9

9CFD
9.1 CFD Module Overview

MSC/NASTRAN for Windows-CFD (MSC/N4W-CFD) is a finite element Computational Fluid

Dynamics (CFD) software module that is seamlessly integrated within MSC/NASTRAN for
Windows (MSC/N4W). MSC/N4W-CFDs state-of-the-art solver technology allows for the
analysis of complex laminar and turbulent flow and heat transfer problems while maintaining a
friendly, intuitive user interface. The core numerical analysis algorithms are based on Blue Ridge
Numerics proven CFD tool kit, CFDesignTK. All model building, meshing and boundary condition
application tasks are performed in the popular MSC/N4W environment and transferred into the
CFD solver at the click of a button.

MSC/N4W-CFDs fast, robust, and memory efficient iterative solvers then evaluate the flow and
heat transfer problem while keeping the user updated on the progress of the solution via a graphical
convergence monitor. MSC/N4W provides convenient postprocessing and professional looking
output of the CFD results. Because of the close integration of the CFD module in MSC/N4W,
previously difficult mixed flow-thermal-structural analyses become a straightforward task. Thus,
MSC/N4W-CFD not only provides an affordable stand-alone CFD solution, but can also add fluid
flow and heat transfer to augment your existing engineering analysis system.

Benefits
The ability to understand complex fluid flow and heat transfer phenomena early in the design cycle
is critical to increasing product quality and decreasing cost and time to market. The key feature of
MSC/N4W-CFD that helps realize these benefits and separates it from other CFD products on the
market is usability. MSC/N4W-CFD was truly developed for the PC environment. More than just
the easy-to-use Windows based interface, MSC/N4W-CFD communicates to engineers in
engineering language on the highly accessible PC platform. The entire process of creating a model,
performing the analysis, and reviewing the results, is straightforward and very logical, thus,
significantly decreasing the learning curve required by many other CFD solutions available today.
Furthermore, engineers already familiar with model building in MSC/N4W need practically no
further training to operate MSC/N4W-CFD. Since MSC/N4W-CFD is based on finite element
technology, which has been accepted as the defacto standard for mechanical engineering analysis,
mesh generation and boundary condition application is fully automated and simple.

Features
Capabilities:
m Laminar or turbulent internal/external flows and heat transfer
m Subsonic, transonic, and supersonic compressible flows

9-2

CFD

m Steady and transient flow/heat transfer with results animation

m Turbulence models with wall functions
i) Constant eddy-viscosity
ii) k-epsilon
iii) RNG
m Conjugate heat transfer (simultaneous conduction/convection) and radiation
m Variable fluid/solid properties including orthotropic thermal conductivity
m Distributed resistances/porous media elements
m Spatially periodic and time-varying boundary conditions
m Slip walls and unknown boundary conditions
m Cartesian and cylindrical coordinate systems
m Limited two-phase flows
m Additional scalar transport equation
m Automatic turbulence startup algorithm
m Automatic wall identification

Element Shapes
m Quadrilateral and triangle for 2-D planar and axi-symmetric
m Brick, wedge (prism), and tetrahedral (4 or 10-node) for 3-D

Graphical Post-processing
m Velocity, pressure, temperature
m Turbulence values
m Fluid properties
m Stream function
m Vorticity and strain rate
m Wall forces and pressure coefficients
m Mach number and stagnation values
m Film coefficient and temperature gradient
m Selected nodal and arbitrary bulk values
m Nodal residuals
m Inlet/Outlet
i) mass flows
ii) Reynolds numbers
iii) bulk pressure and temperature
iv) Mach number

Poppet Valve Flow Example

9-3

m Computational solution statistics

m Additional output to TECPLOTTM and FieldViewTM

CFD

9.2 Poppet Valve Flow Example

The example problem is intended as a quick introduction to some of the features and capabilities of
MSC/N4W-CFD.

9-4

CFD

Poppet Valve Flow Example

1Poppet Valve Flow Example

CFD

19.2

9-5

9-6

CFD

Model Description:
Figure 1 shows the geometry of a typical poppet valve. Poppet valves are commonly used in
industrial processes to regulate the volume flow through a piping system. Here, the flow enters the
inlet vane (top), passes through the poppet valve, and exits at the bottom of the flow-control piston.
For the poppet valve designer, it is critical to know the pressure drop across the entire valve as well
as the structural loading of the fluid on the housing and piston.
Below, a step-by-step guide to model a 2-D axisymmetric poppet valve geometry with MSC/N4W
is presented. The resulting model can be analyzed with the MSC/N4W-CFD 300 node Evaluation
Version. Note that all the dimensions are given in cm.

Figure 1: 3D Poppet Valve Geometry

Poppet Valve Flow Example

9-7

Exercise Procedure:
1. Start up MSC/NASTRAN for Windows 4.0 and begin to create a new model.
Start MSC/N4W by double-clicking on the MSC/N4W icon. When the Open Model File dialog box
appears; choose New Model.
CFD

Open Model File:

New Model

2. Creating the Geometry.

Use the Geometry/Point command and enter the points given below.

Geometry/Point...
X:

0.2

Y:

Z:

OK

Enter the rest of the points shown in the table below (z=0):
Point

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

1
1
0.5
0.5
0
0
0.6
0.6
0.2

0
3
3.5
5
5
3
3
2.5
2.5

Cancel
Fit the model to the display with Ctrl + A or:

View/Autoscale
Turn on the labels to see the point IDs with Ctrl-Q (Quick Options).

Label On
Done

9-8

CFD

Connect the points using the Geometry/Curve - Line/Points command.

Geometry/Curve-Line/Points...
From Point:

to Point:

OK

Create lines between the rest of the points 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8, 8-9, 9-10, and 10-1.

Cancel
Round the edges of the piston using the Modify/Fillet command with curves 7 and 8, and 8 and 9.

Modify/Fillet...
Use a fillet radius of 0.2.

Curve 1:

Curve 2:

Radius:

0.2

Radius:

0.2

Note: Make sure X < 0.6 and Y < 3.

OK
Curve 1:

Curve 2:

Note: Make sure X < 0.6 and Y > 2.5.

OK
Cancel
Create a boundary from all the curves forming the housing and piston.

Geometry/Boundary Surface...
Select All
OK

Poppet Valve Flow Example

9-9

Cancel
3. Create the material and property.
Create a new property for Axisymmetric Elements.
CFD

Model/Property...
Title:

Fluid Air

Elem/Property Type...
Volume Elements:

Axisymmetric

OK
OK
When prompted Material 0 does not Exist. OK to Create?, select Yes.

Yes
For the new material properties just choose the default values.

OK
Material

1..Untitled

OK
Cancel
4. Meshing the Geometry.
Set the global mesh size to Size of 0.12.

Mesh/Mesh Control/Default Size...

Size:
OK

0.12

9-10

CFD

Mesh the poppet valve using Mesh/Geometry/Surface.

Mesh/Geometry/Surface...
Select Boundary Surface 1.

OK
Property:

1..Fluid Air

Element Shape:

All Triangles

Mesh Control / Min Elements

Between Boundaries:

Mesh Smoothing / Max Iterations:

100

OK
Turn off Labels using Ctrl-Q (Quick Option).

Labels Off
Done
The resulting mesh should look like the one in Figure 2.

Figure 2: 2D Axisymmetric Poppet Valve Mesh

Poppet Valve Flow Example

9-11

5. Loading and Boundary Conditions.

Apply the loading conditions for the inlet and walls.

Model/Load/Nodal...
Loading Conditions

OK
Pick all the nodes on the top (inlet) wall by using either individual mouse picks or a selection box
(Left mouse button and Shift key).

OK
(highlight)

Velocity

VY

-1000

OK
Reselect the same nodes and apply a temperature of 350 K.

OK
(highlight)

Temperature

Temperature:

350

OK
Cancel
Apply a film coefficient (0.003 W/cm2 K) boundary condition on the valve housing (right wall see Figure 2).

Model/Load/Elemental...
Select All
Note: The Adjacent Face option will be used later to identify the correct edges.

CFD

Title:

9-12

CFD

OK
(highlight)

Convection

Coefficient:

0.003

Temperature:

300

OK
Now, reveal the Face Selection for Elemental Loads dialog box.

Method:

Adjacent Faces

This will then allow you to select an element face in the graphics window.

Face:
(zoom in if necessary)

<Select an element face

adjacent to one of the faces
shown in the figure below>

OK
Cancel

The 3 faces of the

Housing Wall.

Poppet Valve Flow Example

9-13

Repeat this process twice to load the other two faces of the housing wall. The end result
should have convection markers normal to all three faces of the Housing Wall.

Apply a fixed temperature loading condition on the piston wall.

CFD

Model/Load/Nodal...
Select all nodes on the piston wall (see Figure 2).

OK
(highlight)

Temperature

Temperature:

300

OK
Cancel
Apply the constraints for the outlet.

Model/Constraint/Nodal...
Title:

0 Outlet Pressure

OK
Select all the bottom (outlet) nodes.

OK

DOF:

RX

OK
Cancel
This creates a outlet pressure equal to zero.
This concludes boundary condition specifications needed by MSC/N4W-CFD. Note that
MSC/N4W-CFD will automatically identify the wall and symmetry boundary conditions. The
model is now ready for the MN4W-CFD solver.

9-14

CFD

6. Analyzing the Model.

Run a Nonlinear Static analysis with Large Displacement.

File/Export/Analysis Model...
Analysis Type:

19..Computational Fluid Dynamics

OK
valve_flow

File name:
Write
Yes

When prompted Control file not found. New control file created., answer OK.

OK
The MN4W pre-processing window will iconize and the MSC/N4W-CFD main menu window will
appear.

Options/Analysis Sections
Flow:

Internal Flow

Turbulence:

k-epsilon

Thermal:

Forced Convection

OK
Properties/Fluid
Name:

AIR_cm-g-s_Constant

OK
Preferences/Optional Output/Post Processing
Basic Flow Values:
~:

Velocity
Pressure

Poppet Valve Flow Example

~:

Temperaure

Miscellaneous:

Wall Forces

9-15

OK
CFD

Analysis
Iterations:

200

GO
MSC/N4W-CFD will now start the fluid flow and heat transfer analysis.
The analysis process can be interrupted any time by hitting the key-board Escape key and then
restarted by switching the Restart Mesh, Boundary Condition, and Results Flags on the Analyze
screen to On and hitting GO.
An error message will appear, 2 non-fatal warnings occurred, review status file

OK
Once the analysis is completed, cancel the Convergence Monitor and Analyze windows.

Cancel
Review/Convergence
Your convergence trends should look somewhat like those shown in Figure 3.

9-16

CFD

Figure 3: MSC/NASTRAN for Windows-CFD Convergence Monitor

Close the Convergence Review table.

OK
The inlet/outlet mass flows, Reynolds numbers, Mach numbers, bulk temperatures, bulk pressures,
etc., for this problem can be found on the Review/Summary/Last_Run screen.
Exit the MN4W-CFD solver module.

File/Exit
Yes
The results of the analysis will automatically be loaded into the MN4W database and the MN4W
graphical interface will reappear.

7. Results Postprocessing.
View/Select...
Contour Style:

Contour

Deformed and Contour Data...

Contour:
OK
OK

1..Velocity Magnitude

Poppet Valve Flow Example

9-17

The resulting plot should be similar to the one shown in Figure 4.

CFD

Figure 4: Velocity Magnitude Results in Valve

Similarly, pressure, temperature, wall force, etc., output from the CFD module can be visualized
with MSC/NASTRAN for Windows.

9-18

CFD