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Prerequisites
This tutorial assumes that you are familiar with the menu structure in FfC. It also assumes
that you have read the Getting Started section in the Tutorial Guide and completed
Tutorial 1. Some of the steps in setup and solution procedure will not be shown explicitly.
Note: It is assumed that you have FMD and FMS licenses. Without these licenses
you will not be able to generate the mesh as explained in the tutorial. For more
information see the FLUENT for CATIA V5 FAQ page at
http://www.fluentusers.com/ffc/faqs/mesh.htm.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
Problem Description
This problem considers a generic mixing tank with only one rotor. The rotor is fitted
at the bottom end of a shaft entering the tank from the top. A domain is shown in
Figure 5.1. The rotor consists of 4 blades and is rotating with an angular velocity of 500
rpm. The flow is assumed to be turbulent.
Preparation
1. Copy the CATIA V5 file (mixer inclined shaft-new.CATPart) to your working folder.
2. Start FfC.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
Note: ANSYS FLUENT solver is provided with the installed FfC package. You
can use the Browse button to specify the path for solver:
For 32 bit the path is:
FfC Installation/FfC-R18/R19-5.X.XX/solver/Fluent.Inc/ntbin/ntx86
For 64 bit the path is:
FfC Installation/FfC-R18/R19-5.X.XX/solver/Fluent.Inc/ntbin/win64
(b) Similarly, specify the path for the external postprocessor, CFD-Post (or FloWizard) executable.
(c) Set the remaining parameters as shown in Figure 5.2.
Note: You can specify the Maximum number of iterations. For this tutorial
the recommended value is 2500 iterations.
2. Click the Data Management tab in the Options dialog box.
(a) Enter the path for Temporary files, FLUAnalysisComputations file and FLUAnalysisResults file in the External Storage folder groupbox.
You can use the Browse button to specify the path. The analysis files will be
saved in the temporary folders while FfC computes the solution. The analysis
will be saved to its permanent location when the computation is complete.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
(d) Enable Control Solver Accuracy Settings based on slider position of Mesh
Definition.
Note: The Control Solver Accuracy Settings based on slider position of Mesh
Definition option uses second order solutions after 75% accuracy settings
during mesh definition. If this option is disabled, then first order solution
is computed for all slider positions.
(e) Select Residuals from the Convergence Criterion drop-down list.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
6. Once the flow volume is extracted as shown above, FfC will create group of publications located below Groups.1.
(a) Double click on Outlet Boundary.1 to open the Group of Boundaries dialog box.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
(c) When the Type is changed to Symmetry the name of the boundary group will
be modified and the color of the group will also be changed.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
1. Click
2. Move the slide bar towards Accuracy till the number above it shows a value of 75.
As you move the slide bar, other parameters will change accordingly. Use the Reset
All button to set all the field values to their default values. Please note that, if you
dont use the Reset All button, the values from the previous session will be taken by
FfC for meshing.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
3. Click the Global tab and enter 4.4mm for Critical Length.
4. Retain the default values for other parameters.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
icon.
3. Rename the smaller zone around the rotor-blades as rotating-zone and rename
the other fluid zone representing tank volume as outer-fluid-zone.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
3. Now zoom in the model around impeller to select the faces of the shaft lying in the
rotating zone in the Support text entry (Figure 5.8).
4. Select wall as the Type.
5. Specify shaft-rotating-zone as the Name.
6. Select Wall (FluidtoSolid.3.0 1).3 under Groups.1 in the specification tree as shown
in Figure 5.9 and rename it as rotor-blades.
7. Similarly, rename a group for shaft-not-rotating-zone as shown in Figure 5.10.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
(a) Select one vertical face of the shaft as Surface for direction calculation.
(b) Select Clockwise for rotation direction and click OK.
The direction of rotation should be clockwise with reference to the top of the
tank. Use Clockwise or Counter Clockwise options to get the desired rotational
direction.
icon.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
(a) Click the text entry next to the Supports and select rotor-blades in specification
tree under the Groups.1.
(b) Change the Name to rotor-blades.
(c) Select Rotating in the Motion Type scrolling list.
(d) Select Relative to adjacent fluid region in the Reference Frame scrolling list.
(e) Enable Clockwise and click OK.
6. Similarly define new wall boundary conditions using the same parameters as mentioned above.
(a) Select the group shaft-rotating-zone as support.
(b) Rename this wall boundary as shaft-rotating-zone.
7. Click the
icon.
(a) Click the text entry next to the Supports and select shaft-not-rotating-zone in
specification tree under the Groups.1.
(b) Change the Name to shaft-not-rotating-zone.
(c) Select Rotating in the Motion Type scrolling list.
(d) Select Absolute in the Reference frame scrolling list.
(e) Enter 500turn mn for Rotational Speed.
(f) Select shaft outer wall for Support for direction calculation.
(g) Enable Clockwise and click OK.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
2. Select All and Default Solution Option in the two drop-down lists.
3. Click OK to validate and start the computations.
Note: Solution converges after around 2000 iterations. It will take a few hours
to complete the soluion. You can postprocess the results by interrupting the
computations. Use Stop Computation button to stop the calculations.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
icon.
Velocity contours are displayed and this is listed under Fluent Solution.1 as Velocity.1.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
3. In the Image Edition box under Visu tab select Symbol as Type.
Note: Velocity vectors will be displayed on boundaries. Click the Options... tab to
manipulate arrows.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
4. Click OK to verify.
To include parts of the mixing tank in this image right click on the Link Manager.1
and in the contextual menu, click Hide/Show. For a better view you may have to
make some parts transparent or hide them.
5. Click the
6. Adjust the position of the plane using the compass, so that the plane cuts the tank
vertically into two equal parts.
Note: You can also double-click on the compass to adjust the cutting plane. This
opens the Parameters for Compass Manipulation dialog box.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
7. Similarly we can show velocity vectors on a horizontal cutting plane passing from
the blades. See Figure 5.15.
icon.
Static pressure contours are displayed and is listed under Fluent Solution.1 as Pressure(nodal values).1. You can include parts of the mixing tank in this image as you
did in Step 17.
2. The procedure to show the pressure contour on a cut plane is same as you performed
in the previous step.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
icon.
Contour of turbulent kinetic energy will be displayed and this will be listed under
Fluent Solution.1 as Turbulence Kinetic Energy (average iso).1.
2. Double click Turbulence Kinetic Energy (average iso).1 to open the Image Edition
dialog box.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
3. Click the Selection tab and select rotor-blades under Availabel Groups and click the
down arrow.
rotor-blades is available under Activated Groups and the contours are shown on the
rotor-blades.
Summary
In this tutorial you learned how to setup the case for rotating impellers, blowers using
Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) approach embedded in FfC R18/R19 V5.1. This approach can also be used for turbomachinery applications in which rotor-stator interaction
is relatively weak, and the flow is relatively uncomplicated at the interface between the
moving and stationary zones.
You may want to generate the report of your simulation. For details on report generation,
refer to Tutorial 7.
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Modeling Mixing Tanks Using Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) Model
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