Flat Plate Boundary Layer Cornell

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Problem Specification - Simulation - Confluence
06-08-2012
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FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Problem Specification

Added by stap_tech-mailbox@cornell.edu (Update Your Profile) , last edited by Benjamin J Mullen on Apr 27, 2011 18:05
Labels: None
Author: John Singleton and Rajesh Bhaskaran, Cornell University
Problem Specification
1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Setup (Physics)
5. Solution
6. Results
7. Verification and Validation
Exercises
Consider a fluid flowing across a flat plate, as illustrated above. Obtain the velocity and pressure distribution when the Reynolds
number based on the plate length is 10,000. This Reynolds number is obtained by using the following settings. The plate length is 1
m. The incoming fluid is flowing in the x-direction with a velocity of 1 m/s. The density of the fluid is 1 kg/m^3 and the viscosity is 1 x 10
^(-4) kg/(m-s). Note that these values are not necessarily physical. They have been picked to yield the desired Reynolds number.
Check your results by comparing the velocity and pressure distribution with classical boundary layer theory.
Go to Step 1: Pre-Analysis and Start-up
See and rate the complete Learning Module
Go to all FLUENT Learning Modules
This work is licensed under a C reative C ommons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License
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FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Pre-Analysis & Start-Up - Simulation - Confluence
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FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Pre-Analysis & Start-Up

Labels: None

1. Pre-Analysis and Start-Up

2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Setup (Physics)
5. Solution
6. Results
Exercises
Step 1: Pre-Analysis and Start-Up

Pre-Analysis
For an external flow like this, one needs to determine where to place the outer boundary. A rectangular domain will be used for this
simulation. The height of the rectangular domain will be determined by the expected boundary layer thickness. For a flat plate
boundary layer, one can use the following approximation to find the boundary layer thickness.
When x = L,
= 0.05m. The height of the domain will be set to ten times the boundary layer thickness. Thus, the height of the
boundary will be set to 0.5m. The following figure shows the dimensions of the domain, and the boundary labels which will be used to
set the boundary conditions.
Start ANSYS FLUENT

Prior to opening ANSYS, create a folder called F l a t P l ain at convenient
e C F Dlocation. We'll use this as the working folder in which
files created during the session will be stored. For this simulation FLUENT will be run within the ANSYS Workbench Interface. Start
ANSYS Workbench:
https://confluence.cornell.edu/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=90737911
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FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Pre-Analysis & Start-Up - Simulation - Confluence
S t a r t >
A l l
P r o g r a m s >
06-08-2012
A n s y s
1 2 . 1 >
W o r k b e n c h
The following figure shows the workbench window.
Higher Resolution Image
Management of Screen Real Estate

This tutorial is specially configured, so the user can have both the tutorial and ANSYS open at the same time as shown below. It will
be beneficial to have both ANSYS and your internet browser displayed on your monitor simultaneously. Your internet browser should
consume approximately one third of the screen width while ANSYS should take the other two thirds as shown below.
Click Here for Higher Resolution

If the monitor you are using is insufficient in size, you can press the A land
t T a keys
b simultaneously to toggle between ANSYS and
your internet browser.
Go to Step 2: Geometry
3 / 39
FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Geometry - Simulation - Confluence
06-08-2012
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FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Geometry

Labels: None

1. Pre-Analysis and Start-Up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Setup (Physics)
5. Solution
6. Results
Exercises
Step 2: Geometry
Care to skip the geometry and meshing steps? README
If you would prefer to skip the geometry and mesh steps, then you can download the necessary files here. Download
the "zip" file, then extract the files to your working directory. In order to load the necessary files, go to the
W o r k b e n c h ,Pthen
r (o Cj le i c ct k )P aF g i el e
>
O p e n. Lastly,
> click
" Fhere
l to
a skip
t P l a t e F l o
ahead to Step 4 of the tutorial.
Saving
It would be of best interest, to save the project at this point. Click on the "Save As.." button,
, which is located on the top of
the W o r k b e n c h .PSave
r othej project
e c as
t "FlatPlateFlow"
P a g e in your working directory. When you save in ANSYS a file and
a folder will be created. For instance if you save as "FlatPlateFlow", a "FlatPlateFlow" file and a folder called "FlatPlateFlow_files"
will appear. In order to reopen the ANSYS files in the future you will need both the ".wbpj" file and the folder. If you do not have BOTH,
you will NOT be able to access your project.
Fluid Flow(FLUENT) Project Selection

On the left hand side of the workbench window, you will see a toolbox full of various analysis systems. To the right, you see an empty
work space. This is the place where you will organize your project. At the bottom of the window, you see messages from ANSYS. Left
click (and hold) on F l u i d
F l o w, and(drag
F L
the UiconEinto
N the
T empty
)
space in the P r o j e c t .SYour
c ANSYS
h e m a t i c
window should now look comparable to the image below.
https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Flat+Plate+Boundary+Layer+-+Geometry
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06-08-2012
Since we selected Fluid Flow(FLUENT), each cell of the system corresponds to a step in the process of performing CFD analysis
using FLUENT. Rename the project to "FlatPlate". We will work through each step from top down to obtain the solution to our
problem.
Analysis Type
In the P r o j e c t
Sof the
c hWorkbench
e m a window,
t i c right click on G e o m and
e tselect
r y P r o p e, asr shown
t i ebelow.
s
The properties menu will then appear to the right of the Workbench window. Under A d v a n c e
A n a l y s to
i 2D
s asTshown
y p inethe image below.
G e o ,m
change
e t the
r y
O p t
Launch Design Modeler

5 / 39
06-08-2012
In the P r o j e c t ,Sdouble
c h click
e mon aG te i oc m toe start
t rpreparing
y
the geometry. At this point, a new window, ANSYS
Design Modeler will be opened. You will be asked to select desired length unit. Use the default meter unit and click O K.
Creating a Sketch
Start by creating a sketch on the X Y P l. Under

a n Te r e e
O, select
u t Xl iY nP e l, then
a nclick
e on S k e t cright
h before
i n gD e t a i l s
V i e. This
w will bring up the S k e t c h i n g . T o o l b o x e s
Click Here for Select Sketching Toolboxes Demo
Click on the + Zaxis on the bottom right corner of the G r a p window

h i c tos have a normal look of the XY Plane.
Click Here for Select Normal View Demo
In the Sketching toolboxes, select R e c t a. InnthegG l re a p window,

h i c create
s
a rough rectangle by clicking once on the origin and
then by clicking once somewhere in the positive XY plane. (Make sure that you see a letter P at the origin before you click. The P
implies that the cursor is directly over a point of intersection.) At this point you should have something comparable to the image
below.
Dimensions
At this point the rectangle will be properly dimensioned. Under S k e t c h i n g , select
T oDo i l mb eo nx tab,
se i use
s o the
n default
s
dimensioning tools. Dimension the geometry as shown in the following image.

Under the D e t a i l table
s (located
V i e inwthe lower left corner), set V1=0.5m and set H2=1m, as shown in the image below.
Surface Body Creation

In order to create the surface body, first ( C l i c k
) C o n c e p t
>
S
as shown
u r f inathecimage
e
below.
F r o m
S k e t c
6 / 39
06-08-2012
This will create a new surface S u r f a c. Under

e S DK e 1 t a i l , select
s
VS i k e e wt asc Bh a1 s e
to generate the surface.
At this point, you can close the D e s i g n and
M go
o back
d e tol W
e ro r k b e n c h
W o r k b e n c h .P r o j e c t
P a g e
O. Finally,
b j eclick
c tG se n e r a t e
.PSave
r oyour
j work
e c thus
t far
P inatheg e
Go to Step 3: Mesh
7 / 39
FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Mesh - Simulation - Confluence
06-08-2012
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FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Mesh

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1. Pre-Analysis and Start-up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Setup (Physics)
5. Solution
6. Results
Exercises
Step 3: Mesh
In this section the geometry will be meshed with 3000 elements. That is, the field will be divided into 50 elements in the x direction and
60 elements in the y direction.
Launch Mesher
In order to begin the meshing process, go to the W o r k b e n c h
,Pthen
r (o Dj o
e cu tb l Pe a g
C. el i c k )
M e s h
Default Mesh
In this section the default mesh will be generated. In order to generate the default mesh first click on M e ,sthen
h click on U p d as
a t e
shown in the image below.
You should then obtain the following mesh.
https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Flat+Plate+Boundary+Layer+-+Mesh
8 / 39
06-08-2012
Mapped Face Meshing

For this particular problem, we are interested in creating a grid style of mesh that can be mapped to a rectangular domain. This
meshing style is called M a p p e d
F a .cIn order
e
M
to incorporate
e s h i this
n gmeshing style ( C l i c k )
M e s h
F a c e
M as
e can
s hbe iseen
n gbelow.
C o n t
Click Here For Higher Resolution

Now, the M a p p e d
F a still
c emustMbe eapplied
s h toi the
n geometry.
g
In order to do so, first click on the surface body(filled
rectangle), which should then highlight green. Next, ( C l i c k in
) theAD pe pt la yi l s
o f
M a p table,
p e as
d shown
F a c e
below.

This process is shown in the link below.
Mapped Face Demo
Now, generate the mesh by clicking U p d . a t e
Edge Sizing
The desired mesh has a specific number of divisions in the x direction and a specific number of divisions in the y direction. In order to
obtain the specified number of divisions E d g e
must
S i be
z iused.
n gThe divisions in the x direction will be specified first. Now, an
E d g e
needs
S i ztoi ben inserted.
g
First, ( C l i c k )
M e s h as
C shown
o n below.
t r o l
>
S i z i n g
9 / 39
06-08-2012

Now, the geometry and the number of divisions need to be specified. First ( C l i c k )
E d g e , S . Then
e l hold
e c down
t i o n
the "Control" button and then click the bottom and top edge of the rectangle. Both sides should highlight green. Next, hit A p punder
l y
the D e t a i l s table
o fas shown
S i below.
z i n g

Now, set T y pto N
e u m b e r
o f as shown
D i vin the
i simage
i o below.
n s

Then, set N u m b e r
o f to 50Dasi shown
v i sbelow.
i o n s
Next, set the B e h a tov Hi ao as

rr dshown in the image below. This step will disable the ANSYS Mesher from overwriting any of our
edge sizing specifications.
10 / 39
06-08-2012
At this point, the edge sizing in the the y direction will be specified. Follow the same procedure as for the edge sizing in the x
direction, except select only the left side instead of the top and bottom and set the number of divisions to 60. Remember to set the
B e h a tov Hi ao . rThen,
r d click U p d to
a generate
t e
the mesh with the new specifications. You should obtain the following mesh.

Your mesh should now have 3,000 elements (50x60). In order to check how many elements your mesh has, expand S t a t i under
s t i c s
"Details of Mesh" as shown below.
Make sure that you also have 3,000 elements.
Edge Sizing Biasing

We would like to have more elements in the region very close to the flate plate and less elements in the far field. In order to do this, we
must bias the edge sizing. First, click on E d g e
S, then
i z click
i n ongB i2 a s and
T set
y pit toethe first option as shown below.
Next, set the B i a s
Fto 70
a as
c shown
t o r below. The B i a s
Fis defined
a c t inothis
r case to be the ratio of the longest division and
11 / 39
06-08-2012
the shortest division. That is, the last division will be seventy times longer than the length of the first division.
Now, the biasing needs to be specified for the right side of the geometry. In order to incorporate the biasing on the right side a new
E d g e
needs
S i ztoi ben implemented.
g
M e s h . Then,
C o select
n t and
r o apply
l the
> leftSside
i zof ithen g
geometry. Then, change T y pto N
e u m b e r
o f and Dset iN v ui m
s ib oe nr s o f to 60.
D Next,
i v set
i sB i e oh na stov Hi ao rr d
and set B i a s toTtheysecond
p e option, as shown below.
Then, set the B i a s
Fto 70.
a cLastly,
t o click
r U p d to
a generate
t e
the new mesh. You should obtain the following mesh.
Create Named Selections

Here, the edges of the geometry will be given names so one can assign boundary conditions in FLUENT in later steps. The left side
of the geometry will be called "inlet" and the right side will be called "outlet". The top side of the rectangle will be called "far_field" and
the bottom side of the rectangle will be called "plate" as shown in the image below.
In order to create a named selection first ( C l i c k )

E d g e , S . Then
e l click
e c on
t the
i oleftnsideFof the
i l rectangle
t e r and it
should highlight green. Next, right click the left side of the rectangle and choose C r e a t e
N a m as
e shown
d
Sbelow.
e l e c t i o n
12 / 39
Select the left edge and right click and select C r e a t e
06-08-2012
N a m . eEnter
d "inlet"
S eandl click
e c Ot K
i, as
o shown
n
below.
Now, create named selections for the remaining three sides and name them according to the diagram. Once you have created all four
named selections, expand N a m e d
S eandl you
e cshould
t i see
o nthes four named selections, as shown below.
Save, Exit & Update

First save the project. Next, close the Mesher window. Then, go to the W o r k b e n c h
button,
.
P
andr click
o jthee Uc pt d Pa at eg e P r o
Go to Step 4: Setup (Physics)

13 / 39
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FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Setup (Physics)

Added by Javier Gutierrez Gallardo , last edited by Benjamin J Mullen on Apr 27, 2011 18:05
Labels: None

1. Pre-Analysis & Start-up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Setup (Physics)
5. Solution
6. Results
Exercises
Useful Information
Click here for the FLUENT 6.3.26 version.
Step 4: Setup (Physics)

Your current W o r k b e n c h
P
should
r olook
j ecomparable
c t
P toatheg following
e
image. Regardless of whether you downloaded
the mesh and geometry files or if you created them yourself, you should have checkmarks to the right of G e o m and
e tM r ey .s h
The question mark to the right of right of the S e t cell

u isp normal and indicates that the S e t process
u p has not yet been completed.
Launch Fluent
Double click on S e t inuthep W o r k b e n c h
P
which
r owillj bring
e cupt the F
P L
a gU eE N T
L. When
a u the
n Fc Lh Ue rE N T
L a u n appears
c h e change
r
the options to "Double Precision", and then click O Kas shown below.The Double Precision option is
used to select the double-precision solver. In the double-precision solver, each floating point number is represented using 64 bits in
contrast to the single-precision solver which uses 32 bits. The extra bits increase not only the precision, but also the range of
magnitudes that can be represented. The downside of using double precision is that it requires more memory.
https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Flat+Plate+Boundary+Layer+-+Setup+%28Physics%29
14 / 39
06-08-2012

Twiddle your thumbs a bit while the FLUENT interface starts up. This is where we'll specify the governing equations and boundary
conditions for our boundary-value problem. On the left-hand side of the FLUENT interface, we see various items listed under
P r o b l e m
. We will
S work
e t from
u ptop to bottom of the P r o b l e mitemsSto setup
e t uthepphysics of our boundary-value
problem. On the right hand side, we have the G r a p pane
h i and,
c s below that, the C o m m pane.
a n d
Check and Display Mesh

First, the mesh will be checked to verify that it has been properly imported from W o r k b. Ineorder
n ctohobtain the statistics about
the mesh ( C l i c k )
M e s ,has shown
> in
I the
n image
f o below.
>
S i z e
Then, you should obtain the following output in the C o m m pane.

a n d
The mesh that was created earlier has 3,000 elements(50 x 60). Note that in FLUENT elements are called cells. The output states
that there are 3,000 cells, which is a good sign. Next, FLUENT will be asked to check the mesh for errors. In order to carry out the
mesh checking procedure ( C l i c k )
M eassshown
h in> the image
C h ebelow.
c k
You should see no errors in the C o m m pane.

a n Now,
d that the mesh has been verified, the mesh display options will be discussed.
In order to bring up the display options ( C l i c k )
G e n e r a las shown
>
M
in the
e image
s h below.
>
D i s p l a y
15 / 39
The previous step should cause the M e s h

in the meshing steps now appear.
06-08-2012
Dwindow
i s pto lopen,
a yas shown below. Note that the N a m e d
S ecreated
l e c t i o

You should have all the surfaces shown in the above snapshot. Clicking on a surface name in the M e s h
Dmenu
i s will
p toggle
l a y
between select and unselect. Clicking D i s pwilll show
a y all the currently selected surface entities in the graphics pane. Unselect all
surfaces and then select each one in turn to see which part of the domain or boundary the particular surface entity corresponds to (you
will need to zoom in/out and translate the model as you do this). For instance, if you select f a r _ , if ni e,l and
el dp
t l aand
t then
e click
D i s pyou
l should
a y then obtain the following output in the graphics window.
Now, make sure all 5 items under S u r f are

a cselected.
e s The button next to S u r f selects
a c e allsof the boundaries while the
button deselects all of the boundaries at once. Once, all the 5 boundaries have been selected click D i s p, then
l aclose
y the M e s h
D i s pwindow.
l a yThe rectangle displayed in the graphics window corresponds to our solution domain. Some of the operations
available in the graphics window to interrogate the geometry and mesh are:
Translation: The model can be translated in any direction by holding down the L e f t
the desired direction.
Zoom In: Hold down the M i d d l e
M o and
u sdrag
e a box
B ufrom
t the
t oU np p e r
H a n d
Cover
o the
r narea
e you
r want to zoom in on.
Zoom Out: Hold down the M i d d l e
U p p e r
L e f t . H a n d
M o u and
s ethen B
moving
u t the
t omouse
n in
L e f t toHtheaL no dw eC r o rR n i eg rh t
M o and
u sdrag
e a box
B uanywhere
t t o from
n the L o w e r
C o r n e r
R i g h t to the
H a n d
16 / 39
C o
06-08-2012
Use these operations to zoom in and interrogate the mesh.
Define Solver Properties
In this section the various solver properties will be specified in order to obtain the proper solution for the flat plate boundary layer flow.
First, the Energy Model parameters will be specified. In order to open the Energy Model Options M o d e l s
>
E n e,r g y as shown in the following image.

For incompressible flow, the energy equation is decoupled from the continuity and momentum equations. We need to solve the
energy equation only if we are interested in determining the temperature distribution. We will not deal with temperature in this
example. So leave the E n e r g y
Esetqto off
u and
a t click
i oCn a n toc exit
e the
l menu. Next, the V i s c o u sparameters
M o dwille l
be specified. In order to open the Viscous Model Options M o d e l s
>
V i s c o u , sas shown
L
below.
a m i n a r
>

By default, the Viscous Model options are set to laminar, so no changes are needed. Click C a n toc exit
e the
l menu.
Define Material Properties

Now, the properties of the fluid that is being modeled will be specified. The properties of the fluid were specified in the Problem
Specification section. In order to create a new fluid ( C l i c k )
M a t e r i a l s as> shown
F in
l the
u iimage
d below.
>
C r e a t
17 / 39
06-08-2012

In the C r e a t e / E d menu
i t set
M the
a Dt ee rn i stoa1kg/m^3
i l t sy (constant) and set the V i s c oto 1e-4
s i kg/(ms)
t y (constant) as
shown in the image below.

Click C h a n g e ./Close
C r the
e window.
a t e
Define Boundary Conditions

At this point the boundary conditions for the four N a m e d
specified first.
S ewilll bee specified.

c t i o The
n boundary
s
condition for the i n lwille bet
Inlet Boundary Condition
In order to start the process ( C l i c k )
B o u n d a r y
C oasnshown
d i int the
i ofollowing
n s image.
>
i n l e t
>
18 / 39
E d
06-08-2012

Note that the B o u n d a r y
C oshould
n d have
i t been
i o automatically
n
T y pset
e to v e l o c i . tFLUENT
y - i guesses
n l e boundary
t
conditions based on the label of the named selections. Now, the velocity at the i n lwille bet specified. In the V e l o c i menu
t y
set the V e l o c i t y
S p e c toi Cf i o c ma pt o
i ,onand
neset
nM
the
t eX
s t- hV oe dl o c toi 1t m/s,
y as( shown
m / below.
s )
I n l e

Then, click O Kto close the V e l o c i menu.
t y
I n l e t
Outlet Boundary Condition
B o u n d a r y
C o as
n shown
d i t ini the
o image
n s below.
>
o u t l e t
>
E d i t . . .

19 / 39
06-08-2012
Note that the B o u n d a r y

C oshould
n d have
i t been
i o automatically
n
T y pset
e to p r e s s u r. For
e -theo outlet
u t boundary
l e t
condition the gauge pressure needs to be set to zero. The default gauge pressure is zero, thus no changes need to be made. Close
the P r e s s u r menu.
e - O u t l e t
Plate Boundary Condition
The B o u n d a r y
C oshould
n d have
i t been
i o automatically
n
T y pset
e to w a, as
l lshown in the image below.

If the B o u n d a r y
C ois nnotdseti tot wi oa, then
nl l set
T ityto pw ea. We
l l will use the default setting for the w a boundary
l l
condition, thus no changes are needed.
Far-Field Boundary Condition
For the far_field, set the B o u n d a r y
C oto ns dy imt m
i , oas
e nshown
t r T
y below.
y p e
20 / 39
06-08-2012

In the first dialog box click y e and
s in the second dialog box leave the name as is and click O K. The symmetry boundary conditions
sets the velocities normal to the boundary equal to zero.
At this point save your work in the FLUENT Window by clicking the save button,
Go to Step 5: Solution
21 / 39
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FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Solution

Labels: None

2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Setup (Physics)
5. Solution
6. Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises
Useful Information
Click here for the FLUENT 6.3.26 version.
Step 5: Solution
Second Order Scheme
A second-order discretization scheme will be used to approximate the solution. In order to implement the second order scheme click
on S o l u t i o n thenMclick
e on
t hM oo dms e nandt select
u mS e c o n d
O r as
d shown
e r inUthepimage
w i below.
n d
Set Convergence Criteria

https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Flat+Plate+Boundary+Layer+-+Solution
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06-08-2012
FLUENT reports a residual for each governing equation being solved. The residual is a measure of how well the current solution
satisfies the discrete form of each governing equation. We'll iterate the solution until the residual for each equation falls below 1e-6. In
order to specify the residual criteria ( C l i c k )
M o n i t o r s , as>shown
R inethes image
i d ubelow.
a l s
>
E d i t . . .

Next, change the residual under C o n v e r g e n cforec o Cn r t i i, txne-urv i i eto ly,and
no yc -i vt ye l, all
o toc1e-6,
i t as
y can be
seen below.

Lastly, click O Kto close the R e s i d u a l menu.
M o n i t o r s
Set Initial Guess

Here, the flow field will be initialized to the values at the inlet. That is, the initial values of all the cells will be set to 1 m/s and 0 Pa for x
velocity and gauge pressure respectively. In order to carry out the initialization click on S o l u t i o n
I then
n iclick
t iona l i z a t i
C o m p u t and
e select
f r i on mlaseshown
t
below.
23 / 39
06-08-2012

Then, click the I n i t ibutton,
a l i z e . This completes the initialization process.
Alternately, you could set the G a u g e
P tor 0 eands set

s the
u Xr e V e l too1 m/s
c i ast shown
y
below.
Then, you would need to press the I n i t ibutton

a l toi apply
z e the specified initial values to all the cells. Either method will give you the
same results.
Iterate Until Convergence

Prior, to running the calculation the maximum number of iterations must be set. To specify the maximum number of iterations click on
R u n
C a l then
c usetl the
a N
t i uo mn b e r
o f to 1000,
I t eas rshown
a t ini the
o image
n s below.

As a safeguard save the project now. Now, click on C a l c utwol times
a t ein order to run the calculation. The residuals for each
iteration are printed out as well as plotted in the graphics window as they are calculated. After running the calculation, you should
obtain the following residual plot.
24 / 39
06-08-2012

The residuals fall below the specified convergence criterion of 1e-6 in about 557 iterations, as shown below. Actual number of
convergence steps may vary slightly.
At this point, save the project once again.

Go to Step 6: Results
25 / 39
FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Results - Simulation - Confluence
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FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Results

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2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Setup (Physics)
5. Solution
6. Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises
Useful Information
Click here for the FLUENT 6.3 version.
Step 6: Results
Velocity Vectors
One can plot vectors in the entire domain, or on selected surfaces. Here, the vectors will be plotted for the entire domain. First, click
on G r a p h i c s
& . Next,
A ndouble
i m click
a toni Vo en cs twhich
o r isslocated under G r a p . Then,
h i cclick
s on D i s pin lthea y
V e c tmenu.
o r You
s should obtain, the following output.

You can use the wheel button of the mouse to zoom into the region that closely surrounds the plate, to get a better view of the
boundary layer velocities.
https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Flat+Plate+Boundary+Layer+-+Results
26 / 39
06-08-2012
Outlet Velocity Profile

In this section we will first plot the variation of the x component of the velocity along the outlet. Then we will plot the Blasius solution to
see how the numerical solution compares. In order to start the process ( C l i c k )
R e s u l t s
>
P l aso t s
shown below.
>

In the S o l u t i o nmenuXmake
Y sure
P lthat
o Pt o s i t i o n is oselected
n
Y, andAX isx set
i sto 0 and Y is set to 1. This tells
FLUENT to plot the y-coordinate value on the ordinate of the graph. Next, select V e l o cfori the
t first
y . box
. .underneath X
A x i s
F u n c and
t i select
o nX
V e l foro the
c second
i t y box. Please note that X
A x i s
FanduY n cA t x i i o s n Fdescribe
u n cthet x i o n
and y axes of the g r a, which
p h should not be confused with the x and y directions of the geometry. Finally, select o u t under
l e t
S u r f since
a c we
e sare plotting the x component of the velocity along the o u t. This
l e finishes
t
setting up the plotting parameters.
Your S o l u t i o nmenuXshould
Y look
P l exactly
o t the same as the following image.
27 / 39
06-08-2012
Now, click P l . oThet plot of the x component of the velocity as a function of distance along the o u t now
l eappears.
t

In order to increase the legibility of the graph, we will plot the data as a line rather than points. To turn on the line feature, click on
C u r v ine the
s S. .o . l u t i o nmenu.
X Then,
Y set
P Pl oa tt ttoe- r- , set
-n - the W e i to
g 2hand
t select nothing for S y m , bas o l
shown below.

Next, click A p pin lthey C u r v e s
S o menu.
l u t Next,
i o close
n the
X CY u Pr vl oe ts
S o menu.
l u t i o n
X Y
Now, the range of the y axis will be truncated, as we are not interested in far field velocity. Furthermore, the grid lines will be turned on.
In order to implement these two changes. First click A x ein the
s S o l u t i o nmenu.
X Next,
Y select
P l Yo fort A x , ideselect
s
A u t o
R a n, select
g e M a j o r , select
R u Ml ie ns o r . Then,
R usetl Me si n i m
to 0uand
mset M a x i m
to 0.12.
u mYour A x e s
S o l u t i o nmenu,
X should
Y
Plookl exactly
o t like the image below.

Then, click A p pin lthey A x e s
as shown below.
S o l umenu.
t i Now,
o n select
X XY for AP xl and
oi st select M a j o r and
R Mu il ne os r , R u l

28 / 39
06-08-2012
Next, click A p pin lthey A x e s

S o l umenu.
t i Close
o n theXA Yx e Ps l o- t S o l umenu.
t i Now,
o n clickXP Yl in
o Pthe
t l o t
S o l u t i o nmenu.
X You
Y should
P l obtain
o t the following output.

It is of interest to compare the numerical velocity profile to the velocity profile obtained from the Blasius solution. In order to plot the
theoretical results, first click here to download the necessary file. Save the file to your working directory. Next, go to the S o l u t i o n
X Y
Pmenu
l oand
t click L o a d and
F iselect
l e the
. .file. that you just downloaded, B l a s i u. Lastly,
s U click
. x Py l in
o the
t
S o l u t i o nmenu.
X You
Y should
P l then
o tobtain the following figure.

Lastly, select W r i t e located
t o under
F i Ol ep t i inothen Ss o l u t i o nmenu.
X Then,
Y click
P l Wo rt i .t When
e . prompted
. .
for a
filename, enter X V e l O uand
t save
l e the
t . file
x in
y your working directory.
Mid-Section Velocity Profile

Here, we will plot the variation of the x component of the velocity along a vertical line in the middle of the geometry. In order to create
the profile, we must first create a vertical line at x=0.5m, using the L i n e / tool.
R aFirst,
k (e C l i c k )
S u r f aasc e
shown in the following image.
<

We'll create a straight vertical line from (x0,y0)=(0.5,0) to (x1,y1)=(0.5,0.5). Select L i n e under
T oO op l t i. Enter
o n xs =00.5,
y =00,x =10.5, y =10.5. Enter line1 under N e w
S u r f . aYour
c Le i nN ea / mR ea k menu
e
S
should
u rlook
f aexactly
c e like the
following image.
29 / 39
06-08-2012
Next, click C r e . aNow,

t ethat the vertical line has been created we can proceed to the plotting. Click on P l o, then
t sdouble click X Y
P l to
o open
t
the S o l u t i o nmenu.
X InYthe SP ol lo ut t i o nmenu,
X use
Y thePsettings
l o tthat were used from the section
above, except select l i n under
e 1 S u r f and
a cdeselect
e s any other geometry sections. Make sure that W r i t e ist not
o
F i l e
selected, then click P l . oYout should obtain the following output.

Then, return to the S o l u t i o nmenuXand
Y select
P both
l o l t i n and
e o1 u t under
l e St u r f .aNext,
c eclick
s P l and
o t you should
obtain the following figure.

Once again, return to the S o l u t i o nmenu,
X select
Y W
P rl oi tt e , then
t oclickFW i rl ie .t When
e . prompted
. .
for a filename, enter
X V e l P rand
o save
f s the
. xfileyin your working directory.
Pressure Coefficients
In this section we will create contour plots for the pressure coefficients. Before we begin, we must first set the reference values for
velocity. In order to do so, first click on R e f e r e n cthen
e setVC a ol m
u p
e u
s t toei n f ,l as
r e shown
ot m below.
30 / 39
06-08-2012
Next, click on G r a p h i c s
a n , then
d double
A n click
i m on
a Ct o
i on nt ,soas ushown
r s below.

In the C o n t menu,
o u rsetsC o n t o to
u Pr rs e os sf and
u set
r ethe. box
. . below to P r e s s u r e
and set L e v toe 90.
l sYour C o n t menu
o u should
r s look exactly like the following image.
.C
Next,
o select
e f fF i i cl il ee nd t

Lastly, click D i s pin lthea Cy o n t menu
o u to
r generate
s
the contour plot. You should obtain the following output.
31 / 39
06-08-2012

You can then zoom in to the leading edge of the plate with the wheel mouse button as shown below.
Skin Friction Coefficient

Here, the skin friction coefficient will be plotted as a function of distance along the plate. First, click on P l o, then
t sdouble click on
X Y
P. In ltheoS t o l u t i o nmenuXdeselect
Y
PWl ro i t t e , select
t o P Fo i sl ie t i o n , set
o Xnto 1 Xand set
A Yx toi 0.sThen,
set the box located underneath Y A x i s
Fto W
u na cl lt i Foandlnset
u the
x eboxs below to S k i n
F r i c t i .oNext,
n
C o e
select p l aunder
t e S u r f and
a cdeselect
e s any other geometry features. At this point your S o l u t i o nmenuXshould
Y look
P l o t
the same as the following image.

Make sure that for both the x and y axes, that A u t o
Ris selected.
a n g Remember,
e
that you must click A p pto limplement
y
the
changes you make. Then, click P l in
o the
t S o l u t i o nmenuXand
Y youPshould
l o obtain
t
the following output.

32 / 39
06-08-2012
It is of interest to compare the numerical skin friction coefficient profile to the skin friction coefficient profile obtained from the Blasius
solution. In order to plot the theoretical results, first click here to download the necessary file. Save the file to your working directory.
Next, go to the S o l u t i o nmenuXand
Y clickP L l oo at d and
F iselect
l e the
. .file. that you just downloaded, B l a s i u s. S k i n .
Lastly, click P l in
o the
t S o l u t i o nmenu.
X You
Y should
P l then
o tobtain the following figure.

Lastly, select W r i t e located
t o under
F i Ol ep t i inothen Ss o l u t i o nmenu.
X Then,
Y click
P l Wo rt i .t When
e . prompted
. .
for a
filename, enter S k i n F r i and
c save
t i othenfile. inx your
y working directory.
Drag
Now, we will obtain the drag on the plate. First, click on R e p then
o rclick
t on R e s u l t
R, aseshown
p o inr the
t following
s . . . image.

Next, double click on F o r and
c e click
s P r iinnthet F o r c e
command pane.
Rmenu.
e pYou
o should
r t sthen obtain the following output in the

As one can see from the data above, the plate experiences a drag of approximately 0.008377 Newtons. Furthermore, the data states
that the drag coefficient is approximately 0.01675. The drag coefficient is defined by the following equation.
In the case here, the density, viscosity and area all have values of 1. Thus, the equation above reduces to the following equation.
The results from ANSYS FLUENT agree with the theory here since the drag coefficient is approximately twice the value of the drag.
Now, save your work in the FLUENT window, then close the FLUENT window.
Go to Step 7: Verification & Validation
33 / 39
06-08-2012
34 / 39
FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Verification & Validation - Simulation - Confluence
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FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Verification & Validation

Added by John Matthew Singleton Jr , last edited by Benjamin J Mullen on Apr 27, 2011 18:06
Labels: None

2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Setup (Physics)
5. Solution
6. Results

Exercises
Step 7: Verification & Validation

It is v e r y
i mthat
p you
o rtake
t the
a ntime
t to check the validity of your solution. This section leads you through some of the steps
you can take to validate your solution.
Refine Mesh
Let's repeat the solution on a finer mesh. For the finer mesh, we will increase the total number of elements(cells) by a factor of four. In
order to accomplish this, we double the number of divisions on each section. Instead of modifying the project that was just created,
we will duplicate it and modify the duplicate. In the W o r k b e n c h
P
rightr click
o j one Mc et sthen
Ph click
a g De u p l as
i c a t e
shown below.

Rename the duplicate project to F l a t P l a t .eYou should
( m ehave
s hthe following
2 ) two projects in your W o r k b e n c h
P a .g e
35 / 39
P r
06-08-2012
Next, double click on the M e scellhof the F l a t P l a t eproject.

( m
A new
e sANSYS
h
2Mesher
)
window will open. Under O u t ,l i n e
expand M e sandh click on E d g e .SUnder
i z Details
i n gof "Edge Sizing", enter 100 for N u m b e r
o f. NextDseti the
v i s i o n
number of divisions for E d g e
S and
i zE i dn gg e 2 S toi 120.
z i Then,
n g click3U p d to
a create
t e the new mesh. The new mesh
should now have 12000 elements (100 x 1200). A quick glance of the mesh statistics reveals that there is indeed 12000 elements.
Compute the Solution

Close the ANSYS Mesher to go back to the W o r k b e n c h
( F L U EandNclick
T on
) U p d , aas tshown
e below.
.PUnder
r oF j l e a c t t P lP a a t g,eright
e (click
m on
e Fs lh u i2 d)
F l o
Now, wait a few minutes for FLUENT to obtain the solution for the refined mesh. After FLUENT obtains the solution, save your project.
Convergence
In order to launch FLUENT double click on the S o l u oft the
i o"Laminar
n
Pipe Flow (mesh 2)" project in the W o r k b e n c h
P a .gThe
e new mesh has significantly more cells, thus it is likely that the solution did not converge to the tolerances we have
previously set. Therefore, we will iterate the solution further, to make sure that the solution converges. In order to do so click on R u n
C a l c u , lseta Nt ui om nb e r
o f to 1000
I t and
e rclick
a tC i ao l nc s,uasl shown
a t below.
e

Once you rerun the calculation, you will quickly see that the solution did not converge for the finer mesh within 1000 iterations. The
36 / 39
06-08-2012
solution should converge by the 1784th iteration as shown below.
Outlet Velocity Profile

Now, the variation of the x component of the velocity will be plotted with the results of the original mesh to determine whether the
solution is mesh converged. Set up a plot for the variation of the x component of the velocity along the outlet as was done in the
solution section. Then load the X V e l O ufilet into
l ethet plot
. xand
y generate the plot. You should obtain the following image.

As one can see from the image above, the numerical solution does not vary much at all between the two meshes. Thus, it has been
confirmed that the solution is mesh converged.
Go to Exercises
Return To Problem Specification
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FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Exercises - Simulation - Confluence
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FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Exercises

Added by John Matthew Singleton Jr , last edited by Benjamin J Mullen on Apr 27, 2011 18:06
Labels: None

2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Setup (Physics)
5. Solution
6. Results
Exercises
Under Construction!!!!!
Exercises
Simulate the laminar boundary layer over a at plate using FLUENT for a Reynolds number
where
Change the value of the coefficient of viscosity from the tutorial example to get
, keeping all other parameters the same.
After changing the coefficient of viscosity rerun the solver for the mesh that was created in Step 3.
Exercise 1
While developing boundary-layer theory, Prandtl made the following key arguments about the boundary-layer ow to simplify the
Navier-Stokes equations:
i.
ii. Steamwise velocity gradients Transverse velocity gradients; for instance,
Since we are solving the Navier-Stokes equations, we can use the FLUENT solution to check the validity of the above two essential
features of boundary layers. Consider the solution at x = 0.5 and x = 0.7 and make plots of appropriate proles to check the validity of
these two features. Make one gure to illustrate each feature. Choose the upper limit of your abscissa (vertical axis) such that you can
clearly see the variation within the boundary layer (the ow outside the boundary layer is not very interesting in this case).
https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Flat+Plate+Boundary+Layer+-+Exercises
38 / 39
FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Exercises - Simulation - Confluence
06-08-2012
Exercise 2
For the FLUENT solution, plot the u-velocity proles (y vs. u) at x=0.5, 0.7, and 0.9 in the same gure. Briey comment on the change
in the velocity prole with x.
Exercise 3
Prandtl's student Blasius deduced that the velocity proles in a at plate boundary layer obey the similarity principle i.e. if rescaled
accordingly, they should collapse to a single curve. Re-plot the proles from exercise 2 in terms of the Blasius variables
in a different gure. Also plot the corresponding values from the Blasius solution in this gure. How well does the
FLUENT solution obey the similarity principle?
Return To Problem Specification
https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/FLUENT+-+Flat+Plate+Boundary+Layer+-+Exercises
39 / 39

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FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Problem Specification - Simulation - Confluence

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Problem Specification

Author: John Singleton and Rajesh Bhaskaran, Cornell University

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Pre-Analysis & Start-Up

Author: John Singleton and Rajesh Bhaskaran, Cornell University

1. Pre-Analysis and Start-Up

Step 1: Pre-Analysis and Start-Up

Start ANSYS FLUENT

The following figure shows the workbench window.

Higher Resolution Image

Management of Screen Real Estate

Click Here for Higher Resolution

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Geometry - Simulation - Confluence

Simulation > > FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Geometry

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Geometry

Author: John Singleton and Rajesh Bhaskaran, Cornell University

Fluid Flow(FLUENT) Project Selection

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Geometry - Simulation - Confluence

Launch Design Modeler

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Geometry - Simulation - Confluence

Start by creating a sketch on the X Y P l. Under

Click on the + Zaxis on the bottom right corner of the G r a p window

In the Sketching toolboxes, select R e c t a. InnthegG l re a p window,

Click Here for Higher Resolution

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Surface Body Creation

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Geometry - Simulation - Confluence

This will create a new surface S u r f a c. Under

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Mesh - Simulation - Confluence

Simulation > > FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Mesh

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Mesh

Author: John Singleton and Rajesh Bhaskaran, Cornell University

You should then obtain the following mesh.

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Mesh - Simulation - Confluence

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Mapped Face Meshing

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Click Here For Higher Resolution

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Mesh - Simulation - Confluence

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Next, set the B e h a tov Hi ao as

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Mesh - Simulation - Confluence

Click Here For Higher Resolution

Make sure that you also have 3,000 elements.

Edge Sizing Biasing

Next, set the B i a s

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Mesh - Simulation - Confluence

Then, set the B i a s

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Create Named Selections

Click Here For Higher Resolution

In order to create a named selection first ( C l i c k )

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Mesh - Simulation - Confluence

Select the left edge and right click and select C r e a t e

Save, Exit & Update

Go to Step 4: Setup (Physics)

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Setup (Physics) - Simulation - Confluence

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Setup (Physics)

Author: John Singleton and Rajesh Bhaskaran, Cornell University

Step 4: Setup (Physics)

The question mark to the right of right of the S e t cell

FLUENT - Flat Plate Boundary Layer - Setup (Physics) - Simulation - Confluence