Computational Fluid Dynamics

Copyright
The material presented here is taken from various books, research
papers, and other online resources. The Copyright of such
material belong to the original authors and publishers.
 What is CFD?
• CFD is particularly dedicated to the fluids
that are in motion, and how the fluid-flow
behavior influences processes that may
include heat transfer and possibly
chemical reactions in combusting flows.
• Physical characteristics of the fluid
motion can usually be described through
fundamental mathematical equations,
usually in partial differential form, which
govern a process of interest and are often
called governing equations in CFD
• In order to solve these mathematical
equations, computer scientists using high-
level computer programming languages
convert the equations into computer
programs or software packages.
 What is CFD?
• Another question arises: Do we actually
require the expertise of three specific
people from each discipline—fluids
engineering, mathematics, and computer
science—to come together for the
development of CFD programs or even to
conduct CFD simulations?
– The answer is that it is more likely
that a person who proficiently obtains
more or less some subsets of the
knowledge from each discipline can
meet the demands of CFD.
 What is CFD?
• The approaches that are strongly interlinked
do not work in isolation.
• Traditionally, both experimental and
analytical methods have been used to study
the various aspects of fluid dynamics, in the
design of equipment and industrial processes
involving fluid flow and heat transfer.
• Although the analytical method is still
practiced by many, and experiments will
continue to be significantly performed, the
trend is clearly toward greater reliance on the
computational approach for industrial
designs, particularly when the fluid flows are
very complex.
 What is CFD?
• CFD has indeed become a powerful tool that can be employed either for
pure/applied research or for industrial applications.
• Computational simulations and analyses are increasingly performed in
many fluid-engineering applications, which include
– Aerospace engineering (airplanes, rocket engines…)
– Automotive engineering (reducing drag coefficients for cars and trucks,
improving air intake in engines…)
– Biomedical engineering (blood flow in artificial hearts and, through scent flow,
air flow in breathing…)
– Chemical engineering (fluid flow through pumps and pipes…)
– Civil and environmental engineering (river restoration, pollutant dispersion…),
power engineering (improving turbine efficiency, wind farm siting and
performance prediction…), and sports engineering (swimming equipment, golf
swing mechanics, reducing drag in biking…).
 Advantages of CFD
There are many advantages of computational fluid dynamics.
1. CFD complements experimental and analytical approaches by
providing an alternative cost-effective means of simulating real
fluid flows.
• Particularly, CFD substantially reduces lead times and costs in design
and production compared with experimental approaches and offers the
ability to solve a range of complicated flow problems where the
analytical approach is lacking. These advantages are realized through
the increasing performance power of computer hardware and its
declining costs.
2. CFD has the capacity to simulate flow conditions that are not
reproducible in experimental tests found in geophysical and
biological fluid dynamics
• Such as nuclear accident scenarios or scenarios that are too huge or too
remote to be simulated experimentally (e.g., the Indonesian Tsunami of
2004).
 Advantages of CFD
3. CFD can provide detailed visualization and comprehensive
information when compared to analytical and experimental
fluid dynamics.
4. CFD permits alternative designs to be evaluated over a
range of dimensionless parameters that may include the
Reynolds number, Mach number, Rayleigh number, and
flow orientation.
5. In many cases, where details of the fluid flow are
important, CFD can provide detailed information and
understanding of the flow processes to be obtained, such as
the occurrence of flow separation or whether the wall
temperature exceeds some maximum limit.
 Advantages of CFD
• In spite of CFD’s advantages, there are some inherent
limitations of applying CFD. Numerical errors exist in
computations.
• Visualization of numerical solutions using vectors, contours,
or animated movies of unsteady flows is effective way of
interpreting the huge amount of data.
• Wonderfully bright color pictures may imply a realistic
portrayal of the actual fluid mechanics inside the flow
system, but they are worthless if they are not quantitatively
correct.
• Any numerical results obtained must always be thoroughly
examined before they are believed. Hence proper analysis
and critical judgments about the computed results.
 Application of CFD
• Research Tool
• Educational Tool
• Design Tool
 Application of CFD
• Research Tool
• CFD, analogous to wind-tunnel tests, can
be employed as a research tool to
perform numerical experiments.
• Figure (a) represents a “snapshot” taken
for an unsteady flow past two side-by-
side cylinders at a given instant of time.
• Figure (b), the comparative visualization
of the numerical calculations based on a
large eddy simulation (LES) model
attests to the power of CFD modeling for
capturing the complex flow
characteristics.
 Application of CFD
• Research Tool
• For the case of three side-by-side cylinders, CFD
simulations can work harmoniously with
experiments, providing not only qualitative
comparison but also a means to interpret some
basic phenomenological aspects of the
experimental condition.
• More important, numerical experiments can
provide more comprehensive information and
details of the flow visualized in three dimensions,
when compared to laboratory experiments.
• These graphical examples clearly affirm the value
of numerical experiments carried out within the
framework of CFD.
 Application of CFD
• Design Tool
• CFD is becoming an integral part of the engineering design and
analysis environment in prominent industries.
• Companies are progressively seeking industrial solutions through the
extensive use of CFD for the optimization of product development and
processes and/or to predict the performance of new designs before they
are manufactured or implemented.
• As a viable design tool, CFD has assisted by providing significant and
substantial insights into the flow characteristics within the equipment
and processes required to increase production, improve longevity, and
decrease waste.
• Increasing computer processing power is certainly revolutionizing the
use of CFD in new and existing industries.
 Application of CFD
• Aerospace
 Application of CFD
• Aerospace
• Figure illustrates the simulation of fluid
path lines in the vicinity of an F18 jet
• Prediction of pressure coefficient contours
at a 10o angle of attack around a
supersonic plane with grid fins.
 Application of CFD
• Automotive
 Application of CFD
• Biomedical
 Application of CFD
• Chemical and Minerals

Simulation of gas-sparged stirred tank reactor

 Application of CFD
• Civil and Environmental
 Application of CFD
• Metallurgy

CFD application to predict molten iron flow (left, timeline) and carbon
dissolution (right, concentration) in the blast furnace hearth.
 Application of CFD
• Nuclear

Prediction of turbulent mixing in the ROCOM

test facility during boron dilution transients
(start-up of the first coolant pump).
 Application of CFD
• Power Generation

Simulation of bubbles in fluidized coal bed.

 Application of CFD
• Sports
 Commercial CFD Codes
What to expect and when to use commercial package:

The current generation of CFD packages generally is capable of producing accurate

solutions of simple flows.

The codes are designed to be able to handle very complex geometries and complex
industrial problems. When used with care by a knowledgeable user CFD codes are an
enormously valuable design tool.

Commercial CFD codes are rarely useful for state-of-the art research due to accuracy
limitations, the limited access that the user has to the solution methodology, and
the limited opportunities to change the code if needed
 Commercial CFD Codes
Major current players include

Ansys (Fluent/CFX and other codes)

[Link]

Simens: (starCD and other codes)

[Link]

Others

CHAM: [Link]

CFD2000: [Link]

COMSOL: [Link]

OpenFOAM: [Link]
 Computational Resources

For up-to-date information about the World’s fastest computers,

see:
[Link]

To keep Summit from overheating, more

than 4,000 gallons of water are pumped
through the system every minute, carrying
away nearly 13 megawatts of heat from the
system.
Computational Resources
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Preprocessing
• Solving
• Postprocessing
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Preprocessing
– Creation of Geometry
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Preprocessing
– Mesh Generation
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Preprocessing
– Mesh Generation
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Preprocessing
– Selection of Physics and Fluid Properties
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Preprocessing
– Specification of Boundary Conditions
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Numerical Solution
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Numerical Solution
– Initialization and Solution Control
• Good initial conditions are crucial to the iterative procedure
• Solution control usually entails the specification of appropriate
discretization (interpolation) schemes and selection of suitable iterative
solvers
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Numerical Solution
– Monitoring Convergence
• monitoring solution, CFD calculation, and checking for convergence and
grid independence
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Numerical Solution
– Aspects such as
• convergence,
• convergence criteria or tolerance values,
• residuals,
• stability,
• errors,
• underrelaxation factors, and
• grid independence
greatly underpin the many numerical considerations for the simulation of a
CFD problem.
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Postprocessing
– CFD has a reputation of generating vivid graphical images.
– The ability to present the computational results effectively is an
invaluable design tool.
– Integrated and independent postprocessors are available.
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Postprocessing
– X–Y Plots
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Postprocessing
– Vector Plots
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Postprocessing
– Contour Plots
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Postprocessing
– Other Plots
– Data Report and Output
 CFD Solution Procedure
• Postprocessing
– Animation
 This Course CFD
• Learn how to solve the Navier-Stokes and Euler equations for
engineering problems using both customized codes and a
commercial code

• Hear about various concepts to allow continuing studies of the

literature.
 Course Outline
1. Introduction
– What is CFD?
– Comparison with other approaches
– CFD Solution Procedure
2. Governing Equations
– Derivation of Mass, Momentum and Energy equations
– Conservative and Non-conservative Forms – General Transport Equation
– Boundary conditions
– Mathematical behavior of PDEs and its impact on CFD
– Physical Behavior, Marching, and Equilibrium Problems
3. Discretization Methods
– Finite Difference Methods
– Finite Volume Method
– Concepts of consistency, stability and convergence
 Course Outline
4. Application of Discretization Methods to Model Equations
(Hyperbolic, Parabolic and Elliptic)
5. Solution Algorithms
– SIMPLE, SIMPLEC, PISO and Multigrid methods etc
6. Grid Generation
– Types of meshes
– Generation methods
7. Solution of System of Algebraic equations
– Direct, iterative etc
8. Application through case studies
 Grading
Class project = 15%
Quiz = 10%
Mid Term = 30%
ESE = 45%
 Readings

• Anderson, J. D. Computational Fluid Dynamics—The Basics with

Applications. McGraw-Hill.

• Versteeg, H.K. and Malalasekera, W. An Introduction to Computational Fluid

Dynamics: The Finite Volume Method. Longman Scientific & Technical.

• Jiyuan Tu, Guan-Heng Yeoh, Chaoqun Liu, Computational Fluid Dynamics: A

Practical Approach

• Tannehill, J.C., Anderson, D.A., and Pletcher, R.H. Computational Fluid

Mechanics and Heat Transfer. Second edition. Taylor & Francis.

• Ferziger, J.H. and Peri´c, M. Computational Methods for Fluid Dynamics.

Springer.
 Online Resources
• Many website contain information about fluid dynamics and
computational fluid dynamics specifically. Those include
• NASA site with CFD images
– [Link]
• CFD Online: An extensive collection of information but not
always very informative
– [Link]
• [Link] is a monitored site with a large number of fluid
mechanics material
– [Link]
 Prerequisites
• UG Level Fluid Mechanics
• UG Level Numerical Methods