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External flow over a bluff body is complex, three-dimensional, and vortical. It is massively
separated and it exhibits vortex shedding. Thus, appropriate numerical simulation is needed.
Steady RANS simulation is applicable only on statistically steady flow. Flow in which coherent
vortex shedding occurs is statistically unsteady, therefore unsteady RANS (URANS) must be
used. Bluff-body flow represents this kind of flow.
This video tutorial demonstrates application of unsteady RANS simulation on 3D geometry.
Barrier consisting of horizontal bars is the bluff body.
Step1: Grid
1. Read the mesh file (*.msh)
File-Read-mesh
2. Check the mesh
Make sure the minimum volume is a positive number
3. Check the scale of the mesh
Mesh-Scale
Check the domain size so that it corresponds to actual dimensions
4. Mesh display
Display-Mesh
Mesh display
Barrier mesh
Mesh is hexahedral and consists of 6.8 million elements.
Step2. Models
Enable SST k-omega turbulence model
Define-Models-Viscous-SST k-omega
Select print to console, plot and write with name cd-barrier. Select barrier in wall zones.
Force vector is: 1 0 0.
For transient simulation, one needs to specify time step size, number of time steps,
maximum iterations per time step.
Specify 0.00003 for time step size. Number of tiem step depends on converegeny of the
solution. Simulation should be run until reaches statistically staionary state.
After 250 iterations with transient solver, scaled residual graph should look similar to:
Scaled Residuals after 550 iterations with steady solver and 250 iteration with transient solver
As one can see, first 300 iterations are steady state solver with first order methods. Next,
250 iterations are with steady state solver with second order methods. After 550 iterations
with steady solver, transient solver is applied.
Step8: Post-processing
There are many options of data visualization in Ansys Fluent. There are contours, vectors,
pathlines, and animation.
For example, one can visualize contour of x-component of velocity field on a plane in the
middle of the domain.
Create plane:
Surface-Plane
Select point and normal. Specify 0 for x0, y0,z0. Specify 0 for ix, iy, and 1 for iz.
Select Create.
Results-Graphics and Animation-contours-set-up
Select plane-14.
Select Display.
Step9: Summary
In this tutorial Ansys Fluent was used to calculate transient simulation of a flow through
bluff body. It was shown mesh import and modification, set-up solver, turbulence models,
and monitors. Post-process was used to analyze data.