CFD Techniques: An overview

Dr. G.S.V.L. Narasimham Principal Research Scientist Department of Mechanical Engineering Indian Institute of Science Bangalore 560 012 (Email address: mecgsvln@mecheng.iisc.ernet.in) (Telephone: 080-22932971)

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1.1

Introduction
What is CFD ?

CFD is a generic term used for tackling practical problems involving uid ow, heat transfer, mass transfer, combustion, etc., by means of computation; Also referred to as Numerical Fluid Dynamics, Numerical Heat Transfer, etc., depending upon the application. 1.2 Why CFD ?

Less expensive compared to experimental studies Solutions can be obtained in shorter duration Numerous parametric studies can be performed Problems which are dicult for experimental investigation can be handled more easily Very detailed descriptions of ow, temperature, concentration and other elds can be obtained compared to experimental methods 1.3 Limitations of CFD

Checks and/or validations are required before accepting the results Problems with complex geometry and other features like turbulence, radiation in participating media, etc., may need large programming eort, storage space and computing time There are some problems which cannot be solved by CFD at present (e.g., boiling, condensation, falling liquid lms with wavy surface, etc.) 1.4 Steps in the solution of a problem by CFD

Mathematical formulation of the problem (involves algebraic and ordinary/partial dierential equations, initial and boundary conditions)
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 Grid layout for the computational domain Discretisation Solution of simultaneous linear/non-linear algebraic equations Interpretation of results

Methods of problem formulation

Primitive or Primary Equations in their Variable Formulation original form (particularly momentum equations) Derived Variable Formulation Equations recast in terms of derived variables such as vorticity, stream function, vector potential, scalar potential

2.1

Example of a primary variable formulation for 2D, unsteady, natural convection u v + =0 x y 2 1 p 2u 2u u + (u ) + (vu) = + + g (T Tr )g. i t x y x x2 y 2 v 1 p 2v 2v + (vu) + (v 2) = + 2 + 2 g (T Tr )g. j t x y y x y cp 2T 2T T v + (uT ) + (vT ) = + 2 +Q t x y x2 y

p excess over the hydrostatic pressure; momentum and energy equations uncoupled in forced convection.
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Dierent types of derived variable formulation

Vorticity-stream function (2D, unsteady, steady, incompressible & 2D, steady, compressible) u= ; y v= v u (continuity automatically satised); = x x y 2 2 + 2 = x2 y T 2 2 T + (u ) + (v ) = 2 + 2 g g.j + g g.i t x y x y x y

Stream function (two-dimensional ow rate) is not dened in 3D.

Vorticity-velocity (2D and 3D, unsteady, steady, incompressible) y x v u x y v 2u 2 y y 2 u 2u + x2 y 2 2v 2v + x2 y 2 y = y = y = x =

Similarly

Two velocity Poissons equations + one VTE equation in 2D; Three velocity Poissons equations and three VTEs in 3D. (Vorticity has a single component in 2D but has three components in 3D). In 3D, the vorticity is dened as = V . Taking the curl, = 2 V + (.V ) = 2V since by continuity .V =0. In other words, 2V = . This is the set of three velocity Poissons equations.
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The vorticity transport and energy equations are: + ( V ) = 2 [(T Tr )g ] t cp T v + .(V T ) = 2 T + Q t

Note: The satisfaction of continuity constraint is merely assumed but not forced .V may not be exactly zero or V may not be exactly solenoidal. Vorticity-vector potential formulation If .V =0 (continuity), then V = , where is called the vector potential. The vector potential is not single valued because 1 = (+ B ) = , where 1 = + B . The vorticity is dened as = V = ( ) = 2 + (.) = 2, if a solenoidal constraint is placed on , i.e., . = 0. The equations for the three vector potential components are: = 2 . In addition, we have three VTEs and the energy equation. Vorticity-vector potential-scalar potential (3D, unsteady, steady, incompressible) Begin by asserting that V = + , i.e., any vector eld can be expressed as the sum of a solenoidal ( ) eld and an irrotational eld () (Helmholtzs theorem). The vorticity is dened as: = V = ( + ) = -2 + (.) without solenoidal constraint on or = -2 with solenoidal constraint on . The continuity equation is .V =0, i.e., .( + )=0, which means .=0 or 2=0.
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For closed boundary geometries can be set to zero identically (does not enter the problem any more). This is not so convenient for throughow problems, where introduction of scalar potential simplies the boundary conditions. But then 2=0 (additional set of three equations) is to be solved.

Types of meshes
Regular/structured (include staggered) Block-structured (e.g., cartesian in one region, polar in another region) Composite (combination of Lagrangian and Eulerian meshses) Unstructured (similar to FE mesh)

Main methods of CFD

The nite dierence method (direct substitution of FDAs in the governing equations) The nite volume method (integration of governing equations over micro control volumes; good conservation properties; very useful for complex geometries) No dierence between FDM and FVM for regular geometries. The spectral method and mixed spectral and FD/FV methods The nite element method

FEM diers radically diers from FDM/FVM; approximates the solution by trial functions and uses method of weighted residuals (MWR) to nd unknown coecients or variational formulation. MWR Collocation, Subdomain, Galerkin and Least Squares.

dx = x; t > 0; x = 1 when t = 0; x = 1 + c1 t + c2 t2 ; dt dx R= + x = 1 + c1 (1 + t) + c2 (2t + t2 ) dt Collocation: Choose two locations, say, t = 1/3 and t = 2/3; Set R(1/3) = 0 and R(2/3) = 0; Solve for c1 and c2 from the two equations. Subdomain: Choose two subdomains, say 0 < t < 1/2 and 1/2 < t < 1; 1/2 1/2 1 1 Set average residuals 0 Rdt/ 0 dt = 0 and 1 /2 Rdt/ 1/2 dt = 0; Solve for c1 and c2 from the two equations. Galerkin: Make the weighted averages of the residual over the desired interval as zero:
b a wf (t)dt b a wdt

= 0;

1 0 tRdt 1 0 tdt

= 0;

b 2 0 t Rdt 1 2 0 t dt

= 0;

Solve for c1 and c2 using the two equations. Important: Weighting function belongs to the trial function family; Recall: x = 1 + c1 t + c2 t2 . Generally the Galerkin method has the highest accuracy in the MWR family. Least squares: Integral of the square of the residual over the desired interval is a minimum: c1
1 0

R2 dt = 0;

c2

1 0

R2 dt = 0.

FEM involves solution of very large sets of simultaneous equations; this requires special techniques like out-of-core sky-line procedure, frontal solution, etc. FEM is well established for solid mechanics problems; not very well established for uid ow and convection problems.

Algorithms for primitive variable formulation

In incompressible ow constant and is not connected to pressure. The question is how to couple pressure and velocity. In this attempt, there arise various algorithms. Projection Method (Chorin, Temam) 1 V + C (V ) = p + 2V where C (V ) = .(V V ) or (V .)V . t V n+1 V n 1 + C (V n ) = pn+1 + 2V n t VVn + C ( V n ) = 2 V n t V n+1 V 1 = pn+1 t Taking divergence and enforcing .V n+1 = 0: p
2 n+1

.V = t

The articial compressibility method (Chorin, Yanenko) 1 C (V ) = p + 2V where C (V ) = .(V V ) or (V .)V . Introduce articial density and write: + .V = 0 t Connect pressure to articial density through articial sound speed p = c 2 : p = c2 .V t
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Select a large value of c2 ; Note that SOLA-MAC (Hirt, Nichols and Romero) builds this procedure into the system of unsteady equations. MAC method (PPE method) Explicit method employing PPE 2 p = D .(V .V ) + .2V . t

Note that .2V = 2(.V ). However, dropping this term may be detrimental due to growth of small oscillations. For additional forcing for divergence free velocity eld, we may write D/t = (D n+1 Dn )/t = D n / t . SIMPLE and SIMPLEC Originated from the explicit method SMAC in which the potential function = p t, where p is the pressure correction of SIMPLE. 1 V n+1 V n + C (V n+1) = pn+1 + 2V n+1 t 1 VVn + C (V ) = p + 2V t V n+1 V 1 (pn+1 p) + 2(V n+1 V ) t 2(V n+1 V ) 2 2 (V n+1 V ) + 2 2 x y

We then have for velocity correction: (pn+1 p ) 1 1 + 2 + t x 2 y 2 (V n+1 V )

Take divergence and force .V n+1 to be zero to obtain:

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2(pn+1 p)

1 1 + 2 + 2 t x y 2

(.V )

For SIMPLEC, drop the term involving 1/x2 + 1/y 2. Other methods of SIMPLE family SIMPLER, SIMPLEST, PISO, FIMOSE Penalty, penalisation or perturbation method (Temam) .V = p, > 0; 1 1 (.V ) = p 0

V 1 1 (.V ) + 2V (.V )V + C (V ) = t 2 The last term is added for numerical stability.

Equation solvers
Point-by-point GS/SOR/SUR Line-by-line GS/SOR/SUR (generally along with TDMA) SIP, MSIP Conjugate Gradients, etc.

Convective dierencing schemes

Central dierencing wiggles or non-physical oscillations Upwind dierencing stable but introduces false diusion T Ti Ti1 2Ti 2Ti1 = u =u x x 2x Ti+1 Ti1 Ti+1 + 2Ti Ti1 = u 2x Ti+1 Ti1 ux Ti+1 + 2Ti Ti1 = u 2x 2 x 2 2T T = u (central) f alse 2 x x

Donor cell dierencing (Second-order upwind dierencing) somewhat better Higher order dierencing Numerical dispersion Higher order + upwind bias QUICK, ULTRA-QUICK, Zhus HLPA scheme, TVD schemes etc.

Commercial packages

FLUENT, CFX, PHOENICS, STAR CD, FLOW3D, FLUIDYN, FIDAP (FEM-based), etc.

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