Viscous Incompressible Flow.

Introduction to CFD
using Ansys CFX
Fluid Dynamics I:
Viscous Incompressible
Flow
ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

© 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. Fluid Dynamics I-1
Viscous Incompressible Flow
• Governing Equations
• Phenomenology
• Analytic Solutions
• Boundary Conditions
• Problem Setup Using CFX

Governing Equations: Scalar Transport
• Conservation Principals
– All fluid dynamics transport equations are based on conservation
principles
– Simplest case is transport of a scalar quantity F = some quantity
per unit mass e.g. Mass fraction of some dissolved chemical
species.
– Consider transport of F through a control volume W in a fluid of
density r with given flow velocity field U.
Control Volume W Flow Field U
J  rUF  F
= Convective Flux + Diffusive Flux
Area Element dA

• Integral Conservation Law

– Rate of change of total amount of F in W =
Rate of production of F in W
- Amount of F leaving boundary of W per unit time


t W
rFdV   SdV   J  dA
W W
– S = source of F per unit volume e.g. due to chemical reactions

– J = Convective Flux + Diffusive Flux = rUF  F

 rFdV   rUF  F   dA   SdV
t W W W

• Differential Form
– Apply Gauss’ theorem  J  dA   div J dV
W W
 
W  t rF   div rUF  F   S dV  0
– Shrink the control volume down to zero:

rF   div rUF  F   S
t
• This is the Scalar Advection-Diffusion Equation
– Fundamental starting point for Computational Fluid Dynamics

Governing Equations: Mass Conservation
• Mass Conservation
– Assume no mass sources or sinks
• Integral Conservation Law

– Rate of change of fluid mass in W =
Amount fluid mass entering boundary
of W per unit time:

t W
 rdV    rU  dA
W

Governing Equations: Mass Conservation
• Differential Conservation Law

– Apply Gauss’ theorem and shrink control volume to zero:
r
 div rU   0
t
• This is the Continuity Equation

• If density = constant (incompressible flow) then
velocity field is divergence free (solenoidal):
div U  0
• For now, consider incompressible flow only

– Compressibility effects are discussed later.
Governing Equations: Momentum Conservation
• Momentum Conservation
• Integral Conservation Law (Newton’s 2nd Law)
– Rate of change of momentum in W =
Amount fluid momentum entering boundary of W per unit time
+ Total force on fluid in W

t  rU dV    rU U
W
i
W
i j dAj   FBidV 
W
F
W
Si dA
• FB = body force per unit Volume

– FB = rg for buoyant flows
• FS = surface force per unit area
– See next slide for details

• Surface Forces
– Surface forces acting on the fluid particle are due to pressure
and viscous stresses.
– The pressure and viscous force acting on the fluid can be
expressed as
Fsi (pressure)    PdAi Fsi ( viscous )   ijdAj

W W
– Viscous Stress Tensor for Incompressible Newtonian Fluid:

 U i U j 
 ij     ,

  dynamic viscosity
 x j xi 
– Symmetric:  ij   ji and trace free:  ii  0

• Differential Form
– Apply Gauss’ theorem and shrink control volume to zero
– After some manipulation, the momentum equation may be
expressed as a Vector Advection-Diffusion Equation
   U i  P
rU i   
rU iU j   
  FB i
t x j  x j  xi
– Primary action of viscosity is molecular diffusion of momentum,

e.g. Shear layer:
– Momentum Source = - Pressure Gradient + Body Forces

Pressure Field Definitions (1):
Absolute, Reference and Static Pressure
• STP: Absolute Pressure Pabs = 1 [bar] = 105 [Pa]
– Hence, obtain large truncation errors if absolute pressure is used
to compute pressure gradients
• Define a constant Reference Pressure Pref typical of the
ambient surroundings
• Define the Relative Static Pressure Pstat = Pabs – Pref
• Hence, absolute pressure is the sum of reference and
static pressures:
Pabs  Pref  Pstat
• CFX solves for the static pressure as it is typically much

smaller than absolute pressure, but has the same
gradient.

Hydrostatic and Modified Pressure
• Consider constant density flow under gravity
y
g = g(0,-1,0)
• Hydrostatic Condition (No Flow)
x
a Pressure Gradient Balances Gravity Force

P
  rg , P  Pref at y  0
y
• Integrate to obtain Hydrostatic Pressure: Phyd  Pref  rgy
• In general coordinates:
 P  rg  0, P  Pref at x  x ref
Phyd  Pref  rg  x

Hydrostatic and Modified Pressure
• Flow under gravity is caused by deviations of pressure
from hydrostatic
• Hence, convenient to work with Modified Pressure field
with hydrostatic component removed: x
P '  Pabs  Phyd
• Relative to this pressure field, the RHS of the
momentum equation can be written independently of
gravity:
 P  rg  P  rg  x   P'
• So, for constant density flows, we may ignore gravity,

provided we redefine pressure to be the modified
pressure.
Summary: Navier Stokes Equations
• Combined Momentum + Mass Conservation equations

are known as the Navier-Stokes Equations
• For constant density and constant viscosity flows, these
simplify to:
• Momentum Equation :
– (P = modified pressure, hence no gravity term)

rU i   divrUU i  U i   P, i  1,2,3
t
• Mass Equation:
– Solenoidal velocity field div U  0

Non Dimensionalisation and Dynamic Similarity
• Let V0, L0 be typical constant velocity and length scales

for a given flow situation
– E.g. Pipe Flow, L0 = Pipe Diameter, V0 = Average Inlet Velocity
• Define non-dimensional variables as follows:
U *  U /U0, x *  x / L0 , t *  U 0t / L0 , P *  P / rU 02
• Rewrite Momentum Equation in terms of non-

dimensionalised Variables
U *i  * * 1 
 div U U i  U *i   P* , i  1,2,3
t  Re 
rU 0 L0
• Re  = Reynolds Number

Non Dimensionalisation and Dynamic Similarity
• Hence, for viscous incompressible flow, the solution

only depends on one dimensionless group:
• Reynolds Number rU 0 L0 U 0 L0
Re  
 n
• n  /r  Kinematic Viscosity (units L2 T-1).
• Two flows are dynamically similar if they have the same
Reynolds number.
– Solutions can be related to each other by rescaling
– E.g. Wind tunnels.
– Low Re a viscous forces dominate
– High Re a inertial forces dominate
• Two fluids will behave the same if they have the same
kinematic viscosity.

Viscous Incompressible Flow:
Phenomenology and Some

Useful Analytic Solutions

Reynolds experiment
• Flows can be classified as either laminar or turbulent flow with a

transition zone between the regimes
• Osborne Reynolds’ classical dye trace pipe flow experiment
demonstrates the classification of the flow
Low Re: Laminar Transitional High Re: Turbulent

• Laminar flow: dye streak follows distinct streamline.
• Transitional flow: Periodic time dependent
• Turbulent flow: Chaotic time dependent..
– Mixes the dye due to fluctuating (random) velocity components
• In a smooth pipe of circular cross section, the transition from
laminar to turbulent flow occurs at around Re = 2300.
Entrance Region and Fully Developed Flow
• Flow in Conduits e.g. Pipes and Ducts

– Initially flat inlet velocity profile slowly changes shape (develops) as
flow moves downstream
– Sufficiently far downstream, no further change of shape takes place,
and the flow is fully developed
• Due to growth of the boundary layer on the surface of the conduit until it
completely fills the conduit
• Occurs for both laminar and (time averaged) turbulent flow.
Developing flow
(Entrance Length, Le) Fully developed flow
Inviscid
core
Boundary Layer
• For round pipe of diameter D, entrance length to reach 95% of fully
developed flow conditions:
L e / D  30 / Re, (laminar) L e / D  40 (turbulent )

Fully Developed Laminar Duct Flow (1)
• 2D yDuct flow. Height h = 2a.
-a
U V
• Assume velocity profile independent of x  0
x x
U V V
• Continuity:  0   0  V  0 (no slip)
x y y
P
• V-Momentum: 0  -  P  P( x) (independent of y)
y
• U-Momentum:   U  P
    -
y  y  x

 2U P
• U-Momentum:   -
y 2 x
– RHS = function of x only, P
  P '  constant
– LHS = function of y only. x
 2U
• Hence:   P' , U  0 at y   a
y 2
• Integrates to: P ' a 2

 y2 
U  1  2 
2  a 
• Fully Developed Parabolic Profile

a
1
• Write in terms of Mean Velocity: U  
2a  a
Udy
3  y2  P' a 2
U  U 1  2  U 
2  a  3
• Hence, constant inlet velocity profile U  U develops into a

parabolic profile with maximum velocity U max  1.5U
a
• Mass Flow Rate per Unit Length in z-direction:

 
M  rUdy
a
  2 rP ' a
3
M
3
• Mass flow rate is determined by pressure drop, and

vice-versa
Other Analytic Solutions for 2D Duct Flow
• Couette Flow = Wall Driven Flow

– Plane duct of height h.
– Bottom wall stationary, top wall moving
– Zero Pressure Gradient a Linear Velocity Profile
Uwall
y
U  U wall
h
– Non-Zero Pressure Gradient (Wall and Pressure Driven Flow):

Uwall
y  y  h   U max
P' y
U
2 h

Fully Developed Pipe Flow (Poiseuille Flow) (1)
• Consider
y fully developed laminar flow in a circular pipe of
radius a (Poiseille Flow)
r
a
• Follow same logic as for plane duct flow, working in

cylindrical coordinates.
1   U  P
• U velocity momentum equation:  r -  P
r r  r  x

Fully Developed Pipe Flow (Poiseuille Flow) (2)
• Integrate and express in terms of mean velocity
 r2  P' a 2
U  2U 1  2  U 
 a  8
• In this case, the velocity maximum at the pipe axis is twice the
mean velocity.
• Mass Flow Rate = Mass per unit time passing through pipe)
a
  rP ' a 4
M 
  rU 2rdr
0
M
8

Flow Separation and Reattachment (1)
• Boundary layer separation occurs when

– the shear stress at the wall is zero or negative
– A sharp sudden expansion is encountered.
– Separated flows can reattach
separation
recirculation
zone
reattachment
Flow past an object Backward facing step

CFX Setup:
Fluid Domains

Domain Creation: Selecting Materials
• Create a name for the fluid to be used

• Select the material to be used in the domain – limited default choice.
• Additional Materials are available by clicking
• Further additional materials may be imported from material libraries
Useful libraries for incompressible flow.

Domain Creation: Creating/Editing Materials
• Create by clicking toolbar icon and specify an appropriate name

• Or, right click “Materials” in the Outline Tree
• Edit materials by double clicking Material object in outline tree
• Use Pure Substance for materials

with constant properties
• Other options are for mixtures,
multiphase mass transfer, and
combustion problems (see later).

Domain Creation: Material Properties
• Constant Property Isothermal

flow only requires Density and
Dynamic Viscosity
– Several choices of units are
available.
• Molar Mass and Reference State

are optional
– Used for mass transfer and
chemical reactions
• Dynamic Viscosity appears under

Transport Properties button

Domain Creation – General Options
• Morphology
– Used for multiphase flow
• Leave as default option = Continuous
Fluid for single phase problems.
• Reference Pressure
– Represents the absolute pressure
datum from which all relative
pressures are measured
Pabsolute = Preference + Prelative
• See earlier discussion.
• Called the Gauge Pressure in FLUENT
• Buoyancy
– May be ignored for constant
property flows
• See Heat Transfer Lecture for details.
• Domain Motion
– Rotating Frames of Reference
• See lecture on High Speed Flow,
Domain Creation – Fluid Models
• Heat Transfer
– Specify whether a heat transfer model
is used to predict the temperature
throughout the flow
– Discussed in Heat Transfer Lecture
• Turbulence
– Specify whether a turbulence model is
used to predict the effects of turbulence
in fluid flow
– Discussed in Turbulence Lecture

CFX Setup:
Boundary Conditions

Defining Boundary Conditions
• Defining Boundary Conditions involves:

– Identifying the location of the boundaries
• e.g., inlets, outlets, walls, symmetry
– Supplying information on the variables at the boundaries
• Variable Values and/or Flux Values
• Data required at a boundary depends upon the boundary condition

type and the physical models employed
• You must be aware of types of the boundary condition available and

locate the boundaries where the flow variables have known values or
can be reasonably approximated
Poorly defined boundary conditions can have a

significant impact on your solution
Available Boundary Condition Types
• Inlet
– Flow must come into the domain
Outlet
• Outlet Wall
– Flow must come out of the domain Inlet
• Opening
– Flow may come in or out of the domain
Symmetry Opening
• Wall
– Flow may neither exit nor enter the domain
• Symmetry
• In this lecture, we discuss details relevant to

incompressible isothermal fluid flow.

Inlets
• Inlets are used for regions where

inflow is expected.
• Artificial walls are created if flow
tries to go out of an inlet.
Inlet Inflow
allowed
Outflow
Artificial
disallowed
Wall
• Only Subsonic Options available

for incompressible fluids
• Two main types:

– Velocity Specified Inlets
– Pressure Specified Inlets

Velocity Specified Inlets
• Normal Speed
– Flow Direction is normal to inlet
boundary
• Individual Velocity Components

– Cartesian or Cylindrical
• Mass Flow Rate

– Constant (uniform) normal
speed is deduced from
specified mass flow rate
– Flow direction may be normal to Drop down menu for
CEL Button:
boundary, or in user specified choice of units Permits specification
direction of inlet BC as an
algebraic expression

Pressure Specified Inlets
• Static Pressure
– Actual pressure at inlet relative
to the Reference Pressure
Pabsolute  Preference  Pstatic
• Total Pressure
1
Ptotal  Pstatic  rU 2
2
– Static pressure if fluid at inlet is
brought isentropically to rest
– Inlets that draw flow in from the
atmosphere often use Total
Pressure = 0 e.g. Open window.
• Flow Direction Options
– Normal to boundary
– Specified normal vector
components
– Zero Gradient = Unspecified
• Determine from solution

Outlets
• Outlets are used for regions where

outflow is expected.
• Artificial walls are created if flow
tries to go out of an inlet.
Outlet Outflow
allowed
Inflow
Artificial
disallowed
Wall
• Only Subsonic Options available

for incompressible fluids
• Two main types:

– Velocity Specified Outlets
– Pressure Specified Outlets

Velocity Specified Outlets
• Specified Normal Speed or

Individual Velocity Components
– Use with caution!
– Discontinuous jumps may
occur in solution for
inaccurately specified outlet
velocity profiles.
• Specified Mass Flow Rate

– Zero velocity gradient adjusted
to achieve specified mass flow
rate
– Reduces to fully developed flow
at the end of a sufficiently long
uniform conduit

Pressure Specified Outlets
• Static Pressure
– Pressure at outlet relative to the Reference Pressure
– Zero Gradient Conditions applied to velocity
– Fully developed flow at end of a sufficiently long uniform
conduit
• Average Static Pressure
– Use when you know the mean outlet pressure, but the outlet
pressure distribution is not uniform
– Allows the outlet pressure profile to vary, with the average value
constrained to a specific value
• Total Pressure
– Disallowed
– Unconditionally unstable as an outlet BC
• Flow Direction
– Unspecified
– Determined from solution

Openings
• Artificial walls are not erected at

Openings
– Both inflow and outflow are allowed
Opening
T  Tin Inflow
allowed
Outflow
T
allowed 0
n
• Necessary to specify information

that is used if the flow becomes
locally inflow, e.g. Temperature
• Two main types:
– Pressure Specified Openings
– Velocity Specified Openings

Openings: Details
• Specified Velocity
– Individual components only
– Can’t specify normal speed, as
direction is not known a priori
• Static Pressure and Direction
– Pressure at opening relative to
the Reference Pressure
• Opening Pressure and Direction
– Total Pressure at inflow
– Static Pressure at outflow
– Required for numerical stability
• Entrainment
– Flow direction not specified
– Toggle between Static and
Opening Pressure by ticking
Pressure Option button

Symmetry
• Used to reduce computational effort in problem when the geometry

is symmetric.
• Individual symmetry planes must be planar, and have a unique unit
normal vector
• Used in CFX to model 2D and axisymmetric flows
– Mesh must be one cell thick in z-direction, with symmetry
planes specified either side.
– For axisymmetric flows, use a wedge geometry with angle
around 3 degrees.
• Beware of the Coanda effect!
– Symmetric geometries sometimes have asymmetric flows!
Coanda effect
not allowed
No Symmetry Plane Symmetry Plane

Specifying Well Posed Boundary Conditions:
Mass Flow vs Pressure Drop
• Recall fully developed duct flow.

– Pressure drop determines mass flow rate and vice versa:
M  2 rP' a 3 3
• This principle is true in general for incompressible flow.
– Velocity/Mass flows driven flows determine pressure drops, e.g.
U P P 
M  P
– Pressure driven flows determine mass flow rate, e.g.
Pin Pout 
M
– If you try to specify both pressure drop and mass flow rate, the
problem will in general be ill posed.
U, Pin Pout  ill posed
– Hence, for incompressible flow, inlets/outlets allow velocity or
pressure to be specified, but not both
Robustness
• When there is 1 Inlet and 1 Outlet
– Most Robust: Velocity/Mass Driven Inlet
• Velocity/Mass Flow at Inlet;
• Static Pressure at outlet.
• The inlet pressure is an implicit result of the prediction
– Robust: Velocity/Mass Driven Outlet
• Total or Static Pressure at Inlet;
• Velocity/Mass Flow at outlet.
• The outlet pressure and inlet velocity are determined by the solution.
– Less Robust: Pressure Driven Flow
• Total or Static Pressure at Inlet;
• Static pressure at outlet.
• The system mass flow is part of the solution.
• Ideally, at least one boundary should specify Pressure (either Total

or Static)
Accuracy
• Inlet Boundary Conditions
– As with physical models, the accuracy of the CFD solution is only
as good as the initial/boundary conditions provided to the
numerical model.
– Example: Flow in a duct with sudden expansion
• If flow is supplied to domain by a pipe, you should use a fully-
developed profile for velocity rather than assume uniform
conditions.
Computational Computational
Domain Domain
Fully Developed
Uniform Inlet
Inlet Profile
Profile
poor better

Accuracy
• Mass flow inlets result in a uniform velocity profile over

the inlet
– Fully developed flow is not achieved
– You cannot specify a mass flow profile
• Mass flow outlets allow a natural velocity profile to

develop based on the upstream conditions
• Pressure specified boundary conditions allow a natural

velocity profile to develop

Positioning of Outlets and Openings (1)
• Outlet boundaries near recirculation zones
• Poor Location: Over recirculation zone
Opening
– An outlet will build artificial walls to prevent inflow

– Use an opening to allow inflow
– Inaccurate due to assumption of zero velocity gradient

• Better Location: Short distance downstream of
recirculation zone
Outlet
– Some inaccuracies due to use of zero velocity gradient boundary

condition and/or constant pressure
– Specify average pressure or outlet mass flow rate to predict
pressure profile
– Ideally, use accurate pressure profile data if known (difficult)

• Preferred Location: Long distance downstream
of recirculation zone
Outlet
– Ideally, sufficiently far away for flow to become fully developed

– Computationally more expensive
– Extra expense can be mitigated by expanding the mesh
sufficiently far downstream

• Outlets on sides of vessels
• Same considerations apply
• Poor: Outlet
• Better: Outlet
• Ideal:
Outlet


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Introduction to CFD

using Ansys CFX

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

• Problem Setup Using CFX

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

• Integral Conservation Law

– S = source of F per unit volume e.g. due to chemical reactions

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

• Integral Conservation Law

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

• Differential Conservation Law

• This is the Continuity Equation

• For now, consider incompressible flow only

• FB = body force per unit Volume

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Fsi (pressure)    PdAi Fsi ( viscous )   ijdAj

– Viscous Stress Tensor for Incompressible Newtonian Fluid:

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

– Primary action of viscosity is molecular diffusion of momentum,

– Momentum Source = - Pressure Gradient + Body Forces

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Pabs  Pref  Pstat

• CFX solves for the static pressure as it is typically much

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

a Pressure Gradient Balances Gravity Force

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

• So, for constant density flows, we may ignore gravity,

• Combined Momentum + Mass Conservation equations

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

• Let V0, L0 be typical constant velocity and length scales

• Rewrite Momentum Equation in terms of non-

• Hence, for viscous incompressible flow, the solution

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Phenomenology and Some

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

• Flows can be classified as either laminar or turbulent flow with a

Low Re: Laminar Transitional High Re: Turbulent

• Flow in Conduits e.g. Pipes and Ducts

L e / D  30 / Re, (laminar) L e / D  40 (turbulent )

• 2D yDuct flow. Height h = 2a.

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

• Integrates to: P ' a 2

• Fully Developed Parabolic Profile

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

• Hence, constant inlet velocity profile U  U develops into a

• Mass Flow Rate per Unit Length in z-direction:

• Mass flow rate is determined by pressure drop, and

• Couette Flow = Wall Driven Flow

– Non-Zero Pressure Gradient (Wall and Pressure Driven Flow):

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

• Follow same logic as for plane duct flow, working in

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

• Integrate and express in terms of mean velocity

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

• Boundary layer separation occurs when

Flow past an object Backward facing step

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

• Create a name for the fluid to be used

Useful libraries for incompressible flow.