COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS (CFD)

Module – 3

Overall CFD Workflow

Syllabus: Module-3

Overall CFD Workflow

• Geometry Preparation
• Mesh Generation
• Initial Condition & Boundary Condition
• Solver Setup & Solving
• Post Processing & Results Visualization
How CFD works?
Steps involved in CFD Modeling
▪ Creation of the geometry.
▪ Division of geometry into a
computational mesh
▪ Application of mass balance, force Cross sectional view of the
3D Supersonic intake
balance and energy balance
principles to small computational
cells
▪ Solution of variables such as
velocity, pressure, density,
temperature, stresses,
displacements etc. at various
points in the geometry
Steps involved in Modeling

➢ Pre-Processing – Geometry creation, Meshing & Definition

➢ Analysis - Solution

➢ Post-Processing - Visualization
Pre-Processing
Pre-Processing

➢ Creation of Geometry
➢ Grid generation
➢ Selection of the physical and chemical phenomena
that need to be modeled
➢ Definition of fluid properties
➢ Specification of appropriate boundary conditions
Pre-Processing: Geometry

Creation of Geometry – the computational domain

➢ Selection of an
appropriate
Cross sectional view of the 3D
coordinate
Supersonic intake ➢ Determine the
domain size and
shape
➢ Simplifications, if
any
Pre-Processing: Grid Generation

▪ Sub-division of the domain into a number of smaller, non-

overlapping sub-domains
▪ Called grid/ mesh of cells/ control volumes/ elements

Cells/ control volumes/

elements
Grid/ Mesh
Pre-Processing: Grid Generation

▪ Selection of grid type and types of cells

tetrahedron pyramid
triangle

hexahedron
prism or wedge
quadrilateral

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Pre-Processing: Grid Generation

▪ Selection of grid type and types of cells

Structured Grid

Block-Structured Grid

UnStructured Grid
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Pre-Processing: Grid Generation

▪ Simple Geometries: Quad/ Hexa Meshes

▪ Complex Geometries: Tri/ Tetra Mesh

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Pre-Processing: Grid Generation

▪ Degree of grid resolution

▪ Depends on the flow features to be captured
▪ Examples:
➢ Boundary layer
➢ Flow separation
➢ Recirculation

air fuel

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Pre-Processing: Grid Generation

➢ Number of cells
➢ Computer memory tet
mesh
hex
mesh

wedge mesh

Hybrid mesh for

an IC engine
valve port

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Pre-Processing – Selection of physical and chemical phenomena

➢ Compressible/ Incompressible flow

➢ Laminar/ Turbulent flow

➢ Steady/ Unsteady

➢ Combustion

➢ Fluid Structure interaction

➢ Single phase/ Multiphase flow

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Incompressible & Compressible flows

➢ Incompressible Flow → ρ is constant

➢ Compressible Flow → ρ is variable
➢ Incompressible flow occurs when the Mach number of the
flow is < 0.3
➢ If the density changes by more than 5% or more, the flow
is considered to be Compressible flow
➢ Pressure variation is strong in compressible flow whereas
in incompressible flow, it is very less

air

fuel

HSTDV
Flow through Backward Facing Step 16
Laminar Flow

➢ Smooth
➢ Steady
➢ No eddies Reynold’s Experiment

➢ No swirl
➢ Layers of fluid seem to slide by one another
➢ Occurs at low velocities
➢ Solved using the conservation equations

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Turbulent Flow

➢ Irregular and fluctuating

➢ Unsteady
➢ Eddies are present
Reynold’s Experiment
➢ Eddies interact with
each other as they move around
➢ Occurs at high velocities
➢ Solved using the time averaged conservation
equations

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Reynolds Number

▪ Primary parameter used to decide the flow type

▪ Inertia Force / Viscous Force
▪ Inertia Force = ρv2/D
▪ Viscous Force = μv/D2

Steady or Unsteady flow?

▪ Defined with respect to time
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Combustion

▪ Any chemical reaction involved

▪ Examples:
IC Engine combustion
Gas turbine combustion

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Single/Multiphase flow

▪ Single phase: Gas phase combustion

▪ Multiphase:
▪ Droplet flow – Discrete fluid droplets in a
continuous gas
▪ Fluidized beds

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Pre-processing – Selection of material properties

Fluid/ Solid
➢ Density
➢ Specify capacity
➢ Thermal conductivity
➢ Viscosity

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Pre-processing – Boundary conditions

OPERATING CONDITIONS

Mach No.= 2.99

Angle of attack = 0
P∞= 0.15 bar;
T∞= 135 K

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Typical flow boundary conditions

u=0, v=0, w=0

(no slip-condition on the wall)

Far stream b.c. → u=U, v=0,w=0, p=p

No-slip b.c. Exit b.c.

extrapolation
Symmetry
v=0, y-der. = 0
Inlet
b.c.

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Governing Equations

➢ Represent mathematical statements of the

Conservation laws of physics

➢ The mass of a fluid is conserved (Continuity equation)

➢ The rate of change of momentum equals the sum of the

forces on a fluid particle (Newton’s second law)

➢ The rate of change of energy is equal to the sum of the rate

of heat addition to and the rate of work done on a fluid
particle (First law of thermodynamics)

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 u v w
Continuity equation: + + =0
x y z

u u u u p
x-mom.: ( +u +v + w ) = − +  2 u + g x
t x y z x

v v v v p
y-mom.:  ( + u + v + w ) = − +  2 v + g y
t x y z y

w w w w p
z-mom.: ( +u +v + w ) = − +  2 w + g z
t x y z z
T T T T
Heat balance: C p ( +u +v + w ) = k 2T + Q
t x y z

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Governing equations (Compressible flow)

Mass balance:  ( u )  ( v) ( w)

+ + + =0
t x y z
( u ) ( u 2 ) ( uv) ( uw)  xx  xy  xz
+ + + = + + + g x
Momentum t x y z x y z
Balance ( v) ( uv) ( v 2 ) ( vw)  yx  yy  yz
+ + + = + + + g y
(x,y,z) t x y z x y z
equations: ( w) ( uw) ( vw) ( w 2 )  zx  zy  zz
+ + + = + + + g z
t x y z x y z
u 2 v 2 w v
 xx = − p + 2 − (.V )  yy = − p + 2 − (.V )  yz =  zy =  ( + )
x 3 y 3 y z

w 2 u v u w
 zz = − p + 2 − (.V )  xy =  yx = ( + )  xz =  zx = ( + )
z 3 y x z x
Energy ( e) ( uH ) ( vH ) ( wH )
+ + + = .(kT ) +  + Q
equation t x y z
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Discretization/ Modeling Method

➢ Finite Difference Method (FDM)

➢ Finite Volume Method (FVM)
➢ Finite Element Method (FEM)

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Finite Difference Method (FDM)

➢ Oldest Method
➢ Easiest Method for simple Geometries
➢ Differential equations are converted into difference
expressions
➢ Not suitable for complex flows

dT Ti − Ti −1 Ti +1 − Ti
= or
dx x x

i-1 i i+1

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Finite Volume Method (FVM)

➢ Conservation equations in integral form

➢ The solution domain is subdivided into a finite number of
control volumes
➢ Conservation equations are applied to each control volume
➢ Suitable for simple and complex geometries
Boundary node

Control volume

Computational node

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Analyzing

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Analysis
➢ Conserved equations solved iteratively
➢ Convergence is reached when
✓ Changes in the solution variables from one iteration to
the next are negligible
✓ Overall property conservation is achieved
✓ When local and global errors are below a specified
threshold
➢ Accuracy depends on
✓ Accuracy of physical model
✓ Grid resolution
✓ Problem setup
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Post-Processing

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Post-Processing

Visualization

➢ To see overall flow pattern

➢ To check separation
➢ Shocks location
➢ To identify key flow features
➢ To check whether boundary conditions and
physical models are appropriate

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Post-Processing

Visualization tools
➢ Grid plot
➢ Vector plot
➢ Contour plot
➢ Stream line and path line
➢ Isosurface
➢ XY plots
➢ Animations

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Post-Processing

Visualization tools
➢ Grid plot
➢ Vector plot
➢ Contour plot
➢ Stream line and path line tet
mesh
➢ Isosurface hex
mesh
➢ XY plots
➢ Animations
wedge mesh
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Post-Processing

Visualization tools
➢ Grid plot
➢ Vector plot
➢ Contour plot
➢ Stream line and path line
➢ Isosurface
➢ XY plots
➢ Animations

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Post-Processing

Visualization tools
➢ Grid plot
➢ Vector plot
➢ Contour plot
➢ Stream line and path line
➢ Isosurface
➢ XY plots
➢ Animations

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Post-Processing

Visualization tools
➢ Grid plot
➢ Vector plot
➢ Contour plot
➢ Stream line and path line
➢ Isosurface
➢ XY plots
➢ Animations

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Post-Processing

Visualization tools
➢ Grid plot
➢ Vector plot
➢ Contour plot
➢ Stream line and path line
➢ Isosurface
➢ XY plots
➢ Animations

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Post-Processing

Visualization tools
➢ Grid plot
➢ Vector plot
➢ Contour plot
➢ Stream line and path line
➢ Isosurface
➢ XY plots
➢ Animations

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Post-Processing
View Animation

Visualization tools
➢ Grid plot
➢ Vector plot
➢ Contour plot
➢ Stream line and path line
View Animation

➢ Isosurface
➢ XY plots
➢ Animations

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Post-Processing

Numerically reporting tools

➢ Flux balances
➢ Surface integrals
➢ Volume integrals
➢ Averages
➢ Forces and moments

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