were shown continuously) 35
Post-processing (Parallel Plates)
36
Software and resources
CFD software was built upon physics, modeling, numerics.
Two types of available software
– Commercial (e.g., FLUENT, CFX, Star-CCM, COMSOL)
– Research (e.g., CFDSHIP-IOWA, U2RANS)
More information on CFD can be got on the following website:
– CFD Online: http://www.cfd-online.com/
– CFD software
FLUENT: http://www.fluent.com/
COMSOL http://www.comsol.com/
CD-adapco: http://www.cd-adapco.com/
– Grid generation software
Gridgen: http://www.pointwise.com
GridPro: http://www.gridpro.com/
– Visualization software
Tecplot: http://www.amtec.com/
Fieldview: http://www.ilight.com/ 37
Software and resources
Gambit to Draw Mesh
ANSYS for Simulations
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