EXPERIMENTAL METHODS- CL 610

EXPERIMENT- 11

COMSOL

BATCH – T7

RAHUL C R (183020058)
TWINKLE KHADKA (183020060)

DATE OF EXPERIMENT : 22-01-2019

DATE OF DRAFT REPORT SUBMISSION : 29-01-2019

DATE OF FINAL REPORT SUBMISSION : 03-01-2019

INSTRUCTORS : JYOTHI R SETH

RAJDIP BANDHOPADYAY

Department of Chemical Engineering,

IIT Bombay

1
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of figures………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3

Objectives………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4

Theory…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6

Procedure……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….8

Results……………………..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………10

Discussions………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…13

2
 LIST OF FIGURES

Fig 1: Comsol multiphysics software……….………………………………………………………………………..5

Fig 2: Body Diagram of rectangular slab …………………………………………………………………………..6

Fig 3: Body Diagram of Fluid flow geometry..……………………………………………………………………7

Fig 4: Transient temperature profile of slab at t=0.…………………………………………………………..9

Fig 5: Transient temperature profile of slab at t=62.8s(T)..……………………………………………….10

Fig 6: Transient temperature profile of slab at t=31.4s(T/2)……………………………………………..10

Fig 7: Transient temperature profile of slab along cutline at=31.4(T/2)…………………………….11

Fig 8: : Transient temperature profile of slab along cutline at=62.8(T)………………………………11

Fig 9: Transient temperature profile of slab at cut point for first 900s.……….…………………….12

Fig 10: Steady state velocity profile of fluid flow.………………………………………………………….....12

Fig 11:Steady state Pressure profile of fluid flow.……………………………………………………………..13

3
OBJECTIVES:

1) To study the unsteady state temperature profile in an infinitely long temperature slab.
2) To study the steady state velocity profile and pressure difference of fluid flow in a given
geometry.

INTRODUCTION:
COMSOL-MULTIPHYSICSis a cross platform infinite element analysis and multiphysics simulation
software. It allows conventional physics-based user interfaces and coupled systems of partial
differential equations (PDEs). COMSOL provides an IDE and unified workflow for electrical,
mechanical, fluid, and chemical applications. An API for Java and Live Link for MATLAB may be
used to control the software externally, and the same API is also used via the Method Editor.
COMSOL contains an App Builder which can be used to develop independent domain-specific
apps with custom user-interface. Users may use drag-and-drop tools (Form Editor) or
programming (Method Editor). Specific features may be included from the model or new features
may be introduced through programming. It also contains a Physics Builder to create custom
physics-interfaces accessible from the COMSOL Desktop with the same look-and-feel as the built-
in physics interfaces.
COMSOL Server is the software and engine for running simulation apps and the platform for
controlling their deployment and distribution. User developed apps can be run in COMSOL Server
through web browsers or a Windows-installed client. Using the built-in physics interfaces and the
advanced support for material properties, it is possible to build models by defining the relevant
physical quantities such as material properties, loads, constraints, sources, and fluxes rather than
by defining the underlying equations. Application of these variables, expressions, or numbers
directly to solid and fluid domains, boundaries, edges, and points independently of the
computational mesh is also possible. COMSOL Multiphysics then internally compiles a set of
equations representing the entire model.
COMSOL Multiphysics uses Finite Element Method (FEM) to solve the different models. The
software runs the finite element analysis together with adaptive meshing (if selected) and error
control using a variety of numerical solvers. One reason for the finite element method’s success
in multi-physics analysis is that it is a very general method. Solving the resulting equation systems
are the same or very similar to well-known and efficient methods used for structural and
electromagnetic analysis. Another reason for the method’s success is that it makes it easy to
increase the order of the elements” so that the physics fields can be approximated very
accurately.

4
 Fig 1: COMSOL-MULTIPHYSICS Software

The various applications of COMSOL-MULTIPHYSISCS include:

 Acoustics
 Bioscience
 Chemical reactions
 Corrosion and corrosion protection
 Diffusion
 Electrochemistry
 Electromagnetic
 Fluid dynamics
 Fuel cells and electrochemistry
 Geophysics
 Heat transfer
The modules that we will be using in this experiment include HEAT TRANFSER module and
the FLUID FLOW module.
i) Heat Tranfser module: contains simulation tools to study the mechanisms of heat
transfer – conduction, convection, and radiation – often in collaboration with other
physics, such as structural mechanics, fluid dynamics, electromagnetics, and chemical
reactions.

ii) Fluid flow module: used for simulations of fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, hydraulic
transients, and acoustics in pipe and channel networks. It can be easily integrated with
any of the other modules in the COMSOL Product Suite for modelling the effects piping
has on larger entities, such as cooling pipes in engine blocks or feeding and product
channels connected to vessels.

5
THEORY:
i) Heat Tranfser through an infinitely long rectangular slab.
The geometry of the slab is as follows:
Convection
h=1000 w/m^2
T=350 K

T=350+100*cos(w*t) K 100mm T=350+100*cos(w*t) K

10mm

Fig 2: Body Diagram of rectangular slab

Assumptions:

1. The slab is infinitely long in the z-direction.

2. The boundary conditions are uniform across the plane.
3. There is no heat source in present.
According to the conservation equation,

𝝏𝑻/ 𝝏𝒕 + 𝛁. (𝒗𝑻 − 𝜶𝛁𝑻) – 𝑯𝒗/ 𝝆𝑽𝑪𝑷 = 𝟎

Since, there is no convection or a heat source, we get that,

𝝏𝑻/ 𝝏𝒕 − 𝜶[ 𝝏𝟐𝑻/ 𝝏𝒙 𝟐 + 𝝏𝟐𝑻/ 𝝏𝒚𝟐 ] = 𝟎

This is the unsteady state equation for heat conduction through a rectangular slab. The
boundary conditions are given as,

a) At x=0, T0=350 + 100*cos(0.1*t)

b) At x=1, T0=350 + 100*cos(0.1*t)

c) At y=0, insulation

d) At y=1, Convective heat input.

6
 Parameters for Convective heat inputs are given as,

 h = 1000/W/m2-K

 Text=350K

Integrating the differential equation and applying the boundary conditions, yields the final
solution for temperature profile through the rectangular slab.

ii) Fluid flow through a given geometry.

The geometry for the fluid flow is given as follows.

1m

50cm
20cm

1m

Fig 3: Body Diagram of Fluid flow geometry.

Assumptions:

1) The flow is fully developed and laminar.

2) The flow is steady state.
3) Fluid enters through the left end of the given geometry.

The governing equations for the fluid flow is given as follows:

Differential form of mass conservation equation,

And the Navier Stokes equation is given by,

Inlet conditions:

The flow rate of the entering water is 1m^3/hr.

7
PROCEDURE:

i) HEAT TRANSFER THROUGH A INFINETELY LONG RECTANGULAR SLAB.

1. Open COMSOL 5.3a software.

2. Under Select Space Dimension section, choose 2D.
3. Under Select Physics section, choose Heat Transfer followed by Heat Transfer in Solids.
Click on Done.
4. Click on Add Study under Study section in the toolbar. Double-click on Stationary from the
menu displayed on the right side of the simulation window.
5. In the Model Builder, a. Right-click on Geometry 1, and choose Rectangle from the menu.
Click on Rectangle 1 and specify the height and width of the geometry (control volume).
Then click on Build All under Geometry section in the toolbar.
6. Click on Add Material under Materials section in the toolbar. Then click on Browse
Materials. Select Copper as the slab material under Built-In section. Then click on
Component 1 under Add To drop-down menu.
7. In the Model Builder,
(a) Right-click on Heat Transfer in Solids, and choose Temperature from the menu.
Select the boundary in geometry at which a constant temperature BC occurs and
specify the value for temperature.
(b) Right-click on Heat Transfer in Solids, and choose Heat Flux from the menu. Select
the boundary in geometry at which a convective heat flux BC occurs and specify
the values for required parameters.
(c) Right-click on Mesh 1, and choose Mapped from the menu. Then click on Build All.
(d) Right-click on Study 1, and choose Compute from the menu.
8. Save the steady state temperature profile thus obtained.
9. Now, click on Add Study under Study section in the toolbar. Double-click on Time Dependent
from the menu displayed on the right side of the simulation window. Specify the time range
over which the transient problem needs to be solved. Then click on Compute.

10. In the Model Builder,

(a) Right-click on Data Sets under Results, and choose Cut Point 2D from the menu.
Specify the coordinates of the point you want to study (mid-point in this case).
(b) Right-click on Derived Values under Results, and choose Point Evaluation from
the menu. From the Data set drop-down menu, choose Cut Point 2D 1. Change
the units of temperature from K to °C. Then click on Evaluate.

11. Plot the time-dependent temperature profile of the mid-point.

ii) FLUID FLOW IN A GIVEN GEOMETRY.

1. Open COMSOL 5.3a software.

2. In Select Space Dimension section, choose 2D.
3. Select Fluid flow from the menu and click on Laminar flow from the list appeared.

8
4. Click on Add Study in Study section in the toolbar. Double-click on Stationary from the menu
displayed on the right side of the simulation window.
5. In the Model Builder, right-click on Geometry 1, and choose Rectangle twice from the menu.
Click on Rectangle 1 and Rectangle 2 and specify the height and width of the geometry. Then
click on Form Union and then build all in Geometry section in the toolbar.
6. Click on Add Material in Materials section in the toolbar. Then click on Browse Materials.
Select water as the flow material in Built-In section. Then click on Component 1 in Add to
drop-down menu.
7. In the Model Builder, Right-click on Laminar flow, and choose Inlet from the menu. Select the
boundary in geometry at which inflow occurs and specify the value for flow rate then right-
click on Laminar flow, and choose Outlet from the menu then select the boundary in
geometry at which outflow occurs and specify the values for required parameters then right-
click on Mesh 1, and choose Mapped from the menu. Then click on Build All then right-click
on Study 1, and choose Compute from the menu.
8. Save the steady state velocity profile thus obtained.
9. Generate pressure contours from results and save.

RESULTS:

i) HEAT TRANSFER THROUGH A INFINITE LONG SLAB.

Fig 4: Transient temperature profile of slab at t=0.

9
Fig 5: Transient temperature profile of slab at t=62.8(T).

Fig 6: Transient temperature profile of slab at t=31.4(T/2).

10
Fig 7: Transient temperature profile of slab along cutline at t=31.4(T/2).

Fig 8: Transient temperature profile of slab along cutline at t=62.8(T).

11
 Fig 9: Transient temperature profile of slab at cut point(5,50cm) for first 900s.

ii) FLUID FLOW THROUGH A GIVEN GEOMETRY

Fig 10: Steady state velocity profile of the fluid flow .

12
 Fig 11: Steady state Pressure profile of the fluid flow .

DISCUSSIONS:

i) HEAT TRANSFER THROUGH INFINITE SLAB

 The above plots infer that the temperature is varying in the slab because of the time
dependent sinusoidal boundary condition. We can see from figure 5 and figure 6 that at
31.4sec i.e. at T/2 temperature of the slab is low around ~ 250 k and at time 62.8 sec the
temperature is around ~450 k which makes sense with boundary condition.

 The plot in Figure 9 we could infer that the system is not reaching steady state but a cyclic
steady state is reached (i.e. the system repeats the same path after fixed amount of time
or the time period), it makes sense as the boundary condition is sinusoidally varying with
time.

 From Figure 7 and 8 we could infer that the temperature is varying along the line (cut
through the slab) , it could be attributed to the convective boundary condition at one end
of the slab and it could also be noted that the trend changes with time as the temperature
at the other two boundary conditions is varying sinusoidally with time.

ii) FLUID FLOW THROUGH THE GIVEN GEOMETRY

Average velocity in the sections of given geometry does not depends on the inlet boundary.
It depends only on the flow rate and cross sectional area. Velocities at the walls are zero and
maximum at the center. Pressure at the inlet is high and low at the outlet.

13
14