CFD is the most advanced and accurate method for the simulation and numerical investigation of fluid and heat transfer phenomena. In the past, engineers used the equations and principles of CFD to write code in various programming languages and perform simulations. This process was very time-consuming and required extensive knowledge. Over time, CFD software has been developed and is now available to engineers. One such software is ANSYS Fluent. In this article, we will examine the features of this software, how to learn it, the different stages of simulation within it, and how to analyze its results.
What is ANSYS Fluent?
ANSYS Fluent is a commercial software for CFD simulations. This software is based on the finite volume method, which makes it ideal for fluid simulations. This software offers extensive and cutting-edge features for all kinds of fields and CFD simulation problems, which allows the user to adjust their smallest details. There are many software for different fields of CFD simulation, and some of them perform very well in specific fields, for example, ANSYS CFX is suitable for simulating turbomachines, but if you are looking for software that in all fields have a very good performance, ANSYS Fluent is the most suitable option.
How to Learn ANSYS Fluent?
Learning Fluent has different methods and steps, which include:
Understand the Basics of CFD
In order to understand what is happening in simulations, you need to have a basic knowledge of various fields. To understand fluid flow, knowledge of the Navier-Stokes equations, continuity, flow regimes, and material properties is needed. For a deep understanding of these issues, we recommend the book “Fluid Mechanics” by Frank White.
In heat transfer problems, it is necessary to know the types of heat transfer; convection, conduction, and radiation. In this context, we recommend the book “Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer” by Incropera. Finally, you need to understand how the equations are solved in CFD and what its algorithms are. For this field, we recommend “An Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics: The Finite Volume Method” by Versteeg. It should be noted that all the mentioned sources cover very deep and detailed topics. To start, it is better to get help from a simple search or YouTube.
Explore Official Documentation and Tutorials
Various tutorials and books are used to learn Fluent. ANSYS, along with different individuals and institutions, prepares these trainings, which are offered at different levels and qualities. There are many educational videos, many of which are provided by various online education sites; some are free resources, such as YouTube. Be sure to complete many projects during the learning process. Simple ANSYS Fluent projects for beginners are easy to find, use them. Along with all the educational resources, ANSYS Fluent has a large community and forums that are happy to help you for free.
Learn Post-Processing and Presenting Techniques
Extracting the results and presenting them properly is more important than the simulation itself. Universities and industries require different presentation methods that you learn through experience over time. If you do not present your results correctly and engagingly, no one will pay attention to them.
Simulation steps in ANSYS Fluent
Simulation with ANSYS Fluent is only part of the simulation process. In a simulation, other ANSYS package tools are also used. In general, a CFD simulation with ANSYS tools has the following steps:
Geometry Creation
At this stage, ANSYS provides various CAD software, such as DesignModeler. It is also possible to import geometry files from CAD software outside the ANSYS package, such as SolidWorks. It is recommended to use the features of ANSYS. Whether your geometry is one-, two-, or three-dimensional, you model it in this step.
Geometry modeling by DesignModeler.
Mesh Generation
ANSYS offers several different software tools for meshing, such as SpaceClaim. At this stage, the geometry is divided into small cells, and the solution domain is discretized. Different shapes can be used for cells, such as hexahedral, polyhedral, etc. In some parts of the domain where more accuracy is needed, smaller cells are chosen, while in other parts where accuracy is not as important or the gradient of the parameters is small, larger cells are used to lower the cost of calculations. Mesh quality can be measured with various parameters, such as skewness and aspect ratio. It is possible to import the generated mesh from outside of ANSYS, but ANSYS meshing tools are excellent, and you will likely not need other software.
Creating mesh in geometry with ANSYS meshing.
Solution Setup and Running the Simulation
This step is completely done in ANSYS Fluent. It involves enabling the equations related to the simulation, defining the boundary conditions, and defining the required material properties in the relevant domain. Then, the type of solution is determined as either steady or time-dependent, and related settings such as the time step are configured. In complex problems, it may be necessary to change the parameters of the solution algorithm, such as the under-relaxation factor, which only skilled users can do. After completing all these tasks, you run the simulation. If a problem occurs during the simulation, such as lack of convergence, you should change the ANSYS Fluent settings or modify the mesh and run the simulation again.
In the picture, you can see some of the parameters that you can add to the simulation in ANSYS Fluent. Each of these items has its own settings and complexities. Take a look at the settings for each item in Fluent, and you will be astonished.
Post-Processing
After completing the simulation, you can extract various parameters and data from Fluent, primarily numerical values and graphs. To view the results in more complex formats, such as contours, you can utilize other tools of the ANSYS package, such as CFD-Post. It is also possible to use other software, such as ParaView. Interpreting these results depends significantly on users’ knowledge, which requires years of hard work, study, and experience.
Pressure contour in CFD-Post.
You can see ANSYS Workbench in the image. ANSYS is a leader in simulation technology and strives to encompass all fields of simulation. In the realm of CFD, the powerful Fluent software is offered by ANSYS. You can see the simulation steps of a CFD project on the right side of the image.
Conclusion
CFD simulation is one of the important skills that engineers strive to learn. In this article, we reviewed how to learn ANSYS Fluent and discussed the simulation steps. If you do not have enough time to learn and complete a project with Fluent, don’t worry; we are here to help you. Our experts at CFDLAND specialize in conducting CFD projects using ANSYS Fluent. Feel free to order your ANSYS Fluent projects at CFDLAND.
more information:
What are the differences between ANSYS CFX and Fluent?
Using ANSYS Fluent for Multiphase Flow Simulations
ANSYS Fluent vs ANSYS Discovery