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HyperWorks 14.

0
AcuSolve Tutorials

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| Contents | 2

Contents

Introduction to the AcuSolve Tutorials..................................................................3

Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow........................... 5

Analyze the Problem to be Solved...................................................................................................................... 5
Define the Simulation Parameters........................................................................................................................8
Import Geometry and Define the Model........................................................................................................... 13
Assign Mesh Controls........................................................................................................................................ 24
Compute the Solution and Review the Results................................................................................................. 30

Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow...................................................... 52

Analyze the Problem to be Solved.................................................................................................................... 52
Define the Simulation Parameters......................................................................................................................56
Set Solution Strategy Attributes............................................................................................................. 58
Import Geometry and Define the Model........................................................................................................... 60
Assign Mesh Controls........................................................................................................................................ 74
Set Global Meshing Attributes............................................................................................................... 74
Compute the Solution and Review the Results................................................................................................. 81

Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow...................................103

Analyze the Problem to be Solved.................................................................................................................. 103
Define the Simulation Parameters....................................................................................................................110
Define the Model..............................................................................................................................................117
Compute the Solution and Review the Results................................................................................................119

Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve............................................................ 134

Analyze the Problem to be Solved.................................................................................................................. 134
Define the Simulation Parameters....................................................................................................................139
Import Geometry and Define the Model..........................................................................................................142
Assign Mesh Controls and Generate the Mesh................................................................................................155
Compute the Solution and Review the Results................................................................................................161

Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve..... 174

Analyze the Problem to be Solved.................................................................................................................. 174
Define the Simulation Parameters....................................................................................................................178
Set Material Model Attributes..............................................................................................................181
Import Geometry and Define the Model..........................................................................................................183
Apply Volume Attributes..................................................................................................................... 186
Create Surface Groups and Apply Surface Attributes......................................................................... 187
Assign Mesh Controls and Generate the Mesh................................................................................................193
Set Global Meshing Attributes............................................................................................................. 193
Set Zone Meshing Attributes................................................................................................................194
Set Meshing Attributes for Surface Groups.........................................................................................196
Compute the Solution and Review the Results................................................................................................200
View Results with AcuFieldView........................................................................................................205
| Introduction to the AcuSolve Tutorials | 3

Introduction to the AcuSolve Tutorials

This guide contains a collection of simulation cases with explicit instructions for setting up, solving, and post-
processing. A range of tutorials are included to illustrate the basic AcuSolve workflow and to provide guidance for
setting up a variety of problems.
Various different test configurations that demonstrate different capabilities and functionalities of AcuSolve are
presented in this guide. Two of the more commonly used cases are a mixing elbow and a check valve. The mixing
elbow configuration has three different tutorial cases that cover steady turbulent flow, steady turbulent conjugate heat
transfer, and transient turbulent conjugate heat transfer. The check valve configuration has two different cases that
cover the AcuSolve rigid-body dynamics capability, and coupled simulation with MotionSolve.

Objectives
The objectives of the AcuSolve Tutorials are to:
• present the basic AcuSolve workflow
• introduce the capabilities of AcuSolve to new users
• provide guidance for the use of AcuSolve with industrial applications

Prerequisites
No experience with AcuSolve is needed prior to running through the tutorials included in this guide. It is expected
that you have some exposure to basic principles of Engineering and computer assisted engineering. It is strongly
recommended that you complete Flow in a Mixing Elbow prior to running any of the other tutorials. This tutorial
walks you through the basic simulation workflow and the use of AcuConsole, the graphical user interface for
AcuSolve. The subsequent tutorials are written to be used as stand-alone guides so that you can work through them in
any order.

Basic Workflow
The basic workflow for setting up, solving, and post-processing a problem with AcuSolve consists of the following
tasks:
1. Analyze the problem and identify the important attributes that need to be provided to AcuSolve
2. Start AcuConsole and create the simulation database.
3. Set general simulation attributes.
4. Set solution strategy attributes.
5. Set material model attributes.
6. Import the geometry for the simulation.
7. Apply attributes to volumes.
8. Create surfaces (such as, inlet, outlet, wall) and apply boundary conditions.
9. Set global meshing attributes.
10. Set user-defined zones for mesh refinements to areas not linked to a particular surface.
11. Set surface meshing attributes.
12. Generate the mesh.
13. Run AcuSolve to calculate the solution.
14. Post-process results with AcuProbe (to vizualize data related to the progress of the calculations) and/or with
AcuFieldView to visualize simulation data with contours, vectors, streamlines, and the like.
| Introduction to the AcuSolve Tutorials | 4

While all steps needed to complete these tutorials are explicitly mentioned, default values, initial conditions, and
discussions of other turbulence models are intentionally left out of the tutorials.
Note: Validation (comparison with experimental results) and verification (determination of a mesh-
independent solution) approaches are not covered in this guide. Please refer to the AcuSolve Validation
Manual for validation cases.
For tutorials that illustrate more complicated problems, such as those involving transient physics or mesh motion,
details of additional tasks are provided in the tutorial.

Operating System Used for Tutorial Development

The AcuSolve tutorials are prepared using AcuConsole, AcuSolve, AcuProbe, and AcuFieldView on a workstation
running a Windows operating system. While the steps for starting AcuConsole on Windows differ from those steps on
Linux or OS X (Mac), other steps can be completed on all supported operating systems.

Supporting Files
Supporting files are provided for use in completing the tutorials. These files are located in a compressed .zip archive
located in the <AcuSolve installation directory>\model_files\tutorials directory. Copy
Acu_tutorial_inputs.zip to a directory and expand it to a location of your choice. You will need to know
this location in order to load files for any given tutorial.

Typographical Conventions Used in this Guide

Different type styles are used to indicate graphical user-interface items and inputs, for example:

Set the Turbulence equation to Spalart Allmaras.

Enter Symmetry as the name of the surface.

A mini flow chart is used to indicate menu selections that lead to a specific command or dialog box, for example,

Open View > Defined Views and set the view to +Z.

This indicates that the View menu is clicked, then the Defined Views menu item is selected, and that the button
labeled +Z is clicked on the dialog box that is opened.
A mini flow chart is also used to indicate items in the Data Tree to be expanded, for example,

Expand the Model > Surfaces > Small Inlet tree item.

This indicates that first the Model tree item is expanded, then the Surfaces item underneath it is expanded, and
finally, the Small Inlet item under Surfaces is expanded.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 5

Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing

Elbow

This tutorial provides the instructions for setting up, solving, and viewing results of a simulation of 3D turbulent flow
in a mixing elbow. It is designed to introduce you to the AcuSolve tool set with a simple problem.

Prerequisites
In order to run this tutorial, you will need access to a licensed version of AcuSolve 14.0. As this is the first tutorial in
the introductory tutorial sequence, no prior experience with AcuConsole, AcuSolve, or AcuFieldView is expected.
Prior to running through this tutorial, copy Mixing_Elbow\mixingElbow.x_t from <AcuSolve
installation directory>\model_files\tutorials\AcuSolve\Acu_tutorial_inputs.zip
to a working directory.
The color of objects shown in the Graphics Window in this tutorial and those displayed on your screen may differ.
The default color scheme in AcuConsole is "random," in which colors are randomly assigned to groups as they are
created. In addition, this tutorial was developed on Windows. If you are running this tutorial on a different operating
system, you may notice a slight difference between the images displayed on your screen and the images shown in the
tutorial.

Analyze the Problem to be Solved

An important first step in any CFD simulation is to examine the engineering problem to be analyzed and determine
the settings that need to be provided to AcuSolve. Settings can be based on geometrical components (such as
volumes, inlets, outlets, or walls) and on flow conditions (such as fluid properties, velocity, or whether the flow
should be modeled as turbulent or as laminar).
The problem to be addressed in this tutorial is shown schematically in Figure 1: Schematic of mixing elbow on page
6. This is a typical industrial example for mixing in a pipe by injecting high-velocity fluid from a small inlet
into relatively low-velocity fluid in the main pipe. It consists of a 90° mixing elbow with water entering through two
inlets with different velocities. The geometry is symmetric about the XY midplane of the pipe, as shown in the figure.
This symmetry allows the flow to be modeled with the use of a symmetry plane. The use of a symmetry plane leads to
reduced computation time while still providing an accurate solution.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 6

outlet

symmetry plane large pipe

water

large inlet small pipe

0.1 m
flow direction
v = 0.4 m/sec

0.025 m
symmetry plane
y

x small inlet
z flow direction
v = 1.2 m/sec

Figure 1: Schematic of mixing elbow

The fluid in this problem is water, with the following properties that do not change with temperature; a density (ρ) of
1000 kg/m3, a molecular viscosity (μ) of 1 X 10-3 kg/m-sec, a conductivity (k) of 0.598 W/m-K, and a specific heat
(cp) of 4183 J/kg-K, as shown in the worksheet.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 7

Based on mass conservation, the combined flow rate (Q) yields a velocity of 0.475 m/s downstream of the small inlet.
This value is useful in determining the Reynolds number, which in turn can be used to determine if the flow should be
modeled as turbulent, or if it should be modeled as laminar.

In order to determine whether the modeled flow would be turbulent or whether it would be laminar, the Reynolds
number (Re) should be calculated. The Reynolds number is given by:

where ρ is the fluid density, v is the fluid velocity, D is the diameter of the flow region, and μ is the molecular
viscosity of the fluid. When the Reynolds number is above 4,000, it is generally accepted that flow should be modeled
as turbulent.
The Reynolds numbers of 40,000 at the large inlet, 30,000 at the small inlet, and 47,500 for the combined flow
indicate that the flow is turbulent throughout the flow domain.

The simulation will be set up to model steady state, turbulent flow.

| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 8

Once a solution is calculated, results of interest are the steady state velocity contours on the symmetry plane, velocity
vectors on the symmetry plane, and pressure contours on the symmetry plane.

Define the Simulation Parameters

Start AcuConsole
AcuConsole is the Graphical User Interface that is used for building simulations and running them with AcuSolve.
Start AcuConsole from the Windows Start menu by clicking Start > All Programs > Altair Hyperworks
<version> > AcuSolve > AcuConsole.
Start AcuConsole on Linux by entering AcuConsole in a terminal window that has the AcuSolve environment
configured. Please refer to the Hyperworks Installation Guide for instructions on configuring AcuSolve on Linux.
The main AcuConsole window is comprised of eight major components.
• Menu bar
• Toolbar
• Data Tree
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 9

• Data Tree Manager

• View Manager Toolbar
• Graphics Window
• Detail panels
• Information Window
When AcuConsole is first opened, the Data Tree, Detail Panel, Graphics Window, and Information Window are
empty. The following figure from a partially defined case is used to illustrate the parts of the GUI.

Menu Bar Toolbar

View
Data Tree Manager
Manager Toolbar
Data Tree

Graphics
Window
Detail
Panel
Information
Window

The items in the Data Tree are separated into two main areas, Global and Model. The Global tree item contains
geometry independent settings that apply to the AcuSolve simulation, such as the physics to be modeled, the solution
strategy, material properties, and geometry independent mesh controls. The Model branch in the Data Tree contains
settings that apply to specific portions of the geometry of the model, such as boundary conditions, material used for a
volume region, and meshing attributes that apply to a specific component of the model geometry.
In this tutorial, you will begin by creating a database, populating the geometry-independent settings, loading the
geometry, creating groups, setting group attributes, adding geometry components to groups, and assigning mesh
controls and boundary conditions to the groups. Next you will generate a mesh and run AcuSolve to converge on a
steady state solution. Finally, you will visualize the results using AcuFieldView.

Create the Simulation Database

In the next steps you will create a database for the storage of AcuConsole settings and set the location for saving mesh
and solution information for AcuSolve.
1. Click the File menu, then click New to open the New data base dialog.

Note: You can also open the New data base dialog by clicking on the toolbar.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 10

2. Browse to the location that you would like to use as your working directory.
This directory is where all files related to the simulation will be stored. The AcuConsole database file (*.acs)
is stored in this directory. Once the mesh and solution are created, additional files and directories will be created
within this directory.
3. Create a new folder named Mixing_Elbow and open this folder.
4. Enter Mixing_Elbow as the File name for the database.
Note: In order for other applications to be able to read the files written by AcuConsole, the database path
and name should not include spaces.
5. Click Save to create the database.

Set General Simulation Attributes

In the next steps you will set attributes that apply globally to the simulation. To simplify this task, you will use
the BAS filter in the Data Tree Manager. The BAS filter limits the options in the Data Tree to show only the basic
settings.
The physical models that you define for this tutorial correspond to steady state, turbulent flow. You will also provide
some general information about the AcuSolve case, such as a title and subtitle.
1. Click BAS in the Data Tree Manager to filter all but the basic settings in the Data Tree.

2. Double-click Global in the Data Tree to expand it.

Note: You can also expand a tree item by clicking next to the item name.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 11

3. Double-click Problem Description to open the Problem Description detail panel.

Note: You can also open a panel by right clicking a tree item and clicking Open on the context menu.

Note: The detail panel can be resized by dragging the right frame of the panel.
4. Enter Introductory Tutorial as the Title for this case.
5. Enter Mixing Elbow – Turbulent as the Sub title for this case.
6. Accept the default Analysis type.
Note: By default, AcuSolve cases are run as steady state simulations.
7. Set the Turbulence equation to Spalart Allmaras.
a) Click the Turbulence equation drop-down.
b) Click Spalart Allmaras from the list.
The robustness and accuracy of the Spalart Allmaras turbulence model makes it an excellent choice for
simulation of steady state flows.

Set Solution Strategy Attributes

In the next steps you will set attributes that control the behavior of AcuSolve as it progresses during the solution
1. Double-click Auto Solution Strategy in the Data Tree to open the Auto Solution Strategy detail panel.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 12

2. Enter 0.4 for the Relaxation factor.

The relaxation factor is used to improve convergence of the solution. Typically a value between 0.2 and 0.4
provides a good balance between achieving a smooth progression of the solution and the extra compute time
needed to reach convergence. Higher relaxation factors cause AcuSolve to take more time steps to reach a steady
state solution. A high relaxation factor is sometimes necessary in order to achieve convergence for very complex
applications.

Set Material Model Attributes

1. Double-click Material Model in the Data Tree to expand it.

2. Double-click Water in the Data Tree to open the Water detail panel.
The Material type for water is Fluid. The default material type for any new material created in AcuConsole is
Fluid.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 13

Note: The detail panel can be resized by dragging the right frame of the panel.
3. Click the Density tab. Verify that the density of water is 1000.0 kg/m3.
4. Click the Specific Heat tab. Verify that the specific heat of water is 4183.0 J/kg-K.
5. Click the Viscosity tab. Verify that the viscosity of water is 0.001 kg/m-sec.
6. Click the Conductivity tab. Verify that the conductivity of water is 0.598 W/m-K.
7. Save the database to create a backup of your settings. This can be achieved with any of the following methods.
• Click the File menu, then click Save.
• Click on the Toolbar.
• Click Ctrl+S.
Note: Changes made in AcuConsole are saved into the database file (*.acs) as they are made. A save
operation copies the database to a backup file, which can be used to reload the database from that saved
state in the event that you do not want to commit future changes.

Import Geometry and Define the Model

Import the Mixing Elbow Geometry

You will import the geometry in the next part of this tutorial. You will need to know the location of
mixingElbow.x_t in order to complete these steps. This file contains the solid model of the mixing elbow in the
Parasolid ASCII format.
1. Click the File menu, then Import.
2. Browse to the directory containing mixingElbow.x_t.
3. Change the File name filter to Parasolid File (*.x_t *.xmt *X_T …
a) Click the drop-down button to the right of the File name field.
b) Click Parasolid File (*.x_t *.xmt *X_T … from the drop-down list.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 14

4. Click mixingElbow.x_t and Open to open the Import Geometry dialog.

For this tutorial, the default values for the Import Geometry dialog are used to load the geometry. If you have
previously used AcuConsole, any changes to these settings will be preserved between AcuConsole sessions. Make
sure that any settings that you might have altered are manually changed to match the default values shown. With
the default settings, volumes from the CAD model are added to a single volume group named "default." You will
work with groups later in this tutorial to create new groups, set simulation attributes, add geometric components,
and set meshing attributes.
Note: AcuSolve imports the geometry in the units that the CAD package used when saving the project.
The geometry used in this tutorial was saved in SI units.
5. Click Ok to complete the geometry import.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 15

Figure 2: Mixing Elbow case with geometry imported

At this point, your Graphics Window should look similar to what is shown in Figure 2: Mixing Elbow case with
geometry imported on page 15.
The color of objects shown in the Graphics Window in this tutorial and those displayed on your screen may differ.
The default color scheme in AcuConsole is "random," in which colors are randomly assigned to groups as they
are created. In addition, this tutorial was developed on Windows. If you are running this tutorial on a different
operating system, you may notice a slight difference between the images displayed on your screen and the images
shown in the tutorial.

Manipulate the View in the Graphics Window

In the next steps you will do some basic manipulations of the mixing elbow view to help you become familiar with
the mouse actions in the Graphics Window. The mouse buttons that are used for rotating, panning, and zooming are
shown in the following table:

Action Mouse Button

rotate left
move (pan) middle
zoom right

1. Rotate the view.

a) Left-click in the Graphics Window.
b) Drag the cursor to the right and observe the display.
The model should rotate to the right.
c) Drag the cursor to the left to rotate the model to the left.
d) Drag the cursor up or down to rotate the model up or down.
Note: You will only see half of the pipe when you manipulate the view. As this geometry is
symmetric around the midplane only half of the geometry needs to be modeled, which reduces
computation time.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 16

e) Restore the initial view by clicking on the View Manager toolbar. .

2. Pan the View

a) Middle-click in the Graphics Window.
b) Drag the cursor to the right to move the model to the right.
c) Drag the cursor to the left to move the model to the left.
d) Restore the initial view by clicking on the View Manager toolbar.
3. Zoom in on and out from the view.
a) Right-click in the Graphics Window.
b) Drag the cursor up to zoom out from the view.
c) Drag the cursor down to zoom in on the view
d) Restore the initial view by clicking on the View Manager toolbar.

Note: You can also fit the model to the window by clicking on the View Manager toolbar.

Apply Volume Attributes

b) Enter Elbow Volume.

Note: When an item in the Data Tree is renamed, the change is not saved until you press the Enter key on
your keyboard. If you move the input focus away from the item without entering it, your changes will be
lost.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 17

5. Set the material model used for the fluid in the simulation.
a) Expand the Elbow Volume tree item by clicking .
Note: By default, when an item in the Data Tree is selected, the corresponding geometric components
are highlighted in the Graphics Window.
b) Double-click Element Set to open the Element Set detail panel.

c) Click the drop-down control next to Material model.

d) Click Water.
For the next set of steps it is useful to turn off the display of Elbow Volume by clicking so that it is in the off
( ) state.

Create Surface Groups and Apply Surface Boundary Conditions

Surface groups are containers used for storing information about a surface. This information includes the list of
geometric surfaces associated with the container, as well as attributes such as boundary conditions, surface outputs,
and mesh sizing information.
In the next steps you will define surface groups, assign the appropriate attributes for each group in the problem, and
add surfaces to the groups.

Set Inflow Boundary Conditions for the Large Inlet

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the large inlet, set the inlet velocity, and add the main inlet from
the geometry to the surface group.

1. Create a new surface group.

a) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree.
b) Click New.
2. Rename the surface to Large Inlet .
a) Right-click Surface 1 under Surfaces and click Rename on the context menu.
b) Enter Large Inlet.
3. Expand the Large Inlet surface in the tree.
4. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Large Inlet to open the Simple Boundary Condition detail
panel.
5. Change the Type to Inflow.
a) Click the drop-down control next to Type.
b) Click Inflow.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 18

6. Change the Inflow type to Average Velocity.

a) Click the drop-down control next to Inflow type.
b) Click Average Velocity.
This type of boundary condition is used by AcuSolve to approximate a fully developed flow with a given average
velocity.
7. Set the Average velocity to 0.4 m/sec.
8. Add a geometry surface to the Large Inlet group.
a) Right-click Large Inlet and click Add to.
The Add to dialog is used in conjunction with the Graphics Window to select geometry items to associate with
Model groups such as Volumes, Surfaces, or Edges. When using the Add to capability, zoom, pan, and rotate
actions are performed by holding down the Ctrl key and using the mouse buttons.
b) If needed, expose the Graphics Window, by dragging the Add to dialog to the side.
c) Rotate the model to expose the large inlet by Ctrl+left-clicking near the left side of the geometry and dragging
the cursor to the right.
d) Click on the large inlet face.

At this point, the inlet should be highlighted.

e) Click Done to add this geometry surface to the Large Inlet surface group.
Note: You can also use the middle mouse button to complete the addition of geometry components to
a group.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 19

Set Inflow Boundary Conditions for the Small Inlet

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the small inlet, assign the appropriate attributes, and add the small
inlet from the geometry to the surface group.

1. Create a new surface group.

a) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree.
b) Click New.
2. Rename the surface to Small Inlet.
a) Right-click Surface 1 under Surfaces and click Rename on the context menu.
b) Enter Small Inlet.
3. Expand the Small Inlet surface in the tree.
4. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Small Inlet to open the Simple Boundary Condition detail
panel.
5. Change the Type to Inflow.
a) Click the drop-down control next to Type.
b) Click Inflow.

6. Change the Inflow type to Average Velocity.

a) Click the drop-down control next to Inflow type.
b) Click Average Velocity.
7. Set the Average velocity to 1.2 m/sec.
8. Add a geometry surface to the Small Inlet group.
a) Right-click Small Inlet and click Add to.
b) Rotate the model to expose the small inlet by Ctrl+left-clicking near the bottom of the geometry and moving
the cursor toward the top of the window.
Note: If you need to zoom in or out, Ctrl+right-click and drag the cursor down or up. You can also
restore the initial view by clicking .
c) Left-click on the small inlet face.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 20

At this point, the small inlet should be highlighted.

d) Click Done to add this geometry surface to the Small Inlet group.

Set Wall Boundary Conditions for the Large Pipe

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the pipe walls, assign the appropriate attributes, and add the
elbow pipe walls from the geometry to the surface group.
1. Create a new surface group.
a) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree.
b) Click New.
2. Rename the surface to Large Pipe.
a) Right-click Surface 1 under Surfaces and click Rename.
b) Enter Large Pipe.
3. Expand the Large Pipe surface in the tree.
4. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Large Pipe to open the Simple Boundary Condition detail
panel.
The default wall settings will be used for the pipe wall.

5. Add geometry surfaces to this group.

a) Right-click Large Pipe and click Add to.
b) Click on the pipe near the large inlet, the pipe near the elbow, and the pipe near the outlet to select the three
surfaces that make up the main pipe wall.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 21

At this point, the pipe walls should be highlighted.

c) Click Done to add these geometric surfaces to the Large Pipe group.

Set Wall Boundary Conditions for the Small Pipe

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the side pipe wall, assign the appropriate attributes, and add the
side pipe wall from the geometry to the surface group.
1. Create a new surface group.
a) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree.
b) Click New.
2. Rename the surface to Small Pipe.
a) Right-click Surface 1 under Surfaces and click Rename.
b) Enter Small Pipe.
3. Expand the Small Pipe surface in the tree.
4. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Small Pipe to open the Simple Boundary Condition detail
panel.
As with the large pipe, the default boundary condition Type is Wall. The default is appropriate for this group and
no other changes are needed.
5. Add geometry surfaces to this group.
a) Right-click Small Pipe and click Add to.
b) Click on the pipe near the side inlet.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 22

At this point, the side pipe wall should be highlighted.

c) Click Done to associate this geometry surface with the Small Pipe surface container.

Set Outflow Boundary Conditions for the Outlet

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the outlet, assign the appropriate attributes, and add the outlet
from the geometry to the surface group
1. Create a new surface group.
a) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree.
b) Click New.
2. Rename the surface to Outlet.
a) Right-click Surface 1 under Surfaces and click Rename on the context menu.
b) Enter Outlet.
3. Expand the Outlet surface in the tree.
4. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Outlet to open the Simple Boundary Condition detail panel.
5. Change the Type to Outflow.
a) Click the drop-down control next to Type.
b) Click Outflow.
6. Add a geometry surface to the Outlet surface container.
a) Right-click Outlet and click Add to.
b) Rotate the model to expose the outlet by Ctrl+left-clicking near the top of the geometry and moving the cursor
toward the bottom of the window.
c) Click on the outlet face.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 23

At this point, the outlet should be highlighted.

d) Click Done to associate this geometry surface with the surface settings of the Outlet group.

Set Symmetry Boundary Conditions for the Symmetry Plane

This geometry is symmetric about the XY midplane, and can therefore be modeled with half of the geometry. In order
to take advantage of this, the midplane needs to be identified as a symmetry plane. The symmetry boundary condition
enforces constraints such that the flow field from one side of the plane is a mirror image of that on the other side.
In the next steps you will rename rename_surface_symmetry appropriate settings.
When the geometry was loaded into AcuConsole, all geometry surfaces were placed in the default surface group. In
the previous steps, you selected geometry surfaces to be placed in the groups that you created. At this point, all that is
left in the default surface group is the symmetry plane. Rather than create a new container, add the symmetry surface
in the geometry to it, and then delete the default surface container, you will rename the existing container.
1. Rename the default surface.
a) Right-click default under Surfaces and click Rename.
Note: You may need to scroll down in the Data Tree to see the default surface.
b) Enter Symmetry.
2. Expand the Symmetry surface in the tree.
3. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Symmetry to open the Simple Boundary Condition detail
panel.

4. Change the Type to Symmetry.

a) click the drop-down control next to Type.
b) Click Symmetry.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 24

Assign Mesh Controls

Set Global Meshing Attributes

Now that the simulation has been defined, attributes need to be added to define the mesh sizes that will be created by
the mesher.
AcuConsole supports three levels of meshing control; global, zone, and geometric.
• Global mesh controls apply to the whole model without being tied to any geometric component of the model.
• Zone mesh controls apply to a defined region of the model, but are not associated with a particular geometric
component.
• Geometric mesh controls are applied to a specific geometric component. These controls can be applied to volume
groups, surface groups, or edge groups.
In the next steps you will set global meshing attributes. In subsequent steps you will create zone and surface meshing
attributes.

1. Click MSH in the Data Tree Manager to filter the settings in the Data Tree to show only those controls related to
meshing.

2. Expand the Global Data Tree item.

3. Double-click Global Mesh Attributes to open the Global Mesh Attributes detail panel.

4. Change the Mesh size type to Absolute.

| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 25

a) Click the drop-down control next to Mesh size type.

b) Click Absolute.
5. Enter 0.0106 m for the Absolute mesh size.
This absolute mesh size is chosen to ensure that there are at least 30 mesh elements around the circumference of
the main pipe.
6. Turn off the Curvature refinement parameters option.

Set Zone Meshing Attributes

In addition to setting meshing characteristics for the whole problem, you can assign meshing attributes to a zone
within the problem where you want to be able to resolve flow with a mesh that is more refined than the global mesh.
A zone mesh refinement can be created using basic shapes to control the mesh size within that shape. These types of
mesh refinement are used when refinement is needed in an area that does not correspond to a geometric item.
In the next steps you will define mesh controls for a region around the small pipe and extending into the main pipe
by using a zone mesh control. The region of interest for this refinement is a cylinder that encloses the small pipe and
extends into the main pipe.

1. Turn off the display of Volumes.

2. Turn off the display of all surfaces except Symmetry.
3. Restore the initial view by clicking on the View Manager toolbar. .
4. Right-click Zone Mesh Attributes under the Global branch in the Data Tree and click New.
5. Rename Zone Mesh Attributes 1 to Small pipe refinement.
6. Double-click Small pipe refinement to open the zone mesh attributes detail panel.

7. Change the Mesh zone type to Cylinder.

8. Set the location of the mesh refinement by defining the center points of the end faces of the cylinder.
a) Click Open Array to open the Array Editor dialog.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 26

b) Enter 0.143 for X-coordinate 1 and 2.

c) Enter -0.232 for Y-coordinate 1.
d) Enter -0.025 for Y-coordinate 2.
e) Enter 0.0 for Z-coordinate 2.
f) Click OK.
9. Enter 0.0254 m for the Radius.
This radius is used to define a cylinder that is larger than the small inlet.
10. Enter 0.0053 m for the Mesh size.
This will result in a zone where the mesh size is half of the mesh size in the rest of the pipe.
Note: When setting mesh size for refinement zones, the best practice is to choose a value that is the
global mesh size divided by a power of 2, that is, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, and the like.

Set Meshing Attributes for Surface Groups

In the following steps you will set meshing attributes that will allow for localized control of the mesh size on surface
groups that you created earlier in this tutorial. Specifically, you will set local meshing attributes that control the
growth of boundary layer elements normal to the surfaces of the main pipe and of the side pipe.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 27

Set Meshing Attributes for the Large Pipe

In the next steps you will set attributes that control the mesh size normal to the large pipe wall (boundary layer mesh
controls).
1. Expand the Model > Surfaces > Large Pipe tree item.
2. Click the check box next to Surface Mesh Attributes to enable the settings and open the Surface Mesh
Attributes detail panel.

3. Change the Mesh size type to None.

This option indicates that the mesher will use the global meshing attributes when creating the mesh on the surface
of the pipe walls.
4. Turn on the Boundary layer flag option.
This option allows you to define how the meshing should be handled in the direction normal to the walls.
5. Set the Resolve option to Total Layer Height.
Mesh elements for a boundary layer are grown in the normal direction from a surface to allow effective resolution
of the steep gradients near no-slip walls. The layers can be specified using a number of different options. In this
tutorial you will specify the height of the first layer, a stretch ratio for successive layers (growth rate), and the
total number of layers to generate. AcuConsole will resolve the total layer height from the attributes that you
provide. That is, total layer height will be computed based on the height of the first element, the growth rate, and
the number of layers that you provide in the next few steps.
6. Keep the default value, 0.001 m, for First element height
7. Enter 1.3 for the Growth rate.
8. Enter 4 for the Number of layers.

Set Meshing Attributes for the Small Pipe

In the following steps you will set meshing attributes that will allow for localized control of the mesh size near the
walls of the small pipe.
1. Expand the Small Pipe tree item.
Note: You will set the same attributes as for the large pipe.
2. Click the check box next to Surface Mesh Attributes to enable the settings and open the Surface Mesh
Attributes detail panel.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 28

3. Change the Mesh size type to None.

4. Turn on the Boundary layer flag option.
5. Set the Resolve option to Total Layer Height.
6. Enter 1.3 for the Growth rate.
7. Enter 4 for the Number of layers.
8. Save the database to create a backup of your settings. This can be achieved with any of the following methods.
• Click the File menu, then click Save.
• Click on the Toolbar.
• Click Ctrl+S.

Generate the Mesh

In the next steps you will generate the mesh that will be used when computing a solution for the problem.
1. Click on the toolbar to open the Launch AcuMeshSim dialog.

For this case, the default values will be used.

2. Click Ok to begin meshing.
During meshing an AcuTail window will open. Meshing progress is reported in this window. A summary of the
meshing process indicates that the mesh has been generated.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 29

3. Display the mesh on surfaces.

a) Right-click Zone Mesh Attributes under Global in the Data Tree and click Display off.
b) Right-click Volumes in the Data Tree and click Display off.
c) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree and click Display on.
d) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree, select Display type and click solid & wire.
4. Rotate, move, or zoom the view to examine the mesh.
Details of the mesh on the side pipe are shown in Figure 3: Mesh details around the pipe intersection viewed
on the symmetry plane on page 30. The view was obtained by turning off the display of all surfaces except
Symmetry, then zooming in on the regions where the side pipe joins the main pipe.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 30

Figure 3: Mesh details around the pipe intersection viewed on the symmetry plane

Note that the mesh size in the main pipe decreases from left to right in the transition from a region where global
settings determine the size to the zone around the small pipe where the settings are for a finer mesh.
5. Save the database to create a backup of your settings.

Compute the Solution and Review the Results

Run AcuSolve
In the next steps you will launch AcuSolve to compute the solution for this case.
1. Click on the toolbar to open the Launch AcuSolve dialog.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 31

For this case, the default values will be used.

Based on these settings, AcuConsole will generate the AcuSolve input files, then launch the solver. AcuSolve will
run on a single processor to calculate the steady state solution for this problem.
2. Click Ok to start the solution process.
As the solution progresses, an AcuTail window will open. Solution progress is reported in this window. A
summary of the solution process indicates that the simulation has been completed. The information provided in the
summary is based on the number of processors used by AcuSolve. If you used a different number of processors
than indicated in this tutorial, the summary for your run may be slightly different than the summary shown.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 32

View Results with AcuFieldView

Now that a solution has been calculated, you are ready to view the flow field using AcuFieldView. AcuFieldView
is a third-party post-processing tool that is tightly integrated to AcuSolve. AcuFieldView can be started directly
from AcuConsole, or it can be started from the Start menu, or from a command line. In this tutorial you will start
AcuFieldView from AcuConsole after the solution is calculated by AcuSolve.
In the next steps you will start AcuFieldView, manipulate the view of the model, display velocity contours and
vectors on the symmetry plane, and display pressure contours on the symmetry plane.

Start AcuFieldView
1. Click on the AcuConsole Toolbar to open the Launch AcuFieldView dialog.

2. Click Ok to start AcuFieldView.

When AcuFieldView is started from AcuConsole, the main window and the Boundary Surface dialog are
displayed. The main window is comprised of six components as shown in Figure 4: AcuFieldView GUI with
mixing elbow loaded on page 33.
• Menu bar
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 33

• Main toolbar
• Transform Controls toolbar
• Viewer toolbar
• Graphics Window
• Side toolbar
When you start AcuFieldView from AcuConsole, the results from the last time step of the solution that were
written to disk will be loaded for post-processing.

Menu Bar Transform Controls Main Toolbar

Toolbar

Viewer
Toolbar

Graphics
Side
window
Toolbar

Figure 4: AcuFieldView GUI with mixing elbow loaded

Manipulate the Model View in AcuFieldView

When AcuFieldView is started directly from AcuConsole, the model will be displayed in an isometric view with a
Boundary Surface dialog open. The initial view is shown in perspective, with an outline around the model. You will
manipulate the view in the next steps, and in later steps will view different flow characteristics using the Boundary
Surface dialog.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 34

1. Change the background color to white.

a) Click on the View menu.
b) Click Background Color.

c) Click the white swatch, then click Close.

| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 35

2.
Turn off the display of the outline around the model by clicking on the toolbar.

3. Change the view from perspective to orthographic.

a) Click on the View menu.
b) Click Perspective to disable this option.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 36

4. Orient the model to view it from the positive Z direction (+Z).

a)
Click on the toolbar to open the Defined Views dialog.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 37

b)
Click .
You will see the view change as soon as you click a button in the Defined Views dialog.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 38

c) (Optional) Close the dialog.

You can move, zoom, and rotate the view in AcuFieldView in a similar fashion as in AcuConsole. AcuFieldView
uses a different mapping for mouse-button actions.

Action Mouse Button

move (pan) left
rotate middle
zoom right

Display Contours of Velocity Magnitude on the Symmetry Plane

In the next steps you will create a boundary surface to display contours of velocity magnitude on the symmetry plane.
1.
Click on the side toolbar to open the Boundary Surface dialog.
Note: The dialog may already be open. This step will put the focus on the dialog.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 39

2. Disable the Show Mesh option.

3. Set velocity_magnitude as the scalar field to display.
a) Click Select in the Scalar Function control group to open the Function Selection dialog.
b) Select velocity_magnitude from the list.
Note: You may need to scroll down in the list to find velocity_magnitude.
c) Click Calculate.
4. Set the symmetry plane as the location for display of the contours.
a) Click SBC: Symmetry in the list of BOUNDARY TYPES.
b) Click OK.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 40

The contours reflect the velocity profiles at the inlets, and show that at the elbow there is a momentum transfer
between the high-velocity side inlet flow and the flow in the main pipe, represented by the change in the velocity
magnitude.
5. Add a legend to the view.
a) Click the Legend tab in the Boundary Surface dialog.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 41

b) Enable the Show Legend option.

c) Enable the Frame option.
d) Click the white color swatch next to Geometric in the Color group and set the color for the legend values to
black.
e) Click the white color swatch next to the Title field and set the color for the title to black.
f) Move the legend by Shift+left-clicking and dragging the legend to the left.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 42

Add Velocity Vectors to the View

In the next steps you will create a new boundary surface and display velocity vectors on that surface.
1. Click Create on the Surface tab of the Boundary Surface dialog.
The new Surface ID will be 2.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 43

2. Click the Geometric radio button in the COLORING group.

This sets the color of the vectors to a constant color. By default, the color is black.
3. Set vector options.
a) Click the Vectors radio button.
b) Click Options next to Vectors to open the Vector Options dialog.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 44

c) Enable Head Scaling and set it to 0.5.

This option determines the size of the arrow head compared to the vector.
d) Set the Length Scale to 2.
The length scale determines the length of the vectors.
e) Enable the Skip option and set it to 37.5%.
The Skip option determines the percentage of vectors to skip from being displayed. The setting of 37.5% will
result in 62.5% of the vectors being displayed.
f) Close the dialog.
4. Set the symmetry plane as the location for display of the vectors.
a) Click SBC: Symmetry in the list of BOUNDARY TYPES.
b) Click OK.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 45

5. Zoom in on the junction of the small inlet with the main pipe to view details of velocity vectors.
a)
Click on the toolbar.
b) Draw a box around the junction of the two pipes.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 46

Note: The Show Legend option for the velocity contour (Surface ID 1) is disabled in order to capture this
image.
The velocity vectors indicate the direction of flow. Notice that the velocity vector length corresponds with the
velocity contours. The vectors in the high-velocity region (red) are longest, and those in the low-velocity region
(blue) are shortest.

Display Contours of Pressure on the Symmetry Plane

In the next steps you will create a boundary surface and display contours of pressure on the symmetry plane.
1.
Click on the side toolbar to open the Boundary Surface dialog.
Note: The dialog may already be open. This step will put the focus on the dialog.
2. Click Create on the Surface tab of the Boundary Surface dialog.
The new Surface ID will be 3.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 47

3. Enable the Smooth option in the DISPLAY TYPE control group.

4. Enable the Scalar option in the COLORING control group.
5. Set pressure as the scalar property to display.
a) Click Select in the Scalar Function control group to open the Function Selection dialog.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 48

b) Select pressure from the list.

c) Click Calculate.
6. Set the symmetry plane as the location for display of the contours.
a) Click SBC: Symmetry in the list of BOUNDARY TYPES.
b) Click OK.
7. Turn off the visibility of the vectors and velocity contours.
a) Change the Surface ID to 2 by entering 2 or clicking .
b) Disable the Visibility option to hide the velocity vectors.
c) Change the Surface ID to 1.
d) Disable the Visibility option to hide the velocity contours.

Note: Click on the Transform Controls toolbar to resize and center the view.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 49

8. Change the color mapping to better resolve differences in the pressure contours.
When the scalar function for pressure is calculated by AcuFieldView, minimum and maximum values are
calculated for use in a colormap for the contour display. You can edit the coloring to better resolve differences in
the pressure distriburion.
a) Set the Surface ID in the Boundary Surface dialog to 3.
Note: You could also make this the current surface by double-clicking the surface in the Graphics
Window.
b) Click the Colormap tab.
c) Enable the Local option.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 50

Notice that the Min: value for the Function Range changes when the Local option is toggled.
Notice also that the contours, especially near junction of the small pipe and the inside of the bend in the main
pipe, change as the option is toggled.
d) Enter 200 for the upper SCALAR Coloring value.
e) Enter -60 for the lower SCALAR Coloring value.
Note: Decimal entries for values will be converted to scientific notation.
9. Add a legend to the view.
a) Click the Legend tab in the Boundary Surface dialog.
b) If needed, change the Surface ID to 3.

c) Enable the Show Legend option.

d) Enable the Frame option.
e) Move the legend by Shift+left-clicking and dragging the legend to the left.
| Introduction to AcuSolve: Turbulent Flow in a Mixing Elbow | 51

Summary
In this tutorial you worked through a basic workflow to set up a simulation of flow through a mixing elbow. Once
the case was set up, you generated a mesh and computed a solution using AcuSolve. Results were post-processed
in AcuFieldView to allow you to create contour and vector views along the symmetry plane of the model. In other
tutorials, this basic workflow will be reinforced while additional modeling capabilities are introduced.
| Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 52

Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow

This tutorial provides the instructions for setting up, solving, and viewing results for a simulation of 3D turbulent-
flow with conjugate heat transfer in a mixing elbow. It is designed to introduce you to the AcuSolve tool set with a
simple problem.
The basic steps in any CFD simulation were shown in Flow in a Mixing Elbow. The following additional capabilities
of AcuSolve are introduced in this tutorial:
• simulating heat transfer within a fluid
• simulating heat transfer between a fluid and a solid (conjugate heat transfer)
• creation of a new material model
• modeling of surfaces shared between solid and fluid volumes
• propagation (copying) of settings from one surface group to another

Prerequisites
You should have already run through the introductory tutorial, Flow in a Mixing Elbow. It is assumed that you have
some familiarity with AcuConsole, AcuSolve, and AcuFieldView. You will also need access to a licensed version of
AcuSolve 14.0.
Prior to running through this tutorial, copy Mixing_Elbow_Heat\mixingElbowHeat.x_t from <AcuSolve
installation directory>\model_files\tutorials\AcuSolve\Acu_tutorial_inputs.zip
to a working directory.

Analyze the Problem to be Solved

An important first step in any CFD simulation is to examine the engineering problem to be analyzed and determine
the settings that need to be provided to AcuSolve. Settings can be based on geometrical components (such as
volumes, inlets, outlets, or walls) and on flow conditions (such as fluid properties, velocity, or whether the flow
should be modeled as turbulent or as laminar).
The problem to be addressed in this tutorial is shown schematically in Figure 5: Schematic of mixing elbow with
stainless-steel walls on page 53 It consists of a mixing elbow made of stainless steel with water entering
through two inlets with different velocities and with different temperatures. The geometry is symmetric about the
XY midplane of the pipe, as shown in the figure. This symmetry allows the flow to be modeled with the use of a
symmetry plane. The use of a symmetry plane leads to reduced computation time while still providing an accurate
solution.
| Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 53

outlet

symmetry plane large pipe

stainless steel

water

large inlet small pipe

flow direction
v = 0.4 m/sec 0.1 m

T = 295 K

0.025 m
symmetry plane
y

x small inlet
z flow direction
v = 1.2 m/sec

T= 320 K

Figure 5: Schematic of mixing elbow with stainless-steel walls

Details of the problem characteristics are shown in the following images extracted from a sample worksheet that was
created prior to setting up the case for AcuSolve.
The diameter of the large inlet is 0.1 m, the inlet velocity (v) is 0.4 m/s and the temperature (T) of the fluid entering
the large inlet is 295 K. The diameter of the small inlet is .025 m, the velocity is 1.2 m/s, and the temperature of the
fluid entering the small inlet is 320 K. The pipe wall has a thickness of 0.005 m.

The pipe walls are made of stainless steel with a density of 8030 kg/m3, a conductivity of 16.2 W/m-K, and a specific
heat of 500 J/kg-K.

In order to determine whether the modeled flow would be turbulent or whether it would be laminar, the Reynolds
number (Re) should be calculated. The Reynolds number is given by:

The simulation will be set up to model steady state, turbulent flow with varying temperature. In addition, the thermal
characteristics of the flow will be modeled using advection and diffusion equations.

Once a solution is calculated, the flow properties of interest are the steady state temperature contours on the symmetry
plane, velocity vectors on the symmetry plane, temperature contours on the pipe walls, and temperature contours at
the pipe outlet.

Define the Simulation Parameters

Start AcuConsole and Create the Simulation Database

In this tutorial, you will begin by creating a database, populating the geometry-independent settings, loading the
geometry, creating groups, setting group attributes, adding geometry components to groups, and assigning mesh
controls and boundary conditions to the groups. Next you will generate a mesh and run AcuSolve to converge on a
steady state solution. Finally, you will visualize the results using AcuFieldView.
In the next steps you will start AcuConsole, create the database for storage of AcuConsole settings, and set the
location for saving mesh and solution information for AcuSolve.
1. Start AcuConsole from the Windows Start menu by clicking Start > All Programs > Altair Hyperworks
<version> > AcuSolve > AcuConsole.
2. Click the File menu, then click New to open the New data base dialog.

Note: You can also open the New data base dialog by clicking on the toolbar.
3. Browse to the location that you would like to use as your working directory.
This directory is where all files related to the simulation will be stored. The AcuConsole database file (*.acs)
is stored in this directory. Once the mesh and solution are created, additional files and directories will be created
within this directory.
4. Create a new folder named Mixing_Elbow_Heat and open this folder.
5. Enter Mixing_Elbow_Heat as the File name for the database.
Note: In order for other applications to be able to read the files written by AcuConsole, the database path
and name should not include spaces.
6. Click Save to create the database.

Set General Simulation Attributes

In the next steps you will set attributes that apply globally to the simulation. To simplify this task, you will use
the BAS filter in the Data Tree Manager. The BAS filter limits the options in the Data Tree to show only the basic
settings.
The general attributes that you will set for this tutorial are for turbulent flow, steady state time analysis, and for
thermal analysis using advection-diffusion equations.,
1. Click BAS in the Data Tree Manager to filter all but the basic settings in the Data Tree.
| Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 57

2. Double-click Global in the Data Tree to expand it.

Note: You can also expand a tree item by clicking next to the item name.

3. Double-click Problem Description to open the Problem Description detail panel.

Note: You can also open a panel by right clicking a tree item and clicking Open on the context menu.
4. Enter Introductory Tutorial as the Title for this case.
5. Enter Mixing Elbow – Turbulent with conjugate heat transfer as the Sub title for this case.
6. Accept the default Analysis type of Steady State.
7. Set the Temperature equation to Advective Diffusive.
a) Click the Temperature equation drop down.
b) Click Advective Diffusive from the list.
8. Set the Turbulence equation to Spalart Allmaras.
a) Click the Turbulence equation drop-down.
b) Click Spalart Allmaras from the list.
The robustness and accuracy of the Spalart Allmaras turbulence model makes it an excellent choice for
simulation of steady state flows.
| Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 58

Set Solution Strategy Attributes

2. Enter 0.4 for the Relaxation factor.

Set Material Model Attributes

AcuConsole has three pre-defined materials, Air, Aluminum, and Water.
In the next steps you will verify that the pre-defined material properties of water match the desired properties for this
problem. You will also create a new material, stainless steel, and set the desired material properties.

1. Double-click Material Model in the Data Tree to expand it.

3. Click the Density tab. Verify that the density of water is 1000.0 kg/m3.
4. Click the Specific Heat tab. Verify that the specific heat of water is 4183.0 J/kg-K.
5. Click the Viscosity tab. Verify that the viscosity of water is 0.001 kg/m-sec.
6. Click the Conductivity tab. Verify that the conductivity of water is 0.598 W/m-K.
7. Create a new material model for stainless steel.

a) Right-click Material Model in the Data Tree.

b) Click New.
8. Rename the new material.
a) Right-click Material Model 1 in the Data Tree.
b) Click Rename.
c) Enter Stainless Steel.
9. Double-click Steel in the Data Tree to open the Stainless Steel detail panel.

10. Change the Material type to solid.

a) Click the drop-down control next to Material Type.
b) Click Solid.
11. Set the density to be used for stainless steel in this simulation.
a) Click the Density tab.
b) Enter 8030 for Density.
c) Verify that the units are kg/m3.
12. Set the specific heat of steel for this simulation.
a) Click the Specific Heat tab.
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b) Enter 500 for Specific heat.

c) Verify that the units are J/kg-K.
13. Set the conductivity of steel for this simulation.
a) Click the Conductivity tab.
b) Enter 16.2 for Conductivity.
c) Verify that the units are W/m-K.
14. Save the database to create a backup of your settings. This can be achieved with any of the following methods.
• Click the File menu, then click Save.
• Click on the Toolbar.
• Click Ctrl+S.
Note: Changes made in AcuConsole are saved into the database file (*.acs) as they are made. A save
operation copies the database to a backup file, which can be used to reload the database from that saved
state in the event that you do not want to commit future changes.

Import Geometry and Define the Model

Import the Mixing Elbow Geometry

You will import the geometry in the next part of this tutorial. You will need to know the location of
mixingElbowHeat.x_t in order to complete these steps. This file contains the solid model of the mixing elbow
in the Parasolid ASCII format.
1. Click the File menu, then Import.
2. Browse to the directory containing mixingElbowHeat.x_t.
3. Change the File name filter to Parasolid File (*.x_t *.xmt *X_T …
a) Click the drop-down button to the right of the File name field.
b) Click Parasolid File (*.x_t *.xmt *X_T … from the drop-down list.

4. Click mixingElbowHeat.x_t and Open to open the Import Geometry dialog.

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The color of objects shown in the Graphics Window in this tutorial and those displayed on your screen may differ.
The default color scheme in AcuConsole is "random," in which colors are randomly assigned to groups as they
are created. In addition, this tutorial was developed on Windows. If you are running this tutorial on a different
| Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 62

operating system, you may notice a slight difference between the images displayed on your screen and the images
shown in the tutorial.

Create a Volume Group and Apply Volume Attributes

Volume groups are containers used for storing information about volumes. This information includes the list of
geometric volumes associated with the container, as well as attributes such as material models and mesh sizing
information.
When the geometry was imported into AcuConsole, all volumes were placed into the "default" volume container.
In the next steps you will create a new group for the steel wall volume; set the material for that group; add the
volumes from the geometry to that volume group; rename the default volume group to Fluid and set the material for
that group; then add the volumes from the geometry to that group
1. Expand the Model tree item by clicking .
2. Expand Volumes.
3. Toggle the display of the default volume container by clicking and next to the volume name.
Note: You may not see any change when toggling the display if Surfaces are being displayed, as surfaces
and volumes may overlap.
4. Create a new volume group for the steel pipe walls
a) Right-click Volumes.
b) Click New.
5. Rename the new group.
a) Right-click Volume 1.
b) Click Rename.
c) Enter Steel Walls.
Note: When an item in the Data Tree is renamed, the change is not saved until you press the Enter key on
your keyboard. If you move the input focus away from the item without entering it, your changes will be
lost.
6. Set the material model for the volume to use the Stainless Steel.
a) Expand the Steel volume in the tree.
b) Double-click Element Set to open the Element Set detail panel.

c) Click the drop-down control next to Medium.

d) Click Solid to define this volume as a solid..
e) Click the drop-down control next to Material model.
f) Click Stainless Steel to use this material model.
7. Add the pipe wall components in the geometry to this volume group.
a) Right-click Steel Walls under Volumes in the Data Tree.
b) Click Add to.
c) Click the outer surface of the pipe wall.
If you rotate the view, by Ctrl+left-clicking, you can see that only the outer volume is highlighted.
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d) Click Done to add this geometry volume to the Steel Walls volume group.
Note: You can also use the middle mouse button to complete the addition of geometry components to
a group.
8. Rename the default volume to Fluid.
When the geometry was loaded into AcuConsole, all geometry volumes were placed in the default volume group.
In the previous steps, you selected a geometry volume to be added to Steel volume container that you created. At
this point, all that is left in the default volume group is the fluid volume. Rather than create a new container, add
the fluid volume in the geometry to it, and then delete the default volume container, you will rename the container
and modify the attributes for this group.
a) Right-click default under Volumes and click Rename on the context menu.
b) Enter Fluid .
9. Set the material model used for the fluid in the simulation.
a) Expand the Fluid volume in the tree.
b) Double-click Element Set to open the Element Set detail panel.

Note: The default Medium for a volume in AcuConsole is Fluid.

c) Click the drop-down control next to Material model.
d) Click Water to set this material model for the fluid.

Create Surface Groups and Apply Surface Attributes

In the next steps you will define surface groups, assign the appropriate attributes for each group in the problem, and
add surfaces to the groups.

Set Inflow Boundary Conditions for the Large Inlet

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the large inlet, set the inlet velocity, and add the main inlet from
the geometry to the surface group.

1. Create a new surface group.

6. Change the Inflow type to Average Velocity.

At this point, the inlet should be highlighted.

c) Click Done to add this geometry surface to the Large Inlet surface group.
Note: You can also use the middle mouse button to complete the addition of geometry components to
a group.

Set Inflow Boundary Conditions for the Small Inlet

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the small inlet, assign the appropriate attributes, and add the small
inlet from the geometry to the surface group.

1. Create a new surface group.

b) Click Inflow.

6. Change the Inflow type to Average Velocity.

a) Click the drop-down control next to Inflow type.
b) Click Average Velocity.
7. Set the Average velocity to 1.2 m/sec.
8. Set the Temperature to 320 K.
9. Add a geometry surface to the Small Inlet group.
a) Right-click Small Inlet and click Add to.
b) Rotate the model to expose the small inlet by Ctrl+left-clicking near the bottom of the geometry and moving
the cursor toward the top of the window.
Note: If you need to zoom in or out, Ctrl+right-click and drag the cursor down or up. You can also
restore the initial view by clicking .
c) Left-click on the small inlet face.

At this point, the small inlet should be highlighted.

d) Click Done to add this geometry surface to the Small Inlet group.

Set Outflow Boundary Conditions for the Outlet

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the outlet, assign the appropriate attributes, and add the outlet
from the geometry to the surface group
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1. Create a new surface group.

a) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree.
b) Click New.
2. Rename the surface to Outlet.
a) Right-click Surface 1 under Surfaces and click Rename on the context menu.
b) Enter Outlet.
3. Expand the Outlet surface in the tree.
4. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Outlet to open the Simple Boundary Condition detail panel.
5. Change the Type to Outflow.
a) Click the drop-down control next to Type.
b) Click Outflow.
6. Add a geometry surface to the Outlet surface container.
a) Right-click Outlet and click Add to.
b) Rotate the model to expose the outlet by Ctrl+left-clicking near the top of the geometry and moving the cursor
toward the bottom of the window.
c) Click on the outlet face.

At this point, the outlet should be highlighted.

d) Click Done to associate this geometry surface with the surface settings of the Outlet group.

Set Wall Boundary Conditions for the Steel Pipe Outer Walls
In the next steps you will define a surface group for the steel pipe outer walls, assign the appropriate attributes,
and add the pipe walls from the geometry to the surface group. In this simulation, you will not be modeling the air
surrounding the pipe. However, you will specify a convective heat transfer coefficient and reference temperature to
account for heat transfer from the pipe walls to the surroundings.
1. Create a new surface group.
a) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree.
b) Click New.
2. Rename the newly created surface group to Steel Pipe - Outer Walls .
a) Right-click Surface 1 under Surfaces and click Rename on the context menu.
b) Enter Steel Pipe - Outer Walls.
3. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Steel Pipe - Outer Walls to open the Simple Boundary
Condition detail panel.
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4. Enter 100 for the Convective heat flux coefficient and verify that the units are J/m2-sec-K.
This convective heat transfer coefficient is chosen to model the heat transfer between the steel pipe and the
surrounding air.
5. Enter 302.594 for the Convective heat flux reference temperature and verify that the units are K.
This temperature value specifies that the surroundings of the pipe are at a constant temperature of 302.594 K.
6. Add a geometry surface to the Steel Pipe - Outer Walls group.
a) Right-click Steel Pipe - Outer Walls and click Add to.

At this point, the outer pipe walls should be highlighted.

b) Click Done to associate these geometry surfaces with the surface settings of the Steel Pipe - Outer Walls
group.

Set Boundary Conditions for the Steel Pipe Inner Walls

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the steel pipe inner wall, assign the appropriate attributes, and add
the pipe walls from the geometry to the surface group.
1. Create a new surface group.
a) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree.
b) Click New.
2. Rename the newly created surface group to Steel Pipe - Inner Walls .
a) Right-click Surface 1 under Surfaces and click Rename on the context menu.
b) Enter Steel Pipe - Inner Walls.
3. Disable boundary conditions for this surface.
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For this simulation, no boundary conditions will be used for the inner surface of the steel pipe. Where there is an
interface between two volumes (fluid/solid or fluid/fluid), AcuConsole treats the interface as two surfaces. This
allows you to set different attributes, such as boundary conditions or local meshing attributes, on either side of the
interface. You will set boundary conditions for the large pipe wall (the second surface at this interface) later in this
tutorial.
a) Expand the Steel Pipe - Inner Walls surface in the tree.
b) Click the check box next to Simple Boundary Condition to disable boundary conditions.
4. Turn off the display of the Steel Pipe - Outer Walls.
• Click next to the surface so that it is in the display off state ( ),
or,
• Right-click Steel Pipe - Outer Walls in the tree, and click Display off.
Turning off the display of the outer walls will make it easier to add geometric surfaces to the inner wall group.
5. Add geometry surfaces to the Steel Pipe - Inner Walls group.
a) Right-click Steel Pipe - Inner Walls and click Add to.
b) Click the pipe near the main inlet, the pipe near the elbow, the pipe near the outlet, and the pipe near the side
inlet to select the four surfaces that make up the inner surface of the steel pipe wall.

At this point, the inner walls of the steel pipe should be highlighted.
c) Click Done to associate these geometry surfaces with the surface settings of the Steel Pipe - Inner Walls
group.

Set Wall Boundary Conditions for the Large Pipe

5. Turn off the display of the Steel Pipe - Inner Walls.

Turning off the display of the inner walls of the steel pipe will make it easier to add geometric surfaces to the pipe
group.
6. Add geometry surfaces to this group.
a) Right-click Large Pipe and click Add to.
b) Click on the pipe near the large inlet, the pipe near the elbow, and the pipe near the outlet to select the three
surfaces that make up the main pipe wall.

At this point, the pipe walls should be highlighted.

c) Click Done to add these geometric surfaces to the Large Pipe group.

Set Wall Boundary Conditions for the Small Pipe

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the side pipe wall, assign the appropriate attributes, and add the
side pipe wall from the geometry to the surface group.
1. Create a new surface group.
a) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree.
b) Click New.
2. Rename the surface to Small Pipe.
a) Right-click Surface 1 under Surfaces and click Rename.
b) Enter Small Pipe.
3. Expand the Small Pipe surface in the tree.
4. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Small Pipe to open the Simple Boundary Condition detail
panel.
As with the large pipe, the default boundary condition Type is Wall. The default is appropriate for this group and
no other changes are needed.
5. Add geometry surfaces to this group.
a) Right-click Small Pipe and click Add to.
b) Rotate the model to expose the side pipe by Ctrl+left-clicking near the bottom of the geometry and moving the
cursor toward the top of the window.
c) Click on the pipe near the side inlet.
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At this point, the side pipe wall should be highlighted.

d) Click Done to associate this geometry surface with the Small Pipe surface container.

Set Symmetry Boundary Conditions for the Pipe Symmetry Plane

5. Change the Type to Symmetry.

a) click the drop-down control next to Type.
b) Click Symmetry.
6. Turn off the display of all surface items except Symmetry and default.
7. Add geometric faces to this group.
a) Right-click Symmetry and click Add to.
b) Click on the Symmetry plane.
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At this point, the symmetry plane should be highlighted.

c) Click Done to associate this geometry surface with the Small Pipe surface container.

Set Boundary Conditions for the Steel Pipe Ends

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the ends of the steel pipe, assign the appropriate attributes, and
add the pipe ends from the geometry to the surface group.
1. Create a new surface group.
a) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree.
b) Click New.
2. Rename the newly created surface group to Steel Pipe - Ends.
a) Right-click Surface 1 under Surfaces and click Rename on the context menu.
b) Enter Steel Pipe - Ends.
3. Expand the Steel Pipe - Ends surface in the tree.
4. Disable boundary conditions for this surface.
No boundary conditions will be used for the pipe ends for this simulation. AcuSolve will treat the steel wall as if it
continues beyond the regions modeled.
5. Turn off the display of all surface items except Steel Pipe - Ends and default.
6. Add geometric faces to this group.
a) Right-click Steel Pipe - Ends and click Add to.
b) Click on the pipe ends at the large inlet, the small inlet, and the outlet.
Note: You may need to rotate the graphic to see that the pipe end at the large inlet is highlighted.
| Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 73

At this point, the pipe ends should be highlighted.

c) Click Done to associate these geometry surfaces with the Steel Pipe - Ends surface container.

Set Symmetry Boundary Conditions for the Steel Pipe Symmetry Plane
In order to take advantage of the symmetry of the model, the steel pipe walls need to be identified as a symmetry
plane.
In the next steps you will rename a surface group for the steel pipe symmetry plane and assign the appropriate
settings.
When the geometry was loaded into AcuConsole, all geometry surfaces were placed in the default surface group.
In the previous steps, you selected geometry surfaces to be placed in the groups that you created. At this point, all
that is left in the default surface group is the steel pipe symmetry plane. Rather than create a new container, add the
symmetry surface in the geometry to it, and then delete the default surface container, you will rename the existing
container.
1. Rename default to Steel Pipe - Symmetry.
a) Right-click default under Surfaces and click Rename.
Note: You may need to scroll down in the Data Tree to see the default surface.
b) Enter Steel Pipe - Symmetry.
2. Expand the Steel Pipe - Symmetry surface in the tree.
3. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Steel Pipe - Symmetry to open the Simple Boundary
Condition detail panel.
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4. Change the Type to Symmetry.

a) click the drop-down control next to Type.
b) Click Symmetry.
5. Save the database to create a backup of your settings.

Assign Mesh Controls

Set Global Meshing Attributes

1. Click MSH in the Data Tree Manager to filter the settings in the Data Tree to show only those controls related to
meshing.

2. Expand the Global Data Tree item.

3. Double-click Global Mesh Attributes to open the Global Mesh Attributes detail panel.
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4. Change the Mesh size type to Absolute.

a) Click the drop-down control next to Mesh size type.
b) Click Absolute.
5. Enter 0.0106 m for the Absolute mesh size.
This absolute mesh size is chosen to ensure that there are at least 30 mesh elements around the circumference of
the main pipe.
6. Turn off the Curvature refinement parameters option.

Set Zone Meshing Attributes

1. Turn off the display of Volumes.

2. Turn off the display of all surfaces except Steel Pipe - Symmetry.
3. Restore the initial view by clicking on the View Manager toolbar. .
4. Right-click Zone Mesh Attributes under the Global branch in the Data Tree and click New.
5. Rename Zone Mesh Attributes 1 to Small pipe refinement.
6. Double-click Small pipe refinement to open the zone mesh attributes detail panel.
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7. Change the Mesh zone type to Cylinder.

8. Set the location of the mesh refinement by defining the center points of the end faces of the cylinder.
a) Click Open Array to open the Array Editor dialog.

b) Enter 0.143 for X-coordinate 1 and 2.

Set Meshing Attributes for Surface Groups

Set Meshing Attributes for the Large Pipe

3. Change the Mesh size type to None.

Propagate Meshing Attributes to the Small Pipe

The local mesh settings for the small pipe are the same as for the large pipe. AcuConsole has the capability to
propagate, or "copy and paste," settings from one group to another. In the following steps you will propagate the local
mesh settings from the large pipe surface group to the small pipe surface group.
1. Right-click Surface Mesh Attributes under Large Pipe and click Propagate.
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2. Scroll down the list of surfaces and click Small Pipe.

3. Click Propagate to paste the settings for the Large Pipe surface to the Small Pipe surface.
If you examine the Surface Mesh Attributes for the Small Pipe, you will see that the settings are the same as those
for the Large Pipe.

Set Meshing Attributes for the Steel Pipe Outer Walls

In the following steps you will set meshing parameters that will allow for localized control of the mesh size near the
outer walls of the steel pipe.
1. Expand the Model > Surfaces > Steel Pipe - Outer Walls tree item.
2. Click the check box next to Surface Mesh Attributes to enable the settings and open the Surface Mesh
Attributes detail panel.

3. Change the Mesh size type to None.

This option indicates that the mesher will use the global meshing parameters when creating the mesh on the
surface of the pipe walls.
4. Turn on the Boundary layer flag option.
This option allows you to define how the meshing should be handled in the direction normal to the walls. For the
inner and outer walls of the steel pipe, you will set parameters to create a mesh one layer thick with a height of
0.002 m.
5. Set the Resolve option to Total Layer Height.
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6. Enter 0.002 m for First element height.

7. Enter 1 for the Number of layers.

Propagate Meshing Attributes to the Steel Pipe Inner Walls

The local mesh settings for the inner walls of the pipe are the same as for the outer walls. In the following steps you
will propagate the local mesh settings from the surface group containing the steel pipe outer walls to the surface group
containing the steel pipe inner walls.
1. Right-click Surface Mesh Attributes under Steel Pipe - Outer Walls and click Propagate.
2. Scroll down the list of surfaces and click Steel Pipe - Inner Walls.
3. Click Propagate to paste the settings for the Steel Pipe - Outer Walls surface to the Steel Pipe - Inner Walls
surface.
4. If you examine the Surface Mesh Attributes for the Steel Pipe - Inner Walls, you will see that the settings are
the same as those for the Steel Pipe - Outer Walls.
5. Save the database to create a backup of your settings.

Generate the Mesh

In the next steps you will generate the mesh that will be used when computing a solution for the problem.
1. Click on the toolbar to open the Launch AcuMeshSim dialog.

For this case, the default values will be used.

3. Display the mesh on surfaces.

a) Right-click Zone Mesh Attributes under Global in the Data Tree and click Display off.
b) Right-click Volumes in the Data Tree and click Display off.
c) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree and click Display on.
d) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree, select Display type and click solid & wire.
4. Rotate, move, or zoom the view to examine the mesh.
5. Turn off the display of small pipe refinement under Global > Zone Mesh Attributes by clicking next to the
surface so that it is in the display off state ( ),
Details of the mesh on the side pipe are shown in Figure 6: Mesh details around the pipe intersection viewed
on the symmetry plane on page 81. This view was obtained by turning off the display of all surfaces except
Symmetry and Steel Pipe - Symmetry, then zooming in on the region where the small pipe joins the large pipe.
| Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 81

Figure 6: Mesh details around the pipe intersection viewed on the symmetry plane

Note that the mesh size in the main pipe decreases from left to right in the transition from a region where global
settings determine the size to the zone around the small pipe where the settings are for a finer mesh.
6. Save the database to create a backup of your settings.

Compute the Solution and Review the Results

Run AcuSolve
In the next steps you will launch AcuSolve to compute the solution for this case.
1. Click on the toolbar to open the Launch AcuSolve dialog.
| Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 82

For this case, the default values will be used.

View Results with AcuFieldView

Now that a solution has been calculated, you are ready to view the flow field using AcuFieldView. AcuFieldView
is a third-party post-processing tool that is tightly integrated to AcuSolve. AcuFieldView can be started directly
from AcuConsole, or it can be started from the Start menu, or from a command line. In this tutorial you will start
AcuFieldView from AcuConsole after the solution is calculated by AcuSolve.
In the next steps you will start AcuFieldView, manipulate the view of the model, display temperature contours and
velocity vectors on the symmetry plane, display temperature contours on the pipe wall symmetry plane, and display
temperature contours at the outlet.

Start AcuFieldView

1. Click on the AcuConsole Toolbar to open the Launch AcuFieldView dialog.

2. Click Ok to start AcuFieldView.

When you start AcuFieldView from AcuConsole, the results from the last time step of the solution that were
written to disk will be loaded for post-processing.
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Manipulate the Model View in AcuFieldView

1. Change the background color to white.

a) Click on the View menu.
b) Click Background Color.

c) Click the white swatch, then click Close.

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2.
Turn off the display of the outline around the model by clicking on the toolbar.

3. Change the view from perspective to orthographic.

a) Click on the View menu.
b) Click Perspective to disable this option.
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4. Orient the model to view it from the positive Z direction (+Z).

a)
Click on the toolbar to open the Defined Views dialog.
| Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 87

b)
Click .
You will see the view change as soon as you click a button in the Defined Views dialog.
| Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 88

c) (Optional) Close the dialog.

You can move, zoom, and rotate the view in AcuFieldView in a similar fashion as in AcuConsole. AcuFieldView
uses a different mapping for mouse-button actions.

Action Mouse Button

move (pan) left
rotate middle
zoom right

Display Contours of Fluid Temperature on the Symmetry Plane

In the next steps you will create a boundary surface to display contours of fluid temperature on the symmetry plane.
1.
Click on the side toolbar to open the Boundary Surface dialog.
Note: The dialog may already be open. This step will put the focus on the dialog.
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2. Disable the Show Mesh option.

3. Set temperature as the scalar property to display.
a) Click Select in the Scalar Function control group to open the Function Selection dialog.
b) Select temperature from the list.
c) Click Calculate.
4. Set the symmetry plane as the location for display of the contours.
a) Click SBC: Symmetry in the list of BOUNDARY TYPES.
b) Click OK.
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5. Add a legend to the view.

a) Click the Legend tab in the Boundary Surface dialog.
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b) Enable the Show Legend option.

Add Velocity Vectors to the View

2. Click the Geometric radio button in the COLORING group.

c) Enable Head Scaling and set it to 0.5.

5. Zoom in on the junction of the small inlet with the main pipe to view details of velocity vectors.
a)
Click on the toolbar.
b) Draw a box around the junction of the two pipes.
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Note: The Show Legend option for the temperature contour (Surface ID 1) is disabled in order to capture
this image.
The velocity vectors indicate the direction of flow. The vector length indicates the magnitude of the flow velocity.
Adding velocity vectors to a view with temperature contours allows you to visualize temperature and velocity
simultaneously.

Display Contours of Temperature on the Steel Pipe Walls

In the next steps you will create a boundary surface to display contours of temperature on the stainless steel pipe walls
at the symmetry plane.
1.
Click on the Transform Controls toolbar to center the visible surfaces and to fit the view in the window.
2.
Click on the side toolbar to open the Boundary Surface dialog.
Note: The dialog may already be open. This step will put the focus on the dialog.
3. Disable the visibility of the temperature contours on the symmetry plane and of the velocity vectors.
a) Set the Surface ID to 1.
b) Disable the Visibility option on the Surface tab.
c) Set the Surface ID to 2.
d) Disable the Visibility option on the Surface tab.
4. Click Create on the Surface tab of the Boundary Surface dialog.
The new Surface ID will be 3.
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5. Enable the Smooth option in the DISPLAY TYPE control group.

6. Enable the Scalar option in the COLORING control group.
7. Set temperature as the scalar property to display.
a) Click Select in the Scalar Function control group to open the Function Selection dialog.
b) Select temperature from the list.
c) Click Calculate.
8. Set the stainless-steel pipe symmetry plane as the location for display of the contours.
a) Scroll up in the list of BOUNDARY TYPES and click OSF:Steel Pipe - Symmetry.
b) Click OK.
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Display Contours of Temperature at the Outlet

In the next steps you will create a boundary surface to display contours of temperature at the outlet.
1.
Click on the side toolbar to open the Boundary Surface dialog.
2. Click Create on the Surface tab of the Boundary Surface dialog.
The new Surface ID will be 4.
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3. Enable the Smooth option in the DISPLAY TYPE control group.

4. Enable the Scalar option in the COLORING control group.
5. Set temperature as the scalar property to display.
a) Click Select in the Scalar Function control group to open the Function Selection dialog.
b) Select temperature from the list.
c) Click Calculate.
6. Set the outlet as the location for display of the contours.
a) Click SBC: Outlet in the BOUNDARY TYPES list.
b) Click OK.
7. Turn of the Visibility option for surfaces 1, 2, and 3.
8. Orient the view so that you can see the contours on the outlet.
a)
Click on the Transform Controls toolbar.
b) Set the VIEWING DIRECTION to -Y.
c)
Click on the Transform Controls toolbar to center the visible surfaces and to fit the view in the window.
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9. Change the color scale to better resolve differences in the temperature contours.
When the scalar function for temperature is calculated by AcuFieldView, minimum and maximum values are
calculated for use in a colormapfor the contour display. You can edit the coloring to better resolve differences in
the pressure distribution.
a) Set the Surface ID to in the Boundary Surface dialog to 4.
Note: You could also make this the current surface by double-clicking the surface in the Graphics
Window.
b) Click the Colormap tab.
| Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 101

Notice that the Min: and Max: values for the Function Range change when the Local option is toggled.
c) Enable the Local option.
| Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 102

Summary
In this tutorial you worked through a basic workflow to set up a simulation of conjugate heat transfer in a mixing
elbow. Once the case was set up, you generated a mesh and generated a solution using AcuSolve. Results were post-
processed in AcuFieldView to allow you to create contour and vector views along the symmetry plane of the model.
New features introduced in this tutorial include: flows of different temperatures, simulating heat transfer within a
fluid, sumulating heat transfer between a fluid and a solid (conjugate heat transfer), creation of a new material model,
modeling of shared surfaces at fluid/solid interfaces, and copying and pasting (propagation) of settings from one
surface group to another.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 103

Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow

This tutorial provides the instructions for setting up, solving, and viewing results of 3D, turbulent flow with conjugate
heat transfer in a mixing elbow. It is designed to introduce you to the AcuSolve tool set with a simple problem.
The basic steps in any CFD simulation were shown in Flow in a Mixing Elbow. Details of the setup for the static
simulation of this problem are shown in Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow. The following additional
capabilities of AcuSolve are introduced in this tutorial:
• simulating transient flow characteristics
• creating and applying multiplier functions
• using the restart capability
• decoupling of the flow and temperature simulations ("frozen" flow field for thermal simulations)
• creating an animation from transient results

Prerequisites
You should have already run through the introductory tutorial, Flow in a Mixing Elbow. It is assumed that you have
some familiarity with AcuConsole, AcuSolve, and AcuFieldView. You will also need access to a licensed version of
AcuSolve 14.0.
Prior to running through this tutorial, copy the Mixing_Elbow_Cold_Slug directory and its contents
from <AcuSolve installation directory>\model_files\tutorials\AcuSolve
\Acu_tutorial_inputs.zip to a working directory.

Analyze the Problem to be Solved

An important first step in any CFD simulation is to examine the engineering problem to be analyzed and determine
the settings that need to be provided to AcuSolve. Settings can be based on geometrical components (such as
volumes, inlets, outlets, or walls) and on flow conditions (such as fluid properties, velocity, or whether the flow
should be modeled as turbulent or as laminar).
The problem is divided into 2 components, a steady state solution and a transient solution. The flow and thermal
fields that are established in the steady simulation will be used as a starting point for the transient simulation. The
use of these "frozen" flow and thermal fields dramatically reduces the overall solution time necessary to solve the
thermal transient model. This technique of solving temperature separate from the flow field is a powerful feature that
can be applied to a broad class of problems. Note that this simulation approach relies on decoupling of the thermal
and momentum fields. If there is strong coupling between the flow and thermal fields (that is, through temperature-
dependent material properties), this approach cannot be applied.

Analyze the Steady State Component

The steady state portion of the problem is shown schematically in Figure 7: Schematic of mixing elbow with stainless
steel walls on page 104. It consists of a mixing elbow made of stainless steel with water entering through two inlets
with different velocities and with different temperatures.
This case is the same as the one used in Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow. The geometry is symmetric
about the XY midplane of the pipe, as shown in the figure. This symmetry allows the flow to be modeled with the
use of a symmetry plane. The use of a symmetry plane leads to reduced computation time while still providing an
accurate solution.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 104

outlet

symmetry plane large pipe

stainless steel

water

large inlet small pipe

flow direction
v = 0.4 m/sec 0.1 m

T = 295 K

0.025 m
symmetry plane
y

x small inlet
z flow direction
v = 1.2 m/sec

T= 320 K

Figure 7: Schematic of mixing elbow with stainless steel walls

The fluid in this problem is water, with the following properties that do not change with temperature; a density (ρ) of
1000 kg/m3, a molecular viscosity (μ) of 1 X 10-3 kg/m-sec, a conductivity (k) of 0.598 W/m-K, and a specific heat
(cp) of 4183 J/kg-K, as shown in the worksheet.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 105

The pipe walls are made of stainless steel with a density of 8030 kg/m3, a conductivity of 16.2 W/m-K, and a specific
heat of 500 J/kg-K.

In order to determine whether the modeled flow would be turbulent or whether it would be laminar, the Reynolds
number (Re) should be calculated. The Reynolds number is given by:

The simulation will be set up to model steady state, turbulent flow. In addition, the thermal characteristics of the flow
will be modeled using advection and diffusion equations.
The simulation will be set up to model steady state, turbulent flow. In addition, the thermal characteristics of the
flow will be modeled using advection and diffusion equations. The simulation will be set up to model steady state,
turbulent flow with varying temperature.

In addition to setting appropriate conditions to capture the physics of the the simulation, it is important to generate a
mesh that is sufficiently refined to provide good results. In this tutorial the global mesh size is set to provide at least
30 mesh elements around the circumference of the large inlet. For this problem, the global mesh size is 0.0106 m.
This mesh size was chosen to provide a quick turnaround time for the model. For real-world simulations, you would
modify your mesh settings after an initial solution until a mesh-independent solution is reached (that is, a solution that
does not change with further mesh refinement).
AcuSolve allows for mesh refinements in a user-defined region that is independent of geometric components of
the problem such as volumes, model surfaces, or edges. It is useful to refine the mesh in areas where gradients in
pressure, velocity, eddy viscosity, and the like are steep. For this problem , the flow entering the large pipe from the
side pipe creates large velocity gradients that need to be resolved. A mesh refinement zone is used to capture the flow
in this region.

Once a steady state solution is calculated, you will create a transient database, modify settings, and solve for the
transient temperature characteristics of the problem.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 107

Analyze the Transient Component

The starting point for the transient portion of the problem is shown schematically in Figure 8: Schematic of initial
conditions of mixing elbow on page 107. It consists of a mixing elbow with a steady state solution for flow and
temperature. A cold slug of water is injected at both inlets during the simulation. The temperature excursion drops the
temperature at both inlets to 283.15 K for a duration of 1.0 s.

symmetry plane

stainless steel

water

large inlet
flow direction
v = 0.4 m/sec

T0 = 295 K
Tmin = 283.15 K
symmetry plane

small inlet
flow direction
v = 1.2 m/sec

T0= 320 K
Tmin = 283.15 K

Figure 8: Schematic of initial conditions of mixing elbow

The temperature profile at the inlets is shown in Figure 9: Transient temperature profile at inlets on page 108. The
temperature of the water flowing in the large inlet at t=0 is 295 K and the temperature of the fluid flowing in the small
inlet at t=0 is 320 K. The temperature is held constant for 0.2 s, then is ramped down at both inlets and reaches 283.15
K at 0.4 s into the simulation. The temperature is held constant for 1 s. The temperature is ramped up beginning at 1.4
s, and by 1.6 s the inlet temperatures are back to their initial states.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 108

Figure 9: Transient temperature profile at inlets

For this case, the minimum duration would be the time it takes for the cold slug to move completely through the
domain. This minimum period is given by the steady state transit time through the domain added to the duration of the
cold slug.
Transit time can be estimated using the inlet velocity at the large inlet and the estimated length of the flow path. The
flow path is made up of a straight section 0.2 m long (11), a 90-degree elbow section with an average radius of 0.15 m
(lelbow), and another straight section 0.2 m long (l2).

The inlet velocity for the large inlet is 0.4 m/s. Given a flow path of 0.6356 m, the transit time will be approximately
1.6 s. In order to predict the movement of the cold slug through the domain, our simulation period would be at least
3.2 s.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 109

To allow time for the thermal conditions to return to the steady state, additional time can be added to the simulation.
For this case 1.3 s will be added for a total simulation period of 4.5 s.

Another critical decision in a transient simulation is choosing the time increment. The time increment is the change
in time during a given time step of the simulation. It is important to choose a time increment that is short enough to
capture the changes in flow properties of interest, but does not require unnecessary computation time.
There are two methods commonly used for determining an appropriate time increment. The first method involves
identification of the time scales of the transient behaviors of interest and setting the time increment to sufficiently
resolve those behaviors. The second method involves setting a limit on the number of mesh elements that the flow
can cross in a given time step. A convenient metric for the number of mesh elements crossed per time step is the
Courant-Friederichs-Lewy number, or CFL number. With this method, the time increment can be computed from the
mesh size, the flow velocity, and the desired CFL number. In this tutorial, the time increment was calculated using the
global mesh size and a CFL number of 2, ensuring that any portion of the cold slug will not advance past more than 2
mesh elements within a given step. For a real-world problem, you would base your calculations on the mesh size at in
the mesh zone of interest.

The temperature change at the large inlet is from 295 K to 283.15 K. At the small inlet the temperature changes from
320 K to 283.15 K. The ratio of the cold slug temperature to the initial temperature of the large inlet flow is 0.9598.
The ratio of the cold slug temperature to the initial temperature of the small inlet flow is 0.8848. These values will be
used in creating multiplier functions to model the transient temperatures at the inlets.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 110

Once a transient solution is calculated, the results of interest are the transient thermal characteristics of the fluid and
pipe walls at different times in the simulation.

Define the Simulation Parameters

Start AcuConsole and Solve the Steady State Simulation

In the next steps you will start AcuConsole and open a database that is set up for a steady state simulation for flow
and conjugate heat transfer. You will then run AcuSolve to calculate a steady state solution, view the results with
AcuFieldView, and save the database for the transient simulation.
1. Start AcuConsole from the Windows Start menu by clicking Start > All Programs > Altair Hyperworks
<version> > AcuSolve > AcuConsole.
2. Open mixingElbow_ColdSlug.acs.
a) Click the File menu, then Open.
b) Browse to the Mixing_Elbow_Cold_Slug\Completed-Steady directory.
c) Click mixingElbow_ColdSlug.acs and Open to open the database.
3. Run AcuSolve to solve the steady state problem.
a) Click on the toolbar to open the Launch AcuSolve dialog.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 111

Based on these settings, AcuConsole will generate the AcuSolve input files, then launch the solver. AcuSolve
will run on a single processor to calculate the steady state solution for this problem.
b) Click Ok to start the solution process.
As the solution progresses, an AcuTail window will open. Solution progress is reported in this window. A
summary of the solution process indicates that the simulation has been completed. The information provided
in the summary is based on the number of processors used by AcuSolve. If you used a different number of
processors than indicated in this tutorial, the summary for your run may be slightly different than the summary
shown.

Steady State Results

The steady state flow field was calculated as the starting point for the transient simulation of temperature. For
instructions on visualising steady state results, refer to Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow on page 52.

Create the Transient Simulation Database

The transient portion of the simulation will use the same geometry and many of the same attributes as used in the
steady state simulation. As such, you can create a copy of the steady state database and then modify the settings
as needed to set up the transient simulation. You will save the transient database in a different directory to avoid
confusion of the steady and transient runs.
In these steps you will create the transient database.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 112

1. Click File > Save As.

2. Browse up one level to the ..\Mixing_Elbow_Cold_Slug directory.
3. Enter mixingElbow_ColdSlug as the File name.

4. Click Save.

Set General Simulation Attributes

In the next steps you will modify global settings needed for the transient portion of the simulation.
The general attributes that you will modify for the transient simulation are the subtitle and the analysis type.
1. Click BAS in the Data Tree Manager to filter all but the basic settings in the Data Tree.

2. Double-click Global in the Data Tree to expand it.

Note: You can also expand a tree item by clicking next to the item name.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 113

3. Double-click Problem Description to open the Problem Description detail panel.

4. Change the Sub title to read Mixing Elbow - Transient conjugate heat transfer.
5. Change the Analysis type to Transient.

Set Solution Strategy Attributes

In the next steps you will set attributes that control the behavior of AcuSolve as it progresses during the transient
solution.

1. Double-click Auto Solution Strategy in the Data Tree to open the Auto Solution Strategy detail panel.

2. Enter 0 for Max time steps.

| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 114

This value indicates that AcuSolve should ignore this setting and calculate the maximum number of time steps
using the final time and the time increment.
3. Enter 4.5 sec for the Final time.
4. Enter 0.053 sec for the Initial time increment.
5. Enter 2 for Min stagger iterations.
This setting determines the minimum number of iterations that will be performed within each time step.
6. Enter 5 for Max stagger iterations.
This setting determines the maximum number of iterations that will be performed within each time step.
A minimum of 2 indicates that for every time step there will be at least two iterations performed, even if the
convergence tolerance is reached. A maximum of 5 indicates that for every time step there will be no more than
five iterations performed, even if convergence tolerance is not achieved. If the convergence tolerance is reached
before the fifth iteration, AcuSolve will proceed to the next time step.
7. Enter 0 for the Relaxation factor.
When solving transient solutions, the relaxation factor should be set to zero. A non-zero relaxation factor causes
incremental updates of the solution, which will impact the time accuracy of the solution for transient cases.
8. Click Off next to Flow to turn off the solving of flow equations.
9. Click Off next to Turbulence to turn off the solving of the turbulence equation.
By turning these options off, AcuSolve will not update the solution to these equations. Instead, the current flow
and turbulence values (generated from the steady state solution for this tutorial) will be used throughout the
simulation and AcuSolve will only solve for the temperature field.

Set Nodal Output Frequency

In the next steps you will set an attribute that impacts how often results from the transient simulation are written
to disk. Writing the results every 3 time steps produces a collection of output states that can be used to create an
animation of the simulation once the run has completed. Note that more frequent output can be used, but it will result
in higher disk space usage.
1. Double-click Output under Global in the Data Tree to expand it.
2. Double-click Nodal Output to open the Nodal Output detail panel.

3. Enter 3 as the Time step frequency.

This value indicates that AcuSolve should write results after every 3 time steps.

Create Multiplier Functions for Transient Inlet Temperatures

AcuSolve provides the ability to scale values as a function of time and/or time step during a simulation. This is
achieved through the use of a multiplier function. In this tutorial, the inlet temperature varies as the simulation
progresses. By taking advantage of multiplier functions, you can easily set up functions to model the temperature
changes at the inlets.
In the next steps you will create a multiplier function for the temperature at the large inlet, duplicate it, and modify
the copy to be used with the small inlet. These multiplier functions will be applied to the large and small inlets later in
this tutorial.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 115

In this tutorial, the inlet temperatures drop from initial conditions to 283.15 K, are held at that temperature, and then
ramp back up to the initial temperatures.

To make the creation of the multiplier functions as simple as possible, you will use the PB* filter in the Data Tree
Manager.
1. Click PB* in the Data Tree Manager to show all problem-definition settings.

2. Right-click Multiplier Function under Global in the Data Tree and click New to create a new multiplier function.
3. Rename the multiplier function.
a) Right-click the newly created Multiplier Function 1 and click Rename.
b) Enter Temp - large inlet.
4. Double-click Temp - large inlet to open the multiplier function detail panel.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 116

5. Set the Type to Piecewise Linear.

This option indicates that you will enter an array of numbers that will be used by AcuSolve to interpolate the value
of the multiplier function at each time step. In this example, the curve fit is a function of time.
6. Add the curve-fit values for the large inlet temperature profile.
a) Click Open Array to open the Array Editor dialog.

b) Click Add.
c) Enter 0.2 in the X column and 1 in the Y column.
d) Click Add again and enter 0.4 in the X column and 0.9598 in the Y column.
These entries will be used to indicate the ratio of the initial temperature to temperature at different times during
the simulation.
e) Repeat this process until you have entered all of the values shown in the following table.

X (sec) Y
0.0 1
0.2 1
0.4 0.9598
1.4 0.9598
1.6 1
4.5 1
f) Click Plot to expand the Array Editor dialog to display the plot of the curve fit values.
You may need to expand the dialog by dragging the right edge in order to see the plot.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 117

g) Click OK.
7. Duplicate the multiplier function.
a) Right-click Temp - large inlet.
b) Click Duplicate.
8. Rename Copy of Temp - large inlet to Temp - small inlet.
9. Revise the multiplier function values for the small inlet.
a) Double-click Temp - small inlet to open the multiplier function detail panel.
Note: The Type of Piecewise Linear is inherited from the multiplier function for the large inlet.
b) Click Open Array to open the Array Editor dialog.
c) Modify the Y values to match those shown in the following table.

X (sec) Y
0.0 1.0
0.2 1.0
0.4 0.8848
1.4 0.8848
1.6 1.0
4.5 1.0
d) Click OK.

Define the Model

Define Transient Inlet Boundary Conditions

In the following steps you will set the inlet boundary conditions that produce the time varying temperatures at the
large and small inlets. This will be achieved by modifying the boundary conditions to use the multiplier functions that
you created earlier in this tutorial.

Set Transient Temperature for the Large Inlet

In the next steps you will associate the Temp - large inlet multiplier function with the large inlet boundary condition.
1. Click BC in the Data Tree Manager to show only items related to setting boundary conditions.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 118

2. Expand the Model > Surfaces > Large Inlet tree item.
3. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Large Pipe to open the Simple Boundary Condition detail
panel.

4. Click On next to Advanced features to expose additional options.

5. Change Temperature multiplier function to Temp - large inlet.
This instructs AcuSolve to determine the inlet boundary value for temperature by first evaluating the multiplier
function, then multiplying its value by the specified value of temperature. Since the multiplier-function value
changes as a function of time, the inlet temperature will change as a function of time.

Set Transient Temperature for the Small Inlet

In the next steps you will associate the Temp - small inlet multiplier function with the small inlet boundary
condition.
1. Expand the Model > Surfaces > Small Inlet tree item.
2. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Small Pipe to open the Simple Boundary Condition detail
panel.

3. Click On next to Advanced features to expose additional options.

| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 119

4. Change Temperature multiplier function to Temp - small inlet.

Compute the Solution and Review the Results

Run AcuSolve to Perform the Transient Simulation

In the next steps you will modify the AcuSolve settings to run the transient solution. The main feature that you will
use is a restart. A restart allows you to start a solution based on the results of a previous solution. In this case, the flow
and thermal field from the initial solution that you performed in this tutorial will be used as the starting point. Since
the flow and turbulence equations were turned off when defining the solution strategy, the temperature field is the
only one that will be solved.
1. Click on the toolbar to open the Launch AcuSolve dialog.

2. Click On next to Restart on the Main tab.

3. Click the Restart tab.
4. Verify that the value for From Problem is mixingElbow_ColdSlug.
5. Click Browse next to From directory and browse to the location of the steady simulation directory and select the
Completed-Steady\ACUSIM.DIR directory.
6. Verify that the following restart options are set appropriately:
Note: You can drag the right edge of the dialog to make it wider.

From run 0
From time step 0
Reset time step On
Reset time increment On
7. Click Ok to start the solution process.
As the solution progresses, an AcuTail window will open. Solution progress is reported in this window. A
summary of the solution process indicates that the simulation has been completed. The information provided in the
summary is based on the number of processors used by AcuSolve. If you used a different number of processors
than indicated in this tutorial, the summary for your run may be slightly different than the summary shown.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 120

View Transient Results with AcuFieldView

Now that transient results have been calculated, you are ready to review the flow field with AcuFieldView.
AcuFieldView is a third-party post-processing tool that is tightly integrated to AcuSolve. AcuFieldView can be
started directly from AcuConsole, or it can be started from the Start menu, or from a command line. In this tutorial
you will start AcuFieldView from AcuConsole after the solution is calculated by AcuSolve.
In the following steps you will display the temperature contours for the fluid and for the pipe walls on the symmetry
plane, add velocity vectors to the view, then animate the results.

Start AcuFieldView
1. Click on the AcuConsole Toolbar to open the Launch AcuFieldView dialog.

2. Click Ok to start AcuFieldView.

| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 121

When you start AcuFieldView from AcuConsole, the results from the last time step of the solution that were
written to disk will be loaded for post-processing.

Display Contours of Fluid and Solid Temperature on the Symmetry Plane

In the next steps you will create a boundary surface to display contours of fluid and solid temperature on the
symmetry plane at the end, middle, and beginning of the transient simulation. The first visualization will be for the
last time step in the simulation, which is the last set of results loaded from AcuSolve when AcuFieldView was started.
1.
Click on the side toolbar to open the Boundary Surface dialog.
Note: The dialog may already be open. This step will put the focus on the dialog.

2. Disable the Show Mesh option.

4. Set the symmetry plane for the pipes and pipe walls as the location for display of contours.
a) Click OSF: Steel Pipe - Symmetry.
b) Hold the Shift key and click OSF:Symmetry.
c) Click OK.
5. Set the colormap to cover the range of temperatures used in the simulation.
a) Click the Colormap tab.
b) Enter 323 as the upper value for SCALAR COLORING.
c) Enter 282 as the lower value for SCALAR COLORING.

6. Add a legend to the view.

a) Click the Legend tab in the Boundary Surface dialog.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 123

b) Enable the Show Legend option.

c) Enable the Frame option.
d) Click the white color swatch next to Geometric in the Color group and set the color for the legend values to
black.
e) Set Decimal Places to 1.
f) Click the white color swatch next to the Title field and set the color for the title to black.
g) Enter transient as the Subtitle.
h) Click the white color swatch next to the Subtitle field and set the color to black.
i) Move the legend by Shift+left-clicking and dragging the legend to the left.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 124

This image was created with a white background, perspective turned off, outlines turned off, and the viewing
direction set to +Z.
When AcuFieldView is run from a transient AcuSolve case, the results from the final time step are shown by
default.
7. Display contours of temperature at the middle of the transient simulation.
a) Click the Tools menu and then click Transient Data to open the Transient Data Controls dialog.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 125

Note: Note that the slider under SOLUTION TIME is all the way to the right. The contours currently
displayed are from the end of the simulation.
a) Move the slider control to TIME STEP 42, or enter 42 in the field, and click Apply.
The resulting contours show the thermal conditions at time step 42.

8. Display contours of temperature at the start of the transient simulation.

a) Click the Tools menu and then click Transient Data to open the Transient Data Controls dialog.
b) Move the slider control to the beginning of the range and click Apply.
The resulting contours show the thermal conditions for a time step at the beginning of the simulation.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 126

Note that the contours from the beginning of the simulation are similar to those from the end of the simulation.
The conditions changed as the cold slug propagated through the pipe, and then returned to initial conditions. The
contours from the middle of the simulation show that the steel-wall temperature near the intersection of the small
pipe was higher than for the nearby water, reflecting a lag in the temperature change of the wall compared to the
water.

Add Velocity Vectors to the View

In the next steps you will create a new boundary surface and display velocity vectors on that surface.
The resulting visualization will be compared to the one created for the steady state solution.
1. Click Create on the Surface tab of the Boundary Surface dialog.
The new Surface ID will be 2.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 127

2. Click the Geometric radio button in the COLORING group.

This sets the color of the vectors to a constant color. By default, the color is black.
3. Set vector options.
a) Click the Vectors radio button.
b) Click Options next to Vectors to open the Vector Options dialog.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 128

c) Enable Head Scaling and set it to 2.

This option determines the size of the arrow head compared to the vector.
d) Set the Length Scale to 8.
The length scale determines the length of the vectors.
e) Enable the Skip option and set it to 87.5 %.
The Skip option determines the percentage of vectors to skip from being displayed.
The setting of 37.5% will result in 62.5% of the vectors being displayed.
The setting of 87.5% will result in 12.5% of the vectors being displayed.
The setting of 25% will result in 75% of the vectors being displayed.
f) Close the dialog.
4. Set the symmetry plane as the location for display of the vectors.
a) Click OSF: Symmetry in the list of BOUNDARY TYPES.
b) Click OK.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 129

Display Transient Temperature Contours

In the next steps you will view the transient thermal data for the cold slug.
1. Turn off the display of velocity vectors.
a) Change the Surface ID on the Boundary Surface dialog to 2.
b) Click Visibility to turn this option off.
2. Click the Tools menu and then click Transient Data to open the Transient Data Controls dialog.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 130

3. Click Sweep.
As AcuFieldView prepares the sweep, you will see the controls advance on the Transient Data Controls dialog,
and you will see the visualization update at each time step. Once the sweep is finished, it will play continuously
until you change the controls.
4. Change the playback rate.
a) Click the View menu and then click Minimum Time Between Frames.

b) Set the Minimum Time Seconds to 0.10.

With the SWEEP CONTROL options, pause the sweep, advance or reverse frames, and play the sweep.
5. Close the Transient Data Controls dialog.
6. Click OK to dismiss the Transient Data Controls message dialog.

Animate the Transient Temperature Sweep

In the next steps you will create a transient sweep and save it as an animation that can be viewed independently of
AcuFieldView.
1. Click the Tools menu and then click Transient Data to open the Transient Data Controls dialog.
2. Click Tools > Flipbook Build Mode.
3. Click OK to dismiss the Flipbook Size Warning dialog.
The Sweep button on the Transient Data Controls dialog will have changed to Build.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 131

4. Use the slider control to set the SOLUTION TIME to the first time step and click Apply.
5. Click Build.
As AcuFieldView builds the flipbook animation, you will see the controls on the Transient Data Controls dialog
advance. Once the flipbook is built, a Flipbook Controls dialog will allow you to play or save the animation.

6.
Click to play the animation.
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7. Click to pause the playback.

8. Save the flipbook for playback independent of AcuFieldView.
a) Click Save.

b) Browse to the ..\Mixing_Elbow_Cold_Slug directory.

c) Enter cold_slug for the File name.
This animation, cold_slug.avi is now available for viewing by opening it directly.
| Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer in a Mixing Elbow | 133

9. Close the Flipbook Controls dialog and click OK to dismiss the Flipbook Exit Confirmation warning.

Summary
In this tutorial you worked through a basic workflow to set up a transient simulation case. You were provided with
a fully set up steady state case to use as initial conditions for the transient simulation. The transient simulation was
carried out using the "frozen flow" methodology to simulate the transient temperature field without recomputing
the velocity field. Once the transient case was set up and solved, results were post-processed in AcuFieldView to
allow you to create contour and vector views along the symmetry plane of the model, and to animate the temperature
contours. New features introduced in this tutorial include: transient simulation, multiplier functions, restarts, frozen
flow, and animation of transient results.
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Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve

This tutorial provides the instructions for setting up, solving, and viewing results for a simulation of the opening of a
pressure check valve. In this simulation, AcuSolve is used to compute the forces on the valve due to the time-varying
inlet flow field and to compute the motion of the valve that results from these flow forces. This tutorial is designed to
introduce you to a number of modeling concepts necessary to perform simulations of rigid-body dynamics.
The basic steps in any CFD simulation were shown in Flow in a Mixing Elbow. The following additional capabilities
of AcuSolve are introduced in this tutorial:
• transient simulation
• use of a multiplier function to scale inlet boundary condition values
• mesh motion
• fluid-structure interaction with a rigid body
• post-processing with AcuProbe
• results animation

Prerequisites
You should have already run through the introductory tutorial, Flow in a Mixing Elbow. It is assumed that you have
some familiarity with AcuConsole, AcuSolve, and AcuFieldView. You will also need access to a licensed version of
AcuSolve 14.0.
Prior to running through this tutorial, copy Pressure_Check_valve\pressureCheckValve.x_t
from <AcuSolve installation directory>\model_files\tutorials\AcuSolve
\Acu_tutorial_inputs.zip to a working directory.

Analyze the Problem to be Solved

An important first step in any CFD simulation is to examine the engineering problem to be analyzed and determine
the settings that need to be provided to AcuSolve. Settings can be based on geometrical components (such as
volumes, inlets, outlets, or walls) and on flow conditions (such as fluid properties, velocity, or whether the flow
should be modeled as turbulent or as laminar).
The problem to be addressed in this tutorial is shown schematically in Figure 10: Schematic of Check Valve with
Spring-Loaded Shutter on page 135. It consists of a cylindrical pipe containing water that flows past a check valve
with a shutter attached to a virtual spring (not included in the geometry). The inlet pressure varies over time and the
movement of the shutter will be determined as a function of the balance of the fluid forces against the reactive force
of the spring. The problem is rotationally periodic at 30° increments about the longitudinal axis, and it is assumed
that the resulting flow is also rotationally periodic, allowing for modeling with the use of a wedge-shaped section. For
this tutorial, a 30° section of the geometry is modeled, as shown in the figure. Modeling a portion of an rotationally
periodic geometry leads to reduced computation time while still providing an accurate solution.
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back symmetry
valve shutter walls
front symmetry plane (shutter plate and stem)
plane mass = 0.2 kg virtual spring
k=2162 N/m
rotationally periodic
section modeled

inlet

pressure varies with time,

0 - 26,500 Pa
0.08 m
outlet

perforated plate water

plate with orifice
flow direction cylinder wall

pipe walls

Figure 10: Schematic of Check Valve with Spring-Loaded Shutter

The pipe has an inlet diameter of 0.08 m, and is 0.4 m long. The check-valve assembly is 0.085 m downstream of
the inlet. It consists of a plate 0.005 m thick with a centered orifice 0.044 m in diameter and a shutter with an initial
position 0.005 m from the opening, simulating a nearly closed condition. The shutter plate is 0.05 m in diameter and
0.005 m thick. The shutter plate is attached to a stem 0.03 m long and 0.01 m in diameter. The mass of the shutter
and stem is 0.2 kg and its motion is affected by a virtual spring with a stiffness of 2162 N/m. The motion of the valve
shutter is limited by a stop mounted on a perforated plate downstream of the shutter.
Note that AcuSolve's internal rigid-body-dynamics solver is not able to simulate contact. Therefore, this problem is
formulated to avoid contact between the valve and the stop. For information on modeling the contact between the
valve and stop, see Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve on page 174.

Modeling the geometry as a 30° section requires that the fluid model is set up to be consistent with the rigid-body
model. Since only 1/12 of the rigid body is modeled, the forces computed by AcuSolve that act on the valve shutter
represent 1/12 of the actual force on the device. Therefore, it is also necessary to account for this in the simulation.
There are two methods that can be used to accomplish this:
1. Scale up the fluid forces calculated by AcuSolve by a factor of 12 to represent the full load on the device when the
displacement of the body is computed.
Using this approach, the full stiffness of the valve spring is used in the rigid-body solution, and the full mass of the
valve is used.
2. Scale down the mass of the valve and the stiffness of the spring to by a factor of 12 to match the fraction of the
valve geometry to be modeled.
Using this approach, the loading passed to the rigid-body solver is not scaled.
This second approach is used in this tutorial; the scaled mass of 0.0167 kg and the scaled stiffness of 180.1667 N/m
will be used .
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The fluid in this problem is water, which has a density (ρ) of 1000 kg/m3 and a molecular viscosity (μ) of 1 X 10-3 kg/
m-sec, as shown in the worksheet.

At the start of the simulation the flow field is stationary. Flow is driven by the pressure at the inlet, which varies
over time as a piecewise linear function shown in Figure 11: Transient pressure at the inlet on page 136. As the
pressure at the inlet rises, the flow will accelerate as the valve opens. The turbulence viscosity ratio is assumed to be
10.
The initial inlet pressure is 0 Pa. At 0.002 s, the pressure begins to ramp up, and reaches 26,500 Pa at 0.05 s. The
pressure is held at 26,500 Pa and begins to ramp back down starting at 0.2 s, reaching the initial pressure at 0.25 s
where it remains for the rest of the simulation.

Figure 11: Transient pressure at the inlet

Prior simulations of this geometry indicate that the average velocity at the inlet reaches a maximum of 0.9 m/s. At
this velocity, the Reynolds number for the flow is 72,000. When the Reynolds number is above 4,000, it is generally
accepted that flow should be modeled as turbulent.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 137

Note that the initial conditions of the flow are actually laminar, however, the increase in flow velocity and flow
around the valve shutter is expected to cause a rapid transition to turbulent conditions. Therefore, the simulation
will be set up to model transient, turbulent flow. When performing a transient analysis, convergence is achieved at
every time step based on the defined stagger criteria. Mesh motion will be modeled using arbitrary mesh movement
(arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian mesh motion).

For this case, the transient behavior of interest occurs in the time it takes for the pressure to ramp up and ramp back
down, which is given by the transient pressure profile. To allow time for the spring to recover, additional time will
be simulated. For this tutorial, 0.1 s is added after the pressure drops back to initial conditions, for a total duration of
0.35 s.

Another critical decision in a transient simulation is choosing the time increment. The time increment is the change
in time during a given time step of the simulation. It is important to choose a time increment that is short enough to
capture the changes in flow properties of interest, but does not require unnecessary computation time.
There are two methods commonly used for determining an appropriate time increment. The first method involves
identification of the time scales of the transient behaviors of interest and setting the time increment to sufficiently
resolve those behaviors. The second method involves setting a limit on the number of mesh elements that the flow can
cross in a given time step. A convenient metric for the number of mesh elements crossed per time step is the Courant-
Friederichs-Lewy number, or CFL number. With this method, the time increment can be computed from the mesh
size, the flow velocity, and the desired CFL number.
The change in inlet pressure from initial conditions to maximum occurs over 0.048 s. A time increment of 0.002 s
would allow for excellent resolution of the transient changes, without requiring excessive computational time. This
time increment would result in a CFL number of 0.36, indicating that it would take approximately three time steps
for flow to cross a single mesh element. While the time increment could be raised and still maintain a favorable CFL
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 138

number, the value of 0.002 s is chosen to better resolve the transient changes resulting from the sudden pressure
shifts.

AcuSolve allows for mesh refinements in a user-defined region that is independent of geometric components of
the problem such as volumes, model surfaces, or edges. It is useful to refine the mesh in areas where gradients in
pressure, velocity, eddy viscosity, and the like are steep.
For this problem it is desirable to resolve flow characteristics near the gap between the valve opening and the shutter.
It would also be desirable to be able to resolve flow characteristics around the complete valve body. The mesh size
for the region around the gap will be sized to allow for at least three cells to span the gap in the initial position. The
mesh around the full valve body will be sized so that the average cell size will be one half of the global mesh size.
This local mesh refinement is accomplished using mesh refinement zones.
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Once a solution is calculated, the flow properties of interest are the displacement of the moving surface, the mass flow
rate at the outlet, pressure contours on the symmetry plane, and velocity vectors on the symmetry plane.

Define the Simulation Parameters

Start AcuConsole and Create the Simulation Database

This tutorial walks you through the process of setting up and solving a fluid-structure simulation of a spring-loaded
check valve subjected to changes in inlet pressure.
In this tutorial, you will begin by creating a database, populating the geometry-independent settings, loading the
geometry, creating groups, setting group attributes, adding geometry components to groups, creating a multiplier
function, and assigning mesh controls and boundary conditions to the groups. Next you will generate a mesh and run
AcuSolve to simulate the transient behavior. You will use AcuProbe to post-process mesh displacement and mass
flow. Finally, you will visualize the results using AcuFieldView.
In the next steps you will start AcuConsole, create the database for storage of AcuConsole settings, and set the
location for saving mesh and solution information for AcuSolve.
1. Start AcuConsole from the Windows Start menu by clicking Start > All Programs > Altair Hyperworks
<version> > AcuSolve > AcuConsole.
2. Click the File menu, then click New to open the New data base dialog.
3. Browse to the location that you would like to use as your working directory.
This directory is where all files related to the simulation will be stored. The AcuConsole database file (*.acs)
is stored in this directory. Once the mesh and solution are created, additional files and directories will be created
within this directory.
4. Create a new folder named Check_Valve_Transient and open this folder.
5. Enter Check_Valve_Transient as the File name for the database.
Note: In order for other applications to be able to read the files written by AcuConsole, the database path
and name should not include spaces.
6. Click Save to create the database.

Set General Simulation Attributes

In the next steps you will set attributes that apply globally to the simulation. To simplify this task, you will use
the BAS filter in the Data Tree Manager. The BAS filter limits the options in the Data Tree to show only the basic
settings.
The general attributes that you will set for this tutorial are for turbulent flow, transient time analysis, and the use of
arbitrary mesh movement.
1. Click BAS in the Data Tree Manager to filter all but the basic settings in the Data Tree.

2. Double-click Global in the Data Tree to expand it.

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Note: You can also expand a tree item by clicking next to the item name.

3. Double-click Problem Description to open the Problem Description detail panel.

4. Enter AcuSolve Tutorial as the Title for this case.

5. Enter Pressure Check Valve - AcuSolve Internal Solver as the Sub title for this case.
6. Change the Analysis type to Transient.
7. Set the Turbulence equation to Spalart Allmaras.
The robustness and accuracy of the Spalart Allmaras turbulence model makes it an excellent choice for simulation
of transient flows.
8. Change the Mesh type to Arbitrary Mesh Movement (ALE).

Set Solution Strategy Attributes

In the next steps you will set attributes that control the behavior of AcuSolve as it progresses during the transient
solution.

1. Double-click Auto Solution Strategy in the Data Tree to open the Auto Solution Strategy detail panel.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 141

2. Enter 0 for Max time steps.

This value indicates that AcuSolve should ignore this setting and calculate the maximum number of time steps
based on the final time and the time increment.
3. Enter 0.35 sec for the Final time.
4. Enter 0.002 sec for the Initial time increment.
5. Enter 3 for Max stagger iterations.
This setting determines the maximum number of iterations that will be performed within each time step.

Set Material Model Attributes

1. Double-click Material Model in the Data Tree to expand it.

2. Double-click Water in the Data Tree to open the Water detail panel.
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3. Click the Density tab. Verify that the density of water is 1000.0 kg/m3.
4. Click the Viscosity tab. Verify that the viscosity of water is 0.001 kg/m-sec.

Set Nodal Output Frequency

3. Enter 3 as the Time step frequency.

This value indicates that AcuSolve should write results after every 3 time steps.

Import Geometry and Define the Model

Import the Check Valve Geometry

You will import the geometry in the next part of this tutorial. You will need to know the location of
pressureCheckValve.x_t in order to complete these steps. This file contains the solid model of the check
valve in the Parasolid ASCII format.
1. Click the File menu, then Import.
2. Browse to the directory containing pressureCheckValve.x_t.
3. Change the File name filter to Parasolid File (*.x_t *.xmt *X_T …
a) Click the drop-down button to the right of the File name field.
b) Click Parasolid File (*.x_t *.xmt *X_T … from the drop-down list.
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4. Click pressureCheckValve.x_t and Open to open the Import Geometry dialog.

For this tutorial, the default values for the Import Geometry dialog are used to load the geometry. If you have
previously used AcuConsole, any changes to these settings will be preserved between AcuConsole sessions. Make
sure that any settings that you might have altered are manually changed to match the default values shown. With
the default settings, volumes from the CAD model are added to a single volume group named "default." You will
work with groups later in this tutorial to create new groups, set simulation attributes, add geometric components,
and set meshing attributes.
5. Click Ok to complete the geometry import.
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Create Multiplier Function for Inlet Pressure

AcuSolve provides the ability to scale values as a function of time and/or time step during a simulation. This is
achieved through the use of a multiplier function. In this tutorial, the inlet stagnation pressure varies as the simulation
progresses. By taking advantage of multiplier functions, you can easily set up a function to model the pressure
changes at the inlet.
In the next steps you will create a multiplier function for the pressure at the inlet. This multiplier function will be
applied to the inlet later in this tutorial.
In this tutorial, the inlet pressure starts at 0 pascals, ramps up to 26,500 Pa, is held steady briefly, and then ramps back
to 0 Pa.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 145

2. Right-click Multiplier Function under Global in the Data Tree and click New to create a new multiplier function.
3. Rename the multiplier function.
a) Right-click the newly created Multiplier Function 1 and click Rename.
b) Enter inlet pressure.
Note: When an item in the Data Tree is renamed, the change is not saved until you press the Enter key
on your keyboard. If you move the input focus away from the item without entering it, your changes
will be lost.
4. Double-click inlet pressure to open the multiplier function detail panel.

5. Set the Type to Piecewise Linear.

6. Set the Curve fit variable to Time.
7. Check that the Evaluation type is set to Per Time Step.
This value indicates that AcuSolve should evaluate the multiplier function once for each time step.
8. Add the function values for the inlet pressure profile.
a) Click Open Array to open the Array Editor dialog.
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b) Click Add five times to add five new rows.

c) Enter the following values for X (time) and Y (pressure).

X Y
0.0 0.0
0.002 0.0
0.05 26500
0.2 26500
0.25 0.0
0.35 0.0
d) Click Plot to expand the Array Editor dialog to display the plot of the curve fit values.
You may need to expand the dialog by dragging the right edge in order to see the plot.

e) Click OK.
These entries will be used to control the change in inlet pressure throughout the simulation.

Create Mesh Motion

AcuSolve uses the mesh-motion settings to define the movement of nodes within the model. In this tutorial, you
will use a special case of this command that solves the dynamic equations of motion to determine the motion of the
nodes. This type of mesh motion is referred to as a rigid-body dynamic. In this simulation, you will specify two inputs
to define the behavior of the rigid body; the mass of the valve shutter and the stiffness of the spring that resists the
movement of the valve shutter.
The definition of mesh motion requires three steps in AcuConsole:
1. Create the mesh-motion definition (this set of steps).
2. Assign the mesh-motion instance to a surface group.
3. Revisit the mesh-motion settings to couple the forces on the surface with the displacement of the body.
In the next steps you will create a mesh motion of type rigid body to simulate the valve shutter and virtual spring.
This mesh motion defines how the valve responds to the flow forces. To simplify this task, you will use the FSI filter
in the Data Tree Manager. The FSI filter limits the options in the Data Tree to show only the settings related to fluid-
structure interactions.
1. Click FSI in the Data Tree Manager to filter all but the settings related to fluid-structure interactions.
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2. Right-click Mesh Motion in the Data Tree and click New to create a new mesh motion item.
3. Rename the mesh motion item.
a) Right-click Mesh motion 1.
b) Click Rename.
c) Enter rigid body.
4. Double-click rigid body to open the detail panel.

5. Set the Type to Rigid Body Dynamic.

6. Ensure that X displacement is set to Active.
7. Set the remainder of the displacement and rotation settings to Inactive.
These settings indicate that AcuSolve should only allow for valve motion in the X direction.
8. Enter 0.01667 for Mass.
This is the scaled mass of the valve shutter and stem, corresponding to the 1/12 portion of the geometry that is
modeled.
9. Define the stiffness of the virtual spring supporting the shutter.
a) Click Open Array next to Stiffness.
b) Enter 180.1667 in the XX cell.
This is the scaled stiffness of the spring, corresponding to the portion of the geometry that is modeled. As the
valve translates only in the X direction, all other stiffness settings remain at zero.
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10. Click OK.

Apply Volume Attributes

b) Enter Fluid.
5. Set the material model used for the fluid in the simulation.
a) Expand the Fluid tree item by clicking .
b) Double-click Element Set to open the Element Set detail panel.

c) Click the drop-down control next to Material model.

d) Click Water.

For the next set of steps it is useful to turn off the display of Fluid by clicking so that it is in the off ( ) state.

Create Surface Groups and Apply Surface Attributes

Set Inflow Boundary Conditions for the Inlet

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the inlet, assign the multiplier function to describe the transient
pressure, and add the inlet from the geometry to the surface group.
1. Create a new surface group.
a) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree.
b) Click New.
2. Rename the surface to Inlet .
a) Right-click Surface 1 under Surfaces and click Rename on the context menu.
b) Enter Inlet.
3. Expand the Inlet surface in the tree.
4. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Inlet to open the Simple Boundary Condition detail panel.
5. Turn Advanced features on.
This will expose the Stagnation pressure multiplier function control that you will use to associate the multiplier
function with the inlet.
6. Change the Type to Inflow.

7. Change the Inflow type to Stagnation Pressure.

8. Set the Stagnation pressure to 1.0 N/m2.
9. Set the Stagnation pressure multiplier function to use the inlet pressure function to apply the transient pressure
at the inlet.
10. Set Turbulence input type to Viscosity Ratio.
When using this setting, AcuSolve will calculate the eddy viscosity based on the material model and the ratio of
turbulent to laminar viscosity.
11. Set the Material model to Water.
12. Set the Turbulence viscosity ratio to 10.
13. Add a geometry surface to the Inlet group.
a) Right-click Inlet and click Add to.
b) Rotate the geometry by Ctrl+left-clicking near the left side of the geometry and dragging the cursor to the
right.
c) Click the inlet face.
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At this point the inlet should be highlighted

d) Click Done to add this geometry surface to the Inlet surface group.

Set Outflow Boundary Conditions for the Outlet

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the outlet, assign the appropriate attributes, and add the outlet
from the geometry to the surface group
1. Create a new surface group.
2. Rename the surface to Outlet.
3. Expand the Outlet surface in the tree.
4. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Outlet to open the Simple Boundary Condition detail panel.
5. Change the Type to Outflow.
6. Add a geometry surface to the Outlet surface container.
a) Right-click Outlet and click Add to.
b) Rotate the model to expose the outlet by Ctrl+left-clicking near the right end of the geometry and moving the
cursor toward the left.
c) Click on the outlet face.

At this point, the outlet should be highlighted.

d) Click Done to associate this geometry surface with the surface settings of the Outlet group.

Set Symmetry Boundary Conditions for the Symmetry Planes

The problem is rotationally periodic, allowing for modeling with the use of a section. For this tutorial, a 30-degree
section of the geometry is modeled. In order to take advantage of this, the front and rear faces of the section can be
identified as symmetry planes, because the non-streamwise flow contribution is minimal. The symmetry boundary
condition enforces constraints such that the flow field from one side of the plane is a mirror image of that on the other
side.
In the next steps you will define a surface group for the symmetry plane on the front of the modeled section, and then
create a second surface group for the back symmetry plane.
1. Create a new surface group.
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2. Rename the surface to Front symmetry.

3. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Front symmetry to open the Simple Boundary Condition
detail panel.

4. Change the Type to Symmetry.

5. Change the Mesh displacement BC type to Slip.
This allows the mesh to move freely along the plane.
6. Turn off the display of all surface items except Front symmetry and default.
7. Add geometry surfaces to this group.
a) Right-click Front symmetry and click Add to
b) Click the symmetry plane near the inlet and near the outlet.

At this point, the front symmetry plane should be highlighted.

c) Click Done to add these geometry surfaces to the Front symmetry surface group.
8. Create a new surface group.
9. Rename the surface to Back symmetry.
10. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Back Symmetry to open the Simple Boundary Condition
detail panel.

11. Change the Type to Symmetry.

12. Change the Mesh displacement BC type to Slip.
This allows the mesh to move freely along the plane.
13. Turn off the display of all surface items except Back Symmetry and default.
14. Add geometry surfaces to this group.
a) Right-click Back symmetry and click Add to
b) Click the symmetry plane near the inlet and near the outlet.
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At this point, the back symmetry plane should be highlighted.

c) Click Done to add these geometry surfaces to the Back symmetry surface group.

Set Wall Boundary Conditions for the Valve Shutter Walls

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the walls of the valve shutter, assign the appropriate settings, and
add the faces from the geometry to the surface group. As part of the definition, you will assign the rigid-body mesh
motion that you defined earlier to this surface.
1. Create a new surface group.
2. Rename the surface to Valve wall.
3. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Valve wall to open the Simple Boundary Condition detail
panel.

Note: The default Type for the boundary condition for a new surface is Wall.
4. Set Mesh motion to use the rigid body mesh motion that you defined earlier in this tutorial.
a) Click the drop-down control next to Mesh motion.
b) Click rigid body.
5. Restore the initial view by clicking on the View Manager toolbar. .

The wall of the valve is comprised of many surfaces in the geometry. By orienting the geometry properly, you can
select the surfaces that make up the valve wall with the use of the "rubber band" selection tool in AcuConsole.
6. Zoom in on the portion of the geometry that represents the valve shutter and stem by using the right-mouse button
or on the View Manager toolbar.
7. Rotate the view by left-clicking above the model and dragging the cursor down and to the right to expose the
shutter and stem walls.
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8. Turn off the display of all surface items except Valve wall and default.
9. Add geometry surfaces to this group.
a) Right-click Valve wall and click Add to.
b) Hold the Shift key down, left-click, and drag a selection box (rubber band) around the valve and stem.

c) Release the left key and the valve shutter and stem should be highlighted.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 154

d) Click Done to add these geometry surfaces to the Valve wall surface group.

Set Wall Boundary Conditions for the Pipe Walls

When the geometry was loaded into AcuConsole, all geometry surfaces were placed in the default surface group. In
the previous steps, you selected geometry surfaces to be placed in the groups that you created. At this point, all that
is left in the default surface group is the pipe wall. Rather than create a new container, add the wall surfaces in the
geometry to it, and then delete the default surface container, you will rename the existing container.
1. Rename the default surface.
a) Right-click default under Surfaces and click Rename.
Note: You may need to scroll down in the Data Tree to see the default surface.
b) Enter Pipe wall.
2. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Pipe wall to open the Simple Boundary Condition panel.
The default wall settings will be used for the pipe wall.

Couple Mesh Motion to the Valve wall

As the final step in enabling the use of mesh motion, you will revisit the mesh-motion definition to couple the mesh
motion that you created earlier with the valve wall surface group. This step instructs AcuSolve to extract the forces on
the valve from the set of surfaces that you specify in this step.
1. Click FSI in the Data Tree Manager to filter all controls except those related to fluid-structure interactions.
2. Expand the Global > Mesh Motion tree item.
3. Double-click rigid body to open the detail panel.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the panel and click Open Refs next to Surface outputs.
5. Click Add Row in the Reference Editor.
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6. Click the drop-down control for row 1 and select Valve wall.

7. Click OK.

Assign Mesh Controls and Generate the Mesh

Set Global Meshing Attributes

2. Expand the Global Data Tree item.

3. Double-click Global Mesh Attributes to open the Global Mesh Attributes detail panel.

4. Change the Mesh size type to Absolute.

5. Enter 0.006 m for the Absolute mesh size.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 156

This absolute mesh size is chosen to ensure that there are at least 50 mesh elements around the circumference of
the main pipe.
6. Turn off the Curvature refinement parameters option.
7. Change the Mesh growth rate to 1.2.
This option controls that rate at which the mesh transitions between regions of different surface and volume size.
Setting this to a value of 1.2 allows for a gradual transition between finely meshed regions and coarsely meshed
regions.
8. Set the Maximum sweep angle to 30.0 degrees.
This option allows you to set the maximum sweep angle for edge-blend meshing on a global basis, which creates
a radial array of elements around sharp edges to provide better resolution of the flow features. The sweep angle is
used to control how many degrees each radial division spans.

Set Zone Meshing Attributes

In addition to setting meshing characteristics for the whole problem, you can assign meshing attributes to a zone
within the problem where you want to be able to resolve flow with a mesh that is more refined than the global mesh.
A zone mesh refinement can be created using basic shapes to control the mesh size within that shape. These types of
mesh refinement are used when refinement is needed in an area that does not correspond to a geometric item.
In the following steps you will add mesh refinements in the zone around the valve gap and around the valve body.

Set Zone Meshing Attributes for the Gap

In the next steps you will add a set of mesh attributes for a zone around the gap between the valve shutter and the
orifice.
1. Turn off the display of Volumes.
2. Turn off the display of all surfaces except Valve wall and Pipe wall.
3. Restore the initial view by clicking on the View Manager toolbar.
4. Right-click Zone Mesh Attributes under the Global branch in the Data Tree and click New.
5. Rename Zone Mesh Attributes 1 to Gap mesh refinement.
6. Double-click Gap mesh refinement to open the zone mesh attributes detail panel.

7. Change the Mesh zone type to Cylinder.

8. Set the location of the mesh refinement by defining the center points of the end faces of the cylinder.
a) Click Open Array to open the Array Editor dialog.

b) Enter -0.05 for X-coordinate 1.

c) Enter -0.03 for X-coordinate 2.
d) Enter 0.025 for Y-coordinate 1 and 2.
e) Enter 0.0 for Z-coordinate 1 and 2.
f) Click OK.
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9. Enter 0.01 m for the Radius.

This radius is used to define a cylinder that encloses the gap in the modeled section of the check valve.
10. Enter 0.0015 m for the Mesh size.
This will result in a zone where the mesh size provides at least 3 cells between the shutter and the edge of the
orifice in the initial position.

Set Zone Meshing Attributes for the Valve Body

In the next steps you will add a set of mesh attributes for a zone around the valve body.
1. Right-click Zone Mesh Attributes under the Global branch in the Data Tree and click New.
2. Rename Zone Mesh Attributes 1 to Valve body mesh refinement.
3. Double-click Valve body mesh refinement to open the zone mesh attributes detail panel.

4. Change the Mesh zone type to Cylinder.

5. Set the location of the mesh refinement by defining the center points of the end faces of the cylinder.
a) Click Open Array to open the Array Editor dialog.

b) Enter -0.06 for X-coordinate 1.

c) Enter 0.04 for X-coordinate 2.
d) Enter 0.02 for Y-coordinate 1 and 2.
e) Enter 0.0 for Z-coordinate 1 and 2.
f) Click OK.
6. Enter 0.021 m for the Radius.
This radius is used to define a cylinder that encloses the gap in the modeled section of the check valve.
7. Enter 0.003 m for the Mesh size.
This will result in a zone where the mesh size is half of the global mesh size.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 158

Set Meshing Attributes for Surface Groups

Set Surface Meshing Attributes for the Pipe Walls

In the next steps you will set meshing attributes that allow for localized control of the mesh near the walls of the pipe.
The mesh size on the wall of the pipe will be inherited from the global mesh size that was defined earlier. The settings
that follow will only control the growth of the boundary layer from the walls of the pipe into the fluid volume.
1. Expand the Model > Surfaces > Pipe wall tree item.
2. Click the check box next to Surface Mesh Attributes to enable the settings and open the Surface Mesh
Attributes detail panel.

3. Change the Mesh size type to None.

This option indicates that the mesher will use the global meshing attributes when creating the mesh on the surface
of the pipe walls.
4. Turn on the Boundary layer flag option.
This option allows you to define how the meshing should be handled in the direction normal to the walls.
5. Set the Resolve option to Total Layer Height.
Mesh elements for a boundary layer are grown in the normal direction from a surface to allow effective resolution
of the steep gradients near no-slip walls. The layers can be specified using a number of different options. In this
tutorial you will specify the height of the first layer, a stretch ratio for successive layers (growth rate), and the
total number of layers to generate. AcuConsole will resolve the total layer height from the attributes that you
provide. That is, total layer height will be computed based on the height of the first element, the growth rate, and
the number of layers that you provide in the next few steps.
6. Enter 0.00035 m for First element height.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 159

7. Enter 1.2 for the Growth rate.

8. Enter 3 for the Number of layers.
9. Turn on the Boundary layer blends flag option.
This option creates a radial array of boundary layer elements around exterior corners.
10. Enter 30.0 degrees as the Maximum sweep angle.

Set Surface Meshing Attributes for the Valve Walls

In the next steps you will set meshing attributes that allow for localized control of the mesh size near the walls of the
valve shutter assembly.
1. Expand the Model > Surfaces > Valve wall tree item.
2. Click the check box next to Surface Mesh Attributes to enable the settings and open the Surface Mesh
Attributes detail panel.

3. Change the Mesh size type to None.

4. Turn on the Boundary layer flag option.
5. Set the Resolve option to Total Layer Height.
6. Enter 0.00015 m for First element height.
7. Enter 1.2 for the Growth rate.
8. Enter 3 for the Number of layers.
9. Turn on the Boundary layer blends flag option.
This option creates a radial array of boundary layer elements around exterior corners.
10. Enter 30.0 degrees as the Maximum sweep angle.

Generate the Mesh

In the next steps you will generate the mesh that will be used when computing a solution for the problem.
1. Click on the toolbar to open the Launch AcuMeshSim dialog.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 160

For this case, the default values will be used.

2. Click Ok to begin meshing.
During meshing an AcuTail window will open. Meshing progress is reported in this window. A summary of the
meshing process indicates that the mesh has been generated.

3. Display the mesh on surfaces.

4. Rotate, move, or zoom the view to examine the mesh.

5. Turn off the display of Gap mesh refinement and Valve wall mesh refinement under Global > Zone Mesh
Attributes by clicking next to the surface so that it is in the display off state ( ),
Details of the mesh on the front symmetry plane are shown in Figure 12: Mesh details around the valve viewed
on the front symmetry plane on page 161. This view was obtained by reorienting the view with on the View
Manager toolbar, then zooming in on the model.

Figure 12: Mesh details around the valve viewed on the front symmetry plane

Note that the mesh size in the pipe decreases from left to right in the transition from a region where global settings
determine the size to the zone around the gap where the settings are for a finer mesh. Note also that the mesh to
the right of the valve shutter is smaller than the global mesh as determined in the Valve body mesh refinement that
you created.

Compute the Solution and Review the Results

Run AcuSolve
In the next steps you will launch AcuSolve to compute the solution for this case.
1. Click on the toolbar to open the Launch AcuSolve dialog.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 162

2. Enter 4 for Number of processors, if your system has 4 or more processers.

The use of multiple processors can reduce solution time.
3. Accept all other default settings.
Based on these settings, AcuConsole will generate the AcuSolve input files, then launch the solver. AcuSolve will
run on four processors to calculate the transient solution for this problem.
4. Click Ok to start the solution process.
As the solution progresses, an AcuTail window will open. Solution progress is reported in this window. A
summary of the solution process indicates that the simulation has been completed. The information provided in the
summary is based on the number of processors used by AcuSolve. If you used a different number of processors
than indicated in this tutorial, the summary for your run may be slightly different than the summary shown.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 163

Monitor the Solution with AcuProbe

While AcuSolve is running, you can monitor the inlet pressure and displacement of the valve using AcuProbe.
1.
Click on the toolbar to open the AcuProbe window.
2. Expand the window by dragging the lower right corner.
3. Expand the Data Tree by dragging the right edge.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 164

4. Expand the Surface Output item in the Data Tree.

5. Expand Inlet under the Surface Output item.
6. Right-click pressure under the Inlet item and select Plot.

As the solution progresses, the plot will update. If you opened AcuProbe after the solution completed, click to
refresh the plot.
7. Collapse Inlet under the Surface Output item.
8. Expand Valve wall under the Surface Output item.
9. Right-click mesh_x_displacement under the Valve wall item and click Plot.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 165

Post-Process Flow Rate with AcuProbe

AcuProbe has the ability to plot many other flow quantities. One such quantity is mass flow rate at the valve outlet.
While AcuProbe does not have the option to plot volume flow rate directly, it can be calculated for incompressible
flow using a user function.

In the next steps you will create a user function for the display of volume flow rate in AcuProbe.
1. Turn off the plot of pressure at the inlet.
a) Right-click Inlet.
b) Select Plot None.
2. Turn off the plot of mesh_x_displacement on the valve wall.
a) Right-click Valve wall.
b) Select Plot None.
3. Create a user function for volume flow rate.
a)
Click on the toolbar to open the User Function dialog.

b) Enter Volume flow rate for the Name.

c) Enter mass_flux = in the Function box
d) Expand Surface Output > Outlet in the Data Tree.
e) Right-click mass_flux and click Copy Name.
f) Paste the name into the Function box on the User Function dialog.
g) On the next line type value = mass_flux/1000.0.
This sets the value to be plotted as the mass flux at the outlet divided by the density of water.
h) Click Apply and Close the dialog.
4.
Click on the toolbar to refresh the plot of volume flow rate.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 166

View Results with AcuFieldView

Now that a solution has been calculated, you are ready to view the flow field using AcuFieldView. AcuFieldView
is a third-party post-processing tool that is tightly integrated to AcuSolve. AcuFieldView can be started directly
from AcuConsole, or it can be started from the Start menu, or from a command line. In this tutorial you will start
AcuFieldView from AcuConsole after the solution is calculated by AcuSolve.
In the following steps you will start AcuFieldView, display velocity magnitude, and animate the view to show mesh
displacement. You will then display velocity vectors and pressure contours when the valve shutter is at maximum
displacement.

Start AcuFieldView

1. Click on the AcuConsole Toolbar to open the Launch AcuFieldView dialog.

2. Click Ok to start AcuFieldView.

When you start AcuFieldView from AcuConsole, the results from the last time step of the solution that were
written to disk will be loaded for post-processing.

Display Velocity Magnitude on the Front Symmetry Plane

In the next steps you will create a boundary surface to display contours of velocity magnitude on the front symmetry
plane of the modeled slice.
These steps are provided with the assumption that you are able to manipulate the view in AcuFieldView to have
a white background, perspective turned off, outlines turned off, and the viewing direction set to +Z. If you are
unfamiliar with basic AcuFieldView operations, refer to Manipulate the Model View in AcuFieldView on page 33.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 167

1.
Click on the side toolbar to open the Boundary Surface dialog.
Note: The dialog may already be open. This step will put the focus on the dialog.

2. Disable the Show Mesh option.

3. Set velocity_magnitude as the scalar field to display.
a) Click Select in the Scalar Function control group to open the Function Selection dialog.
b) Select velocity_magnitude from the list.
Note: You may need to scroll down in the list to find velocity_magnitude.
c) Click Calculate.
4. Set the front symmetry plane and pipe walls as the location for display of contours.
a) Click SBC: Front symmetry.
b) Hold the Ctrl key and click SBC: Pipe wall.
c) Click OK.
5. Add a legend to the view.
a) Click the Legend tab in the Boundary Surface dialog.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 168

b) Enable the Show Legend option.

This image was created with a white background, perspective turned off, outlines turned off, and the viewing
direction set to +Z.
When data was loaded from AcuSolve, AcuFieldView displays information from the final time step. In the
following steps you will display velocity magnitude at the first time step and then animate the display to show the
motion of the valve shutter and the velocity changes throughout the simulation.

Animate the Display of Velocity Magnitude

In the next steps you will create a transient sweep and save it as an animation that can be viewed independently of
AcuFieldView. As a first step, you will change the colormap used by the legend.
1. Set the colormap to use defined maximum and minimum values throughout the transient sweep.
a) Click the Colormap tab.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 170

b) Enter 6.6 for the maximum.

c) Enter 0 for the minimum.
These settings will be used throughout the transient sweep so that the contours at each time step will all be relative
to this specified range.
2. Click the Tools menu and then click Transient Data to open the Transient Data Controls dialog.
3. Click Tools > Flipbook Build Mode.
4. Click OK to dismiss the Flipbook Size Warning dialog.
The Sweep button on the Transient Data Controls dialog will have changed to Build.

5. Use the slider control to set the SOLUTION TIME to the first time step and click Apply.
6. Click Build.
As AcuFieldView builds the flipbook animation, you will see the controls on the Transient Data Controls dialog
advance. Once the flipbook is built, a Flipbook Controls dialog will allow you to play or save the animation.

7. Click Frame Rate and set the Minimum Time Seconds to 0.1.
8. Use the controls on the Flipbook Controls dialog to play and pause the animation.
9. Save the animation as mesh_velocity_mag.
AcuFieldView will add the appropriate file extension. For Windows, mesh_velocity_mag.avi will be
saved. It can be viewed independently of AcuFieldView by double-clicking it in Windows Explorer.
10. Close the Flipbook Controls dialog and click OK to dismiss the Flipbook Exit Confirmation warning.

Display Pressure Contours and Velocity Vectors on a Mid-Z Coordinate Surface

In the next steps you will create a coordinate surface at the mid-Z plane of the modeled section. You will then display
pressure contours and velocity vectors on that surface.
1. Disable the Visibility option on the Boundary Surface dialog used to create the display of velocity magnitude.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 171

2. Open View > Defined Views and set the view to +Z.
3.
Click on the side toolbar to open the Coordinate Surface dialog.

4. Create and configure a new coordinate surface at the mid-Z plane.

a) Click Create.
b) Change the DISPLAY TYPE to Smooth.
c) Change the COLORING to Scalar.
d) Select pressure as the Scalar Function to display.
e) Set the COORD PLANE to Z.
This surface will be created in the XY plane at the middle of the geometry in the Z direction.
f) Click the Colormap tab and enable Local in the SCALAR COLORING group.
g) Click the Legend tab and enable the Show Legend option.
h) Click the black color swatch next to the Subtitle field and set the color for the subtitle to white.
5. Create a second coordinate surface at the mid-Z plane for the display of velocity vectors.
a) Click Create on the Surface tab of the Coordinate Surface dialog.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 172

b) Change the DISPLAY TYPE to Vectors.

c) Click Options next to Vectors.

d) Enable Head Scaling and set the scaling to 0.25.

e) Set the Length Scale to 0.5.
f) Enable Skip option and set it to 75 %.
g) Close the Vector Options dialog.
h) Change the COLORING to Geometric.
i) Set the Geometric color to white.
j) Set the COORD PLANE to Z.
This surface will be created in the XY plane at the middle of the geometry in the Z direction.
6. Zoom in on the valve-body region of the model.
7. Set transient data to display the 78th time step.
a) Open Tools > Transient Data.
b) Use the slider to set the TIME STEP to 78.
c) Click Apply.
| Rigid-Body Dynamics of a Check Valve | 173

Summary
In this tutorial you worked through a basic workflow to set up a transient simulation with a moving mesh and variable
inlet pressure. Once the case was set up, you generated a mesh and generated a solution using AcuSolve. AcuProbe
was used to post-process the motion of the valve shutter (x_mesh_displacement) and to calculate volume flow at the
outlet. Results were also post-processed in AcuFieldView to allow you to create contour and vector views, and to
allow you to view the transient data. New features introduced in this tutorial include: transient simulation, multiplier
functions, mesh motion, post-processing with AcuProbe, and animation of transient results.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 174

Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and

MotionSolve
AcuSolve has the capability to solve problems with fluid-structure interactions, as shown in Rigid-Body Dynamics of
a Check Valve on page 134. It can also be coupled with external codes, such as MotionSolve, in cases where the built-
in capabilities of AcuSolve do not fully represent the physics of interest, such as a collision between solid bodies.
This tutorial provides the instructions for setting up, solving, and viewing results for a simulation of the opening of a
pressure check valve. In this simulation, AcuSolve is used to compute the forces on the valve due to the time-varying
inlet flow field and MotionSolve is used to compute the motion of the valve that results from these flow forces. This
tutorial is designed to introduce you to a number of modeling concepts necessary to perform simulations of rigid-body
dynamics and coupling with MotionSolve. An important feature of the AcuSolve-MotionSolve coupling is the ability
to simulate contact between solid bodies, which is demonstrated in this tutorial through the collision of the valve with
the valve seat.
The basic steps in any CFD simulation were shown in Flow in a Mixing Elbow. The following additional capabilities
of AcuSolve are introduced in this tutorial:
• coupled solution with external code (MotionSolve)
• fluid-structure interaction
• mesh motion
• transient simulation
• use of a multiplier function to scale inlet boundary conditions
• post-processing with AcuProbe
• results animation

Prerequisites
You should have already run through the introductory tutorial, Flow in a Mixing Elbow. It is assumed that you have
some familiarity with AcuConsole, AcuSolve, and AcuFieldView. You will also need access to licensed versions of
AcuSolve and MotionSolve 14.0.
Prior to running through this tutorial, copy the Pressure_Check_Valve-Coupled\ directory and its
contents from <AcuSolve installation directory>\model_files\tutorials\AcuSolve
\Acu_tutorial_inputs.zip to a working directory. This directory contains the geometry model in Parasolid
ASCII format, pressureCheckValve.x_t, as well as the prepared MotionSolve model, Valve_model.xml.

Analyze the Problem to be Solved

An important first step in any CFD simulation is to examine the engineering problem to be analyzed and determine
the settings that need to be provided to AcuSolve. Settings can be based on geometrical components (such as
volumes, inlets, outlets, or walls) and on flow conditions (such as fluid properties, velocity, or whether the flow
should be modeled as turbulent or as laminar).
The problem to be addressed in this tutorial is shown schematically in Figure 13: Schematic of Check Valve with
Spring-Loaded Shutter on page 175. It consists of a cylindrical pipe containing water that flows past a check valve
with a shutter attached to a virtual spring (not included in the geometry). The inlet pressure varies over time and the
movement of the shutter will be determined as a function of the balance of the fluid forces against the reactive force
of the spring. The problem is rotationally periodic at 30° increments about the longitudinal axis, and it is assumed
that the resulting flow is also rotationally periodic, allowing for modeling with the use of a wedge-shaped section. For
this tutorial, a 30° section of the geometry is modeled, as shown in the figure. Modeling a portion of an rotationally
periodic geometry leads to reduced computation time while still providing an accurate solution.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 175

back symmetry
valve shutter walls
front symmetry plane (shutter plate and stem)
plane mass = 0.2 kg virtual spring
k=2162 N/m
rotationally periodic
section modeled

inlet

pressure varies with time,

0 - 29,000 Pa
0.08 m
outlet

perforated plate water

plate with orifice
flow direction cylinder wall

pipe walls

Figure 13: Schematic of Check Valve with Spring-Loaded Shutter

Details of the problem characteristics are shown in the following images extracted from a sample worksheet that was
created prior to setting up the case for AcuSolve.
The pipe has an inlet diameter of 0.08 m, and is 0.4 m long. The check-valve assembly is 0.085 m downstream of
the inlet. It consists of a plate 0.005 m thick with a centered orifice 0.044 m in diameter and a shutter with an initial
position 0.005 m from the opening, simulating a nearly closed condition. The shutter plate is 0.05 m in diameter and
0.005 m thick. The shutter plate is attached to a stem 0.03 m long and 0.01 m in diameter. The mass of the shutter
and stem is 0.2 kg and its motion is affected by a virtual spring with a stiffness of 2162 N/m. The motion of the valve
shutter is limited by a stop mounted on a perforated plate downstream of the shutter.

Modeling the geometry as a 30° section requires that the fluid model is set up to be consistent with the rigid-body
model. Since only 1/12 of the rigid body is modeled, the forces computed by AcuSolve that act on the valve shutter
represent 1/12 of the actual force on the device. The rigid-body-dynamics model was set up in MotionSolve with
scaled settings of mass and spring stiffness to account for the fact that you are only modeling a small section of
the full geometry. Additional information regarding the setup of this problem in MotionSolve is provided in the
MotionSolve documentation.
The fluid in this problem is water, which has a density (ρ) of 1000 kg/m3 and a molecular viscosity (μ) of 1 X 10-3 kg/
m-sec, as shown in the worksheet.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 176

At the start of the simulation the flow field is stationary. Flow is driven by the pressure at the inlet, which varies
over time as a piecewise linear function shown in Figure 14: Transient pressure at the inlet on page 176. As the
pressure at the inlet rises, the flow will accelerate as the valve opens. The turbulence viscosity ratio is assumed to be
10.
The initial inlet pressure is 0 Pa. At 0.002 s, the pressure begins to ramp up, and reaches 29,000 Pa at 0.05 s. The
pressure is held at 29,000 Pa and begins to ramp back down starting at 0.2 s, reaching the initial pressure at 0.25 s
where it remains for the rest of the simulation.

Figure 14: Transient pressure at the inlet

Prior simulations of this geometry indicate that the average velocity at the inlet reaches a maximum of 0.98 m/s. At
this velocity, the Reynolds number for the flow is 78,400. When the Reynolds number is above 4,000, it is generally
accepted that flow should be modeled as turbulent.

Another critical decision in a transient simulation is choosing the time increment. The time increment is the change
in time during a given time step of the simulation. It is important to choose a time increment that is short enough to
capture the changes in flow properties of interest, but does not require unnecessary computation time.
There are two methods commonly used for determining an appropriate time increment. The first method involves
identification of the time scales of the transient behaviors of interest and setting the time increment to sufficiently
resolve those behaviors. The second method involves setting a limit on the number of mesh elements that the flow can
cross in a given time step. A convenient metric for the number of mesh elements crossed per time step is the Courant-
Friederichs-Lewy number, or CFL number. With this method, the time increment can be computed from the mesh
size, the flow velocity, and the desired CFL number.
The change in inlet pressure from initial conditions to maximum occurs over 0.048 s. A time increment of 0.002 s
would allow for excellent resolution of the transient changes, without requiring excessive computational time. This
time increment would result in a CFL number of 0.36, indicating that it would take approximately three time steps
for flow to cross a single mesh element. While the time increment could be raised and still maintain a favorable CFL
number, the value of 0.002 s is chosen to better resolve the transient changes resulting from the sudden pressure
shifts.

Once a solution is calculated, the flow properties of interest are the displacement of the moving surface, velocity of
the moving surface, mass flow rate at the outlet, pressure contours on the symmetry plane, and velocity vectors on the
symmetry plane.

Define the Simulation Parameters

Start AcuConsole and Create the Simulation Database

This tutorial walks you through the process of setting up and solving a fluid-structure simulation of a spring-loaded
check valve subjected to changes in inlet pressure using AcuSolve, to solve the fluid flow, coupled with MotionSolve,
to solve the rigid-body dynamics.
In this tutorial, you will begin by creating a database, populating the geometry-independent settings, setting
parameters for coupling with MotionSolve, loading the geometry, creating groups, setting group attributes, adding
geometry components to groups, creating a multiplier function, and assigning mesh controls and boundary conditions
to the groups. Next you will generate a mesh and run AcuSolve and MotionSolve to simulate the transient behavior.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 179

You will use AcuProbe to post-process mesh displacement and mass flow. Finally, you will visualize the results using
AcuFieldView.
In the next steps you will start AcuConsole, create the database for storage of AcuConsole settings, and set the
location for saving mesh and solution information for AcuSolve.
1. Start AcuConsole from the Windows Start menu by clicking Start > All Programs > Altair Hyperworks
<version> > AcuSolve > AcuConsole.
2. Click the File menu, then click New to open the New data base dialog.
3. Browse to the location that you would like to use as your working directory.
This directory is where all files related to the simulation will be stored. The AcuConsole database file (*.acs)
is stored in this directory. Once the mesh and solution are created, additional files and directories will be created
within this directory.
4. Create a new folder named Check_Valve_Coupled and open this folder.
5. Enter Check_Valve_Coupled as the File name for the database.
Note: In order for other applications to be able to read the files written by AcuConsole, the database path
and name should not include spaces.
6. Click Save to create the database.

Set General Simulation Attributes

In the next steps you will set attributes that apply globally to the simulation. To simplify this task, you will use
the BAS filter in the Data Tree Manager. The BAS filter limits the options in the Data Tree to show only the basic
settings.
The general attributes that you will set for this tutorial are for turbulent flow, transient time analysis, arbitrary mesh
movement, and the use of an external code (MotionSolve).
1. Click BAS in the Data Tree Manager to filter all but the basic settings in the Data Tree.

2. Double-click Global in the Data Tree to expand it.

Note: You can also expand a tree item by clicking next to the item name.

3. Double-click Problem Description to open the Problem Description detail panel.

| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 180

4. Enter AcuSolve Tutorial as the Title for this case.

5. Enter Pressure Check Valve - Coupled MotionSolve as the Sub title for this case.
6. Change the Analysis type to Transient.
7. Set the Turbulence equation to Spalart Allmaras.
The robustness and accuracy of the Spalart Allmaras turbulence model makes it an excellent choice for simulation
of transient flows.
8. Change the Mesh type to Arbitrary Mesh Movement (ALE).
9. Turn External code on.
This indicates that AcuSolve will send and recieve information from another solver. You will configure the
communication between the codes later in this tutorial.

Set Solution Strategy Attributes

In the next steps you will set attributes that control the behavior of AcuSolve as it progresses during the transient
solution.

1. Double-click Auto Solution Strategy in the Data Tree to open the Auto Solution Strategy detail panel.

2. Enter 0 for Max time steps.

| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 181

This value indicates that AcuSolve should ignore this setting and calculate the maximum number of time steps
based on the final time and the time increment.
3. Enter 0.35 sec for the Final time.
4. Enter 0.002 sec for the Initial time increment.
Important: The value entered here must match the print_interval setting in the prepared
MotionSolve model, Valve_model.xml, to ensure that the two solvers stay synchronized during the
solution process.
5. Enter 3 for Max stagger iterations.
This setting determines the maximum number of iterations that will be performed within each time step.

Set Material Model Attributes

1. Double-click Material Model in the Data Tree to expand it.

2. Double-click Water in the Data Tree to open the Water detail panel.

3. Click the Density tab. Verify that the density of water is 1000.0 kg/m3.
4. Click the Viscosity tab. Verify that the viscosity of water is 0.001 kg/m-sec.

Set Nodal Output Frequency

In the next steps you will set an attribute that impacts how often results from the transient simulation are written to
disk. The results can be used to create an animation of the simulation once the run has completed. Writing the results
after every time step produces a collection of output states that allows for the best visual resolution of the contact
between the valve and valve stop.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 182

1. Double-click Output under Global in the Data Tree to expand it.

2. Double-click Nodal Output to open the Nodal Output detail panel.

3. Enter 1 as the Time step frequency.

This value indicates that AcuSolve should write results after every time step.

Set External Code Parameters for Communication with MotionSolve

In the next steps you will provide the settings that will allow AcuSolve and MotionSolve to communicate during the
solution process. In this simulation, MotionSolve is being used to calculate the motion of the valve in response to the
fluid loads calculated by AcuSolve. In order to achieve this, AcuSolve and MotionSolve will communicate through
a socket connection. This communication approach enables the two codes to be run on separate machines and even
different operating systems.
1. Click ALL in the Data Tree Manager to show all settings.

2. Double-click External Code Parameters under Global to open the External Code Parameters detail panel.

3. Set Communication to Socket.

4. Turn Socket initiate off.
This setting indicates that the external code (MotionSolve) will open the socket and AcuSolve will "listen" for a
connection on the indicated socket port.
5. Enter localhost as the Socket host.
This indicates that AcuSolve and MotionSolve are running on the same machine. If MotionSolve was running on a
different machine, the host name or IP address would need to be supplied here.
6. Enter 48000 as the Socket port.
This is the default port used for communication between AcuSolve and MotionSolve.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 183

Import Geometry and Define the Model

Import the Check Valve Geometry

You will import the geometry in the next part of this tutorial. You will need to know the location of
\Pressure_Check_Valve-Coupled\pressureCheckValve.x_t in order to complete these steps. This
file contains the solid model of the check valve in the Parasolid ASCII format.
1. Click the File menu, then Import.
2. Browse to the directory containing pressureCheckValve.x_t.
3. Change the File name filter to Parasolid File (*.x_t *.xmt *X_T …
a) Click the drop-down button to the right of the File name field.
b) Click Parasolid File (*.x_t *.xmt *X_T … from the drop-down list.
4. Click pressureCheckValve.x_t and Open to open the Import Geometry dialog.

For this tutorial, the default values for the Import Geometry dialog are used to load the geometry. If you have
previously used AcuConsole, any changes to these settings will be preserved between AcuConsole sessions. Make
sure that any settings that you might have altered are manually changed to match the default values shown. With
the default settings, volumes from the CAD model are added to a single volume group named "default." You will
work with groups later in this tutorial to create new groups, set simulation attributes, add geometric components,
and set meshing attributes.
5. Click Ok to complete the geometry import.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 184

Create Multiplier Function for Inlet Pressure

AcuSolve provides the ability to scale values as a function of time and/or time step during a simulation. This is
achieved through the use of a multiplier function. In this tutorial, the inlet stagnation pressure varies as the simulation
progresses. By taking advantage of multiplier functions, you can easily set up a function to model the pressure
changes at the inlet.
In the next steps you will create a multiplier function for the pressure at the inlet. This multiplier function will be
applied to the inlet later in this tutorial.
In this tutorial, the inlet pressure starts at 0 pascals, ramps up to 29,000 Pa, is held steady briefly, and then ramps back
to 0 Pa.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 185

2. Right-click Multiplier Function under Global in the Data Tree and click New to create a new multiplier function.
3. Rename the multiplier function.
a) Right-click the newly created Multiplier Function 1 and click Rename.
b) Enter inlet pressure.
Note: When an item in the Data Tree is renamed, the change is not saved until you press the Enter key
on your keyboard. If you move the input focus away from the item without entering it, your changes
will be lost.
c) Double-click inlet pressure to open the multiplier function detail panel.

4. Set the Type to Piecewise Linear.

5. Set the Curve fit variable to Time.
6. Check that the Evaluation type is set to Per Time Step.
This value indicates that AcuSolve should evaluate the multiplier function once for each time step.
7. Add the function values for the inlet pressure profile.
a) Click Open Array to open the Array Editor dialog.

b) Click Add five times to add five new rows.

| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 186

c) Enter the following values for X (time) and Y (pressure).

X Y
0.0 0.0
0.002 0.0
0.05 29000
0.2 29000
0.25 0.0
0.35 0.0
d) Click Plot to expand the Array Editor dialog to display the plot of the curve fit values.
You may need to expand the dialog by dragging the right edge in order to see the plot.

e) Click OK.
These entries will be used to control the change in inlet pressure throughout the simulation.

Apply Volume Attributes

b) Enter Fluid.
5. Set the material model used for the fluid in the simulation.
a) Expand the Fluid tree item by clicking .
b) Double-click Element Set to open the Element Set detail panel.

c) Click the drop-down control next to Material model.

d) Click Water.

For the next set of steps it is useful to turn off the display of Fluid by clicking so that it is in the off ( ) state.

Create Surface Groups and Apply Surface Attributes

Set Inflow Boundary Conditions for the Inlet

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the inlet, assign the multiplier function to describe the transient
pressure, and add the inlet from the geometry to the surface group.
1. Create a new surface group.
a) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree.
b) Click New.
2. Rename the surface to Inlet .
a) Right-click Surface 1 under Surfaces and click Rename on the context menu.
b) Enter Inlet.
3. Expand the Inlet surface in the tree.
4. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Inlet to open the Simple Boundary Condition detail panel.
5. Turn Advanced features on.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 188

This will expose the Stagnation pressure multiplier function control that you will use to associate the multiplier
function with the inlet.
6. Change the Type to Inflow.

7. Change the Inflow type to Stagnation Pressure.

At this point the inlet should be highlighted

d) Click Done to add this geometry surface to the Inlet surface group.

Set Outflow Boundary Conditions for the Outlet

In the next steps you will define a surface group for the outlet, assign the appropriate attributes, and add the outlet
from the geometry to the surface group
1. Create a new surface group.
2. Rename the surface to Outlet.
3. Expand the Outlet surface in the tree.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 189

4. Double-click Simple Boundary Condition under Outlet to open the Simple Boundary Condition detail panel.
5. Change the Type to Outflow.
6. Add a geometry surface to the Outlet surface container.
a) Right-click Outlet and click Add to.
b) Rotate the model to expose the outlet by Ctrl+left-clicking near the right end of the geometry and moving the
cursor toward the left.
c) Click on the outlet face.

At this point, the outlet should be highlighted.

d) Click Done to associate this geometry surface with the surface settings of the Outlet group.

Set Symmetry Boundary Conditions for the Symmetry Planes

4. Change the Type to Symmetry.

At this point, the front symmetry plane should be highlighted.

11. Change the Type to Symmetry.

At this point, the back symmetry plane should be highlighted.

c) Click Done to add these geometry surfaces to the Back symmetry surface group.

Set External Code Surface Attributes for the Valve Shutter Walls
The motion of this surface, resulting from the transient inlet pressure, will be modeled with MotionSolve. In the next
steps you will define a surface group for the walls of the valve shutter, assign the appropriate settings, and add the
faces from the geometry to the surface group.
1. Click ALL in the Data Tree Manager to show all settings.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 191

2. Create a new surface group.

3. Rename the surface to Valve wall.
4. Disable Simple Boundary Condition for Valve wall.
5. Enable External Code Surface.
Disabling the boundary condition options and enabling external code options indicates that boundary conditions
will be handled by the external code (MotionSolve).

6. Set Coupling type to Rigid Body.

This indicates that the external code will provide rigid-body information for this surface.
7. Enter Model-Part 1 for Rigid body name.
The name entered here needs to match the body name in the prepared MotionSolve model, Valve_model.xml,
to ensure that information about forces and motion of this surface match up between AcuSolve and MotionSolve.
8. Restore the initial view by clicking on the View Manager toolbar. .

The wall of the valve is comprised of many surfaces in the geometry. By orienting the geometry properly, you can
select the surfaces that make up the valve wall with the use of the "rubber band" selection tool in AcuConsole.
9. Zoom in on the portion of the geometry that represents the valve shutter and stem by using the right-mouse button
or on the View Manager toolbar.
10. Rotate the view by left-clicking above the model and dragging the cursor down and to the right to expose the
shutter and stem walls.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 192

11. Turn off the display of all surface items except Valve wall and default.
12. Add geometry surfaces to this group.
a) Right-click Valve wall and click Add to.
b) Hold the Shift key down, left-click, and drag a selection box (rubber band) around the valve and stem.

c) Release the left key and the valve shutter and stem should be highlighted.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 193

d) Click Done to add these geometry surfaces to the Valve wall surface group.

Set Wall Boundary Conditions for the Pipe Walls

Assign Mesh Controls and Generate the Mesh

Set Global Meshing Attributes

• Zone mesh controls apply to a defined region of the model, but are not associated with a particular geometric
component.
• Geometric mesh controls are applied to a specific geometric component. These controls can be applied to volume
groups, surface groups, or edge groups.
In the next steps you will set global meshing attributes. In subsequent steps you will create zone and surface meshing
attributes.
1. Click MSH in the Data Tree Manager to filter the settings in the Data Tree to show only those controls related to
meshing.

2. Expand the Global Data Tree item.

3. Double-click Global Mesh Attributes to open the Global Mesh Attributes detail panel.

4. Change the Mesh size type to Absolute.

5. Enter 0.006 m for the Absolute mesh size.
This absolute mesh size is chosen to ensure that there are at least 50 mesh elements around the circumference of
the main pipe.
6. Turn off the Curvature refinement parameters option.
7. Change the Mesh growth rate to 1.2.
This option controls that rate at which the mesh transitions between regions of different surface and volume size.
Setting this to a value of 1.2 allows for a gradual transition between finely meshed regions and coarsely meshed
regions.
8. Set the Maximum sweep angle to 30.0 degrees.
This option allows you to set the maximum sweep angle for edge-blend meshing on a global basis, which creates
a radial array of elements around sharp edges to provide better resolution of the flow features. The sweep angle is
used to control how many degrees each radial division spans.

Set Zone Meshing Attributes

In addition to setting meshing characteristics for the whole problem, you can assign meshing attributes to a zone
within the problem where you want to be able to resolve flow with a mesh that is more refined than the global mesh.
A zone mesh refinement can be created using basic shapes to control the mesh size within that shape. These types of
mesh refinement are used when refinement is needed in an area that does not correspond to a geometric item.
In the following steps you will add mesh refinements in the zone around the valve gap and around the valve body.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 195

Set Zone Meshing Attributes for the Gap

7. Change the Mesh zone type to Cylinder.

8. Set the location of the mesh refinement by defining the center points of the end faces of the cylinder.
a) Click Open Array to open the Array Editor dialog.

b) Enter -0.05 for X-coordinate 1.

c) Enter -0.03 for X-coordinate 2.
d) Enter 0.025 for Y-coordinate 1 and 2.
e) Enter 0.0 for Z-coordinate 1 and 2.
f) Click OK.
9. Enter 0.01 m for the Radius.
This radius is used to define a cylinder that encloses the gap in the modeled section of the check valve.
10. Enter 0.0015 m for the Mesh size.
This will result in a zone where the mesh size provides at least 3 cells between the shutter and the edge of the
orifice in the initial position.

Set Zone Meshing Attributes for the Valve Body

In the next steps you will add a set of mesh attributes for a zone around the valve body.
1. Right-click Zone Mesh Attributes under the Global branch in the Data Tree and click New.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 196

2. Rename Zone Mesh Attributes 1 to Valve body mesh refinement.

3. Double-click Valve body mesh refinement to open the zone mesh attributes detail panel.

4. Change the Mesh zone type to Cylinder.

5. Set the location of the mesh refinement by defining the center points of the end faces of the cylinder.
a) Click Open Array to open the Array Editor dialog.

b) Enter -0.06 for X-coordinate 1.

Set Meshing Attributes for Surface Groups

Set Surface Meshing Attributes for the Pipe Walls

3. Change the Mesh size type to None.

This option indicates that the mesher will use the global meshing attributes when creating the mesh on the surface
of the pipe walls.
4. Turn on the Boundary layer flag option.
This option allows you to define how the meshing should be handled in the direction normal to the walls.
5. Set the Resolve option to Total Layer Height.
Mesh elements for a boundary layer are grown in the normal direction from a surface to allow effective resolution
of the steep gradients near no-slip walls. The layers can be specified using a number of different options. In this
tutorial you will specify the height of the first layer, a stretch ratio for successive layers (growth rate), and the
total number of layers to generate. AcuConsole will resolve the total layer height from the attributes that you
provide. That is, total layer height will be computed based on the height of the first element, the growth rate, and
the number of layers that you provide in the next few steps.
6. Enter 0.00035 m for First element height.
7. Enter 1.2 for the Growth rate.
8. Enter 3 for the Number of layers.
9. Turn on the Boundary layer blends flag option.
This option creates a radial array of boundary layer elements around exterior corners.
10. Enter 30.0 degrees as the Maximum sweep angle.

Set Surface Meshing Attributes for the Valve Walls

3. Change the Mesh size type to None.

Generate the Mesh

In the next steps you will generate the mesh that will be used when computing a solution for the problem.
1. Click on the toolbar to open the Launch AcuMeshSim dialog.

For this case, the default values will be used.

2. Click Ok to begin meshing.
During meshing an AcuTail window will open. Meshing progress is reported in this window. A summary of the
meshing process indicates that the mesh has been generated.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 199

3. Display the mesh on surfaces.

a) Right-click Zone Mesh Attributes under Global in the Data Tree and click Display off.
b) Right-click Volumes in the Data Tree and click Display off.
c) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree and click Display on.
d) Right-click Surfaces in the Data Tree, select Display type and click solid & wire.
4. Rotate, move, or zoom the view to examine the mesh.
5. Turn off the display of Gap mesh refinement and Valve wall mesh refinement under Global > Zone Mesh
Attributes by clicking next to the surface so that it is in the display off state ( ),
Details of the mesh on the front symmetry plane are shown in Figure 15: Mesh details around the valve viewed
on the front symmetry plane on page 200. This view was obtained by reorienting the view with on the View
Manager toolbar, then zooming in on the model.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 200

Figure 15: Mesh details around the valve viewed on the front symmetry plane

Compute the Solution and Review the Results

Solve the Problem

This tutorial uses a coupled solution between AcuSolve for the flow field and MotionSolve for the rigid-body-
dynamics. Solving the problem for this tutorial involves 2 steps:
1. Start AcuSolve.
2. Start MotionSolve.
The next sets of steps provide instructions for these two tasks.

Run AcuSolve
In the next steps you will launch AcuSolve to compute the solution for this case.
1. Click on the toolbar to open the Launch AcuSolve dialog.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 201

2. Enter 4 for Number of processors, if your system has 4 or more processers.

The use of multiple processors can reduce solution time.
3. Accept all other default settings.
Based on these settings, AcuConsole will generate the AcuSolve input files, then launch the solver. AcuSolve will
run on four processors to calculate the transient solution for this problem.
4. Click Ok to start the solution process.
As the solution progresses, an AcuTail window will open. Solution progress is reported in this window. Since
the solution is coupled, the information in the AcuTail window will pause after AcuSolve starts, pending
communication with Motion Solve, which you will start in the next set of steps.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 202

Run MotionSolve
In the next steps you will start MotionSolve and provide settings for communication with AcuSolve.
1. Run Start > All Programs > Altair Hyperworks 14 > MotionSolve to open the HyperWorks Solver Run
Manager.

2. Browse to the location of \Pressure_Check_Valve-Coupled\Valve_model.xml. and select this as

the Input file.
This file contains MotionSolve version of the model.
3. Change the Files of type filter to Motion Solve Data (*.xml, *.acf, *.py).
4. Click Valve_model.xml and Open.
5.
Click next to Options to open the Available Options dialog.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 203

6. Enable the -as_cosim option to indicate coupling between MotionSolve and AcuSolve.
7. Click Apply Options and Close the dialog.
8. Click Run to start MotionSolve.
As the solution progresses, a Hyperworks Solver View window will open. Solution progress is reported in this
window. The AcuSolve AcuTail window will also update as the solution progresses.

As the solution progresses, you can monitor the progress with AcuProbe, as detailed in the next steps.

Monitor the Solution with AcuProbe

While AcuSolve is running, you can monitor flow characteristics such as inlet pressure, displacement of the valve,
and velocity of the valve, using AcuProbe.
1.
Click on the toolbar to open the AcuProbe window.
2. Expand the window by dragging the lower right corner.
3. Expand the Data Tree by dragging the right edge.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 204

4. Expand the Surface Output item in the Data Tree.

5. Expand Inlet under the Surface Output item.
6. Right-click pressure under the Inlet item and select Plot.

Note that the valve motion lags behind the pressure changes at the inlet. Note also the spike around the 25th time
step. This represents the collision of the valve stem with the stop and the subsequent rebound of the valve.

Post-Process Velocity of Valve Walls with AcuProbe

AcuProbe has the ability to plot many other quantities. One such quantity is velocity of the moving valve. In the next
steps you will create a plot of the x-velocity of the valve walls.
1. Turn off the plot of pressure at the inlet.
a) Right-click Inlet.
b) Select Plot None.
2. Expand Valve wall.
3. Right-click x_velocity and click Plot.
4.
Click on the toolbar to refresh the plot.

Note that the the spike in mesh_x_displacement around the 25th time step corresponds with a sudden decrease in
the velocity of the valve walls. This represents the collision of the valve stem with the stop and the subsequent
rebound is reflected by a negative X velocity.

View Results with AcuFieldView

Now that a solution has been calculated, you are ready to view the flow field using AcuFieldView. AcuFieldView
is a third-party post-processing tool that is tightly integrated to AcuSolve. AcuFieldView can be started directly
from AcuConsole, or it can be started from the Start menu, or from a command line. In this tutorial you will start
AcuFieldView from AcuConsole after the solution is calculated by AcuSolve.
In the following steps you will start AcuFieldView, display velocity magnitude, and animate the view to show mesh
displacement. You will then display velocity vectors and pressure contours when the valve shutter is at maximum
displacement.

Start AcuFieldView

1. Click on the AcuConsole Toolbar to open the Launch AcuFieldView dialog.

| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 206

2. Click Ok to start AcuFieldView.

When you start AcuFieldView from AcuConsole, the results from the last time step of the solution that were
written to disk will be loaded for post-processing.

Display Velocity Magnitude on the Front Symmetry Plane

2. Disable the Show Mesh option.

3. Set velocity_magnitude as the scalar field to display.
a) Click Select in the Scalar Function control group to open the Function Selection dialog.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 207

b) Select velocity_magnitude from the list.

Note: You may need to scroll down in the list to find velocity_magnitude.
c) Click Calculate.
4. Set the front symmetry plane and pipe walls as the location for display of contours.
a) Click SBC: Front symmetry.
b) Hold the Ctrl key and click SBC: Pipe wall.
c) Click OK.
5. Add a legend to the view.
a) Click the Legend tab in the Boundary Surface dialog.

b) Enable the Show Legend option.

Animate the Display of Velocity Magnitude

b) Enter 6.6 for the maximum.

7. Click Frame Rate and set the Minimum Time Seconds to 0.1.
8. Use the controls on the Flipbook Controls dialog to play and pause the animation.
9. Save the animation as mesh_velocity_mag_coupled.
AcuFieldView will add the appropriate file extension. For Windows, mesh_velocity_mag_coupled.avi
will be saved. It can be viewed independently of AcuFieldView by double-clicking it in Windows Explorer.
10. Close the Flipbook Controls dialog and click OK to dismiss the Flipbook Exit Confirmation warning.

Display Pressure Contours and Velocity Vectors on a Mid-Z Coordinate Surface

4. Create and configure a new coordinate surface at the mid-Z plane.

a) Click Create.
b) Change the DISPLAY TYPE to Smooth.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 211

c) Change the COLORING to Scalar.

d) Select pressure as the Scalar Function to display.
e) Set the COORD PLANE to Z.
This surface will be created in the XY plane at the middle of the geometry in the Z direction.
f) Click the Colormap tab and enable Local in the SCALAR COLORING group.
g) Click the Legend tab and enable the Show Legend option.
h) Click the black color swatch next to the Subtitle field and set the color for the subtitle to white.
5. Create a second coordinate surface at the mid-Z plane for the display of velocity vectors.
a) Click Create on the Surface tab of the Coordinate Surface dialog.

b) Change the DISPLAY TYPE to Vectors.

c) Click Options next to Vectors.

d) Enable Head Scaling and set the scaling to 0.25.

e) Set the Length Scale to 0.5.
f) Enable Skip option and set it to 75 %.
g) Close the Vector Options dialog.
h) Change the COLORING to Geometric.
i) Set the Geometric color to white.
| Coupled Simulation of a Check Valve using AcuSolve and MotionSolve | 212

j) Set the COORD PLANE to Z.

This surface will be created in the XY plane at the middle of the geometry in the Z direction.
6. Zoom in on the valve-body region of the model.
7. Set transient data to display the 78th time step.
a) Open Tools > Transient Data.
b) Use the slider to set the TIME STEP to 78.

Summary
In this tutorial you worked through a basic workflow to set up a transient simulation for moving mesh and variable
inlet pressure. The solution of this case was coupled between AcuSolve for the flow field and MotionSolve for the
rigid-body dynamics. Once the case was set up, you generated a mesh and generated a solution using AcuSolve
and MotionSolve. AcuProbe was used to post-process the motion of the valve shutter (x_mesh_displacement) and
velocity of the valve walls. Results were also post-processed in AcuFieldView to allow you to create contour and
vector views, and to allow you to view the transient data. New features introduced in this tutorial include: coupled
solution with an external code, fluid-structure interaction, mesh motion, transient simulation, multiplier functions,
post-processing with AcuProbe, and animation of transient results.

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