Chapter 5: Axial Fan Using ATM Optimized Topology

This tutorial includes:

5.1. Before You Begin
5.2. Starting ANSYS TurboGrid
5.3. Defining the Geometry
5.4. Defining the Topology
5.5. Increasing the Mesh Density
5.6. Generating the Mesh
5.7. Using the Locking Feature
5.8.The Y+ Functionality
5.9. Using Local Mesh Refinement
5.10. Analyzing the Mesh
5.11. Adding Inlet and Outlet Domains
5.12. Analyzing the New Mesh
5.13. Saving the Mesh
5.14. Saving the State (Optional)

This tutorial teaches you how to:

• Switch to a Meridional (A-R) projection in the viewer.

• Change the shape and position of the Inlet and Outlet geometry objects which bound the blade
passage in the streamwise direction.

• Use the ATM Optimized feature to generate and customize a mesh as desired.

• Extend the mesh by adding inlet and outlet domains.

This tutorial is very similar to Axial Fan Using Traditional Topology (p. 43). The notable difference is the
use of the ATM Optimized feature to generate and control the mesh. As you work through this tutorial,
you will create a mesh for a blade passage of a fan. A typical blade passage, inlet domain, and outlet
domain, are shown by the black outline in the figure below.

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Axial Fan Using ATM Optimized Topology

The fan contains 10 blades that revolve about the negative Z-axis. A clearance gap exists between the
blades and the shroud, with a width of 5% of the total span. The shroud diameter is approximately 26.4
cm.

Let the mesh contain an inlet domain and an outlet domain.

5.1. Before You Begin

If this is your first tutorial, review the topics in Introduction to the ANSYS TurboGrid Tutorials (p. 1).

5.2. Starting ANSYS TurboGrid

1. Prepare the working directory using the files in the examples/fan directory.

For details, see Preparing a Working Directory (p. 1).

2. Set the working directory and start ANSYS TurboGrid.

For details, see Setting the Working Directory and Starting ANSYS TurboGrid (p. 1).

5.3. Defining the Geometry

To obtain the basic geometry, you will load a BladeGen.inf file. After inspecting the geometry and
improving the shape of the inlet and outlet, you will finish defining the geometry by creating the required
gap between the blade and the shroud.

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 Defining the Geometry

Load the BladeGen.inf file, then inspect the geometry by viewing it in axial-radial coordinates:

1. Click File > Load BladeGen.

2. Open BladeGen.inf from the working directory.

3. Right-click a blank area in the viewer, and click Transformation > Meridional (A-R) from the shortcut
menu.

The passage inlet, which appears in the object selector as Geometry > Inlet, is the upstream end
of the blade passage (but not necessarily the upstream end of the mesh, since, as you will see in this
tutorial, you can add an inlet domain upstream of the passage inlet). The passage inlet is generated by
revolving a curve, which is defined in an axial-radial plane, about the machine axis. That curve, in turn,
is generated according to a set of points, known here as inlet points. These points appear as white oc-
tahedrons in the viewer. The passage outlet is analogous to the passage inlet, and is downstream of
the blade passage.

Notice that, in this case, there are two inlet points and they are located at different distances from the
blade. In order to obtain a high-quality mesh topology for the blade passage, the inlet points should
be repositioned.

Reposition the inlet and outlet points as follows, and observe the movement of the inlet and outlet
points in the viewer:

1. Open Geometry > Inlet.

2. Select Low Hub Point, then set Method to Set A and Location to -0.008.

3. Click Apply.

4. Select Low Shroud Point, then set Method to Set A and Location to 0.002.

5. Click Apply.

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Axial Fan Using ATM Optimized Topology

6. Open Geometry > Outlet.

7. Select Low Hub Point, then set Method to Set A and Location to 0.03.

8. Click Apply.

9. Select Low Shroud Point, then set Method to Set A and Location to 0.03.

10. Click Apply.

To complete the geometry, create a small gap between the blade and the shroud. The blade should
be shortened to 95% of its original span because the gap width is 5% of the total span, as specified in
the problem description.

1. Open Geometry > Blade Set > Shroud Tip.

2. Set Tip Option to Constant Span.

3. Set Span to 0.95.

4. Click Apply.

5.4. Defining the Topology

To generate an effective mesh normally requires a great deal of work. However, using the ATM Optimized
setting, this work is significantly reduced. Once the setting is implemented, the Topology Set must
be activated.

1. Right-click a blank area in the viewer, and click Transformation > Cartesian (X-Y-Z) from the shortcut
menu.

2. Click Hide all geometry objects .

This gives you an unobstructed view of the topology, and later the mesh.

3. Open Topology Set.

4. Set Topology Definition > Placement to ATM Optimized.

5. Click Apply to set the topology.

6. Right-click Topology Set and turn off Suspend Object Updates.

By default, the Topology Set is suspended along with several other items in the object selector.
Turning off Suspend Object Updates activates these items and defines the mesh topology. ANSYS
TurboGrid takes a few moments to complete calculations, then displays the proposed topology in
the viewer. The total number of nodes and total number of elements are also displayed in the user
interface. These are updated automatically after the changes to the mesh topology are applied.

This completes the topology definition.

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 Increasing the Mesh Density

5.5. Increasing the Mesh Density

This next section will demonstrate your capability to control the mesh size. This can be done in several
ways:

• Changing the total passage mesh size.

• Changing the global size factor.

• Using proportional refinement in the boundary layer.

• Changing the edge refinement on a specific edge, including within the boundary layer.

We will demonstrate how to use the global size factor to change the overall mesh size and how to
change the refinement in the boundary layer, with and without proportional refinement. For the other
options, please see ATM Optimized Topology in the TurboGrid User's Guide.

Apply these settings:

1. Open Mesh Data.

2. On the Mesh Size tab, set Method to Global Size Factor.

3. Set the Size Factor to 1.2.

To increase the resolution of the mesh, and effectively capture more data, an overall increase in
mesh size is useful.

4. Set Boundary Layer Refinement Control > Method to Proportional to Mesh Size .

5. Set the Factor Ratio to 2.0.

6. Click Apply.

Observe that the number of nodes and the mesh size at the boundary layer is far greater. With
proportional refinement enabled, the relationship between the height of the first element in the
boundary layer and the global size factor should be approximately inversely proportional (that is,
an increase in the global size factor will cause a decrease in the element height). With proportional
refinement disabled, the number of elements in the boundary layer will vary proportionally to the
global size factor. Right-click a blank area in the viewer, and select Predefined Camera > Isometric
View (X Up).

7. Change Boundary Layer Refinement Control > Method to Edge Refinement Factor.

8. The Edge Refinement Factor option is selected, and Parameters > Factor is already set. The
value of this factor was chosen by default to maintain a similar mesh topology as when Proportional
to Mesh Size was selected. The edge refinement factor is defined as the global size factor multiplied
by the proportional refinement factor.

9. Set Parameters > Factor to 2.0.

10. Click Apply.

Observe that the total number of elements has decreased significantly compared to when Propor-
tional to Mesh Size was selected. The largest concentration of nodes is still located at the

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Axial Fan Using ATM Optimized Topology

boundary layer, due to the Edge Refinement Factor. For more information on these features,
see ATM Optimized Topology in the TurboGrid User's Guide.

5.6. Generating the Mesh

You will now generate the mesh to see the changes you have made:

1. Click Mesh to generate the mesh.

A K-Plane is displayed by default. This shows the 2D mesh on a layer. The plane can be moved in
the spanwise direction by holding Ctrl + Shift and dragging using the left mouse button.

2. Enable 3D Mesh > HIGHBLADE, 3D Mesh > HUB, 3D Mesh > LOWBLADE and 3D Mesh > SHROUD
in the object selector.

Observe that the increase in mesh size near the boundary layer also occurs in the spanwise direction,
as can be seen in Figure 5.1: Snapshot of Mesh at Blade-Hub Intersection (p. 38).

Figure 5.1: Snapshot of Mesh at Blade-Hub Intersection

The mesh size in the spanwise direction is automatically changed depending on the global size factor
and the mesh size at the boundary layer. It can also be specified. You are going to increase the mesh
size in the spanwise direction by a factor of 1.5:

1. Open Mesh Data.

2. On the Passage tab, set Spanwise Blade Distribution Parameters > Factor to 1.5.

Note that the greyed out # of Elements field indicates a total of 54 elements in the spanwise dir-
ection. This will now increase.

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 The Y+ Functionality

3. Click Apply.

The number of elements has increased to 100. This is roughly an increase by a factor of 1.5.

5.7. Using the Locking Feature

Note

This section is for information only. Do not use the locking feature in this tutorial.

When you are using ANSYS Workbench, ANSYS TurboGrid allows you to use the Lock mesh size feature.
Once activated, the total number of nodes and elements will remain constant. This holds true even if
the geometry of the blade is changed. The size of the mesh elements will be readjusted, but the total
number will not be changed. The feature can be found under the Mesh Size tab, under Mesh Data
in the object selector. For more details, see Lock Mesh Size Check Box (ATM topology only) in the Tur-
boGrid User's Guide.

5.8. The Y+ Functionality

Another method of controlling the mesh size at the boundary layer is specifying the y+ height and
Reynolds number. This option lets you specify the maximum y+ height for the blade, which is then
used to calculate the edge refinement factor. The actual first element offset will not be consistent across
the boundary layer, although it should be equal or less than the maximum specified. The edge refinement
calculation is only an approximation.

You will enable the option for y+, then set the offset to 15. You will also set the Reynolds number to
500,000.

1. Open Mesh Data.

2. Set Boundary Layer Refinement Control > Near Wall Element Size Specification > Method to y+.

3. Set Reynolds No. to 5e5.

4. Change Boundary Layer Refinement Control > Method to First Element Offset.

The field for specifying Offset Y+ is enabled.

5. Set Parameters > Offset Y+ to 15.

6. Click Apply.

You should see an increase in the mesh size at the boundary layer. You will generate the mesh to
inspect your changes.

7. Click Mesh to generate the mesh.

The latest mesh will have very small elements near the boundary layer. This can be seen in Fig-
ure 5.2: Mesh at Blade-Hub Intersection After Y+ Settings (p. 40).

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Axial Fan Using ATM Optimized Topology

Figure 5.2: Mesh at Blade-Hub Intersection After Y+ Settings

5.9. Using Local Mesh Refinement

The ATM feature also allows for local mesh refinement. This is especially useful when attempting to
manipulate the mesh near a specific boundary without tampering with the surroundings. Once local
mesh refinement has been implemented, changing the global size factor will affect the localized area
as well. However, the locally refined mesh will remain discernible from its surroundings. You will imple-
ment this feature at the shroud boundary, upstream of the blade as indicated in the figure below. The
local mesh size will be increased by 100%.

1. Click Hide all mesh objects .

To be able to see which boundary to modify, it's best to hide the currently generated mesh. Ulti-
mately, only the topology will be visible when refinements are made.

2. Right-click the edge of the shroud tip layer, marked A in Figure 5.3: Edge to be Refined in Shroud Tip
Layer (p. 41), and select Increase Edge Refinement > 100%.

After a few seconds of processing, you should observe the mesh size increasing by a factor of 2 at
the edge you selected. Only topologically parallel edges will be affected by this change.

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 Analyzing the Mesh

Figure 5.3: Edge to be Refined in Shroud Tip Layer

3. Click Mesh to generate the mesh.

5.10. Analyzing the Mesh

Inspect the mesh quality of the 3D mesh:

• Open Mesh Analysis.

The mesh statistics indicate only two items that ANSYS TurboGrid feels require your attention —
these are flagged because of the built-in parameters in ANSYS TurboGrid. Since the statistics listed
as being bad have low percentages, you can safely ignore the warning.

You can double-click one of the items in red to see the locations in the mesh where the statistics fail
to meet the criteria set in Mesh Analysis > Mesh Limits. Further improvements to the mesh are
possible, but are beyond the scope of this tutorial.

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Axial Fan Using ATM Optimized Topology

5.11. Adding Inlet and Outlet Domains

As specified in the problem description, the mesh should contain an inlet domain and an outlet domain.

1. Open Mesh Data.

2. On the Mesh Size tab, select Inlet Domain and Outlet Domain.

3. Click Apply.

4. Click Mesh to generate the mesh.

5.12. Analyzing the New Mesh

1. Open Mesh Analysis. Note that the Maximum Edge Length Ratio mesh measure is extremely
large. By displaying this mesh measure, you will see that some of the mesh elements that exceed the
criterion are at the inlet where the mesh meets the rotation axis. This is to be expected wherever the
hub reaches the axis of rotation because at these locations the element edges have zero length.

2. View the mesh on the inlet and outlet (not the passage inlet and outlet, but the inlet and outlet of the
entire mesh) by turning on the visibility of the corresponding 3D Mesh objects.

5.13. Saving the Mesh

Save the mesh:

1. Click File > Save Mesh As.

2. Ensure that File type is set to ANSYS CFX.

3. Set Export Units to cm.

4. Set File name to fanATM.gtm.

5. Ensure that your working directory is set correctly.

6. Click Save.

5.14. Saving the State (Optional)

If you want to revisit this mesh at a later date, save the state:

1. Click File > Save State As.

2. Enter an appropriate state file name.

3. Click Save.

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