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FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Problem Specification


Added by Steve Weidner , last edited by Benjamin J Mullen on Apr 27, 2011 17:58

Labels: None

Author: Rajesh Bhaskaran, John Singleton, Cornell University

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

Problem Specification

Consider fluid flowing through a circular pipe of constant radius as illustrated above. The pipe diameter D = 0.2 m and length L = 8
m. The inlet velocity z = 1 m/s. Consider the velocity to be constant over the inlet cross-section. The fluid exhausts into the ambient
atmosphere which is at a pressure of 1 atm. Take density
Reynolds number R ebased on the pipe diameter is

1 3 and
k coefficient
g / m of viscosity

2- 3k xg / 1( The
m
0 s ) .

where z is the average velocity at the inlet, which is 1 m/s in this case.
Solve this problem using FLUENT via ANSYS Workbench. Plot the centerline velocity, wall skin-friction coefficient, and velocity profile
at the outlet. Validate your results.
Note: The values used for the inlet velocity and flow properties are chosen for convenience rather than to reflect reality. The key
parameter value to focus on is the Reynolds number.
Go to Step 1: Pre-Analysis & Start-up
See and rate the complete Learning Module
Go to all FLUENT Learning Modules

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FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Pre-Analysis & Start-Up


Added by Steve Weidner , last edited by Benjamin J Mullen on Feb 08, 2012 23:31

Labels: None

Author: Rajesh Bhaskaran, John Singleton, Cornell University


Problem Specification

1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up


2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Setup (Physics)
5. Solution
6. Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises

Step 1: Pre-Analysis & Start-up


Preliminary Analysis
We expect the viscous boundary layer to grow along the pipe starting at the inlet. It will eventually grow to fill the pipe completely
(provided that the pipe is long enough). When this happens, the flow becomes fully-developed and there is no variation of the velocity
profile in the axial direction, x (see figure below). One can obtain a closed-form solution to the governing equations in the fullydeveloped region. You should have seen this in the I n t r o d u c t i o n
t course.
o F We
l uwilli compare
d M the
e numerical
c h a n i c s
results in the fully-developed region with the corresponding analytical results. So it's a good idea for you to go back to your textbook in
the Intro course and review the fully-developed flow analysis. What values would you expect for the centerline velocity and the friction
factor in the fully-developed region based on the analytical solution? What is the solution for the velocity profile?

We'll create the geometry and mesh in ANSYS 12.1 which is the preprocessor for FLUENT, and then read the mesh into FLUENT
and solve for the flow solution.

Start ANSYS FLUENT


Prior to opening ANSYS, create a folder called p i pin ae convenient location. We'll use this as the working folder in which files
created during the session will be stored. For this simulation Fluent will be run within the ANSYS Workbench Interface. Start ANSYS
workbench:
S t a r t >

A l l

P r o g r a m s >

A n s y s

1 2 . 1 >

W o r k b e n c h

The following figure shows the workbench window.

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FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Pre-Analysis & Start-Up - Simulation - Confluence

06-08-2012

Higher Resolution Image

Management of Screen Real Estate


This tutorial is specially configured, so the user can have both the tutorial and ANSYS open at the same time as shown below. It will
be beneficial to have both ANSYS and your internet browser displayed on your monitor simultaneously. Your internet browser should
consume approximately one third of the screen width while ANSYS should take the other two thirds as shown below.

Click Here for Higher Resolution


If the monitor you are using is insufficient in size, you can press the A land
t T a keys
b simultaneously to toggle between ANSYS and
your internet browser.
Go to Step 2: Geometry
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Go to all FLUENT Learning Modules

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FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Geometry


Added by Steve Weidner , last edited by Benjamin J Mullen on Feb 08, 2012 23:19

Labels: None

Author: Rajesh Bhaskaran, John Singleton, Cornell University


Problem Specification
1. Pre-analysis & Start-Up

2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Setup (Physics)
5. Solution
6. Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises

Step 2: Geometry

Care to skip the geometry and meshing steps? README


If you would prefer to skip the geometry and mesh steps, then you can download the necessary files here. Download
the "zip" file, then extract the files to your working directory. In order to load the necessary files, go to the
W o r k b e n c h ,Pthen
r (o Cj le i c ct k )P aF g i el e
>
O p e .nLastly,
> click" here
p i topskip
e _ l a m i n a
ahead to Step 4 of the tutorial.

Saving
It would be of best interest, to save the project at this point. Click on the "Save As.." button,
, which is located on the top of
the W o r k b e n c h .PSave
r othej project
e c as
t "LaminarPipeFlow"
P a g e
in your working directory. When you save in ANSYS a file
and a folder will be created. For instance if you save as "LaminarPipeFlow", a "LaminarPipeFlow" file and a folder called
"LaminarPipeFlow_files" will appear. In order to reopen the ANSYS files in the future you will need both the ".wbpj" file and the folder.
If you do not have BOTH, you will not be able to access your project.

Fluid Flow(FLUENT) Project Selection


On the left hand side of the workbench window, you will see a toolbox full of various analysis systems. To the right, you see an empty
work space. This is the place where you will organize your project. At the bottom of the window, you see messages from ANSYS.
Left click (and hold) on F l u i d
F l o w, and(drag
F L
the UiconEinto
N the
T empty
)
space in the P r o j e c t
window should now look comparable to the image below.

https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Laminar+Pipe+Flow+-+Geometry

.SYour
c ANSYS
h e m a t i

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FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Geometry - Simulation - Confluence

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Since we selected Fluid Flow(FLUENT), each cell of the system corresponds to a step in the process of performing CFD analysis
using FLUENT. Rename the project to Laminar Pipe.
We will work through each step from top down to obtain the solution to our problem.

Analysis Type
In the P r o j e c t

Sof the
c hWorkbench
e m a window,
t i c right click on G e o m and
e tselect
r y P r o p e, asr shown
t i ebelow.
s

The properties menu will then appear to the right of the Workbench window. Under A d v a n c e
A n a l y s to
i 2D
s asTshown
y p inethe image below.

https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Laminar+Pipe+Flow+-+Geometry

G e o ,m
change
e t the
r y

O p t

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FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Geometry - Simulation - Confluence

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Launch Design Modeler


In the P r o j e c t ,Sdouble
c h click
e mon aG te i oc m toe start
t rpreparing
y
the geometry.
At this point, a new window, ANSYS Design Modeler will be opened. You will be asked to select desired length unit. Use the default
meter unit and click O K.

Creating a Sketch

Start by creating a sketch on the X Y P l. Under


a n Te r e e
O, select
u t Xl iY nP e l, then
a nclick
e on S k e t cright
h before
i n gD e t a i l s
V i e. This
w will bring up the S k e t c h i n g . T o o l b o x e s
Click Here for Select Sketching Toolboxes Demo
Click on the + Zaxis on the bottom right corner of the G r a p window
h i c tos have a normal look of the XY Plane.
Click Here for Select Normal View Demo
In the Sketching toolboxes, select R e c t a. InnthegG l re a p window,
h i c create
s
a rough Rectangle by clicking once on the origin and
then by clicking once somewhere in the positive XY plane. (Make sure that you see a letter P at the origin before you click. The P
implies that the cursor is directly over a point of intersection.) At this point you should have something comparable to the image
below.

https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Laminar+Pipe+Flow+-+Geometry

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FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Geometry - Simulation - Confluence

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Dimensions
At this point the rectangle will be properly dimensioned.
Under S k e t c h i n g , select
T oDo i l mb eo nx tab,
se i use
s o the
n default
s
dimensioning tools. Dimension the geometry as shown in
the following image.

Click Here for Higher Resolution


Under the D e t a i l table
s (located
V i e inwthe lower left corner), set V1=0.1m and set H2=8m, as shown in the image below.

Click Here for Higher Resolution

Surface Body Creation


In order to create the surface body, first ( C l i c k

) C o n c e p t

>

S
as shown
u r f inathecimage
e
below.
F r o m

This will create a new surface S u r f a c. Under


e S DK e 1 t a i l , select
s
VS i k e e wt asc Bh a1 s e
body select the thickness to 0.1m and click A p p. Finally
l y click G e n e tor generate
a t e the surface.
At this point, you can close the D e s i g n and
M go
o back
d e tol W
e ro r k b e n c h
W o r k b e n c h .P r o j e c t
P a g e

S k e t c

Oand
b then
j e under
c t Surface
s

.PSave
r oyour
j work
e c thus
t far
P inatheg e

Go to Step 3: Mesh
See and rate the complete Learning Module
Go to all FLUENT Learning Modules

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FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Mesh


Added by Steve Weidner , last edited by Benjamin J Mullen on Feb 08, 2012 23:16

Labels: None

Author: Rajesh Bhaskaran, John Singleton, Cornell University


Problem Specification
1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up
2. Geometry

3. Mesh
4. Setup (Physics)
5. Solution
6. Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises

Step 3: Mesh
In this section the geometry will be meshed with 500 elements. That is, the pipe will be divided into 100 elements in the axial direction
and 5 elements in the radial direction.

Launch Mesher
In order to begin the meshing process, go to the W o r k b e n c h

,Pthen
r (o Dj o
e cu tb l Pe a g
C. el i c k )

M e s h

Default Mesh
In this section the default mesh will be generated. This can be carried out two ways. The first way is to ( R i g h t
G e n e r a t, as
e shown
M in
e the
s image
h
below.

The second way in which the default mesh can be generated is to ( C l i c k )


https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Laminar+Pipe+Flow+-+Mesh

M e s h

C l i c k )

>as can
G bee seen
n ebelow.
r a t e
9 / 40

M e s

FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Mesh - Simulation - Confluence

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Either method should give you the same results. The default mesh that you generate should look comparable to the image below.

Note that in Workbench there is generally at least two ways to implement actions as has been shown above. For, simplicity's sake the
"menu" method of implementing actions will be solely used for the rest of the tutorial.

Mapped Face Meshing


As can be seen above, the default mesh has irregular elements. We are interested in creating a grid style of mesh that can be
mapped to a rectangular domain. This meshing style is called M a p p e d
F a .cIn order
e
M
to incorporate
e s h i this
n gmeshing style
( C l i c k )
M e s h
C o n t r o las can
> beMseen
a below.
p p e d
F a c e
M e s h i n g

Now, the M a p p e d
F a still
c emustMbe eapplied
s h toi the
n pipe
g geometry. In order to do so, first click on the pipe body which
should then highlight green. Next, ( C l i c k in
) theAD pe pt la yi l s
o f
M a p table,
p e as
d shown
F abelow.
c e
M e s h i n g

This process is shown here


Now, generate the mesh by using either method from the "Default Mesh" section above. You should obtain a mesh comparable to the
following image.

Edge Sizing
The desired mesh has specific number of divisions along the radial and the axial direction. In order to obtain the specified number of
divisions E d g e
must
S i be
z used.
i n gThe divisions along the axial direction will be specified first. Now, an E d g e
needs
S i ztoi n g
https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Laminar+Pipe+Flow+-+Mesh

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FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Mesh - Simulation - Confluence

be inserted. First, ( C l i c k )

06-08-2012

M e s h

as
C shown
o n below.
t r o l

>

S i z i n g

Now, the geometry and the number of divisions need to be specified. First ( C l i c k )
E d g e , S . Then
e l hold
e c down
t i o n
the "Control" button and then click the bottom and top edge of the rectangle. Both sides should highlight green. Next, hit A p punder
l y
the D e t a i l s table
o fas shown
S i below.
z i n g

Now, change T y pto N


e u m b e r

Then, set N u m b e r

o f as shown
D i vin the
i simage
i o below.
n s

o f to 100
D as
i vshown
i s below.
i o n s

At this point, the edge sizing in the the radial direction will be specified. Follow the same procedure as for the edge sizing in the axial
direction, except select the left and right side instead of the top and bottom and set the number of division to 5. Then, generate the
mesh by using either method from the "Default Mesh" section above. You should obtain the following mesh.

As it turns out, in the mesh above there are 540 elements, when there should be only 500. Mesh statistics can be found by clicking on
M e sin the
h Tree and then by expanding S t a t i under
s t the
i cD se t a i l s table.
o fIn order
M to
e get
s the
h desired 500 element
mesh the B e h a needs
v i oto be
r changed from S o tof Ht a for
r dboth E d g e
S. Ini order
z i to
n carry
g ' this
s out first E x p a n d
M e sin the
h tree outline then click E d g e
and
S i then
z ichange
n g B e h a tov Hi ao under
rr d the D e t a i l s
o f table,
E d g e
as shown below.

https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Laminar+Pipe+Flow+-+Mesh

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FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Mesh - Simulation - Confluence

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Then set the B e h a tov Hi ao for


rr dE d g e
S. Next,
i z generate
i n g the
2 mesh using either method from the "Default Mesh" section
above. You should then obtain the following 500 element mesh.

Radial Sizing

Create Named Selections


Here, the edges of the geometry will be given names so one can assign boundary conditions in Fluent in later steps. The left side of
the pipe will be called "Inlet" and the right side will be called "Outlet". The top side of the rectangle will be called "PipeWall" and the
bottom side of the rectangle will be called "CenterLine" as shown in the image below.

In order to create a named selections first ( C l i c k )


E d g e , S . Then
e l click
e c on
t the
i oleftnsideFof the
i l rectangle
t e r and it
should highlight green. Next, right click the left side of the rectangle and choose C r e a t e
N a m as
e shown
d
Sbelow.
e l e c t i o n

Select the left edge and right click and select C r e a t e

https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Laminar+Pipe+Flow+-+Mesh

N a m . eEnter
d Inlet
S and
e click
l e O
c tK, as
i oshown
n below.

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Now, create named selections for the remaining three sides and name them according to the diagram.

Save, Exit & Update


First save the project. Next, close the Mesher window. Then, go to the W o r k b e n c h
button,

P
andr click
o jthee Uc pt d Pa at eg e P r o

Go to Step 4: Setup (Physics)


See and rate the complete Learning Module
Go to all FLUENT Learning Modules

This work is licensed under a C reative C ommons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

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FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Setup (Physics)


Added by Javier Gutierrez Gallardo , last edited by Benjamin J Mullen on Feb 08, 2012 23:21

Labels: None

Author: Rajesh Bhaskaran, John Singleton, Cornell University


Problem Specification
1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh

4. Setup (Physics)
5. Solution
6. Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises

Useful Information
Click here for the FLUENT 6.3.26 version.

Step 4: Setup (Physics)


Your current W o r k b e n c h
P
should
r olook
j ecomparable
c t
P toatheg following
e
image. Regardless of whether you downloaded
the mesh and geometry files or if you created them yourself, you should have checkmarks to the right of G e o m and
e tM r ey .s h

Next, the mesh and geometry data need to be read into FLUENT. To read in the data ( R i g h t
W o r k b e n c h
P
as shown
r o j inethec image
t
Pbelow.
a g e

https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Laminar+Pipe+Flow+-+Setup+%28Physics%29

C l i c k ) in the
S e t u p

14 / 40

>

FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Setup (Physics) - Simulation - Confluence

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After you click U p d , a question


t e
mark should appear to the right of the S e t cell.
u pThis indicates that the S e t process
u p has not
yet been completed.

Launch Fluent
Double click on S e t inuthep W o r k b e n c h
P
which
r owillj bring
e cupt the F
P L
a gU eE N T
L. When
a u the
n Fc Lh Ue rE N T
L a u n appears
c h e change
r
the options to "Double Precision", and then click O Kas shown below.The Double Precision option is
used to select the double-precision solver. In the double-precision solver, each floating point number is represented using 64 bits in
contrast to the single-precision solver which uses 32 bits. The extra bits increase not only the precision, but also the range of
magnitudes that can be represented. The downside of using double precision is that it requires more memory.

Click Here for Higher Resolution


Twiddle your thumbs a bit while the FLUENT interface starts up. This is where we'll specify the governing equations and boundary
conditions for our boundary-value problem. On the left-hand side of the FLUENT interface, we see various items listed under
P r o b l e m
. We will
S work
e t from
u ptop to bottom of the P r o b l e mitemsSto setup
e t uthepphysics of our boundary-value
problem. On the right hand side, we have the G r a p pane
h i and,
c s below that, the C o m m pane.
a n d

Check and Display Mesh


First, the mesh will be checked to verify that it has been properly imported from W o r k b. Ineorder
n ctohobtain the statistics about
the mesh ( C l i c k )
M e s ,has shown
> in
I the
n image
f o below.
>
S i z e

https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Laminar+Pipe+Flow+-+Setup+%28Physics%29

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Then, you should obtain the following output in the C o m m pane.


a n d

The mesh that was created earlier has 500 elements(5 Radial x 100 Axial). Note that in FLUENT elements are called cells. The output
states that there are 500 cells, which is a good sign. Next, FLUENT will be asked to check the mesh for errors. In order to carry out
the mesh checking procedure ( C l i c k )
M eassshown
h in> the image
C h ebelow.
c k

You should see no errors in the C o m m Pane.


a n Now,
d that the mesh has been verified, the mesh display options will be discussed.
In order to bring up the display options ( C l i c k )
G e n e r a las shown
>
M
in the
e image
s h below.
>
D i s p l a y

The previous step should cause the M e s h


in the meshing steps now appear.

Dwindow
i s pto lopen,
a yas shown below. Note that the N a m e d

https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Laminar+Pipe+Flow+-+Setup+%28Physics%29

S ecreated
l e c t i o

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Click Here for Higher Resolution


You should have all the surfaces shown in the above snapshot. Clicking on a surface name in the M e s h
Dmenu
i s will
p toggle
l a y
between select and unselect. Clicking D i s pwilll show
a y all the currently selected surface entities in the graphics pane. Unselect all
surfaces and then select each one in turn to see which part of the domain or boundary the particular surface entity corresponds to (you
will need to zoom in/out and translate the model as you do this). For instance, if you select w a, ol lu t, and
l e c t e n t eand
r then
l i n e
click D i s pyou
l should
a y then obtain the following output in the graphics window.

Now, make sure all 5 items under S u r f are


a cselected.
e s The
button next to S u r f selects
a c e allsof the boundaries while the
button deselects all of the boundaries at once. Once, all the 5 boundaries have been selected click D i s p, then
l aclose
y the
M e s h
Dwindow.
i s pThe
l along,
y skinny rectangle displayed in the graphics window corresponds to our solution domain. Some of
the operations available in the graphics window to interrogate the geometry and mesh are:
Translation: The model can be translated in any direction by holding down the L e f t
the desired direction.
Zoom In: Hold down the M i d d l e
M o and
u sdrag
e a box
B ufrom
t the
t oU np p e r
H a n d
Cover
o the
r narea
e you
r want to zoom in on.
Zoom Out: Hold down the M i d d l e
U p p e r
L e f t . H a n d

M o u and
s ethen B
moving
u t the
t omouse
n in

L e f t toHtheaL no dw eC r o rR n i eg rh t

M o and
u sdrag
e a box
B uanywhere
t t o from
n the L o w e r
C o r n e r

R i g h t to the
H a n d

C o

Use these operations to zoom in and interrogate the mesh.

Define Solver Properties


In this section the various solver properties will be specified in order to obtain the proper solution for the laminar pipe flow. First, the
axisymmetric nature of the geometry must be specified. Under G e n e r a l
>
S o select
l v eA r x i> s y2 m
D asmshown
Se pt ar ic ce
in the image below.

https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Laminar+Pipe+Flow+-+Setup+%28Physics%29

17 / 40

FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Setup (Physics) - Simulation - Confluence

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Click Here for Higher Resolution


Next, the V i s c o u sparameters
M o dwillebel specified. In order to open the Viscous Model Options M o d e l s
>
V i s c o
L a m i n a r . By>default,
E the
d iViscous
t . . Model
.
options are set to laminar, so no changes are needed. Click C a n toc exit
e the
l
menu.
Now, the Energy Model parameters will be specified. In order to open the Energy Model Options M o d e l s
>
E n e.r g y For incompressible flow, the energy equation is decoupled from the continuity and momentum equations. We need to solve the
energy equation only if we are interested in determining the temperature distribution. We will not deal with temperature in this
example. So leave the E n e r g y
Esetqto off
u and
a t click
i oCn a n toc exit
e the
l menu.

Define Material Properties


Now, the properties of the fluid that is being modeled will be specified. The properties of the fluid were specified in the Problem
Specification section. In order to create a new fluid ( C l i c k )
M a t e r i a l s as> shown
F in
l the
u iimage
d below.
>
C r e a t

In the C r e a t e / E d menu
i t set
M the
a Dt ee rn i stoa1kg/m^3
i l t sy (constant) and set the V i s c oto 2e-3
s i kg/(ms)
t y (constant) as
shown in the image below.

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Click Here for Higher Resolution


Click C h a n g e ./Close
C r the
e window.
a t e

Define Boundary Conditions


At this point the boundary conditions for the four N a m e d
specified first.

S ewilll bee specified.


c t i o The
n boundary
s
condition for the i n lwille bet

Inlet Boundary Condition

In order to start the process ( C l i c k )

B o u n d a r y

C oasnshown
d i int the
i ofollowing
n s image.
>
i n l e t

>

Click Here for Higher Resolution


Note that the B o u n d a r y
C oshould
n d have
i t been
i o automatically
n
T y pset
e to v e l o c i . tNow,
y -thei velocity
n l e att the i n lwille t
be specified. In the V e l o c i menu
t y setI the
n Vl ee tl o c i t y
S p e c toi Cf i o c ma pt o
i ,onand
neset
nM
the
t eA
s tx hi oa dl V e l o c i tto y1 m/s,( as
m shown
/ s below.
)

Click Here for Higher Resolution


Then, click O Kto close the V e l o c i menu.
t y
I n l e t
Outlet Boundary Condition
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E d

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First, select o u t inl the


e Bt o u n d a r y

06-08-2012

menu,
C o as
n shown
d i t below.
i o n s

Click Here for Higher Resolution


As can be seen in the image above the T y pshould
e have been automatically set to p r e s s u r. Ifethe- To yu pist not
el esett to
p r e s s u r, then
e - set
o ituto tp l r ee t s s u r. Now,
e - no
o further
u t lchanges
e t are needed for the o u t boundary
l e t condition.
Centerline Boundary Condition

Select c e n t ein rthel Bi no eu n d a r y

menu,
C o as
n shown
d i t below.
i o n s

Click Here for Higher Resolution


As can be seen in the image above the T y phase been automatically set to w a which
l l is not correct. Change the T y pto ae x , iass
shown below.

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Click Here for Higher Resolution


When the dialog boxes appear click Y e toschange the boundary type. Then click O Kto accept "centerline" as the zone name.
Pipe Wall Boundary Condition

First, select p i p e in
_ the
w B
a lo l u n d a r y

menu,
C o as
n shown
d i t below.
i o n s

Click Here for Higher Resolution


As can be seen in the image above the T y pshould
e have been automatically set to w a. Ifl the
l T y pis not
e set to w a, then
l l set it to
w a. Now,
l l no further changes are needed for the p i p e boundary
_ w a l condition.
l

Save
In order to save your work ( C l i c k ) F i l e

as
> shown
S ain the
v image
e
Pbelow.
r o j e c t

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Go to Step 5: Solution
See and rate the complete Learning Module
Go to all FLUENT Learning Modules

This work is licensed under a C reative C ommons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

Adaptavist Theme Builder (4.2.4-M1) Powered by Atlassian Confluence 3.5.16, the Enterprise Wiki

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FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Solution


Added by Javier Gutierrez Gallardo , last edited by Benjamin J Mullen on Feb 08, 2012 23:23

Labels: None

Author: Rajesh Bhaskaran, John Singleton, Cornell University


Problem Specification
1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Setup (Physics)

5. Solution
6. Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises

Useful Information
Click here for the FLUENT 6.3.26 version.

Step 5: Solution
Second Order Scheme
A second-order discretization scheme will be used to approximate the solution. In order to implement the second order scheme click
on S o l u t i o n thenMclick
e on
t hM oo dms e nandt select
u mS e c o n d
O r as
d shown
e r inUthepimage
w i below.
n d

Click Here for Higher Resolution


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Set Initial Guess


Here, the flow field will be initialized to the values at the inlet. In order to carry out the initialization click on S o l u t i o n
then click on C o m p u t and
e select
f r i on mlaseshown
t
below.

I n i t i

Click Here for Higher Resolution


Then, click the I n i t ibutton,
a l i z e . This completes the initialization.

Set Convergence Criteria


FLUENT reports a residual for each governing equation being solved. The residual is a measure of how well the current solution
satisfies the discrete form of each governing equation. We'll iterate the solution until the residual for each equation falls below 1e-6. In
order to specify the residual criteria ( C l i c k )
M o n i t o r s , as>shown
R inethes image
i d ubelow.
a l s
>
E d i t . . .

Click Here for Higher Resolution


Next, change the residual under C o n v e r g e n cforec o Cn r t i i, txne-urv i i eto ly,and
no yc -i vt ye l, all
o toc1e-6,
i t as
y can be
seen below.

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Click Here for Higher Resolution


Lastly, click O Kto close the R e s i d u a l menu.
M o n i t o r s

Execute Calculation
Prior, to running the calculation the maximum number of iterations must be set. To specify the maximum number of iterations click on
R u n
C a l then
c usetl the
a N
t i uo mn b e r
o f to 100,
I t ase shown
r a tin the
i oimage
n s below.

Click Here for Higher Resolution


As a safeguard save the project now. Now, click on C a l c utwol times
a t ein order to run the calculation. The residuals for each
iteration are printed out as well as plotted in the graphics window as they are calculated. After running the calculation, you should
obtain the following residual plot.

Click Here for Higher Resolution


The residuals fall below the specified convergence criterion of 1e-6 in about 48 iterations, as shown below. Actual number of
convergence steps may vary slightly.

Click Here for Higher Resolution


At this point, save the project once again.
Go to Step 6: Results
See and rate the complete Learning Module
Go to all FLUENT Learning Modules

This work is licensed under a C reative C ommons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

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Search

FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Results


Added by Javier Gutierrez Gallardo , last edited by Benjamin J Mullen on Feb 08, 2012 23:28

Labels: None

Author: Rajesh Bhaskaran, John Singleton, Cornell University


Problem Specification
1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Setup (Physics)
5. Solution

6. Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises

Useful Information
Click here for the FLUENT 6.3.26 version.

Step 6: Results
Velocity Vectors
One can plot vectors in the entire domain, or on selected surfaces. Let us plot the velocity vectors for the entire domain to see how the
flow develops downstream of the inlet. First, click on G r a p h i c s
& . Next,
A ndouble
i m click
a toni Vo en cs twhich
o r isslocated
under G r a p . Then,
h i cclick
s on D i s p. Zoom
l a into
y the region near the inlet. (Click here to review the zoom functionality discussion
in step 4.) The length and color of the arrows represent the velocity magnitude. The vector display is more intelligible if one makes the
arrows shorter as follows: Change S c ato l0.4
e in the V e c tmenu
o r and
s click D i s p. l a y
The laminar pipe flow was modeled asymmetrically; however, the plot can be reflected about the axial axis to get an expanded
sectional view. In order to carry this out ( C l i c k )
D i s pas lshown
a y below.
>
V i e w s . . .

Higher Resolution Image


Under M i r r o r , only
P the
l aa nx ei s
( o r surface
c e nis tlisted
e rsince
l i that
n eis the
) only symmetry boundary in the present
case. Select a x i s
( o r and
c click
e n At p
e p
r, as
ll shown
iy n ebelow.
)

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Then click C l o tosexit


e the V i e menu.
w s Your vector field should have been reflected across the axially axis as, shown below.

Higher Resolution Image


The velocity vectors provide a picture of how the flow develops downstream of the inlet. As the boundary layer grows, the flow near the
wall is retarded by viscous friction. Note the sloping arrows in the near wall region close to the inlet. This indicates that the slowing of
the flow in the near-wall region results in an injection of fluid into the region away from the wall to satisfy mass conservation. Thus, the
velocity outside the boundary layer increases. By default, one vector is drawn at the center of each cell. This can be seen by turning on
the grid in the vector plot: Select D r a w in the
G rV i e dc tmenu
o r and
s then click D i s pin lthea Gy r i d
Dasi well
s pas lthea y
V e c tmenus.
o r sVelocity vectors are the default, but you can also plot other vector quantities. See section 27.1.3 of the user manual
for more details about the vector plot functionality.

Centerline Velocity
Here, we'll plot the variation of the axial velocity along the centerline. In order to start the process ( C l i c k )
P l o t . . . as
> shown
S ebelow.
t
U p . .

R e s u l t s

>

Higher Resolution Image


In the S o l u t i o nmenuXmake
Y sure
P lthat
o Pt o s i t i o n is oselected
n
X, andAX isx set
i to
s 1 and Y is set to 0. This tells
FLUENT to plot the x-coordinate value on the abscissa of the graph. Next, select V e l o cfori the
t first
y . box
. .underneath Y A x i s
F u n c and
t i select
o nA x i a l
Vforethel second
o c i box.
t yPlease note that X
A x i s
FanduY n cA t x i i o s n Fdescribe
u n c t i o n
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the x and y axes of the g r a, which


p h should not be confused with the x and y directions of the pipe. Finally, select c e n t eunder
r l i n e
S u r f since
a c we
e sare plotting the axial velocity along the centerline. This finishes setting up the plotting parameters. Your
S o l u t i o nshould
X look
Y exactly
P l the
o tsame as the following image.

Higher Resolution Image


Now, click P l . oThet plot of the axial velocity as a function of distance along the centerline now appears.

Higher Resolution Image


In the graph that comes up, we can see that the velocity reaches a constant value beyond a certain distance from the inlet. This is the
fully-developed flow region. At this point the graph will be modified such that the fully developed regions results are truncated. That is,
the range of the axes will be reconfigured. Open the S o l u t i o nmenu,
X then
Y click
P on
l oA tx e , as
s shown
. . . below.

Higher Resolution Image


Then, deselect A u t o
,Rwhich
a nis located
g e under O p t i. The
o nboxes
s under R a n should
g e now be accessible. Next, select X ,
which is located under A x . iEnter
s 1 for M i n i m
andu3 for
mM a x i m
under
u Rm a n. At
g this
e point the grid lines will be turned on
in order to help estimate where the flow becomes fully developed. Check the boxes next to M a j o r and
R Mu il ne os r under
R u l e s
O p t i. At
o this
n point
s
your A x e s
S o l umenu
t i should
o n lookX exactly
Y
Pthe lsame
o t as the image below.

Higher Resolution Image


Lastly, click A p p. Now,
l y that the X axis has been formatted, we will move on to formatting the Y axis. Select Y under A x and
i s
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once again deselect A u t o


Runder
a n
O gp et i. Then,
o n enter
s 1.8 for M i n i m
andu2.0
m for M a x i m
under
u Rm a n. Also
g e
select M a j o r and
R Mu il ne os r toRturnuonl the
e grid
s lines in the direction. At this point your
A x e s
S o l umenu
t i should
o n lookX exactly
Y
Pthe lsame
o t as the image below.

Higher Resolution Image


We have now finished specifying the range for each axis, so click A p pand
l then
y C l o. At
s this
e point, the graph can be replotted.
Go to the S o l u t i o nmenuXand
Y clickP Pl lo to
ot plot
t the graph again with the new axes extents.

Higher Resolution Image


From the image above, one can see that the fully-developed region starts at around x =3m and the centerline velocity in this region is
1 . 9 3. m / s

Saving the Plot


In this section, we will save the data from the plot and a picture of the plot. The data from the plot will be saved first. In order to save
the plot data open the S o l u t i o nmenuXand
Y thenPselect
l oW
t r i t e , which
t o is located
F i l under
e
O p t i. The
o nP sl button
o t
should have changed to W r i .t Click
e . on. W
. r i ,t and
e then
. . enter
.
vel.xy as the X YFile Name. Next, click O K. Check that this
file has been created in your FLUENT working directory. Lastly, close the S o l u t i o nmenu.
X Y
P l o t
At this point, we'll save a picture of the plot. First click on F i then
l e click S a v e

P, asi shown
c t ubelow.
r e

Under F o r ,mchoose
a t one of the following three options:
E P - ifS you have a postscript viewer, this is the best choice. E P allows
S
you to save the file in vector mode, which will offer the best
viewable image quality. After selecting E P , choose
S
V e c from
t o under
r
F i l e . T y p e
T I F- this
F will offer a high resolution image of your graph. However, the image file generated will be rather large, so this is not
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recommended if you do not have a lot of room on your storage device.


J P -G
this is small in size and viewable from all browsers. However, the quality of the image is not particularly good.
After selecting your desired image format and associated options, click on S a v e . . .
Enter vel.eps, vel.tif, or vel.jpg depending on your format choice and click O K.
Verify that the image file has been created in your working directory. You can now copy this file onto a disk or print it out for your
records.

Coefficient of Skin Friction

FLUENT provides a large amount of useful information in the online help that comes with the software. Let's probe the online help for
information on calculating the coefficient of skin friction. In order to access the online help first ( c l i c k )
H e l p
>
U s e
I n d ase shown
x
in the following image.

Click on S in the links on top and scroll down to s k i n


f r i c t i . Click
o n on the
c ofirste link
f f(normally,
i c i eyounwould
t have to go
through each of the links until you find what you are looking for). There you can see the following excerpt on the skin friction coefficient
as well as the equation for calculating it.

Click on the link for R e f e r e n cpanel,


e which
V a tells
l u usehow
s to set the reference values used in calculating the skin coefficient.
In order to set the reference values, click on R e f e r e n c, ase shown
V abelow.
l u e s

Then, set C o m p u t to
e i nF ,l to
r etell
ot FLUENT
m
to calculate the reference values from the values at inlet. Check that density is 1
k g 3/ and
m velocity is 1 m. (Alternately,
/ s
you could have just typed in the appropriate values). Your R e f e r e n cshould
e
V a l u e
look the same as the following screen snapshot.
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Higher Resolution Image


Now, reopen the S o l u t i o nmenu.
X Uncheck
Y
P the
l oW t r i t e check
t o boxFunder
i l O
e p t i, since
o n we
s want to plot to the
window. The O p t i and
o n
P sl o t
D ican
r be
e left
c tasi isosince
n we are still plotting against the x distance along the pipe. Under
the Y A x i s
,Fpick
u W
n ac tl li o Fn , land
u then
x eS sk . i . n. F r i c t i oin the
n boxCunder
o ethat.
f fUnder
i c Si eu nr ft , aonly
c e s
select p i p e ._Atwthisapoint,
l l your S o l u t i o nmenuXshould
Y look
P l exactly
o t like the following image.

Higher Resolution Image


Now, the ranges of each axis will be specified. Click on A x e within
s . .the. S o l u t i o nmenuXand
Y re-select
P l oA tu t o - R a n g
for the Y axis. Click A p p. Set
l ythe range of the X axis from 1to 8 by selecting X under A x , ientering
s
1 under M i n i ,m
andu8 m
under M a x i m
in the
u box
m (remember to deselect R a n g e
A u first
t oif it- isRchecked).
a n g Click
e A p p, then
l yclick C l o. s e
Lastly, click P l in
o the
t S o l u t i o nmenu.
X You
Y should
P l obtain
o t the following plot.

Higher Resolution Image


We can see that the fully developed region is reached at around x=3.0m and the skin friction coefficient in this region is around 1.54.
In order to save the data from this plot, first reopen the S o l u t i o nmenu.
X Then,
Y select
P l W
o tr i t e under
t o O Fp it li and
eo n s
click W r i .t Enter
e . cf.xy
. . for X Y
Fandi click
l e O K.

Velocity Profile
In this section we will plot the velocity at the outlet as a function of the distance from the center of the pipe. In order to start the process
( C l i c k )
R e s u l t s
>
P l aso shown
t s below.
>
X Y
P l o t . . .
>
S e t
U p . .
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Higher Resolution Image


For this graph, the y axis of the graph will have to be set to the y axis of the pipe (radial direction). To plot the position variable on the y
axis of the graph, uncheck P o s i t i o n under
o nO pX t i A
and
o xchoose
n i ss P o s i t i o n instead.
o n ToYmakeAthex position
i s
variable the radial distance from the centerline, under P l o t
D ,i change
r e cX tto i0 and
o nY to 1. To plot the axial velocity on the x
axis of the graph, select V e l o cfori the
t first
y . box
. .underneath X
A x i s ,Fandu select
n c At ix oi na l
Vforethel second
o c i box.
t y
Next, select o u t, which
l e tis located under S u r f . aThen,
c euncheck
s
the W r i t e check
t o boxFunder
i l O
e p t i, so
o the
n graph
s
will plot. Your S o l u t i o n, should
X look
Y exactly
P l oliket the image below.

Higher Resolution Image


Next, click on A x ein the
s S o l u t i o nmenu.
X Then,
Y change
P l oboth
t the x and y axes to A u t o - .R(Don't
a nforget
g eto click
apply before selecting a different axis). Click C l o insthee A x e s
S o l umenu.
t i o n
X Y
P l o t
It is of interest to compare the velocity profile with the theoretical parabolic profile. In order to plot the theoretical results, first click here
to download the necessary file. Save the file to your working directory. Next, go to the S o l u t i o nmenuXand
Y clickP L l oo at d
F i l and
e . select
. . the file that you just downloaded, p r o f i l e . Lastly,
_ f dclick
e vP . l xin
o ythe
t S o l u t i o nmenu.
X You
Y should
P l o t
then obtain the following figure.

Higher Resolution Image


Notice, how results compare relatively well with the theoretical parabolic profile. In order to save the data from this plot, first reopen
the S o l u t i o nmenu.
X Then,
Y select
P l W
o tr i t e under
t o O Fp it li and
eo click
n s W r i .t Enter
e . profile.xy
. .
for X Y
F i l e
and click O K.
To see how the velocity profile changes in the developing region, we will add profiles at x=0.6m (x/D=3) and x=0.12m (x/D=6) to the
previous plot. In order to create the profiles, we must first create vertical lines using the L i n e / tool.
R aFirst,
k (e C l i c k )
S u r f
L i n e / as
R shown
a k ine the following image.
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We'll create a straight line from (x0,y0)=(0.6,0) to (x1,y1)=(0.6,0.1). Select L i n e under


T oO op l t i. Enter
o n xs =00.6,
y =00,x =10.6, y =10.1. Enter line1 under N e w
S u r f . aClick
c C
e r Ne . a m
t ee

To see the line that you just created,( C l i c k )


D i .sNote
p lthat
a l y i nappears
> e 1M ine the
s list
h of surfaces. Select all surfaces
except d e f a u l t . Click
- i nD t i es r p. This
i l oadisplays
ry
all surfaces but not the mesh cells. Zoom into the region near the inlet to see
the line created at x=0.6m. (Click here to review the zoom functionality discussion in step 4.) The white vertical line appearing to the
right is l i n, as
e shown
1
in the image below.

Similarly, create a vertical line called l i natex=1.2;


2 (x0,y0)=(1.2,0) to (x1,y1)=(1.2,0.1). Display it in the graphics window to check
that it has been created correctly. Now, we can plot the velocity profiles at x=0.6m (x/D=3) and x=0.12m (x/D=6) along with the outlet
profile. First, open the S o l u t i o nmenu.
X Under
Y SP ul or ft , ain addition
c e s to o u t, select
l e tl i n and
e l1 i n. Make
e 2 sure
N o d e
Vis selected
a l u eunder
s O p t i. Now,
o n your
s S o l u t i o nmenuXshould
Y look
P l exactly
o t like the following image.

Higher Resolution Image


Lastly, click P l and
o t you should obtain the following output. Your symbols might be different from the ones below. You can change
the symbols and line styles under the C u r v button.
e s .Click
. . on H e in
l the
p C u r menu
v e sif you have problems figuring out how to
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change these settings.

Higher Resolution Image


The profile three diameters downstream is fairly close to the fully-developed profile at the outlet. If you redo this plot using the fine grid
results in the next step, you'll see that this is not actually the case. The coarse grid used here doesn't capture the boundary layer
development properly and under predicts the development length.
In FLUENT, you can choose to display the computed cell-center values or values that have been interpolated to the nodes. By default,
the Node Values option is turned on, and the interpolated values are displayed. Node-averaged data curves may be somewhat
smoother than curves for cell values.
Go to Step 7: Verification & validation
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FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Verification & Validation


Added by Steve Weidner , last edited by Benjamin J Mullen on Feb 08, 2012 23:30

Labels: None

Author: Rajesh Bhaskaran, John Singleton, Cornell University


Problem Specification
1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Setup (Physics)
5. Solution
6. Results

7. Verification & Validation


Exercises

Step 7: Verification & Validation


It is v e r y
i mthat
p you
o rtake
t the
a ntime
t to check the validity of your solution. This section leads you through some of the steps
you can take to validate your solution.

Refine Mesh
Let's repeat the solution on a finer mesh. For the finer mesh, we will use increase the radial divisions from 5 to 10. In the
W o r k b e n c h
P
rightr click
o j one Mc et sthen
Ph click
a g De u p l as
i cshown
a t below.
e

Higher Resolution Image


Rename the duplicate project to L a m i n a r
P r o j e c. t
P a g e

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P i p e . YouF should
l o have
w the
( m
following
e s two
h projects
2 ) in your W o r k b e n c

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Next, double click on the M e scellhof the L a m i n a r


P i p e project.
F l Aonew
w ANSYS
( m Mesher
e s hwindow
2 )will open.
Under O u t ,l expand
i n eM e sandh click on E d g e ,Sas ishown
z i below.
n g

Under Details of "Edge Sizing", enter 10 for N u m b e r

o f, as shown
D i vbelow.
i s i o n s

Higher Resolution Image


Then, click U p d to
a generate
t e
the new mesh.

The mesh should now have 1000 elements (10 x 100). A quick glance of the mesh statistics reveals that there is indeed 1000
elements.

Higher Resolution Image

Compute the Solution


Close the ANSYS Mesher to go back to the W o r k b e n c h
F l u i d
F l o wand (click
F on
L UU pE dN, aasTtshown
)e below.

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.PUnder
r oL j ae mc it n Pa ar g Pe i p e , right
F click
l o onw

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( m e

FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Verification & Validation - Simulation - Confluence

06-08-2012

Higher Resolution Image


Now, wait a few minutes for FLUENT to obtain the solution for the refined mesh. After FLUENT obtains the solution, save your project.

Velocity Profile
In order to launch FLUENT double click on the S o l u oft the
i o"Laminar
n
Pipe Flow (mesh 2)" project in the W o r k b e n c h
P a .gAfter,
e FLUENT launches ( C l i c k )
P l o t s
> as shown
X Y in the
P image
l o t below.
>
S e t U p . . .

For this graph, the y axis of the graph will have to be set to the y axis of the pipe (radial direction). To plot the position variable on the y
axis of the graph, uncheck P o s i t i o n under
o nO pX t i A
and
o xchoose
n i ss P o s i t i o n instead.
o n ToYmakeAthex position
i s
variable the radial distance from the centerline, under P l o t
D ,i change
r e cX tto i0 and
o nY to 1. To plot the axial velocity on the x
axis of the graph, select V e l o cfori the
t first
y . box
. .underneath X
A x i s ,Fandu select
n c At ix oi na l
Vforethel second
o c i box.
t y
Next, select o u t, which
l e tis located under S u r f . aThen,
c euncheck
s
the W r i t e check
t o boxFunder
i l O
e p t i, so
o the
n graph
s
will plot. Now, your S o l u t i o nmenuXshould
Y look
P l exactly
o t like the following image.

Higher Resolution Image


Since we would like to see how the results compare to the courser mesh and the theoretical solution, we will load the p r o f ifile,
l e . x y
which was created in the previous step. In order to do so, click L o a d inF thei Sl eo . l . u. t i o nmenu,
X then
Y select
P l the
o t
p r o f ifile.
l Click
e . xO yK, then click P l in
o the
t S o l u t i o nmenu.
X You
Y should
P l then
o tobtain the following plot.

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Higher Resolution Image


In the plot above the green dots correspond to the theoretical solution, the red dots correspond to the rough mesh ( 5 x 100 ), and the
white dots correspond to the refined mesh ( 10 x 100 ). Note how the refined mesh results resemble the theory signicantly more than
the rough mesh.

Further Verification
The plot below shows the results of a further refined mesh ( 20 radial x 100 axial ) and the theoretical results.

Higher Resolution Image


Notice that for the further refined mesh, the results are almost indistinguishable from theory.
Go to Problem 1
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FLUENT - Laminar Pipe Flow - Exercises


Added by Steve Weidner , last edited by Benjamin J Mullen on Apr 27, 2011 18:01

Labels: None

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

Exercises

Exercises
Consider developing ow in a pipe of length L = 8 m, diameter D = 0.2 m, = 1 kg/m3 , =2 10^3 kg/m s, and entrance velocity
u_in = 1 m/s (the conditions specified in the Problem Specification section). Use FLUENT with the "second-order upwind" scheme
for momentum to solve for the oweld on meshes of 100 5, 100 10 and 100 20 (axial divisions radial divisions).
1. Plot the axial velocity proles at the exit obtained from the three meshes. Also, plot the corresponding velocity prole obtained from
fully-developed pipe analysis. Indicate the equation you used to generate this prole. In all, you should have four curves in a single
plot. Use a legend to identify the various curves. Axial velocity u should be on the abscissa and r on the ordinate.
2. Calculate the shear stress Tau_xy at the wall in the fully-developed region for the three meshes. Calculate the corresponding value
from fully-developed pipe analysis. For each mesh, calculate the % error relative to the analytical value. Include your results as a table:

3. At the exit of the pipe where the ow is fully-developed, we can define the error in the centerline velocity as

where u_c is the centerline value from FLUENT and u_exact is the corresponding exact (analytical) value. We expect the error to take
the form

where the coefficient K and power p depend upon the order of accuracy of the discretization. Using MATLAB, perform a linear least
squares t of
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to obtain the coe cients p and K. Plot vs. r (using symbols) on a log-log plot. Add a line corresponding to the least-squares t to
this plot.
Hint: In FLUENT, you can write out the data in any "XY" plot to a le by selecting the "Write to File" option in the Solution XY Plot
menu. Then click on Write and enter a lename. You can strip the headers and footers in this le and read this into MATLAB as
column data using the load function in MATLAB.
4. Let's see how p changes when using a rst-order accurate discretization. In FLUENT, use "rst-order upwind" scheme for
momentum to solve for the oweld on the three meshes. Repeat the calculation of coe cients p and K as above. Add this vs. r
data (using symbols) to the above log-log plot. Add a line corresponding to the least-squares t to this plot. In all, you should have four
curves on this plot (two each for second- and rst-order discretization). Make sure you include an appropriate legend in the gure.
Contrast the value of p obtained in the two cases and briey explain your results (2-3sentences).
Hint: To interpret your results, you should keep in mind that the rst or second-order upwind discretization applies only to the inertia
terms in the momentum equation. The discretization of the viscous terms is always second-order accurate.
Return To Problem Specification
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