Introduction to Computational

Fluid Dynamics

Adapted from notes by:

Tao Xing and Fred Stern
The University of Iowa
 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
– Biomedical F18 Store Separation

– 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 Undercarriage
External Aerodynamics
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
– Chemical Processing Medtronic Blood Pump

– HVAC&R
– Hydraulics
– Marine
– Oil & Gas
– Power Generation Temperature and natural
convection currents in the eye
– Sports following laser heating.

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 effects.
– Chemical Processing
– HVAC&R
– Hydraulics
– Marine
– Oil & Gas
– Power Generation Twin-screw extruder
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 through the room before exiting the
ventilation
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 distribution Volume fraction of oil
– Chemical Processing 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 in a burner

– Chemical Processing Flow around cooling towers

– HVAC&R
– Hydraulics
– Marine
– Oil & Gas
– Power Generation
– Sports
Pathlines from the inlet
colored by temperature
Flow pattern through a water turbine.
during standard operating
14
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) (Re)
– Turbulent vs. laminar (Re)
– Incompressible vs. compressible (Ma)
– Single- vs. multi-phase (Ca)
– Thermal/density effects and energy equation (Pr, , Gr, Ec)
– Free-surface flow and surface tension (Fr, We)
– Chemical reactions, mass transfer
– etc…

16
 Physics
Fluid Mechanics

Inviscid Viscous

Laminar Turbulence

Internal External
Compressibl Incompressible (airfoil, ship)
(pipe,valve)
e (water)
(air, acoustic)

Components of Fluid Mechanics

17
 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

18
 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 )
 u x u x u x u x   p   2 ux  2 ux  2 ux 
   ux  uy  uz       2  2  2   g x
 t x y z  x  x y z 


 yu  u  u  u y  p   2
u  2
u  2
uy 
   u x y
 uy
y
 uz       2  2  2   g y
y y

 t x y z  y  x y z 

 u z u z u z u z   p   2 u z  2 u z  2 u z 
   u x  uy  uz       2  2  2   g z
 t x y z   z  x y z 

D
 v    p    2v   g
Dt 20
 Navier–Stokes Example
 u y u y u y u y   p   2 u y  2 u y  2 u y 
   u x  uy  u z       2  2  2    g y
 t x y z  y  x y z 

dp  d 2 uy 
0   2  g
dy  dx 

Integrate 
duy x dp 
     g   C1
Fluid
dx   dy 
x2  d p  L
Integrate  u y      g   C1 x  C2
2  dy 
B.C.  u y  0 at x  0, u y  0 at x  L
y
L  dp 
C1      g C2  0
2  dy 
 x
1  dp  Laminar Flow
Final Expression  u y       g  ( Lx - x 2
)
2  dy  Static Parallel Plates
21
 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-, K-, 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)

22
Turbulent Flow Representation
(K- as an example)

u i  u  u' Where : u'  deviating velocity, u  constant net velocity

in the direction of flow, and u i  instantaneous velocity

23
 Turbulent Boundary Layer

y
Bulk Stream
x
U0 Edge of boundary layer

Outer layer

 Fully turbulent layer

Sublayer + buffer layer

Wall
24
Wall Shear Stress Friction Velocity Viscous Length Scale

d U  w 
 w    
 u   
 dy  y 0  u

 y u y y+ is similar to a local Reynolds number.

y   Small y+ - Viscous effects dominate
  Large y+ - Turbulence dominates

25
 y+ and Turbulence Models
COMSOL has many turbulent models available

Low-Re models require a y+ resolution of < 1 to guarantee

accuracy
Low-Re models are necessary to accurately estimate skin
friction and flow separation

High-Re models use wall functions to approximate averaged

turbulent flow properties
Less accurate, but more computationally efficient
In COMSOL, a minimum y+ of 11.06 is enforced. To
maintain accuracy, ensure cells meet this requirement
26
 Numerics / Discretization
 Computational solution of the IBVP
 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

27
 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
28
 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
j-1 Taylor’s Series Expansion
u i,j = velocity of fluid
o i-1 i i+1 imax x

Discrete Grid Points 29

Finite Difference Truncation Error
f  2 f   x  2  n f   x  n
f  x  x   f ( x)  x   2     n 
x  x i , j 2  x i , j n !

f ( x)  sin 2 x

at : x  0.2 f ( x )  0.9511

f (0.22)  ???? x  0.02

f
f  x  x   f ( x)  x
x

f (0.22)  f (0.2)  2 cos[ 2 (0.2)](0.02)  0.9899

Exact solution for f (0.22)  0.9823 Error  0.775 percent

30
 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

31
 Geometry description

 Typical approaches

– Make assumptions and
simplifications
– CAD/CAE integration
– Engineering drawings
– Coordinates include Cartesian
system (x,y,z), cylindrical system (r,
θ, z), and spherical system(r, θ, Φ)

32
 Flow conditions and properties

 Flow conditions and properties required are

unique for each flow code and application
– FlowLab requires all variables in dimensional
form
– Because of focused application, research codes
often use non-dimensional variables.

33
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.

34
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.

35
 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)

36
Grid Resolution

37
 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

38
 Grid transformation
y h

o x o x
Physical domain Computational domain
Transformation between physical (x,y,z) �
f � x �
f � h
f � �f �f
   xx  hx
and computational (xh) domains, �
x � x �x �h �x x
� h
�
important for body-fitted grids. The partial
�
f � x �
f � h
f � �f �f
derivatives at these two domains have the    xy hy
�
y � x �y �h �y x
� h
�
relationship (2D as an example)

39
 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)

40
 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
41
 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)

42
Post-processing (Parallel Plates)

43
 Post-Processing (example)

 Pressure contour and

velocity vectors .
 Note the locations of
the highest and lowest
pressure regions.

44
 Uncertainty assessment
 Rigorous methodology for uncertainty assessment using
statistical and engineering concepts
– Verification: process for assessing simulation numerical uncertainty
 Iterative convergence: monitoring point & integral quantities should

change within the convergence criterions

 Grid independent studies: 3-grids and Richardson Extrapolation

– Validation: process for assessing simulation modeling uncertainty by

using benchmark experimental data
 Certification: full Verification and Validation done for a
certain range of geometries & parameters which are well
known and then extrapolated, qualitatively as well as
quantitative
– Simulating flows for which experiments are difficult (e.g., full-scale
Reynolds numbers, hypersonic flows, off-design conditions)
– Objective: Simulation-based design

45
CFD Example

Sulzer Chemtech
250 Y Plastic
Structured Packing

46
Geometry
• CT > STL > CFD
• CT = 0.322 mm
Min Resolution
• Copy/Pasted 2x
• Surface Wrapping
• Adaptive Meshing
• Tetrahedral Mesh
• Polyhedral Mesh
47
Mess Dimensions

48
Experiment vs. Simulation

49
Velocity Map

50
 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: [Link]
– CFD software
 FLUENT: [Link]

 COMSOL [Link]

 CD-adapco: [Link]

– Grid generation software

 Gridgen: [Link]

 GridPro: [Link]

– Visualization software
 Tecplot: [Link]

 Fieldview: [Link]
51