Flow over an Airfoil - Pre-Analysis & Start-Up

Author: Benjamin Mullen, Cornell University

Problem Specification
1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Physics Setup
5. Numerical Solution
6. Numerical Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises
Comments

Pre-Analysis & Start-Up

Boundary Conditions
One of the simple things we can think about before we set up the simulation is begin planning the boundary conditions of the set up. One of the popular
meshes for simulating a airfoil in a stream is a C-Mesh, and that is what we will be using. At the inlet of the system, we will define the velocity as entering
at a 6 degree angle of attack (as per the problem statement), and at a total magnitude of 1. We will also define the gauge pressure at the inlet to be 0. As
for the outlet, the only thing we can assume is that the gauge pressure is 0. As for the airfoil itself, we will treat it like a wall. Together, these boundary
conditions form the picture below:

Open ANSYS Workbench

Now that we have the pre-calculations, we are ready to do a simulation in ANSYS Workbench! Open ANSYS Workbench by going to Start > ANSYS >
Workbench. This will open the start up screen as seen below

To begin, we need to tell ANSYS what kind of simulation we are doing. If you look to the left of the start up window, you will see the Toolbox Window. Take
a look through the different selections. We will be using FLUENT to complete the simulation. Load the Fluid Flow (FLUENT) box by dragging and dropping it
into the Project Schematic.

Once you have loaded FLUENT into the project schematic, you are ready to create the geometry for the simulation.
Go to Step 2: Geometry
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FLUENT Learning Modules

List of learning modules
The following tutorials show how to solve selected fluid flow problems using ANSYS Fluent. The tutorial topics are drawn from Cornell University courses,
the Prantil et al textbook, student/research projects etc. If a tutorial is from a course, the relevant course number is indicated below. All tutorials have a
common structure and use the same high-level steps starting withPre-Analysis and ending withVerification and Validation. Pre-Analysisincludes hand
calculations to predict expected results whileVerification and Validationcan be thought of as a formal process for checking computer results. Both these
steps are extremely important in practice though often overlooked.The pedagogical philosophy behind these modules is discussed in this article from the
ANSYS Advantage magazine.

Introduction to CFD Basics

MAE 4230

Laminar Pipe Flow

MAE 4230/MAE 5230

Turbulent Pipe Flow

MAE 4230/MAE 5230

Flat Plate Boundary Layer

MAE 4230/MAE 5230/MAE 6510

Supersonic Flow Over a Wedge

MAE 4230/MAE 5230

Compressible Flow in a Nozzle

MAE 4230/MAE 5230

Steady Flow Past a Cylinder

MAE 5230

Unsteady Flow Past a Cylinder

MAE 5230

Flow over an Airfoil

MAE 5230

Wind Turbine Blade FSI (Part 1)

MAE 5230/MAE 5020

(Advanced)

Turbulent Forced Convection

MAE 4272

Laminar Convection: Nusselt Problem

MAE 3240 (Summer)

Bifurcating Artery

MAE 6690

3D Bifurcating Artery

MAE 6690

3D Convection through an Electronics Box

Mars Rover Project

Sudden Expansion in Laminar Pipe Flow

University of California, Irvine

Turbulent Pipe Flow (LES)

Stephen B. Pope Research Group

Turbulent Jet (k-epsilon model)

MAE 7340

User Defined Functions

MAE 4230/MAE 5230

Partially Premixed Combustion

Particles in a Periodic Double Shear Layer

Donald L Koch Research Group

Nasal Airway Model

Cornell M.Eng Project

Older Tutorials
These tutorials are for older version of FLUENT and are no longer being updated. They use GAMBIT for meshing.
Supersonic Flow Over a Wedge

ANSYS FLUENT 6.3

Compressible Flow in a Nozzle

ANSYS FLUENT 6.3

Steady Flow Past a Cylinder

ANSYS FLUENT 6.3

Unsteady Flow Past a Cylinder

ANSYS FLUENT 6.3

Flow over an Airfoil

ANSYS FLUENT 6.3

Forced Convection over a Flat Plate

ANSYS FLUENT 6.3

Flow past a Sphere

ANSYS FLUENT 6.3

Computational Combustion modules

These modules use Chemkin IV (for laminar flames) and Fluent (for turbulent flames). They provide instruction in the use of the software and also provide
insights into the physics and chemistry involved. The focus is on: the thermochemistry and kinetics of ideal gas mixtures; laminar premixed and
nonpremixed flames; and turbulent non-premixed flames.

Flow over an Airfoil - Geometry

Author: Benjamin Mullen, Cornell University
Problem Specification
1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Physics Setup
5. Numerical Solution
6. Numerical Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises
Comments

Geometry
For users of ANSYS 15.0, please check this link for procedures for turning on the Auto Constraint feature before creating sketches in
DesignModeler.

Download the Airfoil Coordinates

In this step, we will import the coordinates of the airfoil and create the geometry we will use for the simulation. Begin by downloading this file here and
saving it somewhere convenient. This file contains the points of a NACA 0012 airfoil.

Launch Design Modeler

Before we launch the design modeler, we need to specify the problem as a 2D problem. Right click
Properties . In the Properties of Schematic A2: Geometry Window, select Analysis Type > 2D . Now, double click

and select

to launch the Design Modeler. When prompted, select Meters as the unit of measurement.

Airfoil
First, we will create the geometry of the airfoil. In the menu bar, go to Concept > 3D Curve. In the Details View window, click Coordinates File and select
the ellipsis
click

to browse to a file. Browse to and select the geometry file you downloaded earlier. Once you have selected the desired geometry file,
to create the curve. Click

to get a better look at the curve.

Next, we need to create a surface from the curve we just generated. Go to Concepts > Surfaces from Edges. Click anywhere on the curve you just

created, and select Edges > Apply in the Details View Window. Click

to create the surface.

Create C-Mesh Domain

Now that the airfoil has been generated, we need to create the meshable surface we will use once we begin to specify boundary conditions. We will begin
by creating a coordinate system at the tail of the airfoil - this will help us create the geometry for the C-mesh domain. Click
coordinate system. In the Details View window, select Type > From Coordinates . For FD11, Point X , enter 1.

Click

to create a new

to generate the new coordinate system. In the Tree Outline Window, select the new coordinate system you created (defaulted to

Plane 4 ), then click

to create a new sketch. This will create a sketching plane on the XY plane with the tail of the airfoil as the origin. At the
bottom of the Tree Outline Window, click the Sketching tab to bring up the sketching window.
The first action we will take is create the arc of the C-Mesh domain. Click
. The first click selects the center of the arc, and
the next two clicks determine the end points of the arc. We want the center of the arc to be at the tail of the airfoil. Click on the origin of the sketch,
making sure the P symbol is showing

For the end points of the arc, first select a point on the vertical axis above the origin (a C symbol will show), then select a point on the vertical axis
below the origin. You should end up with the following:

To create the right side of the C-Mesh donain, click

. Click the following points to create the rectangle in this order where the arc meets the positive vertical axis, where the arc meets the negative vertical axis, then anywhere in the right half plane. The final result
should look like this:

Now, we need to get rid of necessary lines created by the rectangle. Select Modify in the Sketching Toolboxes window, then select
. Click
the lines of the rectangle the are collinear with the positive and negative vertical axises. Now, select the Dimensions toolbox to dimension the C-Mesh
domain. Click
, followed by the arc to dimension the arc. Assign the arc a value of 12.5. Next, select
vertical axis and the vertical portion of the rectangle in the right half plane. Also assign the horizontal dimension a value of 12.5.

. Click the

Click here to enlarge the image

Next, we need to create a surface from this sketch. To accomplish this, go to Concept > Surface From Sketches. Click anywehere on the sketch, and
select Base Objects > Apply in the Details View Window. Also, select Operation > Add Frozen . Once you have the correct settings, click
. The final step of creating the C-Mesh is creating a surface between the boundary and the airfoil. To do this, go to Create > Boolean. In the Details View
window, select Operation > Subtract . Next, select Target Bodies > Not selected , select the large C-Mesh domain surface, then click Apply . Repeat the
same process to select the airfoil as the Tool Body . When you have selected the bodies, click

Selecting the Airfoil Body

Because the C-Mesh domain and the airfoil overlap, once you click in the vicinity of the airfoil ANSYS will select the C-Mesh domain but give
you the option of selecting multiple layers

Select the layer that corresponds to the airfoil and the airfoil will be highlighted.

Create Quadrants
In the final step of creating the geometry, we will break up the new surface into 4 quadrants; this will be useful for when we want to mesh the geometry.
To begin, select Plane 4 in the Tree Outline Window, and click
. Open the sketching menu, and select
. Draw a line on the vertical
axis that intersects the entire C mesh. Trim away the lines that are beyond the C-Mesh, and you should be left with this:

Next, go to Concepts > Lines from Sketchs. Select the line you just drew and click Base Objects > Apply , followed by
. Now that you
have created a vertical line, create a new sketch and repeat the process for a horizontal line that is collinear to horizontal axis and bisects the geometry.

Now, we need to project the lines we just created onto the surface. Go to Tools > Projection . Select Edges press Ctrl and select on the vertical line we
drew (you'll have to select both parts of it), then press Apply . Next, select Target and select the C-Mesh surface, then click Apply .
Once you click
, you'll notice that the geometry is now composed of two surfaces split by the line we selected. Repeat this process to
create 2 more projections: one projection the line left of the origin onto the left surface, and one projecting the right line on the right surface. When
you're finished, the geometry should be split into 4 parts.

The geometry is finished. Save the project and close the design modeler, as we are now we are ready to create the mesh for the simulation.
Go to Step 3: Mesh
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Flow over an Airfoil - Mesh

Author: Benjamin Mullen, Cornell University
Problem Specification
1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Physics Setup
5. Numerical Solution
6. Numerical Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises
Comments

Mesh
Mapped Face Meshing
First, we will apply a mapped face meshing control to the geometry. In the Outline window, click on Mesh to bring up the Meshing Toolbar. In the Meshing
Toolbar, select Mesh Control > Mapped Face Meshing. Making sure the face selection filter is selected
, select all four faces by holding down the
right mouse button and dragging the mouse of all of the quadrants of the geometry. When all of the faces are highlighted green, in the Details view Window
select Geometry > Apply. Next, select

Edge Sizing
Next, we will apply edge sizing controls to all of the edges of the mesh. To begin, go to Mesh Control > Sizing. Next, click the edge selection filter
Select the following 4 edges buy holding Ctrl and using the left mouse button:

Click here to enlarge

Once the edges are selected, in the Details View Window select Geometry > Apply. Next, select Type > Number of Divisions. Change the Number of
Divisions to 50. Select Behavior > Hard. We also want the mesh to have a bias, so select the first bias type: Bais > ----- - -, and give the edge sizing a
Bias Factor of 150. The Edge sizing should now look like this:

Notice that the element sizes get smaller towards the airfoil. This will give us a better resolution around the airfoil where the flow gets more complicated.
Create a new edge sizing with the same parameters, but choose the 4 remaining straight edges (see figure below). The number of divisions will still be 50,
but now will be selecting a different biasing type by selecting the second Bias option: Bias > - - -----. Again, set the Bias Factor to 150

Edge Bias
It is important to make sure that the edge divisions to this point are biased towards the center of the mesh: otherwise you may run into some
problems later. If your mesh does not match the pictures in the tutorial, make sure to change the parameters of the mesh to make sure that
they do: this might mean choosing different edges for the different biasing types than those outlined in this tutorial.
Finally, create a third edge sizing, and select the rounded edges as the geometry. Again, select Type > Number of Divisions, and change Number of
Divisions to 100. Select Behavior > Hard. This time, we will not bias the edges.

Now, select Mesh > Generate to generate the mesh. It should look like this.

Click here to enlarge

Named Selections
Now will assign names to some of the edges to make creating boundary conditions for the mesh easier. Let's recall the boundary conditions we planned in
the Pre-Analysis Step:

The edges highlighted blue are the inlet, the edges highlighted red are the outlet, and the airfoil is highlighted white in the middle. Now we are ready to
name the sections. In the Outline window, select geometry - this will make seeing the edges a little easier. Again make sure the edge selection tool
is selected. Now, select the two vertical edges on the far right side of the mesh. Right click, and select Create Named Selections. Name the edges outle
t. Next, select the edges that correspond to the inlet of the flow as defined by the picture above. Again, right click and select Create Named Selections
and this time name the selection inlet. Finally, select the two edges making up the airfoil, and name the selection airfoil.
Go to Step 4: Physics Setup
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Flow over an Airfoil - Physics Setup

Author: Benjamin Mullen, Cornell University
Problem Specification
1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Physics Setup
5. Numerical Solution
6. Numerical Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises
Comments

Physics Setup
Launch the Solver
In this step, we will open fluent and define the boundary conditions of the problem. If you haven't already,
close the meshing window to return to the Project Outline window. Now, click
. This
will load the mesh into FLUENT. Now, double click Setup. The Fluent Launcher Window should open.
Check the box marked Double Precision. To make the solver run a little quicker, under Processing
Options we will select Parallel and change the Number of Processes to 2. This will allow users with a
double core processor to utilize both.

Select the Solver

Click OK to launch Fluent. The first thing we will do once Fluent launches is define the solver we are
going to use. Select Problem Setup > General. Under Solver, select Density-Based.

Models and Materials

Next, we will define the model we are going to use. We do this by going Problem Setup > Models >
Viscous-Laminar. Then press Edit... This will open the Viscous Model Menu Window. Select Inviscid
and press OK. Now, we will specify characteristics of the fluid. Because we specified the fluid as inviscid,
we will only have to define the density of the fluid. To make matters even simpler, we are only looking for
non-dimensionalized values like pressure coefficient, so we will define the density of our fluid to be 1
kg/m^3. To define the density, click Problem Setup > Materials > (double click) Air. This will launch the
Create/Edit Materials window.

Under Properties, ensure that density is set to Constant and enter 1 kg/m^3 as the density. Click
Change/Create to set the density.

Boundary Conditions
Inlet
Now that the fluid has been described, we are ready to set the boundary conditions of the simulation.
Bring up the boundary conditions menu by selecting Problem Setup > Boundary Conditions. In the
Boundary Conditions window, look under Zones. First, let's set the boundary conditions for the inlet.
Select Inlet to see the details of the boundary condition. The boundary condition type should have
defaulted to velocity-inlet: if it didn't, select it. Now, click Edit to bring up the Velocity-Inlet Window. We
need to specify the magnitude and direction of the velocity. Select Velocity Specification Method >
Components. Remember, we want the flow to enter the inlet at an angle of 6 degrees since the angle of
attack of the airfoil is 6 degrees; thus, the x velocity will be
, and the y velocity will be
.
Specify X-Velocity as 0.9945 m/s and Y-Velocity as 0.1045 m/s. When you have finished specifying
the velocity as entering the inlet at 6 degrees (the same thing as having an angle of attack of 6 degrees),
press OK

Outlet
In the Boundary Conditions window, look under Zones. Select Outlet to see the details of the boundary
condition. The boundary condition type should have defaulted to pressure-outlet: if it didn't, select it.
Click Edit, and ensure that the Gauge Pressure is defaulted to 0. If it is, you may close this window.
Airfoil
In the Boundary Conditions window, look under Zones and select airfoil. Select Type > Wall if it hasn't
been defaulted.

Reference Values
The final thing to do before we move on to solution is to acknowledge the reference values. Go to
Problem Setup > Reference Values. In the Reference Values Window, select Compute From > Inlet.
Check the reference values that appear to make sure they are as we have already set them.
Go to Step 5: Numerical Solution
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Flow over an Airfoil - Numerical Solution

Author: Benjamin Mullen, Cornell University
Problem Specification
1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Physics Setup
5. Numerical Solution
6. Numerical Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises
Comments

Numerical Solution
Methods
First, go to Solution > Solution Methods. Everything in this section should have defaulted to what we want, but let's make sure that under Flow the
selection is Second Order Upwind. If this is the selection, we may move on.

Monitors
Now we are ready to begin solving the simulation. Before we hit solve though, we need to set up some parameters for how Fluent will solve the simulation.
Let's begin by going to Solution > Monitors. In the Monitors Window, look under Residuals, Statistic, and Force Monitors. Select Residuals - Print,Plot and
press Edit. In the Residual Monitors Window, we want to change all of the Absolute Criteria to 1e-6. This will give us some further trust in our solution.

Initial Guess
Now, we need to initialize the solution. Go to Solution > Solution Initialization. In the Solution Initialization Window, select Compute From > Inlet. Ensure
the values that appear are the same values we inputted in Step 5. If the are, initialize the solution by clicking Initialize.

Solve
Once the solution has been initialized, we are ready to solve the simulation. Go to Solution > Run Calculation. Change Number of Iterations to 3000, then
double click Calculate. Sit back and twiddle your thumbs until Fluent spits out a converged solution.
Go to Step 6: Numerical Results
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Flow over an Airfoil - Numerical Results

Author: Benjamin Mullen, Cornell University
Problem Specification
1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Physics Setup
5. Numerical Solution
6. Numerical Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises
Comments

Numerical Results
Velocity
First, we will look at the velocity vectors of the solution to see if they make intuitive sense. To plot the velocity vectors, go to Results > Graphics and
Animations. In the Graphics and Animations Window, select Vectors and click Set Up.... This will bring up the Vectors Menu.

Make sure the settings of the menu match the figure above: namely Vectors of > Velocity, Color by > Velocity, and set the second box as Velocity
Magnitude. To see the velocity vectors, press Display.

Pressure Contours
To view the pressure contours over the entire mesh, go to Results > Graphics and Animations again, and in the Graphics and Animations Window, select C
ontours.
Click Set Up... to bring up the Contours Menu. Check the box next to Filled. Under Contours Of, ensure that the two boxes that are selected are Pressur
e... and Static Pressure.

Once these parameters are set, press Display to see the pressure contours.

Streamlines
To view the streamlines, keep the Contours window open, and change the Contours Of box to Velocity, and the box below to Stream Function. Change L
evels to 100. Also, uncheck the box marked Auto Range, and set Min(kg/s) to 13.11, and Max(kg/s) to 14.16

To view the streamlines, press Display

Pressure Coefficient
Next, we will plot the pressure coefficient along the surface of the airfoil. Click on Results > Plots to open up the Plots Window. Under Plots, select XY
Plot, and click Set Up.... In the window that pops up, change the settings Y-Axis Function > Pressure, and change the second box to Pressure Coefficient.
Ensure X-Axis Function > Direction Vector. Under Surfaces, select airfoil. See the figure below for help.

When all the settings are correct, press Plot to plot the data to the command window. To save the data to a text file, check the box next to Write to File.
You'll notice that the Plot button has been replaced by a button marked Write..., click it. Change the file type to All Files and save the file name as Pres
sure_Coefficient.txt

Coefficients of Lift and Drag

To find the Coefficients of Lift and Drag, click Results > Reports to bring up the Reports Window. In the Reports Window, select Forces and click Set Up....
This will bring up the Force Reports menu

We need to set the parameters so drag across the airfoil (keep in mind, which is at an angle) will be displayed. In the Force Reports window change the Di
rection Vector such that X > .9945 and Y > .1045. Click Print to print the drag coefficient to the command window. To print the lift coefficient, in the
Force Reports window change the Direction Vector such that X > -.1045 and Y > .9945. Again, press Print.
Go to Step 7: Verification & Validation
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Flow over an Airfoil - Verification & Validation

Author: Benjamin Mullen, Cornell University
Problem Specification
1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Physics Setup
5. Numerical Solution
6. Numerical Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises
Comments

Verification & Validation

Verification
One of the ways we can verify our data is by refining the mesh. Open up the mesh, and increase the Number of Divisions for Edge Sizing and Edge Sizing
2 to 100. Click Mesh in the Outline window, and in the Details window, expand statistics. The number of elements should now be 40000.

Click here to enlarge

Exit out of the mesher. First, right click Setup and select Reset. Then click
in the project schematic. Open up the solver, and
solve the simulation using the same solver and boundary conditions (you'll have to input them again), but this time change the number of iterations to 50
00. Again, calculate the force coefficients and graph the pressure coefficient.

Validation
To validate our data, we will take a compare the data from actual experiment.
Unrefined Mesh

Refined Mesh

Experimental Data

Lift Coeffient

0.6315

0.6670

0.6630

Drag Coefficient

0.0122

0.0063

0.0090

Below is a graph displaying the comparing Coefficient of Pressure along the airfoil for the experimental data and the CFD simulation. The data is from
Gregory & O'Reilly, NASA R&M 3726, Jan 1970.

Click here to see an enlarged image

As we can see from the table and the graph, the CFD matches the data fairly well. There are inaccuracies from factors such as our assumption that the
flow is inviscid, but we still managed to extract some meaningful information from the simulation.
Go to Exercises
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Flow over an Airfoil - Exercises

Author: Benjamin Mullen, Cornell University
Problem Specification
1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Physics Setup
5. Numerical Solution
6. Numerical Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises
Comments

Exercises
Consider the low-speed airflow over the NACA 0012 airfoil at low angles of attack. The Reynolds number based on the chord is Rec = 2.88 10^6. This
flow can reasonably be modeled as incompressible and inviscid.

1a. Incompressible, Inviscid Model

Explain why the incompressible, inviscid model for this ow should yield lift coefficient values that match well with experiment but will yield a drag
coefficient that is always zero.

b. Boundary Value Problem

What is the boundary value problem (BVP) you need to solve to obtain the velocity and pressure distributions for this ow at an angle of attack of 10
degrees? Indicate governing equations, domain and boundary conditions (u = 0 at a certain boundary etc.). For each of the boundary conditions, indicate
also the corresponding boundary type that you need to select in FLUENT.

c. Coefficient of Pressure
Run a simulation for the NACA 0012 airfoil at angles of attack at 0 degrees and 10 degrees for two cases: a mesh with 15000 elements and a mesh with
40000 elements. Plot the pressure coefficient obtained from FLUENT on the same plot as data obtained from experiment The experimental data is from
Gregory & OReilly, NASA R&M 3726, Jan 1970 and is provided here Follow the aeronautical convention of flipping the vertical axis so that negative Cp
values are above and positive Cp values are below. This can be done in MATLAB using set(gca, YDir, reverse);

d. Lift and Drag Coefficient

Obtain the lift and drag coefficients from the FLUENT results on the two meshes. Compare these with experimental or expected values (present this
comparison as a table). The experimental values for 0 degree angle of attack are: Cl = 0.025; Cd = 0.0069, and the experimental values for 10 degree
angle of attack are: Cl = 1.2219; Cd = 0.0138.

Conclusions
Comment on the comparison with experiment for the two angles of attack. Also,comment on the effect of mesh refinement. How does the pressure
distribution over the airfoil change on increasing the angle of attack?
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