Fluent Software Training

TRN-98-006

Boundary Conditions

C1 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17

 Fluent Software Training
TRN-98-006

Outline
Purpose of Boundary Conditions
Setting Boundary Conditions
Flow Inlets and Exits
Wall, Repeating, and Pole Boundaries
Internal Cell Zones
Internal Face Boundaries

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 Fluent Software Training
TRN-98-006

Purpose of Boundary Conditions

Boundary Conditions
Boundaries direct and constrain motion of flow.
Boundary Conditions are a required component of mathematical model. out
Specify fluxes into computational domain of:
Mass
Momentum
K.E. of turbulence

Dissipation rate of turbulence

Energy
Speciestomass
Boundary Conditions are assigned fractions
Zones.
Zones are a collection of cells (fluid or solid continuum)
or cell faces (boundaries, interior surfaces).
Surfaces are used for post-processing. walls
Surfaces can correspond to Zones:
Surfaces are automatically generated from cell face Zones. in
Surfaces corresponding to fluid and solid zones are not.

C3 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17

 Fluent Software Training
TRN-98-006

Setting Boundary Conditions

To set boundary conditions for particular zone:
Define Boundary Conditions...
Choose the zone in Zone list.
Click on selected zone type in Type list
Click Set.. button
Can also select boundary zone in graphics
window using right mouse button.
Useful if:
Setting up problem for first time
Two or more zones of same type in problem.

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TRN-98-006

Flow Inlets and Exits - Introduction

Wide range of boundary conditions permit flow to enter and exit
solution domain.
Types of boundary conditions for specification of flow inlets and exits:
General
Pressure inlet
Pressure outlet
Incompressible
Velocity inlet
Outflow
Compressible flows
Mass flow inlet
Pressure far-field
Special
Inlet vent, outlet vent, intake fan, exhaust fan

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 Fluent Software Training
TRN-98-006

Inlet and Outlet Boundaries

Inlet and Outlet boundary conditions are available to specify fluxes for:
Internal Flows: jet engine, reactor
External Flows: aircraft in flight, natural convection flows
General guidelines:
Select inlet and outlet boundary location and shape such that flow either
goes in or out.
Not necessary, but will typically observe better convergence.
Should not observe large gradients in direction normal to boundary.
Indicates incorrect set-up.
Minimize grid skewness near boundary.

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TRN-98-006

Velocity Inlets (1)

Defines velocity and scalar properties
of flow at inlet boundaries.
Useful when velocity or velocity
profile is known at inlet.
Intended for incompressible flows
only.
Total (or stagnation) properties of
flow are not fixed.
Stagnation properties vary to
accommodate prescribed velocity
distribution.
Use in compressible flows non-
physical result

C7 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17

 Fluent Software Training
TRN-98-006

Velocity Inlets (2)

User-defined functions (UDF) can be used to define spatial- and time-
varying velocity profiles (magnitude and direction).
If upstream flow comes from region of constant total energy and there
are no losses (upstream), it may be easier to use the Pressure Inlet
condition.
Still need to specify direction of velocity vector.
Dont place velocity inlet too close to a solid obstruction.
Can force the solution to be non-physical, e.g., imposes velocity field, etc.,
at boundary that may not be intended.

C8 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17

 Fluent Software Training
TRN-98-006

Determining Turbulence Parameters

When turbulent flow enters domain at inlet, outlet, or at a far-field
boundary, FLUENT 5 requires boundary values for:
Turbulent kinetic energy k Turbulence dissipation rate

Four methods available for specifying turbulence parameters:

Set k and explicitly
Set turbulence intensity and turbulence length scale
Set turbulence intensity and turbulent viscosity ratio
Set turbulence intensity and hydraulic diameter
Intensity and length scale depend on conditions upstream, e.g.:
Exhaust of a turbine
Intensity = 20 % Length scale = 1 - 10 % of blade span
Downstream of perforated plate or screen
Intensity = 10 % Length scale = screen/hole size
Fully-developed flow in a duct or pipe
Intensity = 5 % Length scale = hydraulic diameter

C9 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17

 Fluent Software Training
TRN-98-006

Pressure Preliminaries
pressure
Absolute pressure is referenced to a level
vacuum.
Can be expressed relative to gauge
operating pressure as the gauge pressure
pressure: absolute operating
pabsolute p gauge poperating pressure pressure
Static pressure is thermodynamic operating
pressure (Stokes Hypothesis). pressure
Expressible as absolute or gauge
pressure
vacuum
Boundary conditions require gauge
pressure inputs.

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 Fluent Software Training
TRN-98-006

Calculations Using Pressure

Total (stagnation) pressure is defined as:
ptotal = pstatic + 1/2 v2
Pressure at thermodynamic state which would exist if fluid were brought
to rest (zero velocity) isentropically.
1/2 v2 is referred to as the dynamic pressure.
Density can be calculated from the ideal gas law:
For incompressible flow:
poperating

RT
For compressible flow:
pabsolute

RT

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TRN-98-006

Setting Operating Pressure

For compressible flows:
Set operating pressure = 0
Treat gauge pressures as absolute pressures
For incompressible, constant-density flows, operating pressure not
used.
For incompressible flows using ideal-gas law to determine density
Select incompressible-ideal-gas in Define Materials...
Set operating pressure close to mean pressure in problem.

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TRN-98-006

Pressure Inlet Boundary (1)

Defines total pressure, temperature, and
other scalar quantities at flow inlets.
Also requires direction of velocity
vector to be defined.
Can get non-physical results if you
dont specify reasonable direction for
velocity vector.
Useful when:
flow rate and/or velocity is not known
(e.g., buoyancy-driven flows).
free boundary in an external or
unconfined flow needs to be defined.
Suitable for compressible and
incompressible flows.

C13 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17

 Fluent Software Training
TRN-98-006

Pressure Inlet Boundary (2)

Inflow stagnation properties are prescribed:
Mechanical head of pressure/total pressure drives flow into
computational domain.
Mass flux varies depending on interior solution and direction specified
for velocity vector.
Note:
Value specified for total pressure used as static pressure wherever
outflow occurs.
Total temperature set to static temperature for incompressible flows.

C14 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17

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TRN-98-006

Pressure Outlet Boundary (1)

Flow exits computational domain at
fixed static pressure.
Requires specification of static
(gauge) pressure at outlet boundary.
All other flow quantities at the
pressure outlet boundary are
extrapolated from the interior.
Value of specified static pressure:
used only while exit flow is
subsonic.
ignored for supersonic flow
(pressure is extrapolated from flow
in interior).

C15 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17

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TRN-98-006

Pressure Outlet Boundary (2)

Backflow conditions must be specified.
Required for calculations if flow reverses direction at Pressure Outlet boundary
during solution process.
When backflow occurs, it is assumed to be normal to the boundary.
Cannot specify the direction of the flow entering the domain, in contrast to
pressure inlet boundary condition.
Convergence difficulties minimized by realistic values for backflow quantities.
Value specified for static pressure used as total pressure wherever backflow
occurs.
Pressure Outlet must be used when problem is set up with Pressure Inlet.

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Outflow Boundary
Flow exiting domain at Outflow boundary has zero normal
gradients for all flow variables except pressure.
FLUENT extrapolates required information from interior.
Useful when:
Details of flow velocity and pressure not known prior to solution of
flow problem.
Appropriate where exit flow is close to fully developed condition.
Note: Use of Pressure Outlet (instead of Outflow) often results in
better rate of convergence when backflow occurs during
iteration.

C17 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17

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TRN-98-006

Restrictions on Outflow Boundaries

Outflow Boundaries cannot be used:
with compressible flows.
with the Pressure Inlet boundary condition (use Velocity Inlet instead):
Combination does not uniquely set a pressure gradient over the whole domain.
in unsteady flows with variable density.

Do not use outflow

boundaries where:
Flow enters domain
Gradients in flow
direction are significant outflow
outflow outflow condition
Conditions downstream outflow
condition condition closely
of exit plane impact condition
ill-posed obeyed obeyed
flow in domain not obeyed

C18 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17

 Fluent Software Training
TRN-98-006

Modeling Multiple Exits

Using Outflow boundary condition:
Mass flow divided equally among all

outflow boundaries by default.

Flow Rate Weighting (FRW) set to 1 by

default.
For uneven flow distribution:

specify Flow Rate Weighting for each

outflow boundary: mi=FRWi/FRWi. FRW1
static pressure varies among exits to velocity
accommodate flow distribution. inlet
FRW2
Can also use Pressure Outlet boundaries
to define exits. pressure-outlet
velocity-inlet (v,T0) (ps)1
or
pressure-inlet (p0,T0)
pressure-outlet
(ps)2
C19 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17
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TRN-98-006

Other Inlet/Outlet Boundary Conditions

Mass Flow Inlet
Used in compressible flows to prescribe mass flow rate at inlet.
Not required for incompressible flows.
Pressure Far Field
Available when density is calculated from the ideal gas law.
Used to model free-stream compressible flow at infinity, with free-stream
Mach number and static conditions specified.
Exhaust Fan/Outlet Vent
Model external exhaust fan/outlet vent with specified pressure jump/loss
coefficient and ambient (discharge) pressure and temperature.
Inlet Vent/Intake Fan
Model inlet vent/external intake fan with specified loss coefficient/ pressure
jump, flow direction, and ambient (inlet) pressure and temperature.

C20 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17

 Fluent Software Training
TRN-98-006

Wall, Repeating, and Pole Boundaries

Purpose of Boundary Conditions
Setting Boundary Conditions
Flow Inlets and Exits
Wall, Repeating, and Pole Boundaries
Wall
Symmetry
Periodic
Axis
Internal Cell Zones
Internal Face Boundaries

C21 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17

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TRN-98-006

Wall Boundaries
Used to bound fluid and solid regions.
In viscous flows, no-slip condition
enforced at walls
Tangential velocity component
specified in terms of translational or
rotational motion of wall boundary.
Wall shear stress and heat transfer
based on local flow field.
Assumed to be rigid and impermeable
Normal velocity component = 0
For accurate predictions of wall shear
stress, be sure to resolve boundary
layers in viscous flows.

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Symmetry Boundaries
Used to reduce computational effort in problem.
Flow field and geometry must be symmetric:
Zero normal velocity at symmetry plane
Zero normal gradients of all variables at symmetry plane
No inputs required.
Must take care to correctly define symmetry boundary locations.
Also used to model slip walls in viscous flow

symmetry
planes
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Periodic Boundaries
4 tangential
Used when physical geometry of inlets
interest and expected pattern of
flow/thermal solution have
periodically repeating nature. cyclic
Reduces computational effort in boundaries
problem.
Two types available in FLUENT 5. Rotationally periodic
Type 1: Does not allow pressure
drop across periodic planes. Periodic at I=NI
Type 2: Periodic boundaries with
pressure drop.

I
J
Periodic at I=1
Translationally periodic
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Periodic Boundaries with Pressure Drop -

Type 2
MUST be translationally periodic
Designed to model fully-developed conditions
Fully-developed flow in pipes and ducts computational
Tube banks domain
Periodic heat transfer also possible
Specify either:
Mean pressure gradient
per period flow
Net mass flow rate direction

Streamlines in
a 2D tube heat
exchanger

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TRN-98-006

Axis Boundaries
Used:
At centerline (y=0) of an
axisymmetric grid
Where multiple grid lines meet
at a point in a 3D O-type grid
Specify:
No inputs required

AXIS
boundary

C26 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17

 Fluent Software Training
TRN-98-006

Internal Cell Zones

Purpose of Boundary Conditions
Setting Boundary Conditions
Flow Inlets and Exits
Wall, Repeating, and Pole Boundaries
Internal Cell Zones
Fluid
Porous
Type of fluid zone
Solid
Internal Face Boundaries

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TRN-98-006

Fluid Conditions
Fluid zone = group of cells for which all active
equations are solved.
Only required input is type of fluid
material
So appropriate material properties
used
Optional inputs allow setting of
source terms:
Heat
Mass
Momentum Turbulence
Can define motion for fluid zone
Species
If rotationally periodic boundaries adjacent to fluid zone, use rotation axis.
Define fluid zone as laminar flow region if modeling transitional flow.

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TRN-98-006

Porous Media Conditions

Porous zone modeled as special type of fluid zone.
Enable Porous Zone option in Fluid panel.
Pressure loss in flow determined via user inputs.
Used to model flow through porous media and other distributed
resistances:
Packed beds
Filter papers
Perforated plates
Flow distributors
Tube banks

C29 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17

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TRN-98-006

Solid Conditions
Solid zone = group of cells for which only heat
conduction problem solved.
No flow equations solved
Material being treated as solid may actually be
fluid, but it is assumed that no convection takes
place.
Only required input is material type
So appropriate material properties used.
Optional inputs allow you to set volumetric heat
generation rate (heat source).
Can define motion for solid zone
Need to specify rotation axis if rotationally
periodic boundaries adjacent to solid zone.

C30 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17

 Fluent Software Training
TRN-98-006

Internal Face Boundaries

Defined on cell faces
Do not have finite thickness
Provide means of introducing step change in flow properties.
Used to implement physical models representing:
Fans
Radiators
Porous jump
Thin porous membranes
Interior wall

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Summary
Zones are used to assign boundary conditions.
Wide range of boundary conditions permit flow to enter and exit
solution domain.
Wall boundary conditions used to bound fluid and solid regions.
Repeating boundaries used to reduce computational effort.
Internal cell zones used to specify fluid, solid, and porous regions.
Internal face boundaries provide way to introduce step change in flow
properties.

C32 Fluent Inc. 02/15/17