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
Power Generation refrigerator and freezer compartments helped
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
Chemical Processing effects.

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
Compressible Incompressible (airfoil, ship)
(pipe,valve)
(air, acoustic) (water)

Components of Fluid Mechanics

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 u
Governing Equations

u
y uz 0
tutxuxxyuxyxzuzxyxpzxyyxzzxgx
x
(Equations based on average velocity)

Continuity

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 lAcad. 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)
 tvpvg
D
utuxtyzuxxuxuxxyzuyyuyuxyyzzuzuzxuzzyxpzyp2xu22xxuzy2yu22yxzy2zu22zxuzygxgzy
Navier-Stokes Equations
(constant and )

2 20
0IBn.tCegr yxu0dydauyx2txyu2xy20,duguyypyy0aztguzyLC11x2yp2xuy2yy2zuygy
uadtyyp
12Ldypg C
NavierStokes Example

uy21dypg(Lx-2)
FinalExpresion 2
Fluid

y
L

Laminar Flow
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
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Wall Shear Stress Friction Velocity Viscous Length Scale

dU 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
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 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

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uxi,ji1,jxi,jx2ui,j2x3ui,j6x2
u
Finite Differences

Finite difference
representation

Direct methods
Truncation error

Methods of Solution

Cramers Rule, Gauss elimination

LU decomposition
Iterative methods

Jacobi method, Gauss-Seidel

Method, SOR method
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 ui1,ji,jui,jx2ui,j2x23ui,j6x3
jmax
j+1
j
j-1

o
Numeric Solution
(Finite Differences)

i-1 i i+1 imax

Discrete Grid Points

y

x
Taylors Series Expansion
u i,j = velocity of fluid

29
 2
f 2f
x)s0in.?2ff((xx))f(x)f0.9xx512 xi,j2
afft((:x)x x
2 f
n
xi,jn!
xn
(x0a.c2ts)olui0n.2for c(0.os[)2 )r
Finite Difference Truncation Error

fE (09.8)]302E
30
.o98075percnt
 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,
, z), and spherical system(r, , )

32
 Flow conditions and properties

Flowconditions 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

o x o
Physical domain Computational domain
Transformation between physical (x,y,z) f f f f f
x x
and computational () domains, x x x
important for body-fitted grids. The partial
f f f f f
derivatives at these two domains have the y y
y y y
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: 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/
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