Tutorial 1.

Introduction to Using ANSYS FLUENT: Fluid

Flow and Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow

Introduction
This tutorial illustrates the setup and solution of a three-dimensional turbulent fluid
flow and heat transfer problem in a mixing elbow. The mixing elbow configuration
is encountered in piping systems in power plants and process industries. It is often
important to predict the flow field and temperature field in the area of the mixing region
in order to properly design the junction.
This tutorial demonstrates how to do the following:

• Launch ANSYS FLUENT.

• Read an existing mesh file into ANSYS FLUENT.

• Use mixed units to define the geometry and fluid properties.

• Set material properties and boundary conditions for a turbulent forced convection
problem.

• Initiate the calculation with residual plotting.

• Calculate a solution using the pressure-based solver.

• Visually examine the flow and temperature fields using the postprocessing tools
available in ANSYS FLUENT.

• Enable the second-order discretization scheme for improved prediction of the tem-
perature field.

• Adapt the mesh based on the temperature gradient to further improve the predic-
tion of the temperature field.

Prerequisites
This tutorial assumes that you have little or no experience with ANSYS FLUENT, and
so each step will be explicitly described.

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Problem Description
The problem to be considered is shown schematically in Figure 1.1. A cold fluid at 20◦ C
flows into the pipe through a large inlet, and mixes with a warmer fluid at 40◦ C that
enters through a smaller inlet located at the elbow. The pipe dimensions are in inches,
and the fluid properties and boundary conditions are given in SI units. The Reynolds
number for the flow at the larger inlet is 50,800, so a turbulent flow model will be required.

Note: Since the geometry of the mixing elbow is symmetric, only half of the elbow needs
to be modeled in ANSYS FLUENT.

Density: ρ = 1000 kg/m3

Viscosity: µ = 8 x 10 −4 Pa−s
Conductivity: k = 0.677 W/m−K
Specific Heat: Cp = 4216 J/kg−K 8"

4"

Ux = 0.4 m/s
1"
T = 20oC 4" Dia.
I = 5%
3"
1" Dia.
8"
Uy = 1.2 m/s
T = 40oC
I = 5%

Figure 1.1: Problem Specification

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Setup and Solution

Preparation
1. Download introduction.zip from the User Services Center to your working folder.
This file can be found by using the Documentation link on the ANSYS FLUENT
product page.
2. Unzip introduction.zip.
The file elbow.msh can be found in the introduction folder created after unzipping
the file. Solution files created during the preparation of the tutorial are provided in
a solution files folder.

Note: ANSYS FLUENT tutorials are prepared using ANSYS FLUENT on a Windows sys-
tem. The screen shots and graphic images in the tutorials may be slightly different
than the appearance on your system, depending on the operating system or graphics
card.

Step 1: Launching ANSYS FLUENT

1. Click the ANSYS FLUENT icon ( ) in the ANSYS program group to open FLU-
ENT Launcher.
ANSYS FLUENT Launcher allows you to decide which version of ANSYS FLUENT
you will use, based on your geometry and on your processing capabilities.

2. Ensure that the proper options are enabled.

FLUENT Launcher retains settings from the previous session.

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(a) Select 3D from the Dimension list by clicking the radio button or the text, so
that a green dot appears in the radio button.
(b) Select Serial from the Processing Options list.
(c) Make sure that the Display Mesh After Reading, Embed Graphics Windows, and
Workbench Color Scheme options are enabled.
Note: An option is enabled when there is a check mark in the check box, and
disabled when the check box is empty. To change an option from disabled
to enabled (or vice versa), click the check box or the text.
(d) Make sure that the Double-Precision option is disabled.
Extra: You can also restore the default settings by clicking the Default button.

3. Set the working path to the folder created when you unzipped introduction.zip.
(a) Click the Show More >> button.
(b) Enter the path to your working folder for Working Directory by double-clicking
the text box and typing.

Alternatively, you can click the browse button ( ) next to the Working
Directory text box and browse to the folder, using the Browse For Folder dialog
box.

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4. Click OK to launch ANSYS FLUENT.

Step 2: Mesh
1. Read the mesh file elbow.msh.
File −→ Read −→Mesh...
Select Read from the File menu, then select Mesh... to open the Select File dialog
box.

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(a) Select the mesh file by clicking elbow.msh in the introduction folder created
when you unzipped the original file.
(b) Click OK to read the file and close the Select File dialog box.
As the mesh file is read by ANSYS FLUENT, messages will appear in the console
reporting the progress of the conversion. ANSYS FLUENT will report that 13,852
hexahedral fluid cells have been read, along with a number of boundary faces with
different zone identifiers.
Note: The mesh is displayed in the graphics window by default.
Extra: You can use the mouse to probe for mesh information in the graphics win-
dow. If you click the right mouse button with the pointer on any node in the
mesh, information about the associated zone will be displayed in the console,
including the name of the zone.

Alternatively, you can click the probe button ( ) in the graphics toolbar and
click the left mouse button on any node. This feature is especially useful when
you have several zones of the same type and you want to distinguish between
them quickly.
For this 3D problem, you can make it easier to probe particular nodes by chang-
ing the view. You can perform any of the actions described in the following
table:

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Table 1.1: View Manipulation Instructions

Action Using Default Mouse But- Using Graphics Toolbar Buttons
ton Settings
Rotate view Press the left mouse button After clicking , press the left mouse but-
(vertical, and drag the mouse. Release ton and drag the mouse. Dragging side to
horizontal) the mouse button when the side rotates the view about the vertical axis,
viewing angle is satisfactory. and up and down rotates the view about the
horizontal axis.

Roll view (not applicable) After clicking , press the left mouse but-
(clock- ton and drag the mouse side to side to roll the
wise, coun- view clockwise and counterclockwise.
terclock-
wise)

Translate Press the middle mouse but- After clicking , press the left mouse but-
view ton once at any point in the ton and drag the mouse until the view is sat-
display to center the view at isfactory.
that point.

Zoom in on Press the middle mouse but- After clicking , press the left mouse but-
view ton and drag the mouse to the ton and drag the mouse to the right and up
right and either up or down. or down. This action will cause a rectangle to
This action will cause a rect- appear in the display. When you release the
angle to appear in the display. mouse button, a new view will be displayed
When you release the mouse which consists entirely of the contents of the
button, a new view will be dis- rectangle.
played which consists entirely Alternatively, after clicking , press the
of the contents of the rectan- left mouse button and drag the mouse up.
gle.

Zoom out Press the middle mouse but- After clicking , press the left mouse but-
from view ton and drag the mouse to the ton and drag the mouse to the left and up or
right and either up or down. down. This action will cause a rectangle to
This action will cause a rect- appear in the display. When you release the
angle to appear in the display. mouse button, the magnification of the view
When you release the mouse will be reduced by an amount that is inversely
button, a new view will be dis- proportional to the size of the rectangle. The
new view will be centered at the center of the
played which consists entirely
rectangle.
of the contents of the rectan-
gle. Alternatively, after clicking , press the
left mouse button and drag the mouse up.

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Note: After you have clicked a button in the graphics toolbar, you can return to
the default mouse button settings by clicking .
2. Manipulate the mesh display to obtain a front view as shown in Figure 1.2.
Graphics and Animations −→ Views...
Select Graphics and Animations in the navigation pane, then click Views... in the
Graphics and Animations task page.

(a) Select front from the Views selection list.

Note: A list item is selected if it is highlighted, and deselected if it is not
highlighted.
(b) Click Apply and close the Views dialog box.

Figure 1.2: The Hexahedral Mesh for the Mixing Elbow

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Step 3: General Settings

Select General in the navigation pane to perform the mesh-related activities and to choose
a solver.
General

1. Check the mesh.

General −→ Check
ANSYS FLUENT will report the results of the mesh check in the console.

Mesh Check

Domain Extents:
x-coordinate: min (m) = -8.000000e+000, max (m) = 8.000000e+000
y-coordinate: min (m) = -9.134633e+000, max (m) = 8.000000e+000
z-coordinate: min (m) = 0.000000e+000, max (m) = 2.000000e+000
Volume statistics:
minimum volume (m3): 5.098261e-004
maximum volume (m3): 2.330738e-002
total volume (m3): 1.607154e+002
Face area statistics:
minimum face area (m2): 4.865882e-003
maximum face area (m2): 1.017924e-001
Checking number of nodes per cell.
Checking number of faces per cell.

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Checking thread pointers.

Checking number of cells per face.
Checking face cells.
Checking cell connectivity.
Checking bridge faces.
Checking right-handed cells.
Checking face handedness.
Checking face node order.
Checking element type consistency.
Checking boundary types:
Checking face pairs.
Checking periodic boundaries.
Checking node count.
Checking nosolve cell count.
Checking nosolve face count.
Checking face children.
Checking cell children.
Checking storage.
Done.

Note: The minimum and maximum values may vary slightly when running on
different platforms. The mesh check will list the minimum and maximum x
and y values from the mesh in the default SI unit of meters. It will also report
a number of other mesh features that are checked. Any errors in the mesh will
be reported at this time. Ensure that the minimum volume is not negative,
since ANSYS FLUENT cannot begin a calculation when this is the case.
2. Scale the mesh.
General −→ Scale...

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(a) Make sure that Convert Units is selected in the Scaling group box.
(b) Select in from the Mesh Was Created In drop-down list by first clicking the
down-arrow button and then clicking the in item from the list that appears.
(c) Click Scale to scale the mesh.

! Be sure to click the Scale button only once.

Domain Extents will continue to be reported in the default SI unit of meters.

(d) Select in from the View Length Unit In drop-down list to set inches as the
working unit for length.
(e) Confirm that the domain extents are as shown in the previous dialog box.
(f) Close the Scale Mesh dialog box.
The mesh is now sized correctly and the working unit for length has been set to
inches.
Note: Because the default SI units will be used for everything except length, there
is no need to change any other units in this problem. The choice of inches for
the unit of length has been made by the actions you have just taken. If you
want a different working unit for length, other than inches (e.g., millimeters),
click Units... in the General task page and make the appropriate change, in the
Set Units dialog box.

3. Check the mesh.

General −→ Check
Note: It is a good idea to check the mesh after you manipulate it (i.e., scale,
convert to polyhedra, merge, separate, fuse, add zones, or smooth and swap).
This will ensure that the quality of the mesh has not been compromised.

4. Retain the default settings in the Solver group box of the General task page.

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Step 4: Models
Models

1. Enable heat transfer by activating the energy equation.

Models −→ Energy −→ Edit...

(a) Enable the Energy Equation option.

(b) Click OK to close the Energy dialog box.

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2. Enable the k- turbulence model.

Models −→ Viscous −→ Edit...

(a) Select k-epsilon from the Model list.

The Viscous Model dialog box will expand.
(b) Select Realizable from the k-epsilon Model list.
(c) Click OK to accept the model and close the Viscous Model dialog box.

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Step 5: Materials
Materials

1. Create a new material called water.

Materials −→ Fluid −→ Create/Edit...

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(a) Enter water for Name.

(b) Enter the following values in the Properties group box:
Property Value
Density 1000 kg/m3
cp 4216 J/kg − K
Thermal Conductivity 0.677 W/m − K
Viscosity 8e-04 kg/m − s
(c) Click Change/Create.
A Question dialog box will open, asking if you want to overwrite air. Click No
so that the new material water is added to the list of materials which originally
contained only air.

Extra: You could have copied the material water-liquid (h2o<l>) from the
materials database (accessed by clicking the FLUENT Database... button).
If the properties in the database are different from those you wish to use,
you can edit the values in the Properties group box in the Create/Edit
Materials dialog box and click Change/Create to update your local copy.
The original copy will not be affected.
(d) Make sure that there are now two materials (water and air) defined locally by
examining the FLUENT Fluid Materials drop-down list.
Both the materials will also be listed under Fluid in the Materials task page.
(e) Close the Create/Edit Materials dialog box.

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Step 6: Cell Zone Conditions

Cell Zone Conditions

1. Set the cell zone conditions for the fluid zone (fluid).
Cell Zone Conditions −→ fluid −→ Edit...

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(a) Select water from the Material Name drop-down list.

(b) Click OK to close the Fluid dialog box.

Step 7: Boundary Conditions

Boundary Conditions

1. Set the boundary conditions at the cold inlet (velocity-inlet-5).

Boundary Conditions −→ velocity-inlet-5 −→ Edit...
Hint: If you are unsure of which inlet zone corresponds to the cold inlet, you can
probe the mesh display using the right mouse button or the probe toolbar button
( ) as described in a previous step. The information will be displayed in
the ANSYS FLUENT console, and the zone you probed will be automatically
selected from the Zone selection list in the Boundary Conditions task page.

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(a) Select Components from the Velocity Specification Method drop-down list.
The Velocity Inlet dialog box will expand.
(b) Enter 0.4 m/s for X-Velocity.
(c) Retain the default value of 0 m/s for both Y-Velocity and Z-Velocity.
(d) Select Intensity and Hydraulic Diameter from the Specification Method drop-
down list in the Turbulence group box.
(e) Enter 5% for Turbulent Intensity.
(f) Enter 4 inches for Hydraulic Diameter.
The hydraulic diameter Dh is defined as:
4A
Dh =
Pw
where A is the cross-sectional area and Pw is the wetted perimeter.
(g) Click the Thermal tab.

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(h) Enter 293.15 K for Temperature.

(i) Click OK to close the Velocity Inlet dialog box.

2. In a similar manner, set the boundary conditions at the hot inlet (velocity-inlet-6),
using the values in the following table:
Boundary Conditions −→ velocity-inlet-6 −→ Edit...

Velocity Specification Method Components

X-Velocity 0 m/s
Y-Velocity 1.2 m/s
Z-Velocity 0 m/s
Specification Method Intensity & Hydraulic Diameter
Turbulent Intensity 5%
Hydraulic Diameter 1 inch
Temperature 313.15 K

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3. Set the boundary conditions at the outlet (pressure-outlet-7), as shown in the Pres-
sure Outlet dialog box.
Boundary Conditions −→ pressure-outlet-7 −→ Edit...

Note: ANSYS FLUENT will use the backflow conditions only if the fluid is flowing
into the computational domain through the outlet. Since backflow might occur
at some point during the solution procedure, you should set reasonable backflow
conditions to prevent convergence from being adversely affected.
4. For the wall of the pipe (wall), retain the default value of 0 W/m2 for Heat Flux in
the Thermal tab.
Boundary Conditions −→ wall −→ Edit...

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Step 8: Solution
In the steps that follow, you will set up and run the calculation using the task pages listed
under the Solution heading in the navigation pane.

1. Enable the plotting of residuals during the calculation.

Monitors −→ Residuals −→ Edit...

(a) Make sure that Plot is enabled in the Options group box.
(b) Enter 1e-05 for the Absolute Criteria of continuity, as shown in the Residual
Monitor dialog box.
(c) Click OK to close the Residual Monitors dialog box.
Note: By default, all variables will be monitored and checked by ANSYS FLUENT
as a means to determine the convergence of the solution. It is a good practice
to also define a surface monitor that can help evaluate whether the solution is
truly converged. You will do this in the next step.

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2. Define a surface monitor at the outlet (pressure-outlet-7).

Monitors −→ Create... (Surface Monitors)

(a) Retain the default entry of surf-mon-1 for the Name of the surface monitor.
(b) Enable the Plot and Write options for surf-mon-1.
(c) Retain the default entry of surf-mon-1.out for File Name.
(d) Set Get Data Every to 3 by clicking the up-arrow button.
This setting instructs ANSYS FLUENT to update the plot of the surface monitor
and write data to a file after every 3 iterations during the solution.
(e) Select Mass-Weighted Average from the Report Type drop-down list.
(f) Select Temperature... and Static Temperature from the Field Variable drop-down
lists.
(g) Select pressure-outlet-7 from the Surfaces selection list.
(h) Click OK to save the surface monitor settings and close the Surface Monitor
dialog box.
The name and report type of the surface monitor you created will be displayed in
the Surface Monitors selection list in the Monitors task page.

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3. Initialize the flow field, using the boundary conditions settings at the cold inlet
(velocity-inlet-5) as a starting point.
Solution Initialization

(a) Select velocity-inlet-5 from the Compute from drop-down list.

(b) Enter 1.2 m/s for Y Velocity in the Initial Values group box.
Note: While an initial X Velocity is an appropriate guess for the horizontal
section, the addition of a Y Velocity component will give rise to a better
initial guess throughout the entire elbow.
(c) Click Initialize.

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4. Check to see if the case conforms to best practices.

Run Calculation −→ Check Case

(a) Click the Solver tab and examine the Recommendation in the Manual Imple-
mentation group box.
The only recommendation for this case file is to use discretization of a higher
order. This recommendation can be ignored for the time being, as it will be
performed in a later step.
(b) Close the Case Check dialog box.
5. Save the case file (elbow1.cas.gz).
File −→ Write −→Case...

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(a) (optional) Indicate the folder in which you would like the file to be saved.
By default, the file will be saved in the folder from which you read in elbow.msh
(i.e., the introduction folder). You can indicate a different folder by brows-
ing to it or by creating a new folder.
(b) Enter elbow1.cas.gz for Case File.
Adding the extension .gz to the end of the file name extension instructs ANSYS
FLUENT to save the file in a compressed format. You do not have to include
.cas in the extension (e.g., if you enter elbow1.gz, ANSYS FLUENT will
automatically save the file as elbow1.cas.gz). The .gz extension can also be
used to save data files in a compressed format.
(c) Make sure that the default Write Binary Files option is enabled, so that a binary
file will be written.
(d) Click OK to save the case file and close the Select File dialog box.

6. Start the calculation by requesting 150 iterations.

Run Calculation

(a) Enter 150 for Number of Iterations.

(b) Click Calculate.
Note: By starting the calculation, you are also starting to save the surface
monitor data at the rate specified in the Surface monitors dialog box. If a
file already exists in your working folder with the name you specified in
the Define Surface Monitor dialog box, then a Question dialog box will open,
asking if you would like to append the new data to the existing file. Click
No in the Question dialog box, and then click OK in the Warning dialog box
that follows to overwrite the existing file.

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Figure 1.3: Convergence History of the Mass-Weighted Average Temperature

Note: The solution will be stopped by ANSYS FLUENT after approximately

140 iterations, when the residuals reach their specified values. The ex-
act number of iterations will vary, depending on the platform being used.
An Information dialog box will open to alert you that the calculation is
complete. Click OK in the Information dialog box to proceed.
Since the residual values vary slightly by platform, the plot that appears
on your screen may not be exactly the same as the one shown here.
As the calculation progresses, the residuals will be plotted in the graphics win-
dow (Figure 1.4).

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You can display the residuals history (Figure 1.4), by selecting it from the
graphics window drop-down list.

Residuals
continuity
x-velocity
y-velocity
z-velocity 1e+01
energy
k
epsilon
1e+00

1e-01

1e-02

1e-03

1e-04

1e-05

1e-06

1e-07
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Iterations

Scaled Residuals
FLUENT 12.0 (3d, pbns, rke)

Figure 1.4: Residuals for the First 140 Iterations

7. Examine the plots for convergence (Figures 1.4 and 1.3).

Note: There are no universal metrics for judging convergence. Residual definitions
that are useful for one class of problem are sometimes misleading for other
classes of problems. Therefore it is a good idea to judge convergence not only by
examining residual levels, but also by monitoring relevant integrated quantities
and checking for mass and energy balances.
There are three indicators that convergence has been reached:
• The residuals have decreased to a sufficient degree.
The solution has converged when the Convergence Criterion for each vari-
able has been reached. The default criterion is that each residual will be
reduced to a value of less than 10−3 , except the energy residual, for which
the default criterion is 10−6 .
• The solution no longer changes with more iterations.
Sometimes the residuals may not fall below the convergence criterion set
in the case setup. However, monitoring the representative flow variables
through iterations may show that the residuals have stagnated and do not
change with further iterations. This could also be considered as conver-
gence.

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• The overall mass, momentum, energy, and scalar balances are obtained.
You can examine the overall mass, momentum, energy and scalar balances
in the Flux Reports dialog box. The net imbalance should be less than 0.2%
of the net flux through the domain when the solution has converged. In the
next step you will check to see if the mass balance indicates convergence.

8. Examine the mass flux report for convergence.

Reports −→ Fluxes −→ Set Up...

(a) Make sure that Mass Flow Rate is selected from the Options list.
(b) Select pressure-outlet-7, velocity-inlet-5, and velocity-inlet-6 from the Boundaries
selection list.
(c) Click Compute.
The individual and net results of the computation will be displayed in the Re-
sults and Net Results boxes, respectively, in the Flux Reports dialog box, as well
as in the console.
The sum of the flux for the inlets should be very close to the sum of the flux
for the outlets. The net results show that the imbalance in this case is well
below the 0.2% criteria suggested previously.
(d) Close the Flux Reports dialog box.

9. Save the data file (elbow1.dat.gz).

File −→ Write −→Data...
In later steps of this tutorial you will save additional case and data files with dif-
ferent prefixes.

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Step 9: Displaying the Preliminary Solution

In the steps that follow, you will visualize various aspects of the flow for the preliminary
solution, using the task pages listed under the Results heading in the navigation pane.

1. Display filled contours of velocity magnitude on the symmetry plane (Figure 1.5).
Graphics and Animations −→ Contours −→ Set Up...

(a) Enable Filled in the Options group box.

(b) Make sure that Node Values is enabled in the Options group box.
(c) Select Velocity... and Velocity Magnitude from the Contours of drop-down lists.
(d) Select symmetry from the Surfaces selection list.
(e) Click Display to display the contours in the active graphics window.
Extra: When you probe a point in the displayed domain with the mouse, the level
of the corresponding contour is highlighted in the colormap in the graphics
window, and is also reported in the console.

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Figure 1.5: Predicted Velocity Distribution after the Initial Calculation

2. Display filled contours of temperature on the symmetry plane (Figure 1.6).

Graphics and Animations −→ Contours −→ Set Up...

(a) Select Temperature... and Static Temperature from the Contours of drop-down
lists.

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(b) Click Display and close the Contours dialog box.

Figure 1.6: Predicted Temperature Distribution after the Initial Calculation

3. Display velocity vectors on the symmetry plane (Figures 1.7 and 1.8).
Graphics and Animations −→ Vectors −→ Set Up...

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(a) Select symmetry from the Surfaces selection list.

(b) Click Display to plot the velocity vectors.
Note: The Auto Scale option is enabled by default in the Options group box.
This scaling sometimes creates vectors that are too small or too large in
the majority of the domain. You can improve the clarity by adjusting
the Scale and Skip settings, thereby changing the size and number of the
vectors when they are displayed.
(c) Enter 4 for Scale.
(d) Set Skip to 2.
(e) Click Display again to redisplay the vectors (Figure 1.7).

Figure 1.7: Resized Velocity Vectors

(f) Close the Vectors dialog box.

(g) Zoom in on the vectors in the display.
To zoom in, refer to Table 1.1. The image will be redisplayed at a higher
magnification (Figure 1.8).

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Figure 1.8: Magnified View of Velocity Vectors

(h) Zoom out to the original view.

To zoom out or translate the view refer Table 1.1. The image will be redisplayed
at a lower magnification (Figure 1.7).
You also have the option of selecting the original view in the Views dialog box:
select front from the Views selection list and click Apply.
Graphics and Animations −→ Views...

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4. Create a line surface at the centerline of the outlet.

Surface −→Iso-Surface...

(a) Select Mesh... and Z-Coordinate from the Surface of Constant drop-down lists.
(b) Click Compute.
The range of values in the z direction will be displayed in the Min and Max
boxes.
(c) Retain the default value of 0 inches for Iso-Values.
(d) Select pressure-outlet-7 from the From Surface selection list.
(e) Enter z=0 outlet for New Surface Name.
(f) Click Create.
After the line surface z=0 outlet is created, a new entry will automatically
be generated for New Surface Name, in case you would like to create another
surface.
(g) Close the Iso-Surface dialog box.

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5. Display and save an XY plot of the temperature profile across the centerline of the
outlet for the initial solution (Figure 1.9).
Plots −→ XY Plot −→ Set Up...

(a) Select Temperature... and Static Temperature from the Y Axis Function drop-
down lists.
(b) Select z=0 outlet from the Surfaces selection list.
(c) Click Plot.
(d) Enable Write to File in the Options group box.
The button that was originally labeled Plot will change to Write....
(e) Click Write... to open the Select File dialog box.
i. Enter outlet temp1.xy for XY File.
ii. Click OK to save the temperature data and close the Select File dialog
box.
(f) Close the Solution XY Plot dialog box.

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Figure 1.9: Outlet Temperature Profile for the Initial Solution

6. Define a custom field function for the dynamic head formula (ρ|V |2 /2).
Define −→ Custom Field Functions...

(a) Select Density... and Density from the Field Functions drop-down lists, and click
the Select button to add density to the Definition field.
(b) Click the X button to add the multiplication symbol to the Definition field.
(c) Select Velocity... and Velocity Magnitude from the Field Functions drop-down
lists, and click the Select button to add |V| to the Definition field.

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(d) Click y^x to raise the last entry in the Definition field to a power, and click 2
for the power.
(e) Click the / button to add the division symbol to the Definition field, and then
click 2.
(f) Enter dynamic-head for New Function Name.
(g) Click Define and close the Custom Field Function Calculator dialog box.

7. Display filled contours of the custom field function (Figure 1.10).

Graphics and Animations −→ Contours −→ Set Up...

(a) Select Custom Field Functions... and dynamic-head from the Contours of drop-
down lists.
Hint: Custom Field Functions... is at the top of the upper Contours of drop-
down list. After you have opened the drop-down list, scroll up by clicking
the up-arrow button on the scroll bar on the right.
(b) Make sure that symmetry is selected from the Surfaces selection list.
(c) Click Display and close the Contours dialog box.

Note: You may need to change the view by zooming out after the last vector display,
if you have not already done so.

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Figure 1.10: Contours of the Dynamic Head Custom Field Function

8. Save the settings for the custom field function by writing the case and data files
(elbow1.cas.gz and elbow1.dat.gz).
File −→ Write −→Case & Data...
(a) Ensure that elbow1.cas.gz is entered for Case/Data File.
Note: When you write the case and data file at the same time, it does not
matter whether you specify the file name with a .cas or .dat extension,
as both will be saved.
(b) Click OK to save the files and close the Select File dialog box.

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Step 10: Enabling Second-Order Discretization

The elbow solution computed in the first part of this tutorial uses first-order discretization.
The resulting solution is very diffusive; mixing is overpredicted, as can be seen in the
contour plots of temperature and velocity distribution. You will now change to second-
order discretization for all listed equations.

1. Change the solver settings.

Solution Methods

(a) Select Second Order from the Pressure drop-down list.

(b) Select Second Order Upwind from the Momentum, Turbulent Kinetic Energy,
Turbulent Dissipation Rate, and Energy drop-down lists.
You will need to scroll the Spatial Discretization group box down to find Energy.

2. (optional) Check the case to confirm that there are no recommendations for revi-
sions to the setup.
Run Calculation −→ Check Case

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3. Continue the calculation by requesting 150 more iterations.

Run Calculation

Extra: To save the convergence history of the surface monitor for this set of itera-
tions as a separate output file, you would need to change the File Name in the
Surface Monitor dialog box to surf-mon-2.out prior to running the calculation.
(a) Make sure that 150 is entered for Number of Iterations.
(b) Click Calculate.
The solution will converge in approximately 63 additional iterations (Fig-
ure 1.11). The convergence history is shown in Figure 1.12.

Figure 1.11: Residuals for the Second-Order Energy Calculation

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Note: You should expect to see the residuals jump whenever you change the solution
control parameters.

Figure 1.12: Convergence History of Mass-Weighted Average Temperature

4. Save the case and data files for the second-order solution (elbow2.cas.gz and
elbow2.dat.gz).
File −→ Write −→Case & Data...
(a) Enter elbow2.gz for Case/Data File.
(b) Click OK to save the files and close the Select File dialog box.
The files elbow2.cas.gz and elbow2.dat.gz will be saved in your default folder.

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5. Examine the revised temperature distribution (Figure 1.13).

Graphics and Animations −→ Contours −→ Set Up...

(a) Make sure that Filled is enabled in the Options group box.
(b) Select Temperature... and Static Temperature from the Contours of drop-down
lists.
(c) Make sure that symmetry is selected from the Surfaces selection list.
(d) Click Display (Figure 1.13) and close the Contours dialog box.
Figure 1.13 shows the thermal spreading of the warm fluid layer near the outer wall
of the bend. To see the effects of second-order discretization, compare Figure 1.13
with Figure 1.6.

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Figure 1.13: Temperature Contours for the Second-Order Solution

6. Display and save an XY plot of the temperature profile across the centerline of the
outlet for the second-order solution (Figure 1.14).
Plots −→ XYPlot −→ Set Up...

(a) Disable Write to File in the Options group box.

The button that was labeled Write... will change to Plot.

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(b) Make sure that Temperature... and Static Temperature are selected from the Y
Axis Function drop-down lists.
(c) Make sure that z=0 outlet is selected from the Surfaces selection list.
(d) Click Plot.

Figure 1.14: Outlet Temperature Profile for the Second-Order Solution

(e) Enable Write to File in the Options group box.

The button that was labeled Plot will change to Write....
(f) Click Write... to open the Select File dialog box.
i. Enter outlet temp2.xy for XY File.
ii. Click OK to save the temperature data.
(g) Close the Solution XY Plot dialog box.

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Step 11: Adapting the Mesh

The elbow solution can be improved further by refining the mesh to better resolve the flow
details. In the following steps, you will adapt the mesh based on the temperature gradients
in the current solution. Once the mesh is refined, you can continue the calculation.

1. Adapt the mesh in the regions of high temperature gradient.

Adapt −→Gradient...

(a) Make sure that Refine is enabled in the Options group box.
ANSYS FLUENT will not coarsen beyond the original mesh for a 3D mesh.
Hence, it is not necessary to deselect Coarsen in this instance.
(b) Select Temperature... and Static Temperature from the Gradients of drop-down
lists.
(c) Click Compute.
ANSYS FLUENT will update the Min and Max values to show the minimum
and maximum temperature gradient.
(d) Enter 0.004 for Refine Threshold.
It is a good rule of thumb to use 10% of the maximum gradient when setting
the value for Refine Threshold.
(e) Click Mark.
ANSYS FLUENT will report in the console that approximately 940 cells were
marked for adaption.

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(f) Click Manage... to open the Manage Adaption Registers dialog box.

i. Click Display.
ANSYS FLUENT will display the cells marked for adaption in the graphics
window (Figure 1.15).

Figure 1.15: Cells Marked for Adaption

Extra: You can change the way ANSYS FLUENT displays cells marked
for adaption (Figure 1.16) by performing the following steps:
A. Click Options... in the Manage Adaption Registers dialog box to open
the Adaption Display Options dialog box.

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B. Enable Draw Mesh in the Options group box.

The Mesh Display dialog box will open.

C. Ensure that only the Edges option is enabled in the Options group
box.
D. Select Feature from the Edge Type list.
E. Select all of the items except default-interior from the Surfaces selec-
tion list.
F. Click Display and close the Mesh Display dialog box.
G. Enable Filled in the Options group box in the Adaption Display Op-
tions dialog box.
H. Enable Wireframe in the Refine group box.
I. Click OK to close the Adaption Display Options dialog box.
J. Click Display in the Manage Adaption Registers dialog box.
K. Rotate the view and zoom in to get the display shown in Figure 1.16.

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Figure 1.16: Alternative Display of Cells Marked for Adaption

L. After viewing the marked cells, rotate the view back and zoom out
again to return to the angle and magnification shown in Figure 1.13.
ii. Click Adapt in the Manage Adaption Registers dialog box.
A Question dialog box will open, confirming your intention to adapt the
mesh. Click Yes to proceed.

Note: There are two different ways to adapt. You can click Adapt in the
Manage Adaption Registers dialog box as was just done, or close this
dialog box and perform the adaption using the Gradient Adaption dialog
box. If you use the Adapt button in the Gradient Adaption dialog box,
ANSYS FLUENT will recreate an adaption register. Therefore, when
the Manage Adaption Registers dialog box is open, use the Adapt button
in it to save time.
iii. Close the Manage Adaption Registers dialog box.
(g) Close the Gradient Adaption dialog box.

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2. Display the adapted mesh (Figure 1.17).

General −→ Display...

(a) Make sure that All is selected from the Edge Type list.
(b) Deselect all of the highlighted items from the Surfaces selection list except for
symmetry.
(c) Click Display and close the Mesh Display dialog box.

Figure 1.17: The Adapted Mesh

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3. (optional) Check the case to confirm that there are no recommendations for revi-
sions to the setup.
Run Calculation −→ Check Case

4. Request an additional 150 iterations.

Run Calculation

The solution will converge after approximately 100 additional iterations (Figures 1.18
and 1.19).

Figure 1.18: The Complete Residual History

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Figure 1.19: Convergence History of Mass-Weighted Average Temperature

5. Save the case and data files for the second-order solution with an adapted mesh
(elbow3.cas.gz and elbow3.dat.gz).
File −→ Write −→ Case & Data...
(a) Enter elbow3.gz for Case/Data File.
(b) Click OK to save the files and close the Select File dialog box.
The files elbow3.cas.gz and elbow3.dat.gz will be saved in your default folder.
6. Examine the filled temperature distribution (using node values) on the revised mesh
(Figure 1.20).
Graphics and Animations −→ Contours −→ Set Up...

Figure 1.20: Filled Contours of Temperature Using the Adapted Mesh

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7. Display and save an XY plot of the temperature profile across the centerline of the
outlet for the adapted second-order solution (Figure 1.21).
Plots −→ XY Plot −→ Set Up...

(a) Disable Write to File in the Options group box.

The button that was originally labeled Write... will change to Plot.
(b) Make sure that Temperature... and Static Temperature are selected from the Y
Axis Function drop-down lists.
(c) Make sure that z=0 outlet is selected from the Surfaces selection list.
(d) Click Plot.

Figure 1.21: Outlet Temperature Profile for the Adapted Second-Order Solution

(e) Enable Write to File in the Options group box.

The button that was originally labeled Plot will change to Write....

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(f) Click Write... to open the Select File dialog box.

i. Enter outlet temp3.xy for XY File.
ii. Click OK to save the temperature data.
(g) Close the Solution XY Plot dialog box.
8. Display the outlet temperature profiles for each of the three solutions on a single
plot (Figure 1.22).
Plots −→ File −→ Set Up...

(a) Click the Add... button to open the Select File dialog box.

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i. Click once on outlet temp1.xy, outlet temp2.xy, and outlet temp3.xy.

Each of these files will be listed with their folder in the XY File(s) list to
indicate that they have been selected.
Hint: If you select a file by mistake, simply click the file in the XY File(s)
list and then click Remove.
ii. Click OK to save the files and close the Select File dialog box.
(b) Select the folder path ending in outlet temp1.xy from the Files selection list.
(c) Enter 1st Order Soln in the lowest text-entry box on the right (next to the
Change Legend Entry button).
(d) Click the Change Legend Entry button.
The item in the Legend Entries list for outlet temp1.xy will be changed to 1st
Order Soln. This legend entry will be displayed in the upper-left corner of the
XY plot generated in a later step.
(e) In a similar manner, change the legend entry for the folder path ending in
outlet temp2.xy to be 2nd Order Soln.
(f) In a similar manner, change the legend entry for the folder path ending in
outlet temp3.xy to be Adapted Mesh.
(g) Click Plot and close the File XY Plot dialog box.
Figure 1.22 shows the three temperature profiles at the centerline of the outlet. It
is apparent by comparing both the shape of the profiles and the predicted outer wall
temperature that the solution is highly dependent on the mesh and solution options.
Specifically, further mesh adaption should be used in order to obtain a solution that
is independent of the mesh.

Figure 1.22: Outlet Temperature Profiles for the Three Solutions

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Extra: You can perform additional rounds of mesh adaption based on temperature
gradient and run the calculation to see how the temperature profile changes
at the outlet. A case and data file (elbow4.cas.gz and elbow4.dat.gz) has
been provided in the solution files folder, in which the mesh has undergone
three more levels of adaption. The resulting temperature profiles have been
plotted with outlet temp2.xy and outlet temp3.xy in Figure 1.23.

Figure 1.23: Outlet Temperature Profiles for Subsequent Mesh Adaption Steps

It is evident from Figure 1.23 that as the mesh is adapted further, the profiles
converge on a mesh-independent profile. The resulting wall temperature at the
outlet is predicted to be around 300.2 K after mesh independence is achieved.
If the adaption steps had not been performed, the wall temperature would have
incorrectly been estimated at around 299.75 K.
If computational resources allow, it is always recommended to perform succes-
sive rounds of adaption until the solution is independent of the mesh (within an
acceptable tolerance). Typically, profiles of important variables are examined
(in this case, temperature) and compared to determine mesh independence.

Summary
A comparison of the filled temperature contours for the first solution (using the original
mesh and first-order discretization) and the last solution (using an adapted mesh and
second-order discretization) clearly indicates that the latter is much less diffusive. While
first-order discretization is the default scheme in ANSYS FLUENT, it is good practice to
use your first-order solution as a starting guess for a calculation that uses a higher-order
discretization scheme and, optionally, an adapted mesh.
In this problem, the flow field is decoupled from temperature, since all properties are
constant. For such cases, it is more efficient to compute the flow-field solution first (i.e.,
without solving the energy equation) and then solve for energy (i.e., without solving
the flow equations). You will use the Equations dialog box to turn the solution of the
equations on and off during such a procedure.

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