SOLIDWORKS FLOW SIMULATION

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SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation

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 Contents

Introduction
About This Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Course Design Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Using this Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
About the Training Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
User Interface Appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Conventions Used in this Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Use of Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
More SOLIDWORKS Training Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Local User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Lesson 1:
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Case Study: Manifold Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Problem Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Stages in the Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

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Model Preparation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Internal Flow Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
External Flow Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Manifold Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Lids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Lid Thickness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Manual Lid Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Adding a Lid to a Part File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Adding a Lid to an Assembly File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Checking the Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Internal Fluid Volume. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Invalid Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Project Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Reference Axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Exclude Cavities Without Flow Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Adiabatic Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Roughness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Computational Domain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Load Results Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Monitoring the Solver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Goal Plot Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Warning Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Post-processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Scaling the Limits of the Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Changing Legend Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Orientation of the Legend, Logarithmic Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Exercise 1: Air Conditioning Ducting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Lesson 2:
Meshing
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Case Study: Chemistry Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Project Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Computational Mesh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Basic Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Initial Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Geometry Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Minimum Gap Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Minimum Wall Thickness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Result Resolution/Level of Initial Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Manual Global Mesh Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Control Planes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Contents

Exercise 2: Square Ducting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Exercise 3: Thin Walled Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Exercise 4: Heat Sink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Exercise 5: Meshing Valve Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Boundary Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Lesson 3:
Thermal Analysis
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Case Study: Electronics Enclosure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Project Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Fans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Fan Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Perforated Plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Free Area Ratio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Exercise 6: Materials with Orthotropic Thermal Conductivity . . . . 116
Exercise 7: Electric Wire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Lesson 4:
External Transient Analysis
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Case Study: Flow Around a Cylinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Problem Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Stages in the Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Reynolds Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
External Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Transient Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Turbulence Intensity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Solution Adaptive Mesh Refinement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Two Dimensional Flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Computational Domain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Calculation Control Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Finishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Refinement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Solving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Saving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Drag Equation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Unsteady Vortex Shedding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Time Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Exercise 8: Electronics Cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

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Lesson 5:
Conjugate Heat Transfer
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Case Study: Heated Cold Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Project Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Stages in the Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Conjugate Heat Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Real Gases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Goals Plot in the Solver Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Exercise 9: Heat Exchanger with Multiple Fluids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Lesson 6:
EFD Zooming
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Case Study: Electronics Enclosure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Project Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
EFD Zooming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
EFD Zooming - Computational Domain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Lesson 7:
Porous Media
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Case Study: Catalytic Converter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Problem Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Stages in the Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Porous Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Porosity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Permeability Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Resistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Dummy Bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Design Modification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Exercise 10: Channel Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Lesson 8:
Rotating Reference Frames
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Rotating Reference Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Part 1: Averaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Case Study: Table Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Problem Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Stages in the Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Noise Prediction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Broadband Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Contents

Part 2: Sliding Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Case Study: Blower Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Problem Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Tangential Faces of Rotors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Time Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Exercise 11: Ceiling Fan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Boundary Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Computational Domain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Lesson 9:
Parametric Study
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Case Study: Piston Valve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Problem Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Stages in the Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Parametric Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Steady State Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Parametric Study. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Part 1: Goal Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Input Variable Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Target Value Dependence Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Output Variable Initial Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Running Optimization Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Part 2: Design Scenario. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Part 3: Multi parameter Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Exercise 12: Variable Geometry Dependent Solution . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Boundary Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Lesson 10:
Free Surface
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Case Study: Dam-Break Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Problem Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Free Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Volume of Fluid (VOF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Experimental Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Exercise 13: Heat Exchanger with Multiple Fluids . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Theoretical Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

v
Contents SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Lesson 11:
Cavitation
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Case Study: Cone Valve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Problem Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Cavitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Lesson 12:
Relative Humidity
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Relative Humidity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Case Study: Cook House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Problem Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Lesson 13:
Particle Trajectory
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Case Study: Hurricane Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Problem Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Particle Trajectories - Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Particle Study - Physical Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Particle Study - Wall Condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Exercise 14: Uniform Flow Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Lesson 14:
Supersonic Flow
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Supersonic Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Case Study: Conical Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Problem Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Drag Coefficient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Shock Waves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Lesson 15:
FEA Load Transfer
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Case Study: Billboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Problem Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300

vi
Introduction

1
Introduction SOLIDWORKS Simulation

About This The goal of this course is to teach you how to set up, run and view
Course results of a fluid flow and/or heat transfer analysis using
SOLIDWORKS and the Standard version of SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation mechanical design automation software.
It is impractical to cover every type of computational fluid dynamics
(CFD) problem in the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation software and
still have the course be a reasonable length. Therefore, the focus of this
course is on the fundamental skills and concepts central to successfully
performing a CFD analysis. You should view the training course
manual as a supplement to, not a replacement for, the system
documentation and on-line help. Once you have developed a good
foundation in basic skills, you can refer to the on-line help for
information on less frequently used command options.
Prerequisites Students attending this course are expected to have:
 Mechanical design experience.
 Completed the course SOLIDWORKS Essentials.
 Basic understanding in the field of fluid flow and heat transfer.
 Experience with Windows operating system.
Course Design This course is designed around a process- or task-based approach to
Philosophy training. A process-based training course emphasizes the processes and
procedures you follow to complete a particular task. By utilizing case
studies to illustrate these processes, you learn the necessary commands,
options and menus in the context of completing a task.
Course Length The recommended minimum length of this course is 2 days.
Using this Book This training manual is intended to be used in a classroom environment
under the guidance of an experienced SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation instructor. It is not intended to be a self-paced tutorial.
Lessons The lessons give you the opportunity to apply and practice the material
in front of an instructor so questions can be asked and answered during
each lesson.

2
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Introduction

About the A complete set of the various files used throughout this course can be
Training Files downloaded from the SOLIDWORKS website, www.solidworks.com.
Click on the link for Support, then Training, then Training Files, then
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Training Files. Select the link for the
desired file set. There may be more than one version of each file set
available.
Direct URL:
www.solidworks.com/trainingfilessimulation
The files are supplied in signed, self-extracting executable packages.
The files are organized by lesson number. The Case Study folder
within each lesson contains the files your instructor uses while
presenting the lessons. The Exercises folder contains any files that are
required for doing the laboratory exercises.
Windows The screen shots in this manual were made using the SOLIDWORKS
software running a mixture of Windows® 7 and Windows 10. You may
notice slight differences in the appearance of the menus and windows.
These differences do not affect the performance of the software.
User Interface Throughout the development of the software, there have been some
Appearance cosmetic User Interface changes, intended to improve visibility, that do
not affect the function of the software. As a policy, dialog images in the
manuals which exhibit no functional change from the previous version
are not replaced. As such, you may see a mixture of current and “old”
UI dialogs and color schemes.
Conventions Used This manual uses the following typographic conventions:
in this Book
Convention Meaning

Bold Sans Serif SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation commands

and options appear in this style. For example,
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, Project,
Wizard means choose the Wizard option from
the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation,
Project menu.
Typewriter Feature names and file names appear in this
style. For example, Heat Source.
Double lines precede and follow sections of
17 Do this step the procedures. This provides separation
between the steps of the procedure and large
blocks of explanatory text. The steps
themselves are numbered in sans serif bold.

3
Introduction SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Use of Color The SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation user

interface make extensive use of color to highlight selected geometry
and to provide you with visual feedback. This greatly increases the
intuitiveness and ease of use of the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
software. To take maximum advantage of this, the training manuals are
printed in full color.
More MySolidWorks.com enables you to be more productive by connecting
SOLIDWORKS you with relevant SOLIDWORKS content and services - anytime,
Training anywhere, on any device.
Resources Plus, with MySolidWorks Training you can enhance your
SOLIDWORKS skills on your own schedule, at your own pace.
Just go to My.SolidWorks.com/training.
Local User Groups Discover the benefits of the SOLIDWORKS User Group Network
(SWUGN). Attend local meetings to hear technical presentations on
SOLIDWORKS and related engineering topics, learn about additional
SOLIDWORKS products, and network with other users. Groups are
led by SOLIDWORKS users just like you. Check out SWUGN.org for
more information, including how to find a group in your area.

4
 Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS
Flow Simulation Project

Objectives Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Understand the model preparations required for a Flow Simulation
Project.
 Create simple lids.
 Check the geometry for invalid contacts.
 Calculate the internal volume.
 Create a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project using the Project
Wizard.
 Apply flow boundary conditions.
 Apply Goals.
 Run an analysis.
 Use the Solver Monitor window.
 View the results.

5
Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Case Study: In this lesson, we will learn how to set up a SOLIDWORKS Flow
Manifold Simulation project using the Wizard. Prior to setting up our project, we
Assembly will learn how to properly prepare our model for the analysis. We will
run the simulation and learn how to interpret the results. In addition, we
will see the many options available when post-processing the results.
Problem Air enters an intake manifold assembly at
Description 0.05 m3/s and flows out through the six
openings as seen in the figure. The
common goal of intake manifold design is
even distribution of the combustion
mixture to the piston heads. This will
insure optimum engine efficiency. We will
keep this in mind when analyzing our
intake assembly.
The objective of this lesson is to introduce the complete set up of a
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation project within SOLIDWORKS, from
model preparation to post-processing. Study goals will be defined and
discussed. In addition, the results will be post-processed using the
various options in SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation.
Stages in the  Prepare model for analysis.
Process Use the Lids tool to close the model in preparation for an internal
analysis. The Check Geometry command will be used to make
sure that your model is ready for a flow simulation.
 Set up flow simulation.
Use the Wizard to set up the flow simulation project.
 Apply boundary conditions.
Boundary conditions are applied to inlets and outlets.
 Declare calculation goals.
Goals can be defined that are special parameters that the user will
have information for after the analysis is run.
 Run the analysis.

 Post-process the results.

The results can be processed using many available options in
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation.

6
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

1 Open SOLIDWORKS.

2 SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Add-Ins.

Once installed, SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation can be activated on
SOLIDWORKS Add-Inns tab of the CommandManager.

Note Alternatively, add-ins can be activated using the Tools, Add-Ins menu.
3 Open Assembly.
Open Coletor from the Lesson01\Case Study folder.

Model In any static analysis, it is often necessary to modify the

Preparation SOLIDWORKS geometry to allow the simulation to run. The same is
true in flow simulations. SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation groups flow
analysis into two separate categories, internal analysis and external
analysis. Before beginning model preparations, it is necessary to ask
yourself which type of analysis you wish to perform.
Internal Flow Internal flow analysis involves fluid flow bounded by outer solid
Analysis surfaces, e.g. flows inside pipes, tanks, HVAC systems, etc. Internal
flows are confined inside the SOLIDWORKS geometry. For internal
flows the fluid enters a model through the inlets and exits the model
through the outlets with the exception of some natural convection
problems that have no openings.
To perform an Internal flow analysis, the SOLIDWORKS model must
be fully closed (no openings) using lids. The SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation, Tools, Check Geometry command tool can be used to
ensure that the model is fully closed.
External Flow External flow analysis involves a solid model which is fully surrounded
Analysis by the flow, e.g., flows over aircraft, automobiles, buildings, etc. The
fluid flow is not bounded by an outer solid surface, but bounded only
by the Computational Domain boundaries and does not require a lid
unless the application involves a flow source (such as a fan).
If both internal and external analysis is required simultaneously, e.g.,
flows over and through a building, the analysis is treated as an External
analysis in SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation.

7
Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Manifold Analysis Now that we know the difference between internal and external
analysis, we can characterize our manifold analysis as internal. We will
only study the flow on the inside of the manifold assembly and are not
concerned with any flows around the body. As mentioned previously, to
perform an internal flow analysis, the SOLIDWORKS model must be
fully closed using Lids.
Lids Lids are used in internal flow analysis. In this type of analysis, all
openings within a model must be covered using the SOLIDWORKS
“lids” features. The surfaces of the lids (which contact the fluid) are
used to apply boundary conditions which introduce a mass flow rate,
volume flow rate, static /total pressure, of Fan condition within a fluid
volume.
Note Situations that do not require the use of lids include external analysis
that measure flow over bodies such as: cars, planes, buildings, ...etc. In
addition, lids are not used in natural convection problems.
Introducing: Create The Create Lids tool automatically creates lids for all openings in the
Lids selected planar surface of the model. This tool is available for both part
and assembly files. The lids are necessary for an internal analysis
(problems such as flow through a ball valve or pipe).

Where to Find It  CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Create Lids

 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Tools, Create Lids
 Flow Simulation Main toolbar: Create Lids

4 Create a lid on the inlet face.

Under Tools, Flow Simulation, Tools, select Create Lids .
Select the annular face defining the plane of the inlet that should be
closed by the lid.
In the Create Lids PropertyManager, click the Adjust Thickness
button and enter 1mm as the Thickness.
Click OK.

8
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

You’ll notice that a new part called LID1 gets created in the
FeatureManager design tree. The part is a blind extrusion from the
selected planar face into the opening with a distance that was specified
as the Thickness.
Note Multiple planar faces can be selected using the Create Lids tool. If the
user is working with an assembly, new parts named LID1, LID2... will
be created. If the user is working with a single part, new LID1,
LID2...features will be created.
Tip It is good practice to rename your lids when working in an assembly.
This can avoid problems with multiple assemblies with lids open at the
same time.

Lid Thickness If necessary, the thickness of the lid can be adjusted by clicking the
Adjust Thickness button and input the value in the Thickness box
(as done in the previous step).
The thickness of an external lid for an internal analysis is usually not
important for the analysis. However, the lid should not be so thick that
the flow pattern is affected downstream in some way. If this is both an
external and internal analysis then creating a lid that is too thin will
cause the number of cells to be very high. For most cases the lid
thickness could be the same thickness used to create the neighboring
walls.
Manual Lid The Create Lids tool cannot be used if there are no planar faces to use
Creation as references. In this instance, the user must create the lids manually by
creating lid parts or features.
Adding a Lid to a  Click on the surface adjacent to where you would like to add the lid
Part File and open a sketch.
 Select the inside edge(s) and select Sketch Tools, Convert
Entities.
 Insert, Boss/Base, Extrude and select the Mid Plane option.

9
Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Note Selecting the Mid Plane option is very important. The Blind option
would create an invalid contact (disjointed body) between the lid and
the body. SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation is unable to apply
boundary conditions onto a surface when there is an invalid contact.
Mid-Plane extrusion Blind extrusion

Correct Lid Creation In-correct Lid Creation

Adding a Lid to an There are several ways to create lids within a SOLIDWORKS
Assembly File assembly file. The following steps outline one of these recommended
ways.
 Within the SOLIDWORKS assembly mode go to Insert,
Component, New Part.
 Select the surface adjacent to where you would like to add the lid.
 Select the inside edge(s) and select Sketch Tools, Convert
Entities.
 Insert, Boss/Base, Extrude and select the Mid Plane option.
 Click OK to close the part edit mode. A new Part will be added to
the assembly.
Note It's usually a good idea to create the lids as a part file within an
assembly especially if your analysis involves heat transfer. These lids
can then be assigned a different material, such as an insulator so that
the lid does not affect the heat transfer analysis.

10
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

5 Remaining lids.
Create the remaining lids on the outlet faces using the manual lid
creation method described above. Use a Mid Plane extrusion of 2mm.

Note We could have used the Create Lids tool to create the remaining lids,
however the tool would have closed all of the openings on the selected
face, therefore closing the bolt holes. This is not necessary, and this
also gives us the opportunity to practice manual lid creation.

Discussion When creating lids before the analysis, keep in mind that they have two
purposes; closing off any openings and allowing for solid geometry on
which boundary conditions (i.e. static pressure, mass flow rate, etc.) are
defined. In this model, we could have used a single part to close off all
six outlet ports as shown in the figure. This type of lid would not be
applicable if we required different boundary conditions on each outlet.
In addition, this lid is inappropriate because to evaluate the design, we
require information about the flow through each individual outlet
(remember, a well designed manifold will distribute the combustion
mixture evenly). We will see that this type of lid will make it more
difficult to obtain the information about each port.

11
Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Checking the The SOLIDWORKS model must be checked to determine if there are
Geometry any problems with the geometry that may cause problems meshing the
body and fluid regions.
There are two main reasons that prevent meshing of the solid and fluid
bodies.
 Openings in the geometry that prevent SOLIDWORKS from fully
defining a fully closed internal volume. This is for an internal
analysis only.
 Invalid contacts exist between parts in an assembly. (An invalid
contact is defined as a line or point contact between part files.)
These will be discussed later in the lesson.
Note Invalid contacts affect both internal and external analysis.
Introducing: Check A SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation tool,
Geometry called Check Geometry, allows users to check
the SOLIDWORKS geometry. This tool also
allows you to check bodies for possible
geometry problems (e.g., tangent contact) that
cause SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation to
create an inadequate mesh.
The State field allows you to disable some of
the assembly components from the geometry
check.
Provided the fluid volume exists, Show Fluid
Volume command will graphically indicate it.
Check command will run the geometry check
on the assembly.

Where to Find It  CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Check Geometry

 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Tools, Check Geometry
 Flow Simulation Main toolbar: Check Geometry

12
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

6 Check for invalid fluid geometry.

Access Check Geometry tool.
Keep all assembly components selected.
Under Analysis Type, select Internal.
Click Check.
The results are presented in the text field below
the graphics area.
The non-zero values for the fluid and solid
volumes indicate that the internal fluid volume is
water tight and suitable for flow simulation.
Close the text area with the results, and the Check Geometry property
manager.
Note The Check Geometry command will check for possible invalid
contacts, e.g., tangency, zero thickness, etc. If a problem has been
detected, the message appears in the Invalid contacts output box.
Tip When the geometry is deemed ready for analysis, it is good practice to
set all components as fixed. This insures that none of the components
move when defining boundary conditions, etc.

Internal Fluid SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation will also calculate the total volume
Volume of solid components and the total fluid volume.
For internal flow analysis, the internal fluid volume must be greater
than zero. If there are no invalid contacts and the internal fluid volume
is still zero, then there is a small gap or an opening that connects the
internal domain to the external space. Once the small gap or opening is
detected and corrected, rerun the Check Geometry tool to ensure that
the internal fluid volume is greater than zero.
Invalid Contacts If invalid contacts exist, SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation will not be
able to calculate an internal fluid volume (within the computational
domain), and the Check Geometry tool will report the internal fluid
volume to be zero even if the model is perfectly closed and has no
openings or gaps. Invalid contacts must be fixed before a flow analysis
can be performed.
The invalid contacts can be fixed by either separating the two parts
with a very small distance so that they are no longer touching, or by
creating an interference fit between the two parts.

13
Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Invalid Contact Some typical types of invalid contact are

Examples shown in the figure.

In our example, if a Blind extrusion was

used, an invalid line contact would be
created as shown in the figure.

If an invalid contact is detected, you may

click the contact in the list of invalid
contacts to show the location.

Note Not every tangent contact causes an invalid contact. SOLIDWORKS

Flow Simulation uses SOLIDWORKS API boolean operations to
compute fluid and solid bodies. If SOLIDWORKS is able to construct
the resulting bodies successfully, then SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation will consider the bodies as valid for its analysis even with
potentially bad contacts, like “line contact.”
In some models, even with invalid contacts the user will be able to
apply boundary conditions and solve the analysis. Users in these cases
may receive the “Failed to complete” error message when trying to
define Cut Plots. The user would have to correct the invalid contact to
plot and rerun the analysis before defining Cut Plot images.
Important! For internal flow analysis, boundary conditions can not be applied until
all openings are closed.

14
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

7 Modify lid position.

To demonstrate lid positions that are not ideal, you will now change the
position of the last lid.
Edit the position of the last lid so
that its internal edge forms a line
contact along the edge of the
outlet.

Edge contact

8 Check geometry.
Follow step 6 on page 13 to check geometry for invalid contacts. Make
sure you specify Internal analysis type.
The result text window indicates 16 detected unresolved contacts,
which were fixed.
Because the invalid contacts were fixed, the Check geometry tool was
also able to calculate both the fluid and solid volumes.

Note In most of such situations, software is able to heal invalid contact and
calculate the fluid and solid volumes.
Click on any of the invalid contacts to see it in the graphics area.
Close the text area with the results, and the Check Geometry property
manager.

15
Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

9 Modify lid position again.

Follow step 7 and change the
position of the lid to form a clear
gap between the lid and the outlet.

Gap (leak)

10 Check geometry.
Follow 8 to check the geometry for invalid contacts. Make sure you
specify Internal analysis type.
The result text window indicates that the geometry
check failed. Both the solid and fluid volumes
show zero volumes indicating that they could not
be calculated.

Introducing: Leak Leaks in geometry are sometimes difficult to detect. Leak tracker tool
Tracker makes this task easy.

Where to Find It  Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Tools, Leak Tracking

 Flow Simulation Main toolbar: Leak Tracking

11 Leak tracker.
Go to Tools, Flow Simulation, Tools
Outside
and select Leak Tracking . face

Select one face on the inside of the

manifold, and one face on the outside of
it.
Click Find Connection.
Inside face

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

The trajectory from the inside face to

the outside face will be graphically
shown on the model.

12 Close Leak Tracer.

13 Modify lid position. Face to face contact

Return the lid to its correct
position where it forms the
face to face contact with the
outlet.

Note You may run the Check geometry command for the last time to verify
that your geometry is water tight.

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Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Project Wizard Project wizard is the most convenient way to create and specify the
basic configuration of your simulation project.
Introducing: Wizard The flow simulation project Wizard is used by even the most
experienced users of SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation. It walks you
through the basic steps of setting up a flow analysis. Additional
commands may then be needed to complete the definition of more
complicated analyses. The Wizard addresses the following parts of
modeling:
 Project Configuration
Select the configuration that you want to use with the simulation.
You can create a new configuration or use one that is currently
defined. It is recommended that you associate each flow simulation
project to a new configuration. This insures that your files and
results will be organized.
 Unit System
Defines the unit system that will be used in the simulation. This can
be changed after finishing the Wizard in the Flow Simulation
menu by selecting Units. In addition, each custom defined unit
systems can be created that mix and match from the different
universal systems.
 Analysis type
The analysis is defined as internal or external. In addition other
features about the analysis can be defined (i.e., reference axis).
 Default Fluid
Defines the default fluid that is used in the analysis as well as the
type of flow it will encounter (i.e., laminar, turbulent, both).
 Wall Conditions
Defines the boundary conditions for the flow at the walls of the
SOLIDWORKS geometry.
 Initial Conditions
Defines the initial and ambient conditions of the solids and fluids in
the model.
 Results and Geometry Resolution
Can define the density of the mesh based on the geometrical
features of the model (thickness of thin wall and gaps) as well as
the overall result accuracy.

Where to Find It  CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Wizard

 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Project, Wizard
 Flow Simulation Main toolbar: Wizard

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

14 Create a project using a wizard.

From the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, choose: Project, Wizard .
15 Create a new project.
Under Configuration, click Use Current (default setting).
Note You can also select Create New to create a new configuration, or
Select to associate your project with any of the existing
SOLIDWORKS configurations.
In the Configuration Name box, enter Project 1.
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation will store all data in a separate folder
numbered sequentially, i.e. “1”, “2”, “3”,...etc. based on how many
projects have been defined. This folder is located in the same directory
as the assembly file.

Click Next.

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Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

16 Select units.

Select SI (m-kg-s) as the Unit System for this project.

You can change the unit system anytime by going to Tools, Flow
Simulation, Units.
Click Next.
Note You can also create your own system of units (by mixing and matching
unit systems). This is done by checking the Create New check box and
entering the custom name for the new unit system.
17 Select analysis type.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Select Internal under Analysis Type.

Under Consider closed cavities, clear Exclude cavities without
flow conditions.
Defining the Reference axis is not required for this analysis.
Accept all other default settings.
Click Next.

Reference Axis The Reference Axis is defined through the Wizard. It is used to define
the Dependency of a specific quantity (i.e., radiation or rotation).
Exclude Cavities The status of the Exclude cavities without flow conditions option is
Without Flow not important in this analysis; there is only one internal space within
Conditions this model. If there were multiple unconnected internal spaces, then
selecting this box would prevent SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
from meshing and solving for any internal spaces that do not have
boundary conditions.

18 Select fluid type (gas or liquid).

Expand the Gases tree. Using the scroll box in the database of fluids,
click Air.
Click Add. This will move Air under the Project Fluids list.
Accept all other default settings.
Click Next.

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Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

19 Set wall conditions.

In the Parameter list, the value for Default wall thermal condition is
Adiabatic wall and the value for Roughness is 0. Click Next.

Adiabatic Wall Since this project does not involve any type of heat transfer, the default
Adiabatic wall selection is recommended. Adiabatic wall assumes the
walls are perfectly insulated.
Roughness This value is used in the calculation of the velocity profile within the
boundary layer. If the default value of zero is used (recommended if the
roughness is not known), the solver assumes the walls are smooth.
Please consult the Flow Simulation help on how to determine
appropriate roughness parameters.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

20 Initial and ambient conditions.

Click Finish to accept the default standard ambient conditions as the

initial conditions for this analysis.
Note The closer the initial values are set to the final values determined in the
analysis, the quicker the analysis will finish. Since we do not have any
knowledge of the expected final values, we will not modify them in this
lesson.
21 Review input data in the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis
tree.
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation will create a new project associated
with the Default SOLIDWORKS configuration and a SOLIDWORKS
Flow Simulation analysis tree will also be created.
The Flow Simulation analysis tree tab in the SOLIDWORKS
FeatureManager should be automatically created and selected.
If, after a later date, changes are
needed to be made to the input data
within the project, the user can right-
click Input Data in the
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree and select the
appropriate option to update the
input information.

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Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Expand the options under Input Data

within the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree. The SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation analysis tree is used to define
additional analysis settings for the project.
The Computational Domain, shown as a
wireframe box enveloping the model, is used
to visualize the volume being analyzed.

Computational The Computational Domain is defined as a volume fixed with respect

Domain to a coordinate system within a fluid flow field. Although the fluid
moves into and out of the computational domain, the computational
domain itself remains fixed in space.
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analyzes the model geometry and
automatically generates a Computational Domain in the shape of a
rectangular prism enclosing the model. The computational domain’s
boundary planes are orthogonal to the model’s Global Coordinate
System axes. For external flows, the computational domain’s boundary
planes are automatically distanced from the model capturing the fluid
space around the model. However, for internal flows, the computational
domain’s boundary planes automatically envelop the model walls only.
Introducing: A boundary condition is required to describe where the fluid enters or
Boundary exits the system (Computation Domain) and can be set as a Pressure,
Conditions Mass Flow, Volume Flow or Velocity. Boundary conditions can also
specify parameters of a wall such as ideal, stationary, or rotating.

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click Boundary Conditions in the Flow

Simulation analysis tree and click Insert Boundary Condition
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Boundary Conditions
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Insert, Boundary Condition

22 Insert boundary condition.

In the SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation analysis tree, under
Input Data, right-click
Boundary Conditions and select
Insert Boundary Condition.
Select the inside surface of the
SOLIDWORKS feature
representing the inlet, as shown in
the figure.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Note To access the inner face, right-click the outer face on the lid and click
Select Other. In the Select Other window, cycle through the faces by
moving the pointer to highlight each face dynamically in the solid
geometry.
23 Set up the boundary condition.
In the Boundary Conditions
PropertyManager, under Type, select the Flow
openings button .
Still under Type, select Inlet Volume Flow.
Under Flow Parameters, click the Normal to
face button and enter 0.05 m3/s.
Click OK.
The new Inlet Volume Flow1 item appears in
the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis
tree under Boundary Conditions.
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation will apply a
0.05 m3 of air per second across the inlet area,
normal to the selected face.

Note Since the volume flow rate is required as an output at each outlet, a
pressure condition should be used to identify the outlet condition. If the
pressure is not known at the outlet of each port, an ambient static
pressure condition can be used as the boundary condition across each
outlet face for this analysis.
24 Insert boundary condition.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree, under Input Data, right-click the
Boundary Conditions icon and select Insert
Boundary Condition.
Select the inner face of one of the outlet ports.

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Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

25 Set up the boundary condition.

In the Boundary Conditions window, under
Type, select the Pressure openings button
.
Still under Type, select Static Pressure.
Click OK to accept the default ambient values.
The new Static Pressure1 item appears in
the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis
tree.

26 Create additional outlet boundary conditions.

Each outlet port should have a static pressure boundary condition
assigned to the inside outlet lid surface. Create five additional static
pressure boundary conditions for the remaining five outlets.

Introducing: SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation contains built-in criteria to stop the

Engineering Goals solution process. However, it is best to use your own criterion by using
what SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation calls Goals. You can specify
the Goals as physical parameters at areas of interest in the project, so
that their convergence can be considered as obtaining a steady state
solution from the engineering viewpoint.
Engineering goals are user specified parameters of interest, which the
user can display while the solver is running and obtain information
about after convergence is reached. Goals can be set throughout the
entire domain (Global Goal), in a selected area (Surface Goal, Point
Goal), or within a selected volume (Volume Goal). Furthermore,
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation can consider the average, minimum
or maximum value when examining goals.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

In addition, you can also define an Equation Goal, which is a goal

defined by an expression (basic mathematical functions) using the
existing goals as variables. This allows you to calculate a parameter of
interest (e.g., pressure drop) and keeps this information in the project
for later reference.
There are five different types of goals that can be defined in
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation:
 Global Goal  Point Goal
 Surface Goal  Volume Goal
 Equation Goal

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click Goals in the Flow Simulation analysis
tree and click Insert Goals
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation >
Flow Simulation Features > Goals
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Insert, Goals
Use in Instructions Choose the type of goal you want to define.

27 Insert surface goal.

In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree, right-click Goals, and select
Insert Surface Goals.
To select the inlet surface for the surface
goal, split the feature pane and in the
upper portion click the boundary
condition Inlet Volume Flow1 item in
the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree to input the face where the
surface goal is to be applied.
In the Parameter list, locate Volume
Flow Rate and click the check box next
to it.
Click OK.
The new SG Volume Flow Rate1 item
appears in the SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation analysis tree under Goals.

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Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

28 Rename surface goal.

Rename the SG Volume Flow Rate1 in the SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation analysis tree so that it appears as Inlet SG Volume Flow
Rate.
29 Insert surface goal.
Repeat the earlier steps 27 and 28 to apply
a surface goal for the volume flow rate at
the outlet ports.
When selecting the Static Pressure
boundary conditions, hold the control key
and select all of the outlet boundary
conditions.
Click the Create goal for each surface
check box. This will create 6 surface goals
for each of the 6 outlets.
Rename each surface goal to reflect the
outlet port.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

30 Insert equation goal.

The Equation Goal is used in this lesson to sum the outlet volume flow
rates. The Equation Goal will determine the total Volume flow rate
leaving the manifold.
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click the Goals icon and
select Insert Equation Goal.
Select the Outlet SG Volume Flow Rate1 surface goal from
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree to add it to the
Expression box.
Click + in the Equation Goal window.
Repeat the last 2 steps to add each of the remaining 5 outlet flow rates
to complete the equation.
In the Dimensionality list, select Volume Flow Rate.

Click OK.
31 Rename the equation goal.
Rename the equation goal to Sum of outlet flow rates.
Once the solution has converged, the sum of the outlet volume flow
rates should approximately be equal to the inlet volume boundary
condition.

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Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Mesh Density and quality of mesh influences the result resolution, or in other
words the level of accuracy of the results. In general, to achieve higher
level of result accuracy, the finer mesh is in general required which
means higher total cell counts and increased physical RAM
requirements.
Higher mesh density will require longer CPU time to solve. Thus, the
optimum mesh density requires a balance between precise results and
computation time.

32 Set initial global mesh parameters.

In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree, under Input Data, expand the
Mesh folder, right-click Global Mesh and
select Edit Definition.
Under Type keep Automatic.
Under Settings accept the default Level of
initial mesh of 3.
Click OK.

Note In some situations, entering values for the Minimum gap size is
important and ensures that any small gaps are not ignored during
meshing. Since this model has a fairly uniform diameter, no minimum
gap is required.
33 Save file.
Click File, Save to save the assembly file.

Introducing: Run The Run command solves the simulation.

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click the project folder (Project 1) in the
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree and click Run
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Run
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Solve, Run

Load Results Because the results from SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation may
Option become large, it is necessary to Load them for post-processing. This
option automatically loads SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation results
once the solver completes.
Note If multiple configurations/solutions are obtained, only a single solution
set can be loaded at a time. Before loading a new set of results, the
currently loaded results must be unloaded.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Monitoring the The solution monitor window will appear after the solver has started.
Solver On the left of the Solver window is a log of each step taken in the
solution process. On the right is an information dialog box with mesh
information and any warnings concerning the analysis.

31
Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Goal Plot Window The Goal Plot window will list each goal selected in the Add/Remove
Goals window. Here you can see the current value and graph for each
goal as well as the current progress towards completion given as a
percentage. The progress value is only an estimate, and the rate of
progress generally increases with time.

Warning Messages Warning messages are also displayed in the Info section of the Solver
window. In this analysis, you may see a warning message that reads “A
vortex crosses the pressure opening”. This message indicates that
there is a pressure difference across the outlet, which sometimes
indicates a recirculation across the outlet. After running the analysis,
the user can look at the result plots to see if the flow is entering through
the outlets. This message is only a warning and can be ignored for this
analysis, but if there was flow entering through the outlet, then the user
would have to extend the outlet until the flow vectors were all leaving
the outlet.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

34 Solve the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation project.

In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click
Project 1 and select Run.

Make sure that the check boxes next to Load Results is selected.
Click Run with default settings.
The solver should take approximately 5 minutes to run.
Note The Flow Simulation solver supports parallel computations. This
allows you to select the number of CPUs to be used in the calculation.
35 Insert goal plot.
While the solver is running, In the Solver toolbar, click Insert Goal
Plot to open the Add/Remove Goals window.
Click the top checkbox to add all the goals you want to plot.
Click OK.

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Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

36 Insert preview.
With the solver running,
after a few iterations, click
the Insert Preview button
on the Solver toolbar.
In the Preview Settings
window, selecting any
SOLIDWORKS plane
from the SOLIDWORKS
FeatureManager Tree and
clicking OK will create a
preview plot of the
solution on that plane. For
this model, the Top Plane
is a good choice to use as
the preview plane. The
preview plane can be
chosen anytime from the
SOLIDWORKS
FeatureManager.
Click the Settings tab.
In the Parameter list,
click Velocity.
Click OK.

Note The preview allows one to look at the results while the calculation is
still running. This helps to determine if all the boundary conditions are
correctly defined and gives the user an idea of how the solution will
look even at an early stage. It is important to note that at the start of the
run the results might look odd or change abruptly. However, as the run
progresses, these changes will lessen and the results will settle in on a
converged solution. The results can be displayed either in contour,
isoline or vector representation.
37 Close the Solver window.
Click File, Close. This will close the Solver window.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Post- The first step to view the results is to generate a transparent view of the
processing geometry, a 'glass-body' image. This way, you can easily see where cut
planes etc. are located with respect to the geometry.
Introducing: Cut A Cut plot displays any result on any SOLIDWORKS plane. The
Plots representation can be as a contour plot, as isolines, or as vectors and
also in any combination of the above (e.g. contour with overlaid
vectors).

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click Cut Plots under Results in the
Flow Simulation analysis tree and click Insert
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Cut Plot
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Results, Insert, Cut Plot

38 Set model Transparency.

In the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, select Results, Display,
Transparency.
Move the slider to the right to increase the Value to set. Set the model
transparency to 0.75.
Click OK.
Tip You can also right-click each part in the SOLIDWORKS
FeatureManager tree and select Change Transparency.
Note As selected when initializing the solution, the
results will be automatically loaded. The
associated result file is indicated in the
parentheses next to the Result folder.
39 Create Cut Plots.
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click Cut Plots under
Results and select Insert.
In the Section Plane or Planar Face box, select the Top plane view.
Click OK.

35
Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

We can observe that the total pressure magnitude varies from

101,254 Pa to 101,462 Pa.
A Cut Plot 1 icon will be created in the Flow Simulation analysis tree
under the Cut Plots icon.
40 Hide the cut plot.
Right-click the Cut Plot 1 icon and select Hide.
41 Add a cut plot.
Right-click the Cut Plots icon under Results
and select Insert.
Choose the Top Plane as the cut plane.
Make sure that the Contours button is
selected.
Under Contours select Velocity and increase
Number of Levels slider to 50.
Click OK.

Note The limits of the legend default to the global maximum and minimum.
Use the Adjust Maximum and Minimum button under the Contours
dialog to change them.

The maximum velocity close to 15.3 m/s is reached close to the inlet
where the rapid narrowing of the profile ends.

36
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

To modify the options for this and other plots, either double-click on
the color scale or right-click the plot name and select Edit Definition.

Double-click

Scaling the Limits Click directly on the lower or upper limit

of the Legend value in the legend. The desired limit value
can then be entered in the text field.
Model Cut Plane
To the right of the text field, there are two Maximum Maximum
auto-scaling buttons. The first button (left
side) auto-scales the maximum value of the
legend to the maximum value existing in
the model. The second button auto-scales
the maximum value of the legend to the
maximum value in that cut plane. These
buttons also exist for adjusting the minimum values of the legend.
Changing Legend To edit various legend settings such as color
Settings palette, out of range colors, font and its size and
others, right click directly on the legend and use
the Edit and Appearance commands.

Orientation of the Legend can be oriented vertically, or

Legend, horizontally. To change the legend orientation,
Logarithmic Scale right-the legend and click Make Horizontal (or
Make Vertical).
Click Logarithmic Scale to change the axes to
this scale.

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Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

42 Animate cut plot through the model.

The animation feature can be used to view how the quantity plotted on
the cut plot (total pressure in our example) varies through the model.
Right-click on the
Cut Plot 2 item
under the Cut Plots
folder and select
Animation.
The animation toolbar on the bottom of the SOLIDWORKS window
allows you to Play, Loop, and Record animation.
Click the Play button to automatically move the cutting plane (Top
plane in our example) through the mode and view how the plotted
quantity varies.
Close the animation toolbar.
Note The animation can be saved into an AVI file by clicking the Save
button on the animation toolbar. For the animation of transient
analysis see Lesson 4: External Transient Analysis.
43 Create vector cut plot.
Right-click the Cut Plot 2 icon under Cut Plots and select Edit
Definition.
Under Display, deselect Contours and click Vectors.
Click OK.

Note The vector Spacing, their Size, and other vector parameters can be
adjusted in the Vectors dialog of the Cut Plot window. Notice how the
flow must navigate around the sharp corners on the Ball.

38
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

44 Hide Cut Plot 2.

Right-click the Cut Plot 2 icon under Results, Cut Plots in the
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree and select Hide.

Introducing: Surface A Surface Plot displays any result on any SOLIDWORKS surface.
Plot The representation can be as a contour plot, as isolines, or as vectors -
and also in any combination of the above (e.g. contour with overlaid
vectors).

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click Surface Plots under Results in the
Flow Simulation analysis tree and click Insert
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Surface Plot
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Results, Insert, Surface Plot

45 Create surface plot.

In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click the Surface Plots
icon under Results and select Insert.
Select Use all faces.
Make sure Contours is selected and specify Pressure as the quantity
to plot.
Click OK.

A Surface Plot 1 icon will be created in the SOLIDWORKS Flow

Simulation analysis tree under Surface Plots. The same basic options
are available for Surface Plots as for Cut Plots. Feel free to experiment
with different combinations on your own.

39
Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

46 Probe.
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click Results and select
Probe. Select points of interest in the graphics window.
The pressure at those locations will appear in the graphics window.

To turn the Probe tool off, right-click Results and select Probe again.
To turn off the probe displays, right-click Results and select
Display Probes.
47 Hide Surface Plot 1.
Right-click the Surface Plot 1 and select Hide.

Introducing: Flow Using Flow trajectories, you can show the flow streamlines and paths
Trajectories of particles with mass and temperature that are inserted into the fluid.
Flow trajectories provide a very good image of the 3D fluid flow. You
can also see how parameters change along each trajectory by exporting
data into Microsoft Excel. Additionally, you can save trajectories as
SOLIDWORKS reference curves. The trajectories can also be colored
by values of whatever variable chosen in the View Settings window.

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click Flow Trajectories under Results in

the Flow Simulation analysis tree and click Insert
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Flow Trajectories
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Results, Insert,
Flow Trajectories

40
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

48 Create flow trajectory.

In the SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation FeatureManager, right-
click the Flow Trajectories icon
under Results and select Insert.
Click the Flow Simulation analysis
tree tab.
Under Boundary conditions, click
Static Pressure1 item. This will
select the inner face of the outlet Lid
2 part as the origin for the
trajectories.
In the Number of points box, type
16.
Click OK.

Discussion Notice the trajectories that are entering and exiting through the exit lid.
This is the reason for the warning (A vortex crosses the pressure
opening) during the solution process. When flow both enters and exits
the same opening, the accuracy of the results will be affected. In a case
such as this, one would typically add the next component to the model
(such as a pipe extending the computational domain) so that the vortex
does not occur at an opening.
Another approach to deal with this warning message could be to
change the boundary condition at the pressure opening. We applied a
static pressure boundary condition to each outlet face. This applies
static pressure to both sides of the lid. In reality, we know that if the lid
was extended, the flow would experience some amount of pressure
difference. To account for this, we could have used an environment
pressure boundary condition. The environment pressure boundary
condition applies total pressure to the face of the lid where the flow
enters the model and static pressure to the face of the lid where the flow
leaves the model. This type of boundary condition will provide us with
more reliable results than the static pressure condition.

41
Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Introducing: XY XY-Plot allows you to see how a parameter changes along a specified
Plots direction. To define the direction, you can use curves and sketches (2D
and 3D sketches). The data are exported into an Excel workbook,
where parameter charts and values are displayed. The charts are
displayed in separate sheets and all values are displayed in the Plot
Data sheet.

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click XY Plots under Results in the

Flow Simulation analysis tree and click Insert
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > XY Plots
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Results, Insert, XY Plots

49 Hide Flow Trajectories 1.

Right-click the Flow Trajectories 1 icon under Results, Flow
Trajectories in the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree and
select Hide.
50 Plot XY plot.
We have already created a SOLIDWORKS sketch containing a line
through the manifold. This sketch can be created after the analysis is
finished. Take a look at Sketch-XY Plot in the SOLIDWORKS
FeatureManager analysis tree.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Results,
right-click the XY Plots icon and select Insert.
Under Parameters, select Pressure and Velocity.
Under Selection, select Sketch-XY Plot from the SOLIDWORKS
FeatureManager.
Leave all options as defaults and click Show.
The window with the graphs of the selected results will open on the
bottom of the screen.

Close the plot window by clicking the close button (see the figure
above).
Still in the XY Plot property manager, click the Export to Excel button.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Microsoft Excel will open and generate two lists of data points as well
as two graphs, one for Velocity and the other for Pressure. You will
need to toggle between different sheets to view each graph.

43
Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Introducing: Surface Surface Parameters can be used to determine pressures, forces, heat
Parameters flux as well as many other variables on any face within your model
contacting the fluid. For this type of analysis, it would probably be of
interest to calculate the average static pressure drop from the valve inlet
to outlet.

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click Surface Parameters under Results in

the Flow Simulation analysis tree and click Insert
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Flow Simulation
Results Features > Surface Parameters
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Results, Insert,
Surface Parameters

51 Create Surface Parameters.

In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Results,
right-click the Surface Parameters icon and select Insert.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, under
Boundary Conditions, click the Inlet Volume Flow 1 item. This
will select and add the inner face of the inlet Lid 1 part to the Faces
list.
Select All from the Parameters list.
Click Show. At the bottom of the screen, two tables will appear. The
table on the left will contain the local parameters and the table to the
right contains the integral parameters.
Shown in the Local table are the Minimum, Maximum, Average, and
Bulk Average values for a number of parameters (including Pressure,
Temperature, Density, etc.) for the inlet face. The same information
can be obtained if the outlet lid faces were selected.
Close the two tabs by clicking the Close Table mark at the right hand
side of the screen.
Click Export to Excel.

44
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

An Excel spreadsheet will be automatically created containing the

values in the Surface Parameter window.

Note The Integral table contains integrated values taken across the face of
the selected surface. We can see that the volume flow rate on this inlet
face is equal to the volume flow rate boundary condition of 0.05 m^3/s
that we specified.

Introducing: Goal The goal plot allows you to see how the goal changes throughout the
Plot flow simulation as well as the final value of the goal at the end of the
calculation.

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click Goal Plots under Results in the Flow
Simulation analysis tree and click Insert
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Goal Plot
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Results, Goal Plot

52 Goals plot.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree, under Results, right-click Goal
Plots and select Insert.
Select All Goals in the Goal Filter and check
All in the Goals to Plot list.
Under Options select Group charts by
parameter.
Click Show.

45
Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

The table of the goal values will open on the bottom of the screen.

Change the view from Summary to History.

Close the goal plot window by clicking the close button (see the figure
above).
Still in the Goal Plot property manager, click the Export to Excel
button.
An Excel spreadsheet will be automatically created containing
information about the goals.

Close the Goal Plot property manager.

46
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Note The spreadsheet contains the final, maximum, minimum and averaged
values of the goal during the calculation. In addition, there are plots
showing how the goal changed during the calculation.
Negative values represent flow out of the computational domain.
Here, we can also verify that our inlet volume flow rate boundary
condition was also applied properly during the calculation. In addition,
the total flow out is equal to the total flow in.

Introducing: Save Postprocessing images such as cut plots and surface plots can be
Image exported in various image formats, and also in the eDrawings format.

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click the Results folder and select Save
Image
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Save Image
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Results, Screen Capture,
Save Image

53 Save image as eDrawings.

Show all your result plots.
Right-click on the Results folder and select Save Image.
Select eDrawings as the format, and keep the default name
Project 1.easm.
Click Save.
The file will be saved in the directory associated with this project.
Close the property manager.

47
Lesson 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

54 Open eDrawings file.

Navigate to the result folder associated with this project, and open
Project 1.easm by double-clicking on it.
eDrawings will open the model with all defined results plots.

All plots shown in the Flow Simulation feature tree will be included.
55 Save and Close.
Save and Close the assembly.

48
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 1
Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

Discussion We specified an inlet volume flow rate of 0.05 m^3/s and have verified
that this boundary condition was applied properly using Surface
Parameters and Goal Plots that this value was applied.
Due to conservation of mass, we also know that the total volume flow
rate into the manifold should equal the total volume flow rate out of the
manifold. We can verify that this is true using the Goal Plot and
looking at our goal for the Sum of outlet flow rates.
Furthermore, we would like to determine if the design of the manifold
will result in efficient engine performance. In the beginning of the
lesson, we said that the ideal situation would have similar flow through
all of the outlet ports. When looking at our goals, we can see that the
volume flow rate can vary significantly through the outlet ports. It is up
to the engineer to decide whether design modification would be
necessary to produce a more uniform outlet flow through each port.ì
Summary In this lesson we learned how to set up a Flow Simulation project. The
Wizard was used to create all of the general settings of the analysis.
Both inlet and outlet boundary conditions were defined and a number
of goals were created. The results of the simulation was thoroughly
post-processed using many of the options available in SOLIDWORKS
Flow Simulation. The stages of flow simulation that were outlined in
this lesson will be followed throughout the book.

49
Exercise 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Air Conditioning Ducting

Exercise 1: In this exercise, we will perform a steady state analysis of the main duct
Air supplying air to different rooms using four ducts.
Conditioning This exercise reinforces the following skills:
Ducting  Stages in the Process on page 6
 Internal Flow Analysis on page 7
 Lids on page 8
 Checking the Geometry on page 12
 Project Wizard on page 18

Problem A duct is used to distribute

Statement conditioned air into four
different rooms. The
conditioned air enters the
main duct at a speed of 4 m/
s. The objective of this
exercise is to obtain volume
from rates at each of the four
outlets.
Air inlet

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Air Duct from the Lesson01\Exercises folder.
2 Create a lid on the inlet face.
Under Tools, Flow Simulation, Tools, select Create Lids .
Select the rectangular hollow face of the inlet that should be closed by
the lid.
Change the Thickness to 20mm.
Click OK.

50
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 1
Air Conditioning Ducting

3 Create lids on the remaining 5 outlet faces.

Using the same procedure as in step 3, create lid on the first outlet face.
Use the rectangular hollow face as indicated in the figure.

Follow with the same steps to create lids on the remaining four outlets.
4 Check for invalid fluid geometry.
Run Check Geometry tool for Internal analysis.
The geometry should be closed correctly.
Close the Check Geometry tool.
5 Create a project.
Using the Wizard, create a new project with the following properties:

Configuration Use current:

name “Default”
Project name “Air Flow”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Analysis Type Internal
Physical Features
Database of In the Gases list, double-click Air.
Fluids
Wall conditions In the Default wall thermal condition list, select Adiabatic wall.
In the Roughness box, type 0 micrometer.
Initial conditions Default conditions. Click Finish.

51
Exercise 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Air Conditioning Ducting

6 Insert inlet boundary condition.

In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree, under Input Data, right-
click Boundary Conditions and select
Insert Boundary Condition.
Select the inside surface of the air inlet
lid.
Under Type click Flow Openings button
and select Inlet Volume Flow.
Enter 4 m^3/s as Volume Flow Rate.
Keep the rest of the parameters at its
default values.
Click OK.
7 Insert boundary conditions for the outlets.
Similar to step 6, the enter the Insert Boundary Condition menu.
Select the inside surface of first outlet.
Under Type click Pressure Openings button and select Static
Pressure.
Click OK.
Continue the same way, and define outlet static pressure conditions on
the remaining 4 outlets.
8 Insert surface goals for outlets.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree, right-click Goals, and select
Insert Surface Goals.
Select the inside faces of the five outlet lids.
Check the Create goal for each surface
option.
In the Parameter list, locate Volume Flow
Rate and click the check box next to it.

Note Review step 27 on page 27 to see how to easily select all five faces
using already defined pressure outlet openings.
Click OK.

52
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 1
Air Conditioning Ducting

9 Rename outlet boundary conditions.

Rename the newly created goals to SG Outlet Volume Flow Rate 1,
SG Outlet Volume Flow Rate 2, etc. to reflect the position of the
outlets.
10 Insert equation goal.
We will use equation goal to sum the outlet volume flow rates.
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click the Goals icon and
select Insert Equation Goal.
In the Expression box, sum all five outlet volume flow rates. The
Expression box should read:
SG Outlet Volume Flow Rate 1 + SG Outlet Volume Flow Rate
2 + SG Outlet Volume Flow Rate 3 + SG Outlet Volume Flow
Rate 4 + SG Outlet Volume Flow Rate 5
Note To insert a specific goal into the Expression box, click it in the Flow
Simulation analysis tree.
Click OK.
Rename the newly created equation goal to Sum of outlet flows.
11 Set initial global mesh parameters.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Input
Data, expand the Mesh folder, right-click Global Mesh and select
Edit Definition.
Under Type keep Automatic.
Under Settings accept the default Level of initial mesh of 3.
Click OK.
12 Save file.
Click File, Save to save the part file.
13 Solve the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation project.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click Air
Flow and select Run.
Make sure that the check boxes next to Load Results is selected.
Click Run with default settings.
The solver should take approximately 1 minutes to run.

53
Exercise 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Air Conditioning Ducting

14 Set model Transparency.

In the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, select Results, Display,
Transparency.
Move the slider to the right to increase the Value to set. Set the model
transparency to 0.75.
Click OK.
15 Create Cut Plot pressure.
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click Cut Plots under
Results and select Insert.
In the Section Plane or Planar Face box, select the Top plane view.
Under Contours keep Pressure, and increase Number of Levels to
100.
Click OK.

The pressure is growing as the air approaches the last outlet located
directly across from the inlet. Pressures in the side ducts are relatively
small.
16 Hide the cut plot.
Right-click the Cut Plot 1 icon and select Hide.
17 Create Cut Plot velocity.
Follow the same process as in the previous step. Create a new cut plot
for Velocity.

Velocity is decreasing as the air moves father from the inlet lid.

54
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 1
Air Conditioning Ducting

18 Show vectors in the Velocity

cut plot.
Edit Definition of the cut plot
for Velocity.
Under Display deactivate
Contours, and activate Vectors.
Zoom the view on the second
outlet port.
Click OK.

Note Notice that there is a potential for the backflow at this outlet location.
19 Create goals plot.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Results,
right-click Goal Plots and select Insert.
Select All Goals in the Goal Filter and check All in the Goals to Plot
list.
Under Options select Group charts by parameter.
Click Show.
The table of the goal values will open on the bottom of the screen.

Change the view from Summary to History.

55
Exercise 1 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Air Conditioning Ducting

Close the Goal Plot property manager.

20 Save and Close.
Save and Close the part file.

56
 Lesson 2
Meshing

Objectives Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Generate proper mesh in the presence of thin walls and narrow
channels.
 Use mesh features.
 Display mesh.
 Use Thin wall optimization feature.
 Apply manual mesh controls and use control planes.

57
Lesson 2 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Meshing

Case Study: In this lesson, we will introduce the different mesh controls available in
Chemistry Hood SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation. You will learn many of the manual
meshing options available in SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation that
will allow you to analyze intricate problems with small geometrical and
physical features. Using automatic mesh settings, these types of
problems would require lots of computational resources. The manual
settings allow you to analyze these problems much more efficiently.
Project A chemistry hood is shown in the figure. A chemical reaction is
Description occurring at the bottom of the blue ejector that is emitting a gas into the
environment. There is an opening at the front of the hood and an
exhaust fan causes a volume flow rate at the top opening. In addition,
three thin baffle walls separate the inlet and outlet. The goal of this
lesson is to develop an appropriate mesh to properly resolve the small
ejector opening, the thin baffle walls, as well as the rest of the model.
The mesh must be small enough to resolve the small geometry, but also
large enough so that our computer resources are not exhausted.

Exhaust

Open
Ejector

Ejector Opening

58
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 2
Meshing

Stages in the  Review the geometry.

process Before meshing, any gaps or thin walls in the geometry must be
identified as areas of concern.
 Create the project.
Create a project using the Wizard.
 Change initial mesh settings.
The initial mesh settings can be changed to address the thin walls or
gaps.
 Mesh the model.
Once the mesh has been generated, it can be evaluated so that
further refinements can be made. If the mesh is good quality, the
analysis can then be run.
 Run the flow simulation.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Ejector in Exhaust Hood from the Lesson02\Case Study
folder.
2 Create a new project using a wizard.
From the Flow Simulation menu, choose: Project, Wizard.

Configuration Select:
name Select Hood mesh configuration.
Project name: “Mesh 1”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Analysis Type Internal

Physical Features None

Database of Fluids In the Gases list, double-click Air.
Wall conditions In the Default outer wall thermal condition list, select Adiabatic
wall.
In the Roughness box, type 0 micrometer.
Initial conditions Default
Click Finish

59
Lesson 2 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Meshing

3 Review global mesh.

In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree, under Input Data, expand the
Mesh folder, right-click Global Mesh and
select Edit Definition.
Under Type keep Automatic. Under Settings
keep level 3.
Notice that the Minimum Gap Size field
shows a value of 0.8122 m, but do not active
this parameter.
Flow Simulation reads the computation
domain components and adjusts this value
accordingly.
Click OK.
4 Insert boundary condition.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Input
Data, right-click Boundary Conditions and select Insert Boundary
Condition.
Apply Environment Pressure to the inside face of the hood opening.

60
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 2
Meshing

5 Insert boundary condition.

In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Input
Data, right-click Boundary Conditions and select Insert Boundary
Condition.
Select the inside face of the outlet port.
In the Boundary Conditions PropertyManager, under Type, select the
Flow openings button .
Still under Type, select Outlet Volume Flow.
Under Flow Parameters enter 0.5 m3/s.
Click OK.

61
Lesson 2 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Meshing

Computational SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation automatically generates a

Mesh computational mesh. The mesh is created by dividing the
computational domain into slices, which are further subdivided into
rectangular cells. The mesh cells are then refined as necessary to
properly resolve the model geometry. SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation discretizes the time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations and
solves them on the computational mesh. Under certain conditions,
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation will automatically refine the
computational mesh during the calculation of the flow.
Basic Mesh The Basic Mesh is formed by
dividing the computational domain
into cubes using parallel and
orthogonal planes which are aligned
with the Global Coordinate
System’s axes.
The Basic Mesh can be shown in
the Global Mesh PropertyManager
by checking Show Basic Mesh
checkbox.

Initial Mesh The initial mesh is constructed from the Basic mesh by refining the
basic mesh cells in accordance with the specified mesh settings. The
mesh is named initial because it is the mesh the calculation starts from,
and it could be further refined during the calculation if the solution-
adaptive meshing is requested. Initial mesh can be created based on the
Global Mesh settings, and Local Mesh settings.
Although the automatically generated mesh is usually appropriate, thin
and small geometrical features can result in extremely high cell counts,
causing the physical RAM required to solve to increase or exceed the
amount of RAM available on your computer.

62
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 2
Meshing

Introducing: Global The global mesh controls global (entire computational domain)
Mesh refinement of the Basic mesh. It is controlled by the set of parameters
specified in the Global Mesh PropertyManager.

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Expand the Mesh folder in the Flow Simulation
analysis tree, right-click Global Mesh and click Edit Definition
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Global Mesh
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Global Mesh

6 Review initial Global Mesh settings.

Similar to step 3, Edit Definition of the Global Mesh.
Notice that the Minimum Gap Size field shows a value of 0.1524 m,
but again do not active this parameter.
Click OK.
Note Flow Simulation recognized and changed the default minimum gap
size to be equal to the width of the outlet opening.

Geometry Geometry resolution of the mesh is an important aspect of the mesh

Resolution design. It is important to understand the size of the smallest geometrical
features affecting the flow solution and resolve it sufficiently in the
mesh.
Minimum Gap Size In the Global Mesh with the Automatic setting selected,
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation calculates the default Minimum gap
size using information about the overall model dimensions, the
Computational Domain, and faces on which you specify boundary
Conditions and Goals. However, this information may be insufficient to
recognize relatively small gaps. This may cause inaccurate results. In
these cases, the Minimum gap size must be specified manually.
Minimum Wall Minimum wall thickness has similar function as the Minimum gap size.
Thickness Due to the latest mesh and solver technology its impact on the flow
results is, however, relatively small. In order to use this parameter, one
needs to activate it in Tools, Flow Simulation, Tools, Options, and
under General Options set Display wall thickness to Always.

63
Lesson 2 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Meshing

7 Insert boundary
condition.
In the SOLIDWORKS
Flow Simulation
analysis tree, under
Input Data, right-click
Boundary
Conditions and select
Insert Boundary
Condition.
Select the tiny face of
the ejector inlet port.
In the Boundary
Conditions
PropertyManager,
under Type, select the
Flow openings
button .
Still under Type, select
Inlet Volume Flow.
Under Flow Parameters, click the Normal to face button and enter
6e-5 m^3/s.
Click OK.
Note There is a chemical reaction happening inside the ejector that is
releasing the gas into the chemistry hood through this small opening.
8 Review initial Global Mesh settings.
Similar to step 3, Edit Definition of the Global Mesh.
Notice that the Minimum Gap Size field shows a value of 0.00136 m,
but again do not active this parameter.
Click OK.
Note Because we added another boundary condition to a smaller face, the
default minimum gap size has changed to the diameter of the inlet face.

64
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 2
Meshing

Discussion At this point, we could accept the default

mesh settings and attempt to solve the
model with confidence that all small gaps
will be resolved. Upon trying to mesh and
solve, we are very likely to see long run
times and depleted computer resources due
to the large aspect ratio between the model
and minimum gap size. All small gaps will
be resolved, however many cells will be
placed in areas where they are not
necessary. Furthermore, if the aspect ratio
between the model and minimum gap size
is greater than 1000, Flow simulation may
not resolve the mesh properly.
A cut plot of the mesh created with these settings is shown. The mesh
has over 600,000 cells. Rather than settle with this mesh, we will use
our own settings for the Minimum gap size.
Small Features Prior to starting the calculation, we recommend that you always check
the geometry resolution to ensure that small features will be
recognized.
You can use the Minimum gap size or the Minimum wall thickness
values to resolve these features in the computational mesh.
Tip In case of internal analyses, boundaries between internal flow and
ambient space are always resolved properly because SOLIDWORKS
Flow Simulation distinguishes the internal flow volume and ambient
space. If your model does not contain walls with both sides contacting
the fluid and does not contain thin features protruding into the fluid,
then the minimum wall thickness value should not be changed.

9 Review model geometry.

We know that the default settings for the minimum gap
size will produce excessive mesh splitting due to the very 20mm
small inlet of the ejector. Although the splitting is
necessary in this region, it is excessive in the overall
model. We should review the overall geometry and select a
more appropriate minimum gap size.
Aside from the inlet face on the ejector, the smallest gap in
the model is between the thin baffles at the back of the
hood. We can use this for the Minimum gap size.

65
Lesson 2 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Meshing

10 Initial Global Mesh settings.

Similar to step 3, Edit Definition of the Global Mesh.
Click the Minimum Gap Size button and enter 0.0204216 m.
Click OK.
11 Mesh.
Click Run.
Clear the Solve check box and select Run. This will only mesh the
model.
12 Cut plot.
When the solver completes, right-click Cut
Plots under Results and select Insert.
In the Section Plane or Planar Face box,
select the CENTERLINE plane.
Click OK.
The resulting mesh has nearly 65,000 fluid
cells and 29,800 cell contacting solids. This
is far fewer than the mesh generated using
the automatic settings. We notice that the
mesh is fairly well resolved in the gaps
through the thin baffles, however the mesh
inside the ejector is too coarse for reliable
calculations. This is also an area of great interest because we want to
know how the gas coming out of the ejector is distributed throughout
the rest of the fluid.

Discussion We can now distinguish two very different parts of our model. The
large, open area with the thin baffle walls, and the ejector region with
small geometrical features. These regions are very different, and in
turn, their meshes should be different. We will try to solve this by
adjusting the Level of initial mesh.
Result The Result Resolution or Level of initial mesh governs the solution
Resolution/ accuracy through mesh settings and convergence criteria. The user
Level of Initial specifies a result resolution level in accordance with the desired
Mesh solution accuracy, available CPU time, and computer memory. Because
this setting has an influence on the number of generated mesh cells, a
more accurate solution requires longer CPU time and more computer
memory.
Note If you specify very small values of the Minimum gap size and
Minimum wall thickness and a high result resolution, the number of
mesh cells will dramatically increase, resulting in increases in memory
requirements and CPU time.

66
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 2
Meshing

Using the slider for Level of initial mesh, you

can select one of seven resolution levels. The
first level will give the fastest results but the
level of accuracy may be poor. The seventh
level will give the most accurate results but
may take a long time to converge. The
resolution level that will return stable results
depends on the task. For the majority of tasks
you can achieve stable results starting from
level three. However, some types of tasks
require increasing the result resolution level
(e.g. external flows with separation from smooth surfaces).

13 Initial Global Mesh settings.

Similar to step 3, Edit Definition of the Global Mesh.
Adjust the Level of initial mesh to 5.
Click OK.
14 Mesh.
Click Run.
Clear the Solve check box and select Run.
15 Cut plot.
Show the Cut Plot 1 that was
previously created.
The new mesh has about 216,000
fluid cells, and 58,500 cells in contact
with solids. This is significantly less
than our mesh with the default
settings. In addition, the mesh inside
the ejector is well resolved.

67
Lesson 2 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Meshing

Discussion At this point we might be able to proceed with our analysis, however
275,000 cells is still significant. In addition, the mesh is still
unnecessarily resolved in many regions where the flow field will
remain relatively unchanged. We can attempt to deal with this by
turning off the Automatic setting of the initial Global Mesh and setting
up our initial mesh manually.
Manual Global The Automatic setting of the Global Mesh controls the mesh options
Mesh Settings within the entire computational domain. Activating the Manual initial
global mesh settings gives you four tabs where manual definition can
be specified.
 Basic Mesh  Channels
 Refining Cells  Advanced Refinement
Cell Types SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation uses the following four types of
rectangular cells:
 Fluid cells – These are cells entirely in the fluid.
 Solid cells – These are cells entirely in the solid.
 Partial cells – These are cells partly in the solid region and partly in
the fluid region. For partial cells the following information is
known: coordinates of intersections of cell’s edges with the solid
body, solid face area within a cell, and normal to the solid face.
 Irregular cells – partial cells with an undefined normal to the solid
face.
Basic Mesh The Basic Mesh settings define how the basic mesh is created. You
can specify the number of cells in the global x, y, and z direction and
the basic mesh will be constructed by dividing the computation domain
into slices by mesh planes. By default, the basic mesh planes are
arranged so that the computational domain is divided uniformly.
Refining Cells The Refining Cells settings describe the refinement level of each cell
type.
Channels The Channels settings specify additional mesh refinement in the flow
passages of the model. The Maximum Channels Refinement Level
defines the smallest size of the cells in the flow passages with respect to
the basic mesh. More information about these settings can be found in
the Help menu.
Advanced The settings define the refinement levels for Small Solid Feature
Refinement Refinement Level, Curvature Level, and Tolerance Level. More
information about these settings can be found in the Help menu.
Advanced Narrow The Advanced channel refinement option is located in the automatic
Channel Refinement settings of the global mesh. This setting applies the default Maximum
Channels Refinement Level greater than the Tolerance Refinement
level by one.

68
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 2
Meshing

16 Initial Mesh settings.

Similar to step 3, Edit Definition of the Global Mesh.
Click the Manual settings button .
On the Channels tab, set the Maximum Channel Refinement Level
to 1.
This will reduce the number of cells between the baffle walls and the
back wall of the hood.
Click OK.
17 Mesh.
Click Run.
Clear the Solve check box. Check the Mesh checkbox.
Select Run. This will only mesh the model.
18 Cut plot.
Show the Cut Plot 1 that was
previously created.
The new mesh has about 85,750 fluid
cells and 34,200 cells in contact with
solids. The ejector region is still a bit
coarse, especially in the region near
the inlet.

Discussion The ejector inlet is still poorly resolved. We need a way to refine the
mesh in only this area without refinement anywhere else. For this, we
will use the Local Mesh feature of Flow Simulation.

69
Lesson 2 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Meshing

Introducing: Local The Local Mesh option is intended for resolving the mesh around a
Mesh local region (solid or fluid). The local region can be defined by a
component, face, edge, or vertex, or by specifying a region using the
orthogonal, cylindrical or spherical coordinates. Local mesh settings
are applied to all cells intersected by a component, face, edge, cell or a
region enclosing the selected vertex.
If you would like to resolve the mesh within an entire fluid region, a
SOLIDWORKS solid feature is required to represent the fluid. You
must then disable the solid component representing the fluid region
using Tools, Flow Simulation, Component Control. Once disabled in
Flow Simulation, you can select the SOLIDWORKS component
representing the fluid region in the Local Mesh option.
The local mesh settings do not influence the basic mesh but are basic
mesh sensitive: all refinement levels are set with respect to the basic
mesh.

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Expand the Mesh folder in the Flow Simulation
analysis tree, right-click Global Mesh and click Insert Local Mesh
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation >
Flow Simulation Features > Local Mesh
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Insert, Local Mesh

19 Local mesh.
From the Tools, Flow Simulation menu,
choose: Insert, Local Mesh.
Keep the default Reference button clicked,
and select the small inlet on the ejector or use the
boundary condition defined on the inlet to select
the face.

Note Local mesh uses Manual settings only.

On the Refining Cells tab, set Level of Refining Fluid Cells and
Level of Refining Cells at Fluid/Solid Boundary to 7.
Click OK.
20 Mesh.
Click Run.
Clear the Solve check box. Check the Mesh checkbox.
Select Run. This will only mesh the model.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 2
Meshing

21 Cut plot.
Show the Cut Plot 1 that was
previously created.
The mesh has slightly more cells, but is
much more refined around the inlet
region.

Control Planes As we noted before, the basic mesh is formed by splitting the
computational domain into cubes using parallel and orthogonal planes
which are aligned with the Global Coordinate System’s axes. The
Basic Mesh tab of the Global Mesh defines the settings for how the
planes are created.
By default, three Control intervals
are created to define the cell
distribution in the x, y, and z
directions of the model. The Min
and Max fields define where the
splitting begins and ends. For
instance, the image shows the
default maximum and minimum
control planes for the x direction.
Notice that they are located at the ends of the computational domain.
Additional Control intervals can be introduced into the computational
domain to define additional planes used for splitting. The location of
the planes can be clicked on the screen or the user can select reference
geometry for a plane location. Furthermore, you can set up the how the
cells grow around the planes by editing the Number of cells or Ratio.

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Lesson 2 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Meshing

Discussion Although our mesh is well resolved around the orifice, it is not
symmetric about this face. This could pose problems with the boundary
condition. We would like the mesh to be created symmetrically about
the center of the small ejector inlet. Therefore, we will need to create a
plane at the center of the orifice to insure that the cells are split about
the center of the orifice.

22 Insert control plane.

Similar to step 3, Edit Definition of the Global Mesh.
Click Control Planes button.
Because we wish to add a plane to a specific location, switch the table
presentation mode from Intervals to Planes.
Because the plane we wish to create is parallel to XY plane, click the
Coordinate Z button .
Because we want to add plane passing through the center of the inlet,
click the Reference button , and select the circular edge of the
ejector orifice inlet.

Note The Add Plane button would be used if a control plane position was
specified by its z coordinate value.
To view added control plane intervals, switch the table presentation
mode from Planes to Intervals. Control Intervals list now shows two
plane sets in the Z direction. The first set goes from one end of the
computational domain up to the center of the orifice. The second set
goes from the center of the orifice to the other end of the computational
domain.

Z1 Plane Set Z2 Plane Set

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 2
Meshing

Click OK in the Control Plane dialog.

Click OK to close the Global Mesh Property Manager.
23 Mesh.
Click Run.
Clear the Solve check box and select Run. This will only mesh the
model.
24 Cut plot.
Show the Cut Plot 1 that was
previously created.
The mesh is very similar, however the
cells are now symmetric about the
small orifice.

Discussion If we additionally showed a cut

plot taken on the Top plane, we
would see that the mesh is also
symmetric in the xz plane. This is
shown in the figure to the right.
With these mesh settings, we have
certainly accurately resolved the
geometry of the model. When
developing a mesh it is important
to have accurately resolved the
model geometry, however it is
equally important to have resolved
regions of small flow peculiarities. A small stream of gas is inlet into
the ejector through the orifice. This could mean that small flow
peculiarities within the ejector that may not be present in the overall
model.
Again, we need the use of a Local Mesh in the ejector so that it is
accurately resolved without excessive mesh splitting in the overall
model. To achieve this, a SOLIDWORKS part has been created that
will enclose the ejector to define the region for the local mesh.

73
Lesson 2 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Meshing

25 Unsupress part.
In the FeatureManager design tree right-click the LocalMesh2 part
and click Unsuppress.
An error message is shown telling you that the inlet volume flow
condition is not in contact with the fluid region.
Click Close twice to close the error messages.

Discussion This error appears because the new LocalMesh2 part fully encloses
the ejector and blocks the ejector inlet boundary condition from the rest
of the fluid domain. We only want the LocalMesh2 part to define the
local mesh. We do not want to include the solid geometry in the
calculations.
Introducing: Whenever you have SOLIDWORKS geometry
Component Control that you do not want to include in your
simulation, you must disable it using
Component Control. This type of situation is
always seen when applying a local initial mesh
inside a fluid region defined by a
SOLIDWORKS part.
This situation could also be seen when Goals must be set in regions
where no solid geometry exists. If this type of goal is needed, a dummy
body can be created as a SOLIDWORKS part file to mark the region of
interest. The goals would be set on the faces of that region, then the
region would be disabled using Component Control.

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click Input Data in the Flow Simulation
analysis tree and click Component Control
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Component Control

26 Component control.
In the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, select Component Control.
Uncheck the checkbox next to the LocalMesh2 component.
The component will then be treated as fluid region.
Click OK to close the Component Control window.
27 Rebuild.
Rebuild the Flow Simulation project by right-clicking the project name,
Mesh 1 in the Flow Simulation analysis tree and selecting Rebuild.

74
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 2
Meshing

28 Local mesh.
From the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, choose: Insert,
Local Mesh .
Select the LocalMesh2 part from the FeatureManager design tree.
On the Channels tab, specify the Characteristic Number of Cells
Across Channel to 15.
Use the slider to set the Maximum Channel Refinement Level to 3.
Click OK.
Note When creating a Local Mesh in a fluid region using a part, the
component can also be disabled in the Component Control.
29 Mesh.
Click Run.
Clear the Solve check box and select Run. This will only mesh the
model.
30 Cut plot.
Show the Cut Plot 1 that was
previously created.
The mesh has about 115,000 fluid
cells and 41,000 cells in contact with
solids. Additionally, it is well
resolved for both small geometry in
the ejector as well as flow
peculiarities.

75
Lesson 2 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Meshing

Discussion The mesh from step 29 could already be used for a reliable solution. At
times, manual design of mesh is not the most efficient approach, and
automatic mesh refining and coarsening algorithm can be utilized.
Introducing: To achieve better resolution in difficult regions, especially those where
Adaptive mesh high gradients may exist, adaptive meshing can be used. With adaptive
meshing turned on, software will automatically refine or coarsen the
mesh depending on the local gradients and other solution
characteristics. Adaptive meshing can be requested in the entire
domain, or in the local region.

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click Input Data in the Flow Simulation
analysis tree and click Calculation Control Options and select the
Refinement tab.
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Calculation Control
Options > and select the Refinement tab
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Calculation Control Options

31 Adaptive mesh.
Right-click the Input Data folder and select Calculation Control
Options.
Select the Refinement tab.
Keep adaptive refinement for the Global Domain as Disabled.
Expand Local Regions and for Local Mesh 2 specify level=2.
Set Approximate maximum cells count to 750,000.
Under Refinement strategy, select Periodic.
Keep the rest of the options at their default setting.
Click OK.
Note The level settings controls how many times the initial mesh cell
(currently designed in step 29) can be split to achieve the solution-
adaptive refinement criteria, and thus governs the minimum
computational mesh cell size.
32 Run the project.
At this point, in order to view the refined mesh, we need to launch the
calculation to adaptively refine the mesh. Due to the time required, the
results of this simulation have already been computed, and we will use
them for the post-processing.
33 Activate project.
Activate project completed.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 2
Meshing

34 Load results.
Right click the Results folder and select Load.
35 Cut plot.
Show the Cut Plot 1 that was
previously created.
The mesh was refined somewhat
throughout.
A detailed view of the ejector inlet
port shows more cells adjacent to
the inlet.

36 Mesh parameters.
To determine the number of cells in the final
mesh, right-click the Results folder and select
Summary. The mesh has about 137,400 fluid
cells and 42,500 cells in contact with solids.
Adaptive algorithm split cells efficiently where
higher gradients were detected.

37 Result file parameters.

Alternatively, you can determine the number of cells in meshes directly
from the available result files.
Right-click the Results folder and select Load from file. The folder
will contain *.cpt and *.fld files. Click on each one of them to see the
summary on the right side of the dialog window.
r_000000.cpt contains initial mesh. The number of cells is the same
as in step 30. r_000000.fld would then contain initial flows.

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Lesson 2 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Meshing

The remaining r_xxxxxx.fld and r_xxxxxx.cpt files are

intermediate files as the solver progressed towards the solution. Here,
they correspond to the instances where the mesh was refined by the
adaptive algorithm. Clicking on r_xxxxxx.fld reveals the number of
cells at the end of an iteration, while r_xxxxxx.cpt reveals the
number of cells at the beginning of an iteration.
Similarly, 1.cpt contains mesh at the beginning of the final iteration,
and 1.fld contains the final mesh and converged results. Clicking on
this file reveals that the final mesh contained approximately 179,900
cells, as already shown in step 36.

38 Velocity Cut Plot.

Define a new Cut Plot for
Velocity. Use CENTERLINE
plane.
The higher velocity of the
fluid can be easily seen in this
cut plot.

78
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 2
Meshing

Summary The overall goal of this lesson was to introduce some of the many
options available when trying to generate a quality mesh using Flow
Simulation. Although the automatic mesh settings are often adequate
for many models, they can be inadequate when the model has multiple
regions where different mesh settings may be required. In these
situations, the automatic mesh settings require substantial computer
resources that could prevent the problem from solving. To deal with
this, we learned about the manual mesh settings.
We learned that a quality mesh not only requires accurate resolution of
the model geometry, but also accurate resolution in regions of flow
peculiarities. Local initial meshes were used to accurately resolve both
model geometry and flow peculiarities.
It is important to remember that developing an accurate mesh for a
model such as this can be difficult. Often times a trial and error type of
technique that was employed in the lesson will be needed when
defining the mesh settings.
It is also important to note that the accuracy of the flow simulation
results are very dependent on the quality of the mesh. Taking the time
to properly resolve your geometry and flow peculiarities using manual
settings or local initial meshes can not only provide a more accurate
result, but could also reduce the run time with respect to the automatic
settings.
Adaptive meshing algorithm helps with progressive refining and
coarsening of the mesh during the calculation. This feature is especially
valuable for regions with difficult geometries where high gradients may
exist.

79
Exercise 2 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Square Ducting

Exercise 2: In this exercise, we will create a mesh for a flow analysis on the square
Square Ducting ducting.
This exercise reinforces the following skills:
 Computational Mesh on page 62
 Geometry Resolution on page 63
 Advanced Narrow Channel Refinement on page 68
 Introducing: Local Mesh on page 70
Problem Statement The square tube shown in the
figure has two mid-walls that
separate it into three
sections. The model has
already been simplified and a
lid has been created for the
inlet flow.
Because we only wish to
investigate the mesh
controls, a simulation has been defined that will allow us to mesh, but
not run the analysis.
1 Open an assembly file.
Open Mesh exercise from the Lesson02\Exercises\
Square Ducting folder.
2 Activate the project.
Activate the Mesh1 project. The
associated configuration Mesh exercise
will be activated automatically. With this
project, you should be able to navigate to
the Flow Simulation analysis tree and see
that the Mesh1 study has already been
defined using the Wizard.

It is always possible to go back and make any necessary changes to the

analysis setup, however in this case study, we only wish to mesh the
model.
Note As you activate the project Mesh1, the following warning will be
issued:
Flow Simulation has detected that the model was modified.
Do you want to rest mesh settings?
Click No to continue.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 2
Square Ducting

3 Review small gaps in the geometry.

Use the Measure tool to determine the
size of the small gap in the model. This
number can then be used later when
defining our mesh settings.
Selecting the two faces that create the
small gap tells us that there is a 0.15 in
clearance; we expect a pressure drop
and associated velocity rise in this gap,
so this is a crucial feature in our flow
model.

4 Review the thin walls in the

geometry.
Another characteristic feature is the thin
wall. Select the edge to see that it is 0.10
in thick.
With modern algorithms thin walls are
typically resolved by Flow Simulation
correctly in the solution by using cells
with special algorithms. However, if
needed, Minimum Wall Thickness
parameter can be used.
In this exercise you will practice recognizing thin wall in the initial
mesh.
5 Activate Thin Wall option.
Open Options from Tools, Flow Simulation, Tools.
In the Options window expand General Options and set Show/Hide
wall thickness to Show.
Click OK to close the Options window.
6 Change initial Global Mesh settings.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Input
Data, expand the Mesh folder, right-click Global Mesh and select
Edit Definition.
Keep Level of initial mesh at level 3.

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Exercise 2 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Square Ducting

7 Set the minimum gap size and wall

thickness.
Click the Minimum gap size button and
enter the value 0.15 in.
Click the Enable Minimum Wall Thickness
button and enter 0.1 in.

8 Create mesh without running solver.

In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click Mesh 1 and select
Run.
Clear the Solve check box.
The Load results check box should be selected by default. Make sure
this box is checked.
Click Run.
Note The results will be automatically loaded.
9 Create cut plot.
In the Flow Simulation analysis
tree, under Results, right-click
the Cut Plots icon and select
Insert.
Make sure that Front plane is
selected in the Section Plane or
Planar Face field.
Under Display, click the Mesh
button.
Click OK.
Now, after the plot has been created, zoom into the areas around the
small gap and thin wall. Note that there are only two cells through the
gap in the top left; minimally there should be three cells (but at least
four are recommended) for such a small gap to capture the flow
gradients here.
10 Hide cut plot.
Hide the cut plot created in step 9.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 2
Square Ducting

11 Create plot of Channels Height.

Right-click the Mesh folder located under the Results folder and
select Insert.
Under Display select Channels and click OK.

The legend indicate height of the channels as understood by Flow

Simulation. This plot should be used to identify narrow regions where
additional mesh refinement may be required. The narrow channel
identified in the earlier steps is indicated here by the dark blue color.
12 Review trimmed and irregular cells.
We can understand the different cell types that were created by showing
them in color. To do this, edit the plot created in step 11.
Under Display select Cells, and under Cells select Trimmed Cells.
Click OK.
The following message will appear:
No Trimmed Cells are detected.
Because this model is rather small no trimmed cells were required. In
general, this menu option allows you to easily identify trimmed or
irregular cells which may suggest challenging locations requiring extra
mesh refinement work.
Click OK to close this message.

83
Exercise 2 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Square Ducting

13 Review the basic mesh refinement level.

You can also review how many refinements
were applied to the cells of the basic mesh to
create the initial mesh. To do this, again edit
the plot created in step 11.
Under Display select Plots. Under Section
click the Reference button , and select the
Front plane. Under Colored By select
Refinement level.
Click OK.

The blue color indicates that basic mesh cells were not refined. These
cells are the original basic mesh cells. Red color indicates the basic
mesh cells with the highest requested basic mesh refinement level of 3
(specified in step 6).
Advanced Narrow We will try to improve the mesh by using another option of the
Channel Refinement automatic settings of the global mesh called Advanced channel
refinement, available in the Global Mesh Settings PropertyManager.
14 Refine mesh.
Edit Definition of Global Mesh.
Select the Advanced channel refinement check box.
Click OK.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 2
Square Ducting

15 Create mesh without running solver.

In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click Mesh 1 and select
Run.
Clear the Solve check box.
Make sure the Load results check box is checked.
Select the Mesh check box.
Click Run.
Note The results will be automatically loaded.
16 Show cut plot and review
Mesh.
Show the cup plot created in
step 9.
Zooming in on the small gap
again reveals a fine mesh near
the walls and about 5 cells
through the gap. This is a much
better mesh than the one created previously, but it comes at a cost of
increasing cell count and run time.
If this were not such a simple example model, using the Advanced
channel refinement method might dramatically increase the
computation time. A linear relationship between cell count and
computation time does not exist, but because of the nature of fluid
dynamics, run times can be disproportionately longer.
Local Mesh A part called local_initial_mesh to define the local initial mesh has
already been defined and added to the assembly. Currently, it is hidden
and disabled from the Flow Simulation project using Component
Control.

85
Exercise 2 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Square Ducting

17 Show the local mesh region.

In the FeatureManager design tree, show the part called
local_initial_mesh.

Local Initial Mesh Region

Note Before defining the Local Mesh, always be sure to disable it from the
project using Component Control. To do this, in the Flow Simulation
analysis tree, right-click Input Data and select Component Control.
Then, uncheck the checkboxes next to the components you wish to
disable.
18 Define the local initial mesh.
On the Flow Simulation CommandManager, expand Flow Simulation
Features and select Local Mesh .
Make sure that the Reference button is clicked. Select the solid
body associated with the local_initial_mesh part from the
FeatureManager design tree.
Check the Channels tab to expand it.
Enter 8 for Characteristic Number of Cells Across Channel, and
increase Maximum Channel Refinement Level to 7.
Click OK.
19 Modify Global Mesh settings.
Edit Definition of the Global Mesh.
Deactivate Minimum Gap Size and Minimum Wall Thickness, and
uncheck the Advanced channel refinement check box.
Click OK.
20 Create mesh without running solver.
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click Mesh 1 and select
Run.
Clear the Solve check box.
Make sure the Load results check box is checked.
Select the Mesh check box.
Click Run.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 2
Square Ducting

21 Show cut plot and review Mesh.

Show the cut plot created in step 9.

Notice that the mesh is refined in the region of the local initial mesh,
however outside this region, the mesh remains coarse. This option can
improve computation time in complicated models where results in only
certain areas are important. Less important areas can be meshed with
coarser settings, while regions of interest can be meshed finer.
22 Close the model.

87
Exercise 3 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Thin Walled Box

Exercise 3: In this exercise we will use the thin wall optimization feature to
Thin Walled Box perform an analysis on the thin walled box.
This exercise reinforces the following skills:
 Geometry Resolution on page 63

Problem Water flows through a part with

Inlet
Statement several very thin baffles as shown in
the figure below. The water can enter
the model through the inlet on the
back face of the box and exit the
model through the opening on the
bottom face of the box.

Outlet

1 Open a part file.

Open box from the Lesson02\Exercises\Thin Walled Box folder.
Make sure that the default configuration is active.
2 Create a project.
Using the Wizard, create a new project with the following properties:

Configuration name Create new:

“Thin Wall Optimization”
Project name “Run 1”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Analysis Type Internal
Database of Fluids In the Fluids list, double-click Water.
Wall conditions Default conditions
Initial conditions Default conditions
Click Finish.

88
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 3
Thin Walled Box

Thin Wall Flow Simulation features modern algorithm, thin wall optimization, to
Optimization resolve regular flow near thin walls such as baffles without excessive
mesh refinement. This algorithm resolves thin wall features without
any manual refining of the mesh around the thin wall because both
sides can reside within the same cell. Cells in the thin wall regions
contain more than one fluid and/or solid volume. During the
calculation, each such volume has an individual set of parameters
depending on its type (fluid or solid).
3 Set global mesh parameters.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Input
Data, expand the Mesh folder, right-click Global Mesh and select
Edit Definition.
Keep Level of Initial Mesh at level 3.
4 Set inlet boundary
condition.
In the SOLIDWORKS
Flow Simulation analysis
tree, expand the Input
Data folder, right-click
Boundary Conditions
and select Insert
Boundary Condition.
Select the inner face of the
inlet lid.
Click Flow openings and
select Inlet Velocity.
Under Flow Parameters,
enter 0.5 m/s in the
Normal to Face direction.
Click OK to save the boundary condition.

89
Exercise 3 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Thin Walled Box

5 Set outlet boundary

condition.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation analysis tree, right-
click Boundary Conditions
and select Insert Boundary
Condition.
Select the inner face of the
outlet lid.
Click Pressure openings and
select Static Pressure. The
default outlet pressure and
temperature of 101325 Pa and
293.2 K are acceptable for this
problem.
Click OK.
6 Insert Surface Goal.
Under Input Data, right-click Goals and
select Insert Surface Goals.
Select the inlet face. (Alternatively, you can
click on the Inlet Velocity 1 boundary
condition from the Flow Simulation analysis
tree, prior to defining the goal. This will load
the correct face automatically.)
In the Surface Goals window, under
Parameter, select the Av check box in the
Static Pressure row.
Note The already selected Use for Conv. check box means that the created
goal will be used for convergence control.
Click OK.
The new SG Av Static Pressure 1 item appears in the
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree under Goals.
7 Insert Surface Goal on outlet face for the Mass Flow Rate.
Under Input Data, right-click Goals and select Insert Surface Goals.
Select the outlet face. Alternatively, you can select the Static
Pressure1 boundary condition from the SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation analysis tree which will load the correct face automatically.
In the Parameter table, select the Mass Flow Rate check box.
Note The Use for Conv. check box will be selected automatically.
Click OK.

90
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 3
Thin Walled Box

8 Run the analysis.

Right-click on the Run 1 icon and select Run to open the Run
window.
Make sure that the Load results and Solve check boxes are selected.
Click Run.
Note You can monitor the solution progress in the Solve dialog window. The
solver should take approximately 5 minutes to run depending on the
processor speed.
As explained in Lesson 1: Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
Project, with the Load results option turned on, the results will be
automatically loaded for post-processing once the solver is finished.
9 View the mesh.
Right-click the Cut Plots icon and select Insert.
Choose the Front Plane as the cut plane and specify 0.005m for the
Offset.
Make sure that the Contours button is deselected and the Mesh button
is selected.
Click OK.

91
Exercise 3 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Thin Walled Box

Note The mesh created looks rather coarse in the vicinity of the thin baffle
walls. Many cells span from one side of the fluid across the thin wall to
the fluid on the other side. Traditionally, without the Thin Wall
Optimization algorithm, such a mesh would not be acceptable to
correctly resolve the fluid on both sides. Furthermore, with heat
conduction in the solid walls requested, multiples of the solid cells
would be requested through the thickness of the walls. Such conditions
would drastically increase the mesh size and computation time. It is
because of the Thin Wall Optimization that the current mesh is
acceptable for accurate fluid solution, as well as for the heat transfer
solution in the solid walls.
10 Velocity cut plot.
Right-click the Cut Plot 1 icon and select Edit Definition.
Deselect Mesh and click the Contours button.
Select Velocity as the parameter to plot.
Increase Number of Levels to 50 and click OK.

The maximum velocity reaches 1.24 m/s in the narrowest location

between the baffles.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 3
Thin Walled Box

11 Hide the cut plot.

Right-click the Cut Plot 1 icon and select Hide.
12 Insert Flow Trajectory.
Right-click the Flow Trajectories icon and select Insert.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, click the Static
Pressure1 item to select the inner face of the outlet.
Click OK.

13 Unload the results.

Right-click the Results icon and select Unload Results.
Note This step would only be required if we wished to post-process a
different set of results (if such different set exists).

93
Exercise 4 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Heat Sink

Exercise 4: In this exercise we will develop a mesh for an analysis of a heat sink.
Heat Sink This exercise reinforces the following skills:
 Introducing: Local Mesh on page 70
 Control Planes on page 71
Problem Statement The solid body is generating heat and
we would like to evaluate the
performance of the fins. We must
generate an appropriate mesh for this
analysis. To do this, we will use and
evaluate two techniques; control
planes and thin wall optimization. We
will then comment on the reliability of
each technique with respect to model
results and computation time.
1 Open an assembly file.
Open heat sink from the Lesson02\Exercises\Heat Sink folder.
2 Activate the proper project.
Activate the optimization project. The associated configuration will
be activated automatically. This project already has the study defined.
We will first mesh the model using thin wall optimization.
3 Review geometry.
To properly apply our mesh
settings, we must review the
geometry. Find the minimum gap
size and minimum wall thickness to
enter into the initial mesh settings.
The minimum gap size is 0.7 in.
The minimum wall thickness is
0.05 in.

4 Change initial Global Mesh.

Edit Definition of Global Mesh.
Make sure that the Level of initial mesh settings is at level 3.
Set Minimum Gap Size to 0.7 in.
Set Minimum Wall Thickness to 0.05 in.
Click OK.

94
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 4
Heat Sink

5 Create mesh without running solver.

In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click Optimization and
select Run.
Clear the Solve check box.
The Load results check box should be selected by default. Make sure
this box is checked.
Click Run.
When the solver is completed, approximately 135,000 cells should be
created.
6 Create cut plot.
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree,
under Results, right-click the Cut
Plots icon and select Insert.
Make sure that Top plane is selected
in the Section Plane or Planar
Face field.
Enter 1 in as the Offset.
Under Display, click the Mesh
button.
Click OK.

Flow Simulation refined mesh around the thin walls. Notice, however,
that some cells are still fairly large; due to advanced algorithm no
additional cells are needed to resolve the thin wall features in the
model.

95
Exercise 4 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Heat Sink

7 Activate the control plane project.

Activate project control planes. The associated configuration will be
activated automatically. This project already has the study defined. We
will use a local initial mesh to insure that the thin gaps are well
resolved and we will use control planes to resolve the thin walls.
8 Initial global mesh.
Edit Definition of the global mesh.
Under Type switch to Manual settings.
On the Basic Mesh tab, set the following values for the Number of
cells in each direction:

Number of Cells

Number of cells per X: 42

Number of cells per Y: 49
Number of cells per Z: 88

Activate the Refining Cells tab.

Select the Level of Refining Cells at Fluid/Solid Boundary to 2.
Keep the rest of the parameters on this tab at their default values.
Activate the Channels tab.
Set Characteristic Number of Cells Across Channel is set to 5.
Activate the Advanced Refinement tab.
Set the Small Solid Feature Refinement Level to 1. Keep the rest of
the parameters on this tab at their default values.
9 Define control planes.
Continue with the definition of the global mesh. On the Basic Mesh
tab click Control Planes.
Edit the existing control
planes in the x and y
directions as shown in the
figure at right.
Edit and add the control
planes in the z direction as
shown in the figure at
right.

96
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 4
Heat Sink

Tip To add planes, it is helpful

to select Reference to
define new planes and then
selecting the fin edges as
shown in the figure.

Click OK.
10 Create mesh.
Follow step 5 to create mesh.
When the solver is completed, approximately 355,000 cells should be
created.
11 Create cut plot.
In the Flow Simulation analysis
tree, under Results, right-click the
Cut Plots icon and select Insert.
Make sure that Top plane is
selected in the Section Plane or
Planar Face field.
Enter 1 in as the Offset.
Under Display, click the Mesh
button.
Click OK.

Notice how the mesh planes resolved the thin walls well such that no
cell is split by a solid region. In addition, the thin gaps are resolved
such that an ample number of cells cross the region.

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Exercise 4 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Heat Sink

Discussion The question now becomes, which mesh is better for this type of
analysis?
To properly answer that question, we need to know the results of each
analysis. If fully run, the optimization study takes about 10 minutes
while the control planes study takes about 25 minutes. Both studies
produce approximately the same maximum temperature. See below for
a cut plot of their results.

Thin Wall Optimization Control Planes

When viewed with the same scale, both studies produce nearly
identical results. As expected, the control planes study does produce
a slightly more resolved result, however this result comes at the
expense of substantially more computation and set up time. Because
the results are so similar, we can conclude that control planes will not
normally be needed to make engineering decisions. If design criteria
are stringent, the control planes will provide us with means to achieve
additional accuracy with the expense of mesh set up and computation
time. In addition, control planes are not suitable for curved geometry as
in the previous exercise.
The thin wall optimization allows the user to produce a good result
without sacrificing the computation and set up time that is required of
control planes. In addition, the thin wall optimization can not only
handle geometry that is orthogonal to the global coordinate system, but
also curved geometry.

98
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 5
Meshing Valve Assembly

Exercise 5: In this exercise, you will mesh the

Meshing Valve valve assembly to properly
Assembly resolve the basket openings and Inlet
Outlet
compute the pressure drop. Basket

This exercise reinforces the

following skills:
 Initial Mesh on page 62
 Local Mesh on page 70
 Component Control on
page 74

Problem The valve in the image features a

Description basket with rows of holes for the
fluid flow. To allow smooth
increase in the flow as the valve
opens, the hole size increases
vertically. To correctly calculate
the pressure drop at various
basket positions, all holes need
to be resolved with proper mesh,
i.e. 3 to 4 fluid cells across the
diameter of the hole.
In this exercise consider only the
fully open configuration for the
valve (SOLIDWORKS
configuration Maximum open 25 mm).
Boundary You need to specify the volume inflow of 0.001 m^3/s, and an
Conditions environmental pressure boundary condition at the outlet location.

Goal Mesh the valve assembly and properly resolve each of the openings.
Your mesh should feature less than 350,000 cells.
The assembly file Regulator valve for this exercise is located in the
Lesson02\Exercises folder.
Note Use local initial mesh feature to generate appropriate mesh in relatively
short time.

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Exercise 5 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Meshing Valve Assembly

100
 Lesson 3
Thermal Analysis

Objectives Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Use the Engineering Database for your materials.
 Apply heat loading.
 Learn to create a fan in your model.
 Use perforated plates.
 Understand Fan Curves.
 Model an electronics enclosure.
 Learn good modeling approaches to complicated geometry.

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Lesson 3 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Thermal Analysis

Case Study: In this lesson, we will perform a Flow Simulation on an electronic

Electronics enclosure. A simulated fan will be used to model the effects of a real
Enclosure fan. To save time in the analysis, a coarse mesh will be used. In
addition, heat sources will be applied to the various electronic
components within the enclosure. We will then post-process the results
of the analysis.
Project The electronics enclosure shown below is cooled by a fan. To simplify
Description the model, the fan and other complicated features will be suppressed.
The enclosure is closed with a lid on the top (not shown), and
additional lids are in place so that an internal analysis can be
performed. An external inlet fan will be applied to the lid to simulate
the presence of the fan. The temperature of the heat sink and op-amp
must be minimized. Heat is generated from the resistors, op-amp, heat
sink, and coil while the capacitors operate at a constant temperature.

Capacitors

Resistors

Op-Amp
Heat Sink
Coil

Stages in the  Prepare the model for analysis.

Process Many of the unnecessary features in the model have been
suppressed.
 Create the study.
Create the study using the Wizard.
 Apply materials.
Apply the material properties for conduction calculations.
 Apply boundary conditions and fan.
Apply the fan to the inlet lid and apply the boundary conditions.
 Run the analysis.

 Post-process the results.

The results can be processed using many available options in
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 3
Thermal Analysis

1 Open an assembly file.

Open PDES_E_Box from the Lesson03\Case Study folder.
2 Review the model.
Configuration Full model contains all of the parts in the state that they
will be when the model is created. There are many small features and
cuts in the parts that will have little effect on the analysis and prove
very complicated when meshing. At this point, we need to consider
simplifying the model so that we achieve reasonable run times without
sacrificing the accuracy of the results.
Notice that many of the parts have two separate
configurations; one for the model as built and one
with the small features suppressed for the analysis.
This proves especially useful when creating the
assembly for the analysis. Instead of suppressing
features on the assembly level, you can simply use
the already created configurations in the assembly.

3 Activate configuration.
Activate configuration Simplified. This configuration contains
simplified geometry used in this simulation.

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Lesson 3 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Thermal Analysis

As you activate the configuration Simplified, a sequence of warning

messages will be issued.
Flow Simulation has detected that the model was modified.
Do you want to rest mesh settings?
Click Yes to continue.
Project has some substances which are missing in the
Engineering database. To work with project you need to add
all missing substances.
Click Add All.
Tip Even with these simplifications, this model will prove computationally
intense for meshing. There are many curved features where a finer
mesh will be needed. A first step in any simulation should be to
simplify the model as much as possible. For a first run at this
simulation, it would be wise to further simplify these features by
removing small gaps and thin features to ease meshing. We will
proceed with the model in its current state.
Note The completed project will load by default. Ignore it, and continue
with definition of a new project in the next step.
4 Create a new Project.
Using the Wizard, create a new project with properties as follows:

Configuration name Use Current:

“Simplified”
Project name “Electronics cooling”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Change the units for Temperature to °C.
Analysis Type Internal
Physical Features Select the Heat conduction in Solids check box.
Database of Fluids In the Fluids list, under Gases, double-click Air
to add it to the Project Fluids.
Solids Default solid should be set to Insulator under the
Glasses and Minerals list.
Wall conditions The default Roughness value of 0 micrometer
is acceptable for this analysis.
Initial conditions Default conditions.
Click Finish.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 3
Thermal Analysis

Introducing: So far, we have been selecting our default fluid from the list, but we
Engineering have not yet seen where this list comes from or what information is
Database located in these fluid definitions. This information is located in the
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Engineering Database.
The Engineering Database contains:
 Physical information on a wide variety of gases, liquids, non-
Newtonian liquids, compressible liquids and solid substances. It
includes both constant values and various physical parameters as
functions of temperature and pressure (pressure dependence is only
for a liquid's boiling and solidification points).
 Fan curves defining volume flow rate (or mass flow rate) versus
static pressure difference for selected industrial fans.
 Properties of porous media.
 Custom visualization parameters which are defined by an equation
(basic mathematical functions) with the specified default
parameters as variables and can be visualized in addition to the
standard parameters.
 Properties of radiative surfaces.
 Units in which you can see and specify data in the project.

Where to Find It  CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Engineering Database

 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Tools, Engineering Database

5 Create a new material.

The transformer is made of a special user defined
material which is not a default material in the
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Engineering
database. To add this material, do the following
before setting up the SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation project:
From the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, choose:
Tools, Engineering Database.
Under Database tree, expand the Materials
folder and select Solids, User Defined.
Click New Item in the Engineering database
toolbar, or right-click on the User Defined folder and select New Item.

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Lesson 3 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Thermal Analysis

6 Enter the material properties.

A blank Item Properties tab appears. Specify the following material
properties (double-click the empty cell to set the corresponding
property value):

Name Transformer Material

Density 5000 kg/m^3
Specific Heat 640 J/(kg*K)
Thermal Conductivity 170 W/(m*K)
Melting Temperature 1250 K

Click Save.and Close the Engineering Database window.

7 Apply materials.
Under Input Data, right-click Solid Materials and select Insert
Solid Material. Apply the following Pre-Defined materials to the
parts as shown in the figure below.

Copper Gold Aluminum

Stainless Steel 321 Silicon Transformer Silicon

Material

Note Any materials that have not be defined will be treated as Insulator
because that is what we have defined as our Default Solid.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 3
Thermal Analysis

8 Apply PCB material.

Using similar procedure apply PCB 4-layers
material to SPS_PC_Board. This material
can be found in the Non-Isotropic subfolder
under the Pre-Defined folder.

Under Anisotropy, keep Global Coordinate System and under Axis

select Y.
Note PCB 4-layers material features an Axisymmetrical/Biaxial
conductivity type. The Anisotropy dialog is used to specify the
orientation of the out-of-plane direction. The two in-plane material
directions will be aligned with the remaining two global coordinate
system axes.

Introducing: Heat You can specify Heat Sources either on a surface (Surface Source)
Source where neither Boundary Conditions (or Transferred Boundary
Condition) nor Fans are specified (i.e. through which the fluid does not
flow), or in the medium, which can be either solid or fluid (Volume
Source).
 In Surface Source you can specify heat sources on solid
surfaces in the form of Heat Transfer Rate, Heat Flux if Heat
transfer in solids is not considered, and in the form of Heat
Generation Rate, Surface Heat Generation Rate if Heat
transfer in solids is under consideration (in both cases, a positive
value denotes heat generation, a negative value denotes heat
absorption).
 In Volume Source you can specify internal (volume) heat
sources in the form of Temperature, Heat Generation Rate or
Volumetric Heat Generation Rate (in all cases, a positive value
denotes heat generation, a negative value denotes heat absorption).
You can use Volume Source in a component (a part or
subassembly in assemblies, as well as a body in multibody parts)
that is treated as either solid or fluid. If the component is treated as
a solid, heat transfer in solids has to be considered. If the
component is to be treated as a fluid, you must disable the
component in the Component Control dialog box.

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Lesson 3 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Thermal Analysis

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click Heat Sources in the Flow Simulation
analysis tree and click Insert Surface Source or Insert Volume
Source
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Flow Simulation
Features > Surface Source or Volume Source
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Insert, Surface Source or
Volume Source
Note To add Heat Sources to the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click
your study and select Customize Tree, then choose Heat Sources.

9 Apply heat sources.

2W
In the Flow Simulation analysis (Cap_A)
tree, right-click the Heat Source
icon and select Insert Volume
Source.
Select the SPS_Cap_A-1 and
SPS_Cap_A-2 parts and apply 2 0.5W
W as the Heat Generation Rate. (SOP-8)

Click OK.
Repeat the process for the 1W
remaining parts shown in the Coil
figure with their respective Heat
Generation Rates. 3W
Heat Sink

10 Apply heat sources.

35°C
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, 45°C Cap_C
Cap_B
right-click the Heat Source icon
and select Insert Volume Source.
Under Parameter, select
Temperature and apply 45°C to
the four blue capacitors.
Repeat this procedure and apply 35°C to the four pink capacitors.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 3
Thermal Analysis

Fans The Fan creates a volume flow rate into or out of the boundary based
on the difference between the inlet and outlet pressures averaged over
the face. The direction of the fan can be specified as Normal to Face,
Swirl, or 3D Vector. Swirl allows for the specification of swirling flow
about a reference axis at a given angular and radial velocity at the inlet
or outlet. For more information on Fans, refer to the Flow Simulation
Help menu.
Fan Curves A fan curve is defined as the dependency of the Stall Region

Pressure Difference
volume or mass flow rate versus the pressure
difference. An example of a fan curve is shown
in the figure. Notice that most fans have a “stall
region” where at a given pressure difference,
the fan can jump between two flow rates.
It is recommended to select your fan to operate Flow Rate
on the right of the stall region to ensure
stability. Fan curves can usually be obtained from the manufacturer of
the fan.
Introducing: Fan A Fan is a type of flow boundary condition. It can be applied on
artificial lids as Inlet Fans or Outlet Fans.

Where to Find It In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click your study and select
Customize Tree, then choose Fans. This will create a Fans item in the
Input Data folder of the Flow Simulation analysis tree. You can also
find Fans in the following locations:
 Shortcut Menu: Right-click Fans in the Flow Simulation analysis
tree and click Insert Fan
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Fan
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Insert, Fan
Note To add Fans to the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click your
study and select Customize Tree, then choose Fans.

109
Lesson 3 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Thermal Analysis

11 Create a fan.
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, under
Input Data, right click Fans and select Insert
Fan.
Under Type, select External Inlet Fan.
Select the inside face on the Fan_Cap.

Under Fan, select Pre-Defined, Fan Curves,

Papst, DC-Axial, Series 400, 405, 405.
Leave the default Inlet Flow Parameters and
Thermodynamic Parameters.
Note The pre-defined fan parameters are used to
illustrate the fan capability of the engineering
database. It is highly recommended that all fan
parameters are thoroughly checked with the fan
manufacturer.
12 Set outlet boundary condition.
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Input Data, right-click the
Boundary Conditions icon and select Insert Boundary Condition.
Select the nine lid faces on the inside of the enclosure.

In the Boundary Conditions window, under Type, select the

Pressure openings button and Environment Pressure as the Type
of Boundary Condition.
Click OK, accepting the default ambient values.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 3
Thermal Analysis

Perforated You have probably noticed that one of the simplifications of the model
Plates was to cut a large hole where there was a series of triangularly stacked
circular holes in the side of the enclosure. These holes were removed
because they are time consuming to mesh and solve. To take them into
account after removing them, we have several approaches.
 Apply a pressure boundary condition and assume the holes have a
negligible effect on the flow field (what we have done now). This is
a bad approximation of this condition.
 Use a porous media (discussed in Lesson 7: Porous Media) to
approximate the presence of the holes. This is an acceptable
approximation, however the properties of the porous media would
be necessary to properly model this situation. To obtain these
properties, it would be possible to remove the wall completely and
run computational experiments on the wall to calculate the
properties. This approach can be time consuming to calculate the
properties, but will provide an acceptable approximation.
 Use the perforated plates option. This will give us the next best
approximation of the series of holes outside of leaving them in the
model.
In this lesson, we will choose the third option.
Introducing: Perforated plates can be defined in the Engineering Database and
Perforated Plates applied to your model.

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click Perforated Plates in the Flow

Simulation analysis tree and click Insert Perforated Plate
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation >
Flow Simulation Features , Perforated Plate
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Insert, Perforated Plate
Note To add Perforated Plates to the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-
click your study an select Customize Tree, then choose Perforated
Plates.

13 Define perforated plate.

From the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, choose: Tools, Engineering
Database.
Under Database tree, expand the Perforated Plates folder and select
User Defined.

Click New Item in the Engineering database toolbar, or right-click

on the User Defined folder and select New Item.

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Lesson 3 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Thermal Analysis

14 Enter the material properties.

A blank Item Properties tab appears. Specify the following material
properties (double-click the empty cell to set the corresponding
property value):

Name electronics enclosure

Hole Shape Round
Diameter 2mm
Coverage Checkerboard Distance
Distance between centers 4mm

The Free area ratio should be calculated automatically as

0.226724917.

Click Save.

Free Area Ratio The free area ratio is defined as the area
of voids divided by the area of solid. This
can be easily verified with a manual
calculation. Consider the area enclosed
by the red square.

15 Add Perforated plate.

In the Flow Simulation analysis tree,
under Input Data, right click
Perforated Plates and select Insert
Perforated Plate.
Select the inside face of the large
pressure outlet.
Under Perforated Plate dialog select
User Defined, electronics
enclosure.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 3
Thermal Analysis

16 Define Engineering Goal (Volume Goal).

As stated in the problem description, the temperatures of the heat sink
and the op-amp must be minimized. To obtain this data, we will use
engineering goals.
Right-click the Goals icon in the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree and select Insert Volume Goal.
In the Volume Goals dialog window, in the Parameter list, find
Temperature (Solid).
Select the check box in the Max column.
In the SOLIDWORKS FeatureManager design tree, select Heat Sink
to update the Components to apply volume goal list.
Click OK.
Repeat this procedure to apply a Temperature of Solid goal to SOP-8.
17 Solve the Flow Simulation project.
From the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, click: Solve, Run.
Make sure Load results is checked.
Click Run.
This analysis can take about eight minutes to complete. Let the project
run for a few minutes to insure it meshes properly and begins running,
then stop and activate the electronics cooling - completed
configuration and load the results from this project.
18 Create cut plot.
In the Flow Simulation analysis
tree, under Results, right-click
the Cut Plots icon and select
Insert.
In the Section plane or Planar
face box, select the Top plane
with an Offset of 1mm.
In the Display dialog, click
Contours.
In the Contours dialog select
Temperature and increase
Number of Levels to 50.
Click OK to generate the plot.
Hide the cut plot when done
reviewing it.

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Lesson 3 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Thermal Analysis

19 View flow trajectory.

In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click Flow
Trajectories and select Insert.
Select External Inlet Fan 1 as the reference.
Click OK.

20 View the volume temperatures.

Under Results, right-click Goal Plots and select Insert.
Click the checkbox next to All and then either Table or Export to
Excel to open the goal results.
The maximum temperature of the heat sink is almost 60°C while the
maximum temperature of the op-amp is approximately 50°C.

114
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 3
Thermal Analysis

Discussion Our results show that the maximum temperature of the heat sink was
about 67°C. If this was near the critical value, another analysis may be
needed with a more refined mesh in the heat sink. Although the thin
wall optimization does a good job in this area, a more refined mesh
would provide even better results, however the run time would
increase. To deal with the larger run times, we will learn about a
technique known as EFD zooming later on in the course.
To lower the temperature of the heat sink you are encouraged to try
other fans or even create your own to try to further lower the
temperatures of these parts. Another approach could be to change the
orientation of the heat sink.
Summary In this lesson, we performed a flow analysis on an electronics
enclosure. We learned that simplifying the geometry as much as
possible for a first pass analysis will allow the simulation to run
quicker. If we were interested in the effectiveness of the heat sink, a
local initial mesh would allow for finer mesh settings in this area,
providing a more accurate result.
Goals were also created to reflect the design intent of minimizing the
temperatures of the op-amp and the heat sink. These goals allowed us
to validate our fan selection.
In addition, we learned about fans and how they are defined. Fan
curves are a measurement of the fan’s performance and should always
be obtained through the fan manufacturer. It is critical to select a fan
with a fan curve based on the operating conditions of the fan.

115
Exercise 6 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Materials with Orthotropic Thermal Conductivity

Exercise 6: In this exercise, we will perform a thermal analysis on an electronic

Materials with microchip with a heat sink.
Orthotropic This exercise reinforces the following skills:
Thermal  Introducing: Heat Source on page 107
Conductivity  Introducing: Engineering Database on page 105

Problem The enclosure housing a heated

Statement electronic chip (maintained at
100 °C), mounted within a cut out of
the middle plate, has two separate
(upper and lower) flow paths. An
aluminum heat sink is mounted
directly above the chip on the upper
half of the enclosure. A gold plate is
mounted on the other side of the chip
in the lower half of the enclosure. heat sink
The lower flow path has room
temperature air (20 °C) blowing on
the chip at 5 m/s. The upper flow path has colder (5 °C) air blowing
over the heat sink at 5 m/s.
Materials used to manufacture the chip and the middle plate feature
orthotropic conductivity (i.e. direction dependent thermal
conductivity).
The objective of this analysis is to obtain the distribution of
temperature in both the chip and the middle plate.
1 Open an assembly file.
Open TEC gas cooling from the Lesson03\Exercises\Enclosure
folder.
2 Create a project.
Using the Wizard, create a new project with the following properties:

Configuration name Use Current: “Model”

Project name “Orthotropic material”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s) (change temperature from K to C)
Analysis Type Internal
Physical Features Select Heat conduction in Solids.
Default Fluid In the Fluids list, under Gases, double-click Air.
Default Solid Select Insulator from the Glasses and Minerals list.
Wall conditions Default conditions
Initial conditions Default conditions. Click Finish.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 6
Materials with Orthotropic Thermal Conductivity

3 Set initial global mesh parameters.

Edit Definition of Global Mesh.
Set Level of initial mesh to 4.
Set Minimum Gap Size to 0.00381 m. Click OK.
4 Create new material.
Plate-1 and TEC-1 are made of materials called Orthotropic plate
and Orthotropic plate 2, respectively. Because these materials are
not in the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation engineering database, we
must define them.
In the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, choose: Tools,
Engineering Database. In the Database tree, select Materials, Solids,
User Defined.
Click New Item on the toolbar. A blank Item Properties tab appears.
Double-click the empty cell to set the corresponding property value.
Specify the following material properties:
Name = Orthotropic plate
Comment = Orthotropic Material
Density = 2700 kg/m^3
Specific heat = 1000 J/(kg*K)
Conductivity type = Orthotropic
Thermal conductivity in X = 1.5 W/(m*K)
Thermal conductivity in Y = 0.5 W/(m*K)
Thermal conductivity in Z = 3.0 W/(m*K)
Melting temperature = 4400.33K

Click Save.

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Exercise 6 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Materials with Orthotropic Thermal Conductivity

5 Create new material.

Stay in the Database tree, under Materials, Solids, User Defined.
Click the New Item icon on the toolbar.
A blank Item Properties tab appears. Double-click the empty cell to
set the corresponding property value.
Specify the following material properties:
Name = Orthotropic plate 2
Comment = Orthotropic Material
Density = 2700 kg/m^3
Specific heat = 1000 J/(kg*K)
Conductivity type = Orthotropic
Thermal conductivity in X = 1.5 W/(m*K)
Thermal conductivity in Y = 50 W/(m*K)
Thermal conductivity in Z = 0 W/(m*K)
Melting temperature = 3140.33 K
Click Save.
Click File, Exit to exit the database.
Note You can enter the material properties in any unit system by typing the
unit name after the value and SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation will
automatically convert the value to metric. You can also enter material
properties that are temperature dependent using the Tables & Curves
tab.
6 Assign the Solid Materials.
Under Input Data, right-click Solid Materials and select Insert
Solid Material.
In the SOLIDWORKS FeatureManager, select Heat Sink.
Expand the list of Pre-Defined materials and select Aluminum.
Click OK.
7 Assign the rest of the materials.
Repeat the above procedure and assign the solid materials as follows:
Orthotropic plate (User defined material) to the TEC-1 part. Make
sure that the material X axis is aligned with the global X axis.
Gold to the TEC-2 part.
Orthotropic plate 2 (User defined material) to the plate-1 part.
Make sure that the material X axis is aligned with the global X axis.

118
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 6
Materials with Orthotropic Thermal Conductivity

8 Inlet boundary condition 1

(upper half).
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation analysis tree,
right-click the Boundary
Conditions icon and select
Insert Boundary
Condition.
Select the vertical face of
the inlet lid on the upper
half of the enclosure.
Under Type, click the Flow
openings button. Select
Inlet Velocity, and specify
the Normal to Face flow of
5 m/s.
Under Thermodynamic
Parameters, specify a
Temperature of 5 °C.
Click OK.
9 Inlet boundary condition 2 (lower half).
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click the
Boundary Conditions icon and select Insert
Boundary Condition.
Select the vertical face of the inlet lid on the lower half
of the enclosure.
Following the same procedure, specify a Normal to
Face, Inlet Velocity boundary condition of
5 m/s at a Temperature of 20 °C.

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Exercise 6 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Materials with Orthotropic Thermal Conductivity

10 Outlet boundary condition 1 (upper half).

In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click the Boundary
Conditions icon and select Insert Boundary Condition.

Select the inner face of the outlet lid on the upper half of the enclosure.
Under Type, click the Pressure openings button and select Static
Pressure.
The default outlet pressure and temperature of 101325 Pa and 20.05 °C
(293.2 K) are acceptable for this problem.
Click OK.
11 Outlet boundary condition 2
(lower half).
Specify an identical pressure
boundary condition for the lower
half outlet lid.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 6
Materials with Orthotropic Thermal Conductivity

12 Insert heat source.

Under Input Data, right-click Heat Sources
and select Insert Volume Source.
From the SOLIDWORKS feature manager
tree, select the TEC-1 feature.
Under Parameter, click the Temperature
button and enter 100 °C.
Click OK.

13 Insert volume goals for the temperature.

Under Input Data, right-click the Goals icon and select Insert
Volume Goals.
Under Parameter, scroll down until you find Temperature (Solid) and
select the Max box.
From the SOLIDWORKS feature manager tree, select Heat Sink.
Click OK.
The new VG Max Temperature (Solid) item appears in the
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree under Goals. You can
change the name to VG Max Temp of Heat Sink.
Similarly, define volume goals for the Max value of the Temperature
(Solid) in TEC<1> and TEC<2> parts.
14 Solve, Run.
In the Tools, Flow Simulation drop down menu, select Solve, Run.
Make sure that Load results is selected.
The solver should take approximately 3 minutes to run, depending on
the processor speed of the computer.
Once the solver is finished, access the results.

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Exercise 6 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Materials with Orthotropic Thermal Conductivity

15 Plot the temperature distribution on the Heat Sink and plate.

Under Results, right-click the Surface Plots icon and select Insert.
Select the Heat Sink and plate components from the SOLIDWORKS
FeatureManager flyout tab.
Select Temperature (Solid) and set Number of Levels to 50.
Click OK once again to show the plot.

Note To access additional options for this and other plots, either double-click
on the color scale or right-click the Results icon and select View
Settings.

122
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 7
Electric Wire

Exercise 7: In this exercise, we will perform a thermal analysis on an insulated

Electric Wire electric wire.
This exercise reinforces the following skills:
 Introducing: Heat Source on page 107
 Introducing: Engineering Database on page 105

Problem An electric wire made of copper with a

Statement radius of 2mm is insulated and protected
with a layer of PVC at varying
thicknesses. Due to the thermal resistance
of PVC, and electricity, its temperature is
105C. The temperature of the surrounding
air is 25C, and the heat transfer
coefficient between the PVC insulation
and air is 15W/m^2/K. The objective of Cooper
PVC insulation
this exercise is to calculate thermal Wire
equilibrium at three thicknesses of the
PVC insulation: 1.5mm, 7mm and 12mm.
1 Open a part file.
Open Electric Wire from the Lesson03\Exercises\Electric wire
folder.
2 Create a project.
Using the Wizard, create a new project with the following properties:

Configuration Use Current:

name “Layer of insulation 1.5mm”
Project name “Layer of insulation 1.5mm”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s) (change temperature from K to C)
Analysis Type Internal
Physical Features Select Heat conduction in Solids, and activate Heat
conduction in solids only.
Default Solid Select Copper from the Metals list.
Wall conditions Select Heat transfer coefficient.
Enter 15 W/m^2/K for the Heat transfer coefficient
value, and 25 C for Temperature of external fluid.
Initial conditions Default conditions. Click Finish.

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Exercise 7 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Electric Wire

3 Set initial global mesh parameters.

Edit Definition of Global Mesh.
Set Level of initial mesh to 5.
Activate Enable Minimum Wall Thickness, and enter 0.0015m.
Click OK.
4 Define size and boundary condition
for computational domain.
We will assume that the wire is infinitely
long and no heat flow occurs along its
longitudinal direction. We will therefore
simulate only a small segment of the
wire, and apply periodicity conditions on
the two sides of the computational
domain dissecting the wire and PVC
insulator.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Input
Data, right-click the Computational Domain icon and select Edit
Definition.
Under Type click the 2D Simulation button in XY plane.
Under the computational domain Size and Conditions reduce Z max
to 0.01m and set Z min to 0m.
Specify Periodicity as the Boundary Condition for both Z max and Z
min.
Note The most efficient approach is to solve this problem as 2D. Two
dimensional problems are introduced later in the course.
Click OK.
5 Create PVC material in the database.
Open Engineering Database, and under Database tree, expand the
Materials folder and select Solids, User Defined.
Create New Item.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 7
Electric Wire

6 Enter the material properties.

Specify the following material properties:

Name PVC
Density 1379 kg/m^3
Specific Heat 1004 J/(kg*K)
Thermal Conductivity 0.1 W/(m*K)
Melting Temperature 1000 K

Save the PVC material information and Close the Engineering

Database window.
7 Apply materials.
Under Input Data, right-click Solid Materials and select Insert
Solid Material.
From the User defined folder, select PVC and apply it to Insulation.
Note Cooper is assigned to Wire as a default solid material.
8 Apply volume heat source.
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click the Heat Source
folder and select Insert Volume Source.
Select Wire, and apply the Temperature of 105 C.
Click OK.
9 Define Engineering Goal (Surface Goal).
Right-click the Goals folder in the
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree
and select Insert Surface Goal.
Click the outside face of the Insulator.
Under Parameters specify Ave values for
Temperature (Solid) and Heat Flux, and check also the Heat Transfer
Rate.
Click OK.
10 Solve the Flow Simulation project.
This analysis solves very quickly.

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Exercise 7 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Electric Wire

11 Create cut plot for Temperature (Solid).

Insert a new cut plot. Use Front plane offset
by 0.005 m.
In the Display dialog, click Contours.
In the Contours dialog select Temperature
(Solid) and keep the Number of Levels at 10.
Click OK to generate the plot.

You can observe that the maximum temperature on the surface reaches
approximately 86 C.
12 View goal results.
Insert new goal plot.
Under Goals select All Goals, and click the All checkbox.
Click Show.

You can again see that the average temperature on the surface of the
Insulation is 86.7 C. The heat transfer rate for the considered segment
is 0.203 W.

Introducing: Clone Clone Project allows you to copy the project to a new configuration if
Project you would like to change settings, but keep the results of the previous
project. Once the settings are changed, you can re-run the project and
view the new results to compare them to the initial design.

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click the project name in the Flow
Simulation analysis tree and click Clone Project
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Clone Project
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Project, Clone Project

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 7
Electric Wire

13 Clone Project.
Right-click the project name in the Flow
Simulation analysis tree and select Clone
Project.
Under Project Name enter Layer of
Insulation 7mm.
Under Configuration choose Select and
check the checkbox next to Layer of
Insulation 7mm.
The checkbox next to Copy results should
remain unchecked.
Click OK.

This step will create a new project Layer of Insulation 7mm

associated with configuration Layer of Insulation 7mm. All of the
settings from the previous project will be copied into the new project.
We can therefore go ahead and run the simulation.
14 Define size and boundary condition
for computational domain.
Because the dimensions of the model
have changed, the computational domain
size needs to be edited.
Edit Definition of the computational
domain.
Under Size and Conditions click Reset,
and then reduce Z max to 0.01m and set
Z min to 0m.
Specify Periodicity as the Boundary Condition for both Z max and Z
min.
Click OK.
15 Solve the Flow Simulation project.
This analysis again solves very quickly.

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Exercise 7 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Electric Wire

16 Show cut plot for

Temperature (Solid).

You can observe that the maximum temperature on the surface dropped
to approximately 51 C.
17 View goal results.
Edit Definition of the existing goal plot item, and then click Show.

The average temperature on the surface of the Insulation dropped to

51 C, but the transfer rate increased to 0.222 W. 7mm thick insulation
therefore provides not only lower outer surface temperature, but also
higher heat transfer rate. This is caused by the increased surface area in
contact with the surrounding air.
18 Create and solve the problem for 12mm insulation.
Follow steps 13 to 15 to clone the project and solve the simulation for
insulation 12mm thick.
19 Show cut plot for Temperature (Solid).

As expected, the maximum temperature on the surface dropped again,

this time to approximately 43.6 C.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 7
Electric Wire

20 View goal results.

Edit Definition of the existing goal plot item, and then click Show.

The average temperature on the surface of the Insulation again

dropped to 43.6 C, but the heat transfer rate decreased to 0.211 W.
12mm thick insulation therefore causes the outer surface temperature to
decrease, but it will retain more heat in the system.
At some point as the radius of the insulation is increased, the increase
in the surface area of the insulation in contact with air will not counter
the increased bulk of the insulation.

Summary In this exercise we analyzed a copper wire insulated by PVC. Adding

insulation to a regular straight wall always decreases the heat transfer;
this is expected. However, in the cases of cylindrical and spherical
geometries this behavior is not as obvious. This phenomenon was also
demonstrated in this exercise. As the radius of the insulation initially
increases and the temperature of the outer surface decreases, the heat
transfer rate increases. This is caused by a larger surface area in contact
with air. However, as we continue increasing the radius more, the outer
surface temperature will continue to decrease, but the heat transfer rate
will start to decrease as well.
There is a critical radius of insulation at which the heat transfer rate
will be maximized. Such thickness provides the best cooling solution
for the insulated copper wire heated by the current.

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Exercise 7 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Electric Wire

130
 Lesson 4
External Transient Analysis

Objectives Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Create a 2D plane flow analysis.
 Use the Reynolds number equation to apply a velocity boundary
condition to an external analysis.
 Use the Solution Adaptive Mesh refinement option.
 Use animation techniques to visualize the results.
 Create a transient animation.

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Lesson 4 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
External Transient Analysis

Case Study: In this lesson, we will utilize two dimensional plane flow while
Flow Around a analyzing fluid flow around a cylinder. Because this flow will be
Cylinder occurring around a solid body, and not through it, it will be considered
external. The Reynolds number equation will be used in the definition
of our velocity boundary condition. We will also use the adaptive mesh
technique to ensure that a good quality mesh is used in the simulation.
The flow pattern of this example substantially depends on the Reynolds
number which is based on the cylinder diameter. At low Reynolds
numbers (4 < Re < 60), two steady vortices are formed on the rear side
of the cylinder and remain attached to the cylinder, as shown below
schematically.
Y

Flow past a cylinder at low Reynolds numbers (4 < Re < 60)

At higher Reynolds numbers, the flow becomes unstable and a von

Karman vortex street appears in the wake past the cylinder. Moreover,
at Re > 60…100, the eddies attached to the cylinder begin to oscillate
and shed from the cylinder. The flow pattern is shown schematically
below.
Y

Flow past a cylinder at low Reynolds numbers (Re > 60...100)

Problem Water at a temperature of 293.2 K and a

Description pressure of 1 atm flows over a cylinder of
0.01 m diameter. Calculate the cylinder’s drag
coefficient if the flow has a Reynolds number
(Re) of 140.
We will enter 1% as the incoming stream
turbulence intensity. Further discussion on
turbulence intensity is given later in the lesson.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 4
External Transient Analysis

Stages in the  Create the project.

Process Using the Wizard, the external analysis can be created.
 Define computational domain.
Symmetry conditions can be used in the model to simplify the
computational domain.
 Setup adaptive mesh refinement.
The adaptive meshing technique will be used to guarantee a good
quality mesh in areas of high turbulence.
 Declare calculation goals.
Goals can be defined that are special parameters that the user will
have information for after the analysis is run.
 Run the analysis.

 Post-process the results.

The results can be processed using many available options in
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation.
Reynolds The Reynolds number is a dimensionless quantity often used to
Number characterize different flow regimes (i.e. laminar or turbulent). It is a
measurement of the ratio of inertial forces to viscous forces in a flow.
At low Reynolds numbers viscous forces are dominant and the flow is
laminar. Turbulence occurs when the intertial forces are dominant, and
the Reynolds number is high.
The equation for the Reynolds number is given as:
VL
Re = -----------


where  is the density of the fluid, V is the mean velocity, L, is the

characteristic length, and  is the dynamic viscosity of the fluid.
External Flow The purpose of the study is to see how flow moves around, not through,
the solid body, therefore we will choose an external study. External
studies do not require the definition of lids for inlet and outlet boundary
conditions. The flow conditions are defined in the overall computation
domain.

1 Open a part file.

Open cylinder from the Lesson04\Case Study folder.

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Lesson 4 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
External Transient Analysis

2 Create a Project.
Using the Wizard, create a new project with properties as follows:

Configuration Use Current:

name “Default”
Project name “Re 140”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Analysis Type External
For this specific model the Exclude cavities without flow conditions
check box does not have to be checked because there is no internal
space.
Physical Features Select the Time-dependent check box.
In the Total analysis time box, type 80s.
In the Output Time step box, type 4s.
Database of Fluids In the Liquids list, double-click Water.
Wall conditions In the Default wall thermal condition list, select Adiabatic wall.
In the Roughness box, type 0 micrometer.
Initial conditions Under Velocity Parameters, click in the Velocity in the X-direction
box.
Click Dependency.
In the Dependency Window, under Dependency type list, click
Formula definition.
In the Formula box, type: 140*(0.00101241/0.01/998.19). This is the
Reynolds number equation solved for the free stream velocity.
Click OK.
Under Turbulence Parameters, set the Turbulence Intensity to 1%.
See below for a discussion on turbulence intensity.
Click Finish.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 4
External Transient Analysis

Transient It is interesting to note that the Flow Simulation solver assumes that all
Analysis analyses are transient. For a “steady-state” analysis, the solver runs the
transient analysis and looks for convergence in the flow field which
would mean that the analysis has reached a steady-state.
We specifically defined this analysis as Time-dependent when setting
it up using the wizard so that we could study the development of the
separation. When that selection was made, we decided that the analysis
should be run for 80 seconds and results would be saved every 4
seconds. We chose the time of 80s to give the flow enough time to
develop and 4s so that our result would be fairly resolved.
Note that 4 seconds is not the selected time step, only the time step at
which the results will be saved. Therefore, the analysis will save results
for 21 time steps (80/4 + 1 step for the initial time). At this point, we do
not know what the solver will use for time steps, only that the results
will be saved every 4 seconds.
Discussion Consider what would happen if we attempted to solve this problem
without activating the Time-dependent flag. The solver would run the
analysis looking for the steady-state solution. Because of the nature of
this problem (the turbulent eddies shedding from the cylinder in an
oscillatory fashion), a steady-state solution does not exist and the solver
may not converge. If convergence is achieved, the solution would not
be completely accurate because of the time dependent nature of the
oscillatory shedding.
It is important to note that there are problems such as this where the
steady-state solution is either unable to converge, or does not make
physical sense because of instabilities in the flow field. In these
situations, it may be important to run the transient analysis to fully
understand the behavior of the flow field.
Turbulence Turbulent flow can be characterized into two categories; fluctuating
Intensity flow and mean flow. Turbulence intensity is defined as the fluctuating
velocity divided by the mean (i.e. free stream) velocity and multiplied
by 100.
Turbulence in general is a complicated phenomenon, and not yet fully
understood from a theoretical standpoint. A measure of the turbulence
intensity in a flow, therefore, can only be derived through a series of
experiments.
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation sets default values of 0.1% for
external flow and 2% for internal flows. Typically, this value is difficult
to obtain. However, the flow over a cylinder has been heavily studied
and the value of 1% has been verified both experimentally and
analytically.

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Lesson 4 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
External Transient Analysis

Recommendation The default values for turbulence intensity have been selected to
provide the most accurate result for the widest range of problems. It is
strongly recommended to keep these default values unless the problem
is well studied and the turbulence intensity is known. We only change
the value in this example because the problem is well studied.
Solution The solution adaptive mesh refinement is turned on by default when the
Adaptive Mesh result resolution is set at 6 or greater. The solution adaptive meshing is
Refinement a procedure for adapting the computational mesh to the solution during
the calculation. The solution adaptive mesh additionally refines the
mesh cells within the high-gradient flow regions, and merges the mesh
cells within the low-gradient regions. See the figure below for an
example of the solution adaptive meshing. SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation allows you to change the values of the parameters
governing the default solution adaptive meshing procedures. In
addition, the solution adaptive meshing can be turned on for models
with a result resolution lower than 6, however this needs to be done
manually.

Geometry Refinement Solution Adaptive

Refinement

Two In general, fluid dynamics is the study of flow in three dimensions.

Dimensional Pressure, velocity, temperature, and other fluid properties can vary
Flow significantly in any direction. In computational fluid dynamics, the
calculations of these properties in each dimension can get very time
consuming. Often times, however these properties may only vary in
one (i.e. pipe flow) or two dimensions (i.e. flow around a cylinder),
allowing for significantly less computation time. In our example, we
assume that the cylinder is infinitely long, therefore the flow field will
not change through the length of the cylinder (z direction). We can then
take advantage of symmetry by using plane flow.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 4
External Transient Analysis

3 Set initial Global Mesh.

Edit Definition of the global mesh.
Set Level of Initial Mesh to 5.
4 Define flow symmetry condition and
domain size.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree, under Input Data, right-click
the Computational Domain icon and
select Edit Definition.
Under Type click the 2D Simulation button
in XY plane.
Under the computational domain Size and
Conditions enter the dimensions shown in the
figure.

Note In the Z direction, the boundary type and size are automatically set to
Symmetry and +-0.001m, respectively.
Click OK.
No other boundary condition is needed for this problem.

Computational For most external analyses, the default computational domain is

Domain sufficient. In this example, however, we would like to make sure that
the flow field is fully developed when it reaches the cylinder and also
fully developed when it leaves the computational domain. We therefore
manually edit the size to insure that the flow field is fully captured.
Calculation The Calculation Control Options define different parameters with
Control Options respect to the solver. The Calculation Control Options dialog has four
tabs to define the different settings: Finish, Refinement, Solving, and
Saving.

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Lesson 4 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
External Transient Analysis

Finishing The finish conditions define when the solver has decided if
convergence has been reached and what goals to include for the
solution convergence testing. It also allows you to be e-mailed when
the solution is completed. There are six different things that can be
looked at when deciding when the solver has converged:
 Goals Convergence
Defines whether or not the goals have converged before the
calculation is stopped.
 Physical time
Defines the maximum physical time that the analysis will run. In
our example, our maximum physical time is 80 seconds as entered
when setting up the analysis using the wizard.
 Iterations
Defines the maximum number of iterations the solver will compute
before finishing the calculation.
 Travels
A travel is defined as the time it takes for the flow to travel across
the computational domain. This defines the maximum number of
travels during the calculation.
 Calculation time
Defines the maximum time that the calculation will take.
 Refinements
This parameter defines how much the mesh may be refined during
the calculation if the adaptive mesh refinement is active.
Refinement The refinement conditions define the parameters that govern the
solution adaptive mesh refinement. For more information on these
parameters, refer to the Help menu.
Solving The Solving tab contains advanced solver related options such as Time
step, Nested iterations, Flow Freezing and others.
Saving This defines when the results are saved during the solution process.

5 Set the finish conditions.

Right-click Input Data in the Flow Simulation analysis tree and select
Calculation Control Options.
Click the Finishing tab.
Several Criteria to stop a simulation can be specified. In this case, we
will keep the default 80s for Physical time.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 4
External Transient Analysis

6 Set the calculation refinement.

Still in the Calculation Control Options window, click the
Refinement tab.
For Global Domain select level = 2.
Select the Approximate Maximum Cells check box and set the value
to 750,000.
In the Refinement strategy list, select Periodic. Click OK.

Tip For additional information regarding the Solution adaptive settings

select the Help button in the Calculation Control Options command
while on the Refinement tab.
7 Define Engineering Goal.
Under Goals, Insert Global Goals.
In the Parameter list, locate the Force (X) and select the check box.
Click OK.

Drag Equation The drag equation is defined as:

1 2
F d = --- V C d A
2

where  is fluid density, V is the free stream velocity, A is the frontal

area (area seen by the oncoming flow), and Cd is the drag coefficient.
Different shaped objects have different drag coefficients. In addition,
flows with different Reynolds numbers can also affect the drag
coefficient.

Important! The drag equation is based on a very idealized situation and should be
used only as an approximation.

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Lesson 4 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
External Transient Analysis

8 Insert Equation Goal.

We will use the drag equation along with our knowledge of the x
component of force to solve for the drag coefficient.
Under Goals, Insert Equation Goal.
Click the GG Force (X)1 global goal from SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation designs tree to add it to the Expression box.
In the Expression box, complete the equation by manually typing
*2*998.19/1.01241e-3^2*0.01/(2*0.001)/140^2. This equation is
derived from a combination of the drag equation and the Reynolds
number equation.
In the Dimensionality list, click No unit. Click OK.

9 Rename the Equation Goal to Cd.

Cd is the drag coefficient.
10 Run the analysis.
Make sure that the Load results check box is checked.
Click Run.
It takes approximately 10 minutes to solve.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 4
External Transient Analysis

11 Create Cut Plot.

Define a cut plot on Plane1 for Pressure.
Under Display, click the Contours and Vectors buttons.
Set Number of Levels to 100.
Click OK to show the plot.

Note The difference between the maximum and minimum pressure is

0.245 Pa.

Unsteady Vortex The unsteady vortex shedding from a cylinder at Re > 60 - 100 yields
Shedding oscillations of both drag and lateral forces acting on the cylinder and a
von Karman vortex street is formed past the cylinder. An X-velocity
field over and past the cylinder is shown in the following figure.

Velocity contours of flow over and past cylinder Re = 140

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Lesson 4 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
External Transient Analysis

12 Include Mesh in Cut Plots.

Edit Definition of the cup plot from step 11.
Click the Contours and Vectors buttons to clear them. Click the Mesh
button and select OK.

Time Animation Lesson 1: Creating a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Project

introduced the result animation in which a cut plane is moved through
the model to view how the results at a certain time (or at the end of the
steady state analysis) vary through the model. The following steps will
demonstrate how to create a transient animation at a fixed location.

13 Edit cut plot.

Edit Cut Plot 1.
Deactivate Mesh plot and show back the velocity contours.
14 Animate the cut plot.
Right-click Cut Plot 1 and select Animation.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 4
External Transient Analysis

15 Setup the animation using

the wizard.
Expand the animation
manger.
Click the Wizard button
on the animation toolbar.

16 Delete existing tracks.

In the first panel of the Animation Wizard, select the Delete all
existing tracks option.
Keep 10s as your Animation time.
Click Next.

17 Specify the view animation.

Accept the default that the model is not rotated during animation.

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Lesson 4 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
External Transient Analysis

18 Choose the type of animation.

In the third panel, select the Scenario option.
Click Next.

19 Set units and distribution.

In the fourth panel select Uniform distribution and the Physical time
for Units.
Click Finish.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 4
External Transient Analysis

Hover with the mouse over the Animation 1 time line. The callout
should read as is shown in the figure below.

Note You can also drag the last control point (diamond shaped icon) to adjust
the duration of the Animation 1 track.

The brown colored time line indicates the instances of the results
loaded to the memory.
20 Insert Control Point.
Right-click in the time line at time equal to zero (make sure you are
adjacent to the Cut Plot 1) and select Insert Control Point.

Select just the inserted control point at time zero and drag the time line
to 10 seconds.

21 Click the Play button.

The animation can be saved on the disk by clicking the Record button.
22 Save and close the part.

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Lesson 4 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
External Transient Analysis

Discussion The example of two dimensional flow over a cylinder has been heavily
studied both experimentally and analytically. It is well known that the
drag coefficient of the cylinder actually decreases with higher Reynolds
number flows. You are encouraged to investigate this phenomenon
further by changing the Reynolds number and seeing its effect on the
drag coefficient.
The vortex shedding that was seen occurs at a given frequency that is
directly related to the Reynolds number of the flow. Knowing this
frequency can become very important when designing structures that
may be subject to this type of shedding. If the natural frequency of the
structure lies within the range of frequencies of the vortex shedding, the
structure could lose its stiffness and collapse.
Summary In this lesson, we investigated the classic fluid dynamics problem of
flow over a cylinder. Symmetry boundary conditions on an external
flow analysis were used to simplify the calculations. The solution
adaptive mesh technique was used to ensure that quality results were
obtained in the wake of the cylinder. Turbulence and vortex shedding
were observed and discussed. Finally, animation techniques were used
to visualize the flow.

146
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 8
Electronics Cooling

Exercise 8: In this exercise, we will perform a time-dependent heat transfer

Electronics analysis on a microchip testing bed.
Cooling This exercise reinforces the following skills:
 Introducing: Engineering Goals on page 26
 Introducing: Heat Source on page 107

Problem Four microchips made up of a

Statement special microchip material are
sitting on a ceramic porcelain
substrate and stand inside of an
Aluminum enclosure. The
microchips generate 2 W of power
and are turned off and on at
different time increments. Cooling
occurs as air flows into the
enclosure from one side at a flow
rate of 0.15 ft^3/in.
Determine the temperature
distribution inside the enclosure after 1 second.
1 Open an assembly file.
Open Computer Chip from the Lesson04\Exercises folder.
2 Create a new material.
The chips and substrate are made of a special user
defined material which is not a default material in
the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Engineering
database. To add this material, do the following
before setting up the SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation project:
From the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, choose:
Tools, Engineering Database.
Under Database tree, expand the Materials
folder and select Solids, User Defined.
Click New Item in the Engineering database
toolbar, or right-click on the User Defined folder and select New Item.

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Exercise 8 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Electronics Cooling

3 Enter the material properties.

A blank Item Properties tab appears. Specify the following material
properties (double-click the empty cell to set the corresponding
property value):

Name Chip Material

Density 2330 kg/m^3
Specific Heat 670 J/(kg*K)
Thermal Conductivity 130 W/(m*K)
Melting Temperature 1000 K

Click Save.
Note You can enter material properties that are temperature dependent using
the Tables and Curves tab.
4 Add substrate material.
Switch to the Items tab and repeat the previous step to add the substrate
material with the following properties:

Name Ceramic Porcelain

Density 2330 kg/m^3
Specific Heat 877.96 J/(kg*K)
Thermal Conductivity 1.4949 W/(m*K)
Melting Temperature 1000 K

Click File, Exit to close the Engineering Database.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 8
Electronics Cooling

5 Create a project.
Click Tools, Flow Simulation, Project, Wizard. Using the Wizard,
create a new project with the following properties:

Configuration Use current:

name “Default”
Project name “Transient Heat Source”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Change the units for Temperature to °C.
Analysis Type Internal

Physical Features Select the Heat conduction in Solids check box.

Select the Time-dependent check box.
In the Total analysis time box, type 1s.
In the Output Time step box, type 0.1s.
Database of In the Gas list, double-click Air.
Fluids
Solids Default solid should be set to Ceramic Porcelain.
Wall conditions In the Default wall thermal condition list, select Adiabatic wall.
In the Roughness box, type 0 micro inch.
Initial conditions Default conditions. Click Finish.

Note SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation will create a new configuration

within the SOLIDWORKS Configuration Manager. A SOLIDWORKS
Flow Simulation analysis tree will also be created. The name of the
new configuration will be the same as the name entered in the Project
Wizard.

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Exercise 8 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Electronics Cooling

6 Set initial global mesh parameters.

Edit Definition of Global Mesh.
Set the Level of initial mesh to 1.
Set Minimum Gap Size to 0.00254 m.
Click OK.
7 Apply inlet boundary conditions.
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree,
under Input Data, right-click Boundary
Conditions and select Insert Boundary
Condition.
Select the inside face of the enclosure.
In the Boundary Conditions window,
under Type, select the Flow openings
button and Inlet Volume Flow as the Type
of Boundary Condition.
Under Flow Parameters, click the Normal to face button and enter
the air flow rate value of 0.005 m3/s in the Volume flow rate normal
to face box.
Click OK.
8 Apply outlet boundary condition.
As in the previous step, right-click
Boundary Conditions and select Insert
Boundary Condition.
Select the opposite inside face of the
enclosure.
In the Boundary Conditions window,
under Type, select the Pressure
openings button and Static Pressure as
the Type of Boundary Condition.
Click OK, accepting the default ambient values.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 8
Electronics Cooling

9 Apply heat source for Chip<1>.

A heat source is required to simulate the
heating of the chips. In the Flow Simulation
analysis tree, right-click the Heat Source icon
and select Insert Volume Source.
Select the Chip<1> part.
Under Parameters, click Heat Generation
Rate.
Click the Dependency button . In the
Dependency dialog window, select F(time) -
table and enter the following values, or copy
them from the provided excel file in the lesson
directory:

Values t Values f(t)

(secs) (W)

0 2
0.099 2
0.1 0
0.399 0
0.4 2
0.499 2
0.5 0
0.799 0
0.8 2
0.899 2
0.9 0
1.0 0

Select Preview chart to plot a graph of your input.

Click OK.
Click OK to close the Volume Source window.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation design tree, under Heat
Sources, rename VS Heat Generation Rate 1 to VS Chip1-1.

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Exercise 8 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Electronics Cooling

Cut and Paste In the Dependency table dialog box for Volume heat source, you can
Heat Source Data highlight all the values by clicking and dragging the mouse cursor
across all the values in the table. Right-clicking over the highlighted
table does not work within this function, but if you press Ctrl+C, the
data will be copied to the clipboard. When you open a new heat source
Dependency table, select the first cell in the table and press Ctrl+V,
and the values will be correctly pasted to the table. You can also modify
the time points for each chip heat load so that the heat is applied at
different intervals.
10 Open Heat Transfer.xls for inputting all chip data.
Repeat the previous step to apply volume heat source for Chip<2>,
Chip<3>, and Chip<4> using the values from the table given below or
from the table listed in the Heat Transfer.xls file.
Type in the following table values.

Chip<2> Chip<3> Chip<4>

Values Values Values Values

Values t Values t
f(t) f(t) t f(t)
(secs) (secs)
(W) (W) (secs) (W)

0 0 0 0 0 0
0.099 0 0.199 0 0.299 0
0.1 2 0.2 2 0.3 2
0.199 2 0.299 2 0.399 2
0.2 0 0.3 0 0.4 0
0.499 0 0.599 0 0.699 0
0.5 2 0.6 2 0.7 2
0.599 2 0.699 2 0.799 2
0.6 0 0.7 0 0.8 0
0.899 0 1.0 0 1.0 0
0.9 2
1.0 2

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 8
Electronics Cooling

11 Review volume heat source graphs for all chips.

12 Define material conditions for chips.

In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree, right-click Solid Materials and
select Insert Solid material.
Under Selection, select Chip<1>, Chip<2>,
Chip<3>, and Chip<4>.
Under Solid, browse to User Defined and
assign Chip material to the chips.
Click OK.
13 Define material for cover.
Similarly to the previous step, assign
Aluminum (from the Pre-Defined material
folder) to Top Cover-1, Bottom Cover-1, and
Enclosure.
Note Since the default material was set to Ceramic Porcelain using the
Wizard, the components not selected (Substrate<1>, Stand-
offs<1>) will be automatically assigned the Ceramic Porcelain
material. You can check to see the default material by right-clicking the
Input Data folder in the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis
tree and selecting General Settings, Solids.

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Exercise 8 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Electronics Cooling

14 Define Engineering Goal (Volume Goal).

Right-click the Goals icon in the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree and select Insert Volume Goal.
In the Volume Goals dialog window, in the Parameter list, find
Temperature (Solid).
Select the check box in the Max column.
In the SOLIDWORKS FeatureManager design tree, select Chip<1> to
update the Components to apply volume goal list.
Click OK.
15 Create similar Volume Goals for the other three chips.

16 Define Engineering Goal (Global Goal).

Right-click the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree Goals
icon and select Insert Global Goals.
In the Global Goals dialog window, in the Parameter list, find
Temperature (Solid) select Max.
Click OK.
17 Solve the Flow Simulation project.
From the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, click: Solve, Run.
Make sure Load results is checked.
Click Run.
Note This analysis should take about 10 minutes to run on a 3.6 GHz Intel
Xeon E5 machine with 16 GM RAM.
The result values shown in the next few pages may differ from your
results depending on how you had applied the time-dependent heat
sources for each chip.
18 Set model Transparency.
In the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, click: Results, Display,
Transparency.
Move the slider to the right to increase the Value to set. Set the model
transparency to 0.75.
Click OK.
Note You will be able to view results once the fluid simulation is complete.
However, if you reopen a model, the results will need to be loaded.
The *.fld file contains results for all the time steps, including the last
time step. In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation project folder there
are 10 other result files called r_00xxx.fld, where xxx refers to a
specific iteration number which corresponds to the saved time points
0.1s, 0.2s, 0.3s...etc.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 8
Electronics Cooling

19 Create Cut Plot.

Define cut plot using the Top view plane with Offset of -0.005 m.
In the Display dialog, click Contours and Vectors.
Select the Temperature and increase Number of Levels to 50.
Click OK to close the Cut Plot window.

20 Hide Cut Plot 1.

21 Create surface plot.

Make sure the Enclosure<1> and the Top and Bottom Covers<1>
are either transparent or hidden.
Create a surface plot for Chip<1>, Chip<2>, Chip<3>,Chip<4>,
Substrate<1>, and Stand-offs<1>.
Under Display, select the Contours button.
Specify Temperature (Solid) and increase Number of Levels to 50.
Click OK.

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Exercise 8 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Electronics Cooling

22 View flow trajectory.

In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click Flow Trajectories
and select Insert.
Select the Right Plane as a reference.
Under Appearance, from the Draw trajectories as list, select Line
with Arrows.
Under Constraints, in the Maximum length text box, enter a value of
0.75 m.
Click OK.
23 View results.
Under Results, right-click on Goal Plots and select Insert.
Under Goals click the All checkbox, and select Physical time for
Abscissa.
Under Options check Group charts by parameter to see all
temperature goal plots in a single graph.
Click Export to Excel.
An Excel spreadsheet opens. The spreadsheet will show the summary
of goal temperatures for each chip as a function of physical time.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 8
Electronics Cooling

24 View the plot.

In the Excel file, select the Temperature (Solid) tab at the bottom of
the spreadsheet. This plot shows the temperature of each chip as a
function of physical time.

In the Excel file, you can select the Plot Data tab sheet to see the actual
values used to make the previous plot.

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Exercise 8 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Electronics Cooling

158
 Lesson 5
Conjugate Heat Transfer

Objectives Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Create a steady state conjugate heat transfer analysis for a cold
plate using a real gas.
 Define multiple fluid regions.
 Use real gases.
 Create temperature plots in the solid and fluid regions.

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Lesson 5 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Conjugate Heat Transfer

Case Study: In this lesson, we will perform a steady state conjugate heat transfer
Heated Cold analysis using a real gas and multiple fluid domains. Multiple fluid
Plate regions will be defined. We will learn to properly post-process the
results of this type of analysis by creating various cut plots through the
results.
Project A heated cold plate sits in an
Description open air filled environment.
Heat is generated at 200 W on
the top surface of the plate.
The plate is cooled by a Outlet
cooling tube as shown in the
figure below. The tube
contains R-123 at -5°C Inlet
flowing at 0.001 kg/s through
the inlet.
Determine the steady state temperature distribution through the plate
and surrounding air.
Stages in the  Create the project.
Process Using the Wizard, the transient heat transfer analysis can be
created.
 Define fluid subdomain.
Because more than one fluid exists in the model, a separate fluid
subdomain must be defined.
 Apply boundary conditions.
The conditions for the fluid flow into and out of the enclosure must
be defined.
 Apply heat source.
A way for heat to enter the model also needs to be defined.
 Declare calculation goals.
Goals can be defined that are special parameters that the user will
have information for after the analysis is run.
 Run the analysis.

 Post-process the results.

The results can be processed using many available options in
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation.

160
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 5
Conjugate Heat Transfer

Conjugate Heat Conjugate heat transfer is the combination of convection and

Transfer conduction heat exchange. By default, SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation considers the heat transfer due to convection within a fluid,
however will not consider conduction through solids. This option must
be selected when defining the simulation.
Real Gases In addition to the Navier-Stokes equations, Flow Simulation uses state
equations to solve its problems. In general, gases are considered ideal.
This means that the size of the gas molecules is neglected. The
intermolecular forces between molecules are also neglected. This
allows the pressure in the gas to be directly related to the temperature.
If the considered gas gets near the gas-liquid phase transition or above
the critical point (i.e. becomes supercritical fluid), the ideal gas state
equation can no longer describe the gas behavior properly (e.g. the
Joule-Thomson effect) due to the increased intermolecular forces
having an effect on the pressure. A real gas fluid should be selected
from the Engineering Database, so that the real gas state equations are
used.
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation allows users to use real gases in a
broad range of parameters, including both sub- and supercritical
regions.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Liquid Cold Plate from the Lesson05\Case Study folder.
2 Create a Project.
Using the Wizard, create a new project with properties as follows:

Configuration Use Current:

name “Default”
Project name “Conjugate Heat Transfer”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Change the units for Temperature to °C.
Analysis Type External
Physical Features Select the Heat conduction in Solids check box.
Select the Gravity box.
The Y-Component -9.81 m/s^2 is the correct direction and value for this
analysis.
Database of In the Fluids list, under Gases, double-click Air to add it to the Project
Fluids Fluids. Also, add Refrigerant R-123 (Real Gases) under Real Gases.
Make sure the Default fluid type is set to Air (Gases) by deselecting the
check box for Refrigerant R-123 (Real Gases).

161
Lesson 5 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Conjugate Heat Transfer

Solids Default solid should be set to Aluminum under the Metals list.
Wall conditions The default Roughness value of 0 micro meter is acceptable for this
analysis.
Initial conditions Default conditions. Click Finish.

Note The above parameter values specifying the minimum gap size and wall
thickness relate to the inner diameter of the pipe and its wall thickness.
3 Set initial global mesh parameters.
Edit Definition of Global Mesh.
Keep Level of initial mesh at level 3.
Set Minimum Gap Size to 0.007874 m.
Click OK.
4 Set computational domain.
Under the Input Data folder, right-click Computational Domain
and select Edit Definition. Set the size of the computational domain to
the following values:

Size (meters)

X max: 0.5
X min: -0.25
Y max: 0.25
Y min: -0.10
Z max: 0.50
Z min: -0.25

The computational domain around the model can affect the results and
must be large enough to allow the flow to develop correctly and reduce
the effects of any gradients which occur around the model. The domain
specified in this lesson is designed to minimize the CPU time and RAM
required to solve, yet still give reasonably accurate results.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 5
Conjugate Heat Transfer

Introducing: Fluid When multiple fluids are specified in the project, fluid subdomains
Subdomain have to be assigned to them. Any cavity without a fluid subdomain
assignment is assumed to be filled with the default fluid.

Where to Find It  CommandManager: Flow Simulation >

Flow Simulation Features > Fluid Subdomain
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Insert, Fluid Subdomain
 Flow Simulation Features toolbar: Fluid Subdomain

5 Set the fluid subdomain.

Define Fluid Subdomain.
Select an internal face of the tube that is filled
with R-123.
Under Fluid Type, deselect Air (Gases) and
select Refrigerant R-123 (Real Gases).
Click on the Thermodynamic Parameters
double arrows to expand the option. Enter -5
°C for the temperature (T).
Click OK.
6 Inlet boundary condition.
Define Flow Openings, Inlet Mass Flow
condition on the inner face of the fluid port
(see the figure at the beginning of this lesson)
Specify 0.001 kg/s as the mass flow rate.
Under Thermodynamic Parameters, leave
the default inlet temperature of -5°C.
Click OK.
7 Setting outlet boundary conditions.
A pressure condition will be used to identify the outlet condition. If the
pressure is not known at the outlet, an ambient static pressure condition
can usually be used as the boundary condition across the outlet face.
Define Pressure openings, Static pressure condition on the inner
face of the outlet port.
Click OK accepting the default ambient values for pressure and
temperature.

163
Lesson 5 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Conjugate Heat Transfer

8 Define Heat Source.

Define Heat Generation Rate
condition on the top surface of
the Cold Plate (see the figure).
Under Parameter, enter 200 W.
Click OK.

9 Define Engineering Goal.

Under Goals, Insert Global Goal.
In the Parameter list, click the Max check boxes for both the
Temperature (Fluid) and the Temperature (Solid).
Click OK.
10 Run the project.
Make sure that the Load results check box is checked.
Click Run.
The solver should take approximately 13 minutes to run on a 3.6 GHz
Intel Xeon CPU platform.
11 Monitor the Solver.
In the Solver window, click Insert Goal Plot on the Solver toolbar.
The Add/Remove Goals window appears. Select the Add All check
box.
Click OK.

Goals Plot in the In the Goals window, each defined goal will be listed. Here you can see
Solver Window the current value and graph for each goal as well as the current progress
towards completion given as a percentage. The progress value is only
an estimate, and the rate of progress generally increases with time.
Once the solution has achieved convergence and the solver is finished,
continue on with the next step. You can also close the Solver monitor
window.

12 Change display transparency.

In the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, select Results, Display,
Transparency and set the Model Transparency to 0.75.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 5
Conjugate Heat Transfer

13 Show surface plots.

Define a surface plot for Temperature (Solid) on the top surface of the
Cold plate.
Set the Number of Levels slider to 120.
Click OK.

14 View Air Mass Cut Plot.

Hide the Surface Plot.
Define a cut plot for Mass Fraction of Air.
Use the Top plane Offset by 0.02915 m to cut through the pipe filled
with refrigerant liquid.
Note If Mass Fraction of Air is not available, expand the Parameters pull
down list and select Add Parameter. Expand the Main list and add it.
Click OK again to close the Cut Plot definition window.

The air surrounding the cold plate will be in blue, representing an air
mass fraction of 1. The liquid cooling pipes filled with R-123 does not
contain any air.

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Lesson 5 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Conjugate Heat Transfer

15 View Temperature Cut Plot.

Edit the parameter in the Cut Plot 1 and change it to Temperature.

The cut plot shows the temperature distribution in both the air and the
R-123 refrigerant.
16 View Temperature Cut Plot in the vertical plane.
Define a new Cut Plot in the vertical plane. Use the SOLIDWORKS
Right plane as reference and specify 0.049 m for the Offset.

17 Animate cut plot.

Animate the previous cut plot to see the variation of the temperature as
the vertical cut plane slides through the model.

Summary In this lesson a conjugate heat transfer analysis was performed on a hot
plate sitting in air. A tube with R-123 was used to cool the hot plate. A
real gas was used to model the R-123 in the simulation and it was seen
that the gas was actually a liquid. If this occurs, the accuracy of the
results may be significantly affected because the phase change is not
modeled. The results of the model were post-processed using cut plots.

166
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 9
Heat Exchanger with Multiple Fluids

Exercise 9: In this exercise, we will perform a steady state thermal analysis on a

Heat Exchanger copper heat exchanger.
with Multiple This exercise reinforces the following skills:
Fluids  Conjugate Heat Transfer on page 161
 Introducing: Engineering Goals on page 26
 Post-processing on page 35

Problem A copper heat exchanger Air inlet

Statement is used to transfer heat
between air and water Air outlet
systems.
450 K of hot air is
entering the heat Water outlet
exchanger (at the inlet
indicated in the figure) at
a rate of 0.15 kg/s. Water
is pushed through the heat
Water inlet
exchanger at a rate of
0.1 kg/s. The objective of
this exercise is to obtain the temperature profile in both media.
1 Open an assembly file.
Open HX from the Lesson05\Exercises folder.
2 Create a project.
Using the Wizard, create a new project with the following properties:

Configuration Use current:

name “Default”
Project name “Heat Exchanger”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Analysis Type Internal
Physical Features Select the Exclude cavities without flow conditions check box.
Select the Heat conduction in Solids check box.
Database of In the Gases list, double-click Air.
Fluids In the Liquids list, double-click Water.
Under Default Fluid make sure the box is checked for Air (Gases).
Solids Default solid should be set to Copper.
Wall conditions In the Default wall thermal condition list, select Adiabatic wall.
In the Roughness box, type 0 micrometer.
Initial conditions Default conditions. Click Finish.

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Exercise 9 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Heat Exchanger with Multiple Fluids

3 Set initial global mesh parameters.

Set Initial mesh level to 3.
4 Set computational domain.
Exploiting half symmetry, it is only necessary to examine the flow
through half the model. In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree, under the Input Data folder, right-click Computational
Domain and select Edit Definition.
In the Size and Conditions dialog, specify 0 m and Symmetry for At
X min.
Click OK.

Important! Though two fluids have been defined in the wizard, Flow Simulation
needs to be told where these liquids flow through the model. Thus,
Fluid Subdomains must be created. The two sub-domains must be
independent and must not have any mixing.
5 Define air sub-domain.
Right-click Fluid Subdomains in the
Input data folder and select Insert Fluid
Subdomain.
Select the inner surface of the inlet of the
outer shell.
Make sure that the Air check box is
selected.
Under the Thermodynamic Properties list, enter 450 K for the
Temperature.
Click OK.
6 Define water sub-domain.
Follow the same procedure to define the
fluid sub-domain for Water.
Use the water inlet, as shown in the
figure.
Do not modify the temperature and
pressure - this information remains
unknown.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 9
Heat Exchanger with Multiple Fluids

7 Specify water inlet boundary

condition.
Create a Fully developed, Inlet Mass
flow of 0.05 kg/s (remember, however,
we are using the half symmetry so the
total mass flow is 0.1 kg/s) on the inner
surface of the inlet of the tube.
Rename this to Water Inlet Mass Flow.

8 Specify air inlet boundary condition.

Create a Fully developed Inlet Mass flow
of 0.075 kg/s (once again, because of half
symmetry, the total mass flow is 0.15 kg/s)
on the inner surface of the inlet of the outer
shell.
Under Thermodynamic parameters,
make sure that the Temperature field
reads 450 K.
Click OK.
Rename this condition to Air Inlet Mass Flow.
9 Specify air and water outlet conditions.
In both cases, specify an Environment Pressure boundary condition
with the default Pressure and Temperature of 101325 Pa and
293.2 K, respectively.
Rename these conditions to Air Outlet and Water Outlet.

10 Define air outlet surface goal.

Using the Air Outlet boundary condition, define a Temperature
(Fluid) (Average value) surface goal.

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Exercise 9 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Heat Exchanger with Multiple Fluids

11 Define water outlet surface goal.

Using the Water Outlet boundary condition, define Temperature
(Fluid) (Average, Minimum, and Maximum values) surface goals.
Also, define a Mass Flow rate surface goal as a sanity check.
12 Run the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation project.

13 Create Cut Plot.

Create a Temperature Cut Plot using Contours on the Right plane.

14 Examine surface parameters.

Evaluate the surface parameters on the outlet face of the water.
15 Create Goal Plot.
Create goal plot using the water outlet average temperature of fluid
surface goal.

170
 Lesson 6
EFD Zooming

Objectives Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Use EFD Zooming to solve complex models.
 Properly apply transferred boundary conditions.

171
Lesson 6 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
EFD Zooming

Case Study: In Lesson 3: Thermal Analysis, we performed an analysis on an

Electronics electronics enclosure. We simplified the model so that it could be
Enclosure reasonably run, however the run time was still significant. In addition,
we noted that the maximum temperature of the heat sink may not have
been adequate. A design change was proposed where the heat sink
would be repositioned. In addition, the heat sink could be redesigned
with thicker fins.
In this lesson we will attempt to investigate the effect of repositioning
the heat sink. Rather than run the full model twice, we will use a
technique known as EFD Zooming to allow us to run the simulations
faster.
Project The goal of this lesson is to minimize
Description the temperature of the heat sink. To do
this, we will investigate two different
heat sink positions as shown in the
figure.
In the former lesson, it was
determined that the temperature of the
heat sink was near the maximum
allowable temperature. For that
reason, a more refined mesh is needed
in the area of the heat sink to properly
resolve the temperature. This could be Design A Design B
easily achieved with a local initial
mesh, however we would also be sacrificing significant computation
time. In addition, to evaluate both designs, the model would be solved
twice; further increasing computations. In this lesson, we will use a
different approach called EFD Zooming.
EFD Zooming EFD Zooming is a technique that allows users to focus in on singular
areas of interest while still accounting for flow fields surrounding that
area. An overall model can be run quickly with a coarse mesh to solve
for the flow field throughout. Using the results from this overall model,
transferred boundary conditions can be applied to a “zoomed-in” model
that focuses only on the area of interest. The “zoomed” model can have
a finer mesh to better resolve the flow field and heat distribution in that
area of higher importance.
To solve this model using EFD Zooming, we will first replace the heat
sink with a generic dummy body. We will then solve for only the flow
field and heat distribution in the overall model. The heat sink will then
be placed back into the model. We will then set up a zoomed-in model
with a computational domain focusing only on the heat sink. The
boundary conditions from the overall model will be transferred to the
zoomed model. From here, we can make our design changes and we
will only need to re-solve the zoomed model.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 6
EFD Zooming

Stages in the  Insert dummy heat sink.

Process The heat sink will be removed from the model and replaced with a
simple block. This will allow for much easier meshing of the model
that will improve the solve time. In addition, the flow field results
will not be compromised because the general shape of the heat sink
will still be maintained by the solid.
 Solve overall model
The overall model will be solved with the dummy body.
 Solve zoomed model
The boundary conditions calculated in the overall model will be
used to solve the zoomed model.
 Design changes
The heat sink will be re-positioned and the zoomed model will be
solved again. Note that you will not have to re-solve the overall
model because the boundary conditions will be the same.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open PDES_E_Box_1 from the Lesson06\Case Study folder.
As you open the model, the following warning messages may be
issued.
Project has some substances which are missing in the
Engineering database. To work with project you need to add
all missing substances.
Click Add All.
Make sure that project overall (configuration Dummy heat sink) is
active.
2 Review the study.
heat sink dummy
A flow simulation study has been
created that is associated with this
configuration. Review it and notice
that everything is the same as in
Lesson 3: Thermal Analysis.
The only difference is that the heat
sink has been replaced with a simple
block.
3 Heat source.
A 3 W heat source has been applied to the heat sink dummy to match
the 3 W that is generated by the actual heat source.
4 Solve the Flow Simulation project.
This study has already been solved and the results are included.
Load the results and review them.

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Lesson 6 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
EFD Zooming

Discussion By replacing the complicated heat sink with a dummy box, we have
significantly simplified the mesh and computation without significantly
sacrificing the accuracy of our overall results. In the overall model, we
are only interested in how the flow and heat behave in general
throughout the computational domain. Replacing the heat sink with a
similarly shaped box will have little affect on the flow and heat in the
overall model.

5 Create a Project.
Activate the CFD - 1 Fan - a configuration.
Using the Wizard, create a new project with properties as follows:

Configuration Select:
name “CFD - 1 Fan - a”
Project name “Zooming a”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Change the units for Temperature to °C.
Analysis Type Internal
Physical Features Select the Heat conduction in Solids check box.
Database of In the Fluids list, under Gases, double-click Air to add it to the Project
Fluids Fluids.
Solids Default solid should be set to Insulator under the Glasses and
Minerals list.
Wall conditions The default Roughness value of 0 micrometer is acceptable for this
analysis.
Initial conditions Default conditions. Click Finish.

6 Set initial global mesh parameters.

Set Level of initial mesh to level 3.
Enter 1.778mm for Minimum Gap Size.
Click OK.
7 Define Computational Domain size.
Under the Input Data folder, right-click Computational Domain
and select Edit Definition.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 6
EFD Zooming

Set the size of the computational domain to the following values:

Size (meters)
X max: -0.03175
X min: -0.08
Y max: 0.0298
Y min: -0.0065
Z max: 0.1416
Z min: 0.065

Click OK.

EFD Zooming - Specifying the proper computational domain for the zoomed study is
Computational very important and guidelines must be followed:
Domain  The flow and solid parameters taken from the overall study at the
zoomed domain boundaries must be as uniform as possible.
 The zoomed domain boundaries should not lie too close to the
object of interest.
 The boundary conditions transferred at the boundaries must be
consistent with the problem statement.
In our model, we are focusing only on the heat sink, therefore our
computational domain has been adjusted accordingly. The top, bottom,
back , and right walls of the enclosure have been included in the
domain. The enclosure is assumed insulated and will not influence the
main chip temperature since it is also insulated by the airflow
separating the two. The walls that are not enclosed by the enclosure
will use the transferred boundary condition.

8 Apply materials.
Under Input Data, right-click Solid Materials and select Insert
Solid Material. Apply the Aluminum to the heat sink.
Repeat the procedure to apply PCB-4 Layers to the green PCB called
SPS_PC_Board. Use Y axis of the Global Coordinate System under
the Anisotropy dialog to specify proper material orientation (see step 8
on page 107 for more information).
Note Heat conduction in solids is activated, therefore we must define
material properties. In addition, these material properties should be the
same as those that were specified in the overall model for the boundary
conditions to be transferred properly.

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Lesson 6 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
EFD Zooming

Introducing: Transferred Boundary Conditions allows you to focus your

Transferred simulation on a specific region within the model. The simulation uses
Boundary results obtained from a previous calculation as the boundary conditions
Conditions for the current simulation. The Transferred Boundary Condition is
applied in three steps:
1. Selecting Boundaries
You select the boundaries of the current project to be transferred
from the results of the previous project (i.e. X max, X min, etc.).
2. Selecting Results to Transfer
You select the project from which the results will be transferred to
the current simulation.
3. Specifying Type of Condition
You select the flow field parameters whose values will be
transferred.

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click Transferred Boundary Conditions in

the Flow Simulation analysis tree and click Insert Transferred
Boundary Condition
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Flow Simulation
Features , Transferred Boundary Condition
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Insert, Transferred Boundary
Condition
Note To add Transferred Boundary Conditions to the Flow Simulation
analysis tree, right-click your study an select Customize Tree, then
choose Transferred Boundary Conditions.

9 Transferred Boundary Condition.

From the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, choose: Insert, Transferred
Boundary Condition.
Select X min from the Computational domain boundaries list and
click Add. Repeat this process to add Z min.
Click Next.
Select Flow Simulation project and click Browse.
Select the overall project from the list and click OK.
Click Next.
Select Ambient as the Boundary condition type.
Click Finish.

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EFD Zooming

Note Because heat conduction in solids is used in both the overall model as
well as the zoomed model, the solid temperatures are taken from the
overall model and transferred to the zoomed model as part of the
Transferred boundary condition. In addition, by selecting Ambient
as the type, the conditions at the boundaries in the overall model will be
transferred to the zoomed model in the same way that ambient
conditions are treated in external analysis.
10 Apply heat source.
Apply volume source to the heat sink part and apply 3W as the
Heat Generation Rate.
Click OK.
11 Define Engineering Goal (Volume Goal).
Define Temperature (Solid), Max, to the heat sink part.
Tip We will wait on running this project so that we can set up our project
with the design change, then use Batch Run to run both project.
12 Clone Project.
Right-click the project name in the Flow
Simulation analysis tree and select Clone
Project.
Under Project Name enter Zooming b.
Under Configuration choose Select and check
the checkbox next to CFD - 1 Fan - b.
The checkbox next to Copy results should
remain unchecked.
Click OK.
You will get two warning messages about the geometry and
computational domain. Click No through these message. To compare
the two models, we need the same computational domain and mesh
settings in both simulations.
This step will create a new project Zooming b associated with
configuration CDF - 1 Fan - b. All of the settings from the previous
project will be copied into the new project.

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EFD Zooming

Introducing: Batch You can use Batch Run to solve sets of projects in a prescribed order
Run or simultaneously.

Where to Find It  Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, choose Solve, Batch Run

13 Batch Run.
From the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, choose: Solve, Batch Run.
Select the Solve box for the CFD - 1 Fan - a and CFD - 1 Fan - b
projects.

Click Run.
Note You can also move the order at which to solve them or choose to solve
them simultaneously if you have available processors. Also, if we
chose to solve all three projects simultaneously, the overall model
would need to be solved first because its results are used in the other
two projects as the Transferred Boundary Condition. If your system
features more processors and sufficient amount of memory, the fastest
way to obtain a solution is to request simultaneous calculation of both
projects with half of the total number of CPUs allocated to each.
14 Create cut plot.
Activate project Zooming a
(configuration CFD - 1 Fan - a)
and load the results.
Create a cut plot for Temperature.
Use the Top view plane Offset by 5
mm and set Number of Levels to
100.
Click OK to close the Cut Plot
window.
15 Create goal plot.
Create a Goal Plot for the
maximum temperature volume goal defined in step 11.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 6
EFD Zooming

Introducing: To enhance users’ ability to compare various designs and make

Compare decisions on the most effective modifications, SOLIDWORKS Flow
Configuration Mode Simulation allows you to easily compare results from various projects.
It is possible to compare active scenes (result plots), goals or point,
surface and volume parameters. Comparison can be presented in both
the graphical and numerical formats.

Where to Find It  Shortcut Menu: Right-click Results in the Flow Simulation

analysis tree and click Compare
 CommandManager: Flow Simulation > Compare
 Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Results, Compare
Use in Instructions Choose from active scene, goals or any defined parameter. Then select
any number of solved projects and click Compare.

16 Compare results.
Keep the cut plot view from step 14 active.
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click Results and select
Compare.
On the Definition tab of the compare widget, in the Data to Compare
section, select Active Scene and Goal Plot 1.
In the Projects to Compare section select CFD - 1 Fan - a and CFD
- 1 - Fan - b projects.

Click Compare.

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EFD Zooming

17 Active scenes comparison.

Switch to the Active Scene tab.

The comparison indicates that the difference in the two heat sink
configuration is minimal.
Note To enlarge any of the two plots, double click it. Also, the active scene
(result plot) requested in the comparison widget does not need to be
defined in other projects. Flow Simulation will create them in the
selected projects automatically.
18 Goals comparison.
Switch to the Goal Plot 1 tab.

The numerical comparison shows that both configurations result in

very similar maximum temperatures.
Request History to show the
graphical comparison of the
goal from both selected
projects.
Notice that the graph indicates
nearly the same maximum
temperature.

Note Additional options allow you to change the abscissa, displayed value
and to export data to Excel.
Click OK to close the compare configuration widget.
19 Save and close the assembly.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 6
EFD Zooming

Summary As it turns out, the difference in the two heat sink configurations is
minimal. This was not immediately apparent when the problem was
formulated.
To use the EFD Zooming technique, we simplified the overall model so
that it could be run faster. The block representing the heat sink was a
good enough approximation to solve for the overall flow field in the
model. The heat sink was then placed back into the zoomed model and
the boundary conditions were transferred to the boundaries of the
zoomed computational domain. Careful guidelines for defining the
computational domain in the zoomed model were noted and followed
as closely as possible.
The EFD Zooming technique allowed us to quickly analyze both
designs and get a better estimate for the temperature distribution
around the solid. We also used Batch Run to run our projects
simultaneously.
Results from both projects were conveniently postprocessed using the
Compare configuration mode. This mode allowed us to display results
plots, goals and parameters side by side and make the necessary design
conclusions more easily.

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Lesson 6 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
EFD Zooming

182
 Lesson 7
Porous Media

Objectives Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Create a flow analysis using the porous media option.
 Use the Component Control command.
 Evaluate velocity profiles.

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Lesson 7 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Porous Media

Case Study: In this lesson, we will use the porous media capability of Flow
Catalytic Simulation to analyze flow through a catalytic converter. We will use
Converter dummy bodies within the flow field to apply engineering goals. We
will compare two different porous designs and evaluate their
performance based on the development of the flow fields through the
cross section of the model.
Problem Gases released from the engine Substrate
Description during combustion are often very
toxic and need processing before
being released to the atmosphere.
The catalytic converter is used to
reduce the toxicity of the Inlet
emissions.
Flow enters the exhaust at 12 m/s.
The gases travel through the exhaust piping and enter the catalytic
converter where it is met with the substrate of the converter. The
substrate is coated with the catalyst that will react with the gases to
transform the toxic gases. A large substrate with a lot of surface area
will allow the most reaction with the gases, however it will also restrict
the flow of the exhaust gases. In addition, uniformly developed flow
entering the substrate will allow for the most efficient use of the
converter because the entire substrate will work equally.
We will use the porous media capability of Flow Simulation to model
the substrate due to its complicated geometry. In this lesson, we will
use two different types of porous media and evaluate which is most
suitable for our application.
Stages in the  Create the project.
Process Using the Wizard, the internal analysis can be created.
 Apply boundary conditions.
The conditions for the fluid flow into and out of the enclosure must
be defined.
 Define the porous media.
Define the properties of the porous media and disable the solid
body that is being defined as porous.
 Declare calculation goal.
The defined calculation goal will be used to evaluate the results.
 Run the analysis.

 Post-process the results.

The results can be processed using many available options in
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 7
Porous Media

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Catalyst from the Lesson07\Case Study folder.
2 Create Project.
Create a new study using the Wizard with the following settings:

Configuration Use Current:

name “Default”
Project name “Isotropic”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Analysis Type Internal

Physical Features None

Database of Fluids In the Gases list, double-click Air.
Wall conditions In the Default outer wall thermal condition list, select Adiabatic
wall.
In the Roughness box, type 0 micrometer.
Initial conditions Default. Click Finish.

3 Set initial global mesh parameters.

Set Level of initial mesh to level 3.
4 Insert boundary condition.
Define an Inlet Velocity of 12 m/s to the inside face
of the lid covering the inlet.

5 Insert boundary condition.

Define Pressure Openings, Static Pressure
condition on the inside face of the channel on the
other end converter body.
Accept the default ambient values.

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Lesson 7 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Porous Media

Porous Media SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation is able to treat some solid bodies as
porous media with a certain resistance to fluid flow. The Engineering
Database of Flow Simulation has various materials with
predetermined properties that define the material porosity. In addition,
the porosity properties can be entered by the user.
Porosity The Porosity is defined as the total fluid volume divided by the total
volume of the porous media. Therefore, a value of 0.5 means that 50%
of the porous media is fluid. The porosity governs the flow velocity in
the porous medium channels.
Permeability Type Our porous screen is defined as isotropic, which is to say that the
porosity of the media is the same in every direction. The other options
for the Permeability Type are: Unidirectional, Axisymmetrical, or
Orthotropic. Similarly to defining elastic and thermal properties, the
resistance can be defined in given directions under the Permeability
type property.
Resistance The resistance is how the flow is resisted by the porous medium. It can
be defined by an input plot with respect to pressure drop, flow rate, or
model dimensions. In addition, it can be defined with respect to
velocity. This parameter is something that needs to be determined
beforehand as it is a property of the porous body.

6 Define Porous Media.

First, we have to define the properties of the porous media in the
Engineering Database.
In the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, select Tools, Engineering
Database.
Expand the Porous Media folder. Right-click User Defined and
select New Item.
Click the Item Properties tab.
In the Name box, type Isotropic.
In the Porosity box, type 0.5.
For the Permeability type property make sure Isotropic is selected.
For the Resistance calculation formula property, click in the value
field and use the down arrow to select Dependency on velocity.
Note In our case, the resistance to flow (or permeability) of the media will
vary with the flow velocity. The equation that will define this parameter
is k = (A×V+B)/r (named Dependency on velocity), where V is the fluid
velocity and r is fluid density, A and B are constants. You specify A
[kg/m^4] and B [kg/(s×m^3)] only (V and r are calculated). Usually
these values are supplied by the porous media manufacturer.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 7
Porous Media

In the A box, type the value 57 kg/m^4.

In the B box, type the value 0.
Click File, Save.
Click File, Exit.

7 Customize SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree.

In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click the study Isotropic
and select Customize tree.
Click Porous Media.
Click in the graphics area to finish customizing the Flow Simulation
analysis tree.
8 Set porous conditions.
Right-click Porous Media in the Flow Simulation analysis tree and
select Insert Porous Medium.
Select the two Monolith parts from the Graphics window.
In the Porous Medium box, expand the User Defined folder and
select the Isotropic porous media created in the previous step.
Click OK to close the Porous Media window and rename the porous
medium Isotropic.

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Lesson 7 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Porous Media

Dummy Bodies Often times, you may want to have goals set up for specific regions of
your model where there is no SOLIDWORKS geometry to select.
Without the geometry, there is no reference to select for the creation of
the goal. In situations such as these, we can use dummy
SOLIDWORKS geometry to define geometry in these regions. If this
technique is used be sure that Component Control is used to disable
the body in the flow, otherwise it would affect the flow field.
In our model, we may be interested
in the flow just as it enters into the
catalytic converter. That way we
could calculate the pressure drop
from the inlet to the converter. In
addition, we could calculate the
pressure drop across the converter Dummy Body
itself. A dummy body has been
created at the inlet of the converter
to define goals at this location.

9 Define Engineering Goal. Inlet Total

Outlet Total
Define surface goal for Total Pressure Pressure
Pressure, Av, on the two faces
that define the inlet and outlet,
and also on the dummy body as
shown in the figure.

Mid-Total
Pressure

Note You can select all three faces in a single definition, and check Create
goal for each surface under Selection.
Rename the goals as shown in the figure above.
10 Disable dummy body.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree, right-click Input Data and select
Component Control.
In the Component Control dialog, disable
Dummy Body.
Click OK.
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation treats the
disabled component as a fluid region with the default fluid initial
conditions.
Note The two Monolith bodies should also be disabled. This should happen
by default when they are defined as porous media.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 7
Porous Media

11 Define Engineering Goal.

In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click the
Goals icon and select Insert Equation Goal.
Select the Inlet Total Pressure goal, click -, then select the Mid-
Total Pressure goal.
Click OK and rename this goal Pipe Drop.
12 Define Engineering Goal.
Repeat this process to define a goal for the pressure drop across the
catalytic converter.
Name this goal Converter Drop.
13 Run the project.
Make sure that the Load results check box is checked.
Click Run.
14 Cut Plot.
Define a cut plot for Velocity.
Use Plane2 and increase Number of Levels to 100.
Click OK.

Hide the cut plot when you are done reviewing.

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Lesson 7 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Porous Media

15 Create flow trajectory.

Use Inlet Velocity 1 item as a reference to select the inlet face.
Increase Number of Points to 60.

Discussion From these two plots, we can easily see that much of the flow enters the
catalyst coated substrate at one single end. In the flow trajectory plot,
we even see that there is some backflow. Upon entering the substrate,
the flow then quickly begins to develop because it is retarded by the
porosity of the substrate. Upon reaching the outlet, the flow looks fully
developed. We can use XY Plots to verify this.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 7
Porous Media

16 XY plot.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click the
XY Plots icon and select Insert.
In the SOLIDWORKS FeatureManager tree, select Sketch1 and
Sketch2.
Under Parameter list, select the Velocity (Z) check box.
Click Export to Excel.

Discussion The blue line of this plot is the z-velocity

distribution in the x-direction at the inlet
of the catalyst. The red line represents the
outlet. As we suspected, the flow is fully
developed when it reaches the outlet.
Looking at the inlet, we can also verify
that much of the flow enters through the
far side of the substrate. So much flow
enters through this side that there even
exists a back flow out of the first substrate
on the opposite side. We can see this
because the velocity is positive on that
side rather than negative.

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Lesson 7 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Porous Media

Design With all the velocity entering the substrate on one end, the converter
Modification will wear on this side much quicker. One obvious way to correct this
would be to change the geometry of the inlet. Often times, however, the
converter must fit into a tight space and geometry modifications may
not always be possible. For this case, we will try a different type of
porous media.

17 Clone Project.
Right-click the project name in the Flow Simulation analysis tree and
select Clone Project.
Enter Uni-Iso as the Project Name.
Under Configuration choose Use Current.
Click OK.
This will create a new project associated with configuration Default.
All of the settings from the previous project will be copied.
18 Define Porous Media.
In the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, select Tools, Engineering
Database.
Expand the Porous Media folder. Right-click User Defined and
select New Item.
Click the Item Properties tab.
In the Name box, type Unidirectional.
In the Porosity box, type 0.5.
For the Permeability type property make sure Unidirectional is
selected.
For the Resistance calculation formula property, click in the value
field and use the down arrow to select Dependency on velocity.
In the A box, type the value 57 kg/m^4.
In the B box, type the value 0.
Click File, Save.
Click File, Exit.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 7
Porous Media

19 Set porous conditions. Isotropic

Edit the definition of the Isotropic
porous medium and remove the
Monolith part that is closest to the
inlet. We will define this as the
Unidirectional porous medium
defined in the previous step. Unidirectional
Right-click Porous Media in the
Flow Simulation analysis tree and select Insert Porous Medium.
Select the Monolith part that is closest to the inlet.
In the Porous Medium box, expand the User Defined folder and
select the Unidirectional porous media created in the previous step.
Select Z as the reference Direction.
Click OK to close the Porous Media window.
Rename the porous medium Unidirectional.
20 Run the project.
Make sure that the Load results check box is checked.
Click Run.
21 Cut Plot.
Show the Cut Plot 1 that was created in the previous project.

Hide the cut plot when you are done reviewing.

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Lesson 7 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Porous Media

22 Create flow trajectory.

Show the Flow Trajectories 1 that was created in the previous
project.

23 XY plot.
Edit the definition of the XY Plot 1 that was created in the previous
project.
Click Export to Excel.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 7
Porous Media

Discussion From these plots, we can see that the unidirectional porous medium
takes in a slightly more uniform flow field. This is because the flow can
only travel in one direction once it enters the unidirectional medium.
This could prove helpful in making the catalyst last longer.
Another way to evaluate the performance of the converter is the
amount of time it takes the flow to pass through the substrates. The
longer it takes, the more chance the flow has to react with the catalyst
to remove the toxic substances.
We can evaluate this by showing the cut
plots of the z-velocity in the two studies
with the same scale (shown to the right).
As we can see, the flow moves through Isotropic
the unidirectional medium at a
consistently low speed. The flow through
the isotropic medium may be
inconsistent, but reaches an even lower
speed at the end of the first medium.
This is because the flow in the isotropic Unidirectional
medium can expand in all directions,
allowing for the flow to slow
significantly quicker than in the
unidirectional medium.
Summary For the application of the catalytic converter, both the unidirectional
and isotropic porous medium have their advantages. The unidirectional
medium forces a more uniform velocity distribution that would allow
the converter to wear evenly. The isotropic medium allows the gas to
expand much more easily, causing lower flow speeds which allow the
gas to spend more time with the catalyst providing for more efficient
conversion. Perhaps an optimal design would have a shorter
unidirectional medium to produce a more uniform flow field. A longer,
isotropic medium could then further expand the gases and allow for
more reaction.
We also showed that with the inlet on one side of the converter there are
significant non-uniformities in the incoming flow which is detrimental
to the performance of the converter. If re-design was possible, one
might want the inlet to be head on so that the flow is uniform when it
reaches the first porous medium.

195
Exercise 10 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Channel Flow

Exercise 10: In this exercise, we will utilize the porous media capability to perform
Channel Flow an analysis of flow through a channel with a screen. We will use a
variable velocity profile when specifying the inlet boundary condition.
This exercise reinforces the following skills:
 Porous Media on page 186
 Porosity on page 186

Problem Cold air flow is forced through a porous screen within a channel. At the
Statement channel inlet the velocity profile is a function of the inlet height.
Y

Air
Porous Screen X

Example description with non-uniform inlet velocity profile

The channel height is 0.15m, the channel length is 0.65m, the porous
screen thickness is 0.01m. All walls have a thickness of 0.01m. The
flow through a channel is symmetric, therefore two dimensional
symmetry can be used to simplify the problem.
Non-uniform inlet velocity (Air)

Porous Screen

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Channel Assembly from the Lesson07\Exercises folder.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 10
Channel Flow

2 Create Project.
Create a new study using the Wizard with the following settings:
Configuration Use Current:
name “Default”
Project name “Porous”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Analysis Type Internal

Physical Features None

Database of In the Gases list, double-click Air.
Fluids
Wall conditions In the Default wall thermal condition list,
select Adiabatic wall.
In the Roughness box, type 0 micrometer.
Initial conditions Default conditions. Click Finish.

You will receive the following message:

Fluid volume recognition has failed because the model
currently is not watertight. An internal task must has a
sealed internal volume. You need to close openings and holes
to make the internal volume sealed.
You can close openings with the Create Lids tool. Do you
want to open the Create Lids tool?
Click No. The simulation will be run in 2D, and so the open sides of the
model do not need to be closed with lids.
3 Set initial global mesh parameters.
Set Level of initial mesh to level 5.
4 Set computational domain to 2D.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Input
Data, right-click Computational Domain and select Edit Definition.
Under Type specify 2D flow in the XY plane.
Click OK.

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Exercise 10 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Channel Flow

Non-uniform Inlet A boundary condition is required to describe where the fluid enters or
Velocity exits the system and can be set as a Pressure, Mass Flow, Volume Flow
or Velocity. This exercise will include a variable inlet velocity profile,
as shown below.

5 Create variable inlet velocity.

Create Flow Opening, Inlet Velocity,
Normal to face boundary condition on
the inside surface of the
SOLIDWORKS feature representing
the inlet as shown in the figure.
The velocity profile will be specified in
the table.
Click the Dependency button . In the Dependency window, under
the Dependency type list, select F(y) - table.
Open the X-Velocity.xls file stored in the Lesson 7 folder. You can
copy the values from the table to the Design window. Highlight the
Excel data and use CTRL+C and CTRL+V to copy the entries.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 10
Channel Flow

Alternatively, type in the following values:

Face Based - Y
X - Velocity (m/s)
direction (m)

-0.075 m 0 m/s
-0.074333333 m 16.0341 m/s
-0.0726129 m 19.2855 m/s
-0.0653871 m 22.6 m/s
-0.0540323 m 22.6 m/s
-0.0433656 m 22.6 m/s
-0.0326989 m 22.6 m/s
-0.0227204 m 22.6 m/s
-0.0134301 m 22.562 m/s
-0.0027634 m 16.9184 m/s
-0.0020753 m 16.0875 m/s
0.0072151 m 12.693 m/s
0.0175376 m 12.42 m/s
0.028204 m 13.0918 m/s
0.039559 m 12.42 m/s
0.048505 m 11.7826 m/s
0.058484 m 9.97044 m/s
0.068462 m 8.38286 m/s
0.070183 m 8.97531 m/s
0.07328 m 8.68414 m/s
0.074312 m 7.96345 m/s
0.074656 m 7.17069 m/s
0.075 m 0 m/s

Click OK twice.
Note The y-coordinates are based on the face-based local coordinate system
with an origin at the center of the selected face.

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Exercise 10 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Channel Flow

Tip To set the Global coordinate system for a Dependency boundary

condition, you should click in the window where the coordinate system
is set and press the delete key on your keyboard. Instead of the local
coordinate system, the global coordinate system will appear
automatically.
6 Apply outlet Boundary Condition.
Create Pressure Openings, Static
Pressure boundary condition on the
inside face of the channel on the
other end of the inlet velocity.
Accept the default ambient values.
7 Set porous conditions.
Right-click Porous Media in the Flow Simulation analysis tree and
select Insert Porous Medium.
Select the Porous<1> part from the Graphics window.
In the Porous Medium box, expand the Pre-Defined folder and select
the Screen Material.
Click OK to close the Porous Media window.
8 Disable porous media.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click Input
Data and select Component Control.
In the Component Control dialog, disable the part Porous<1>.
Click OK.
9 Set Engineering Goals.
Define surface goal for Static Pressure, Av, on the inlet face used for
the velocity boundary condition.
Note You can also select the Inlet velocity1 boundary condition from the
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation feature manager tree and the inlet
face will be automatically updated to the Faces to Apply Surface
Goal list.
10 Run the project.
Make sure that the Load results check box is checked.
Click Run.
11 Set model Transparency.
Set Transparency of the model to 0.75.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 10
Channel Flow

12 Create Cut Plot.

Using Plane1, create a cut plot showing the Velocity distribution.

Note Due to the user defined inlet velocity profile the velocity is highest near
the bottom of the channel.
13 Change the cut plot to show Dynamic Pressure.

Note You may need to add Dynamic Pressure to the list of the available
parameters. To do this, expand the Parameter pull down list and select
Add Parameter.

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Exercise 10 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Channel Flow

14 Create XY-Plot near inlet and outlet.

In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click the
XY Plots icon and select Insert.
In the SOLIDWORKS FeatureManager tree, select Sketch2 and
Sketch3.
Under Parameter list, select the Velocity (X) check box.
Click Export to Excel.

The porous screen has little effect on the velocity profile.

202
 Lesson 8
Rotating Reference Frames

Objectives Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Select a proper computational approach based on the problem
parameters.
 Set up problems using Rotating Reference Flow.

203
Lesson 8 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Rotating Reference Frames

Rotating SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation allows for the use of rotating

Reference reference frames within the computational domain. These rotating
Frame reference frames can be defined either globally or locally.
If defined globally, the model assumes that all of the walls rotate at the
same speed of the reference frame and that the corresponding Coriolis
and centrifugal forces are taken into account.
When defined locally, the rotating region is only applied to that area
(i.e. area around a fan or impeller). The region must be defined as a
component in the model to be defined as rotating. Two solution
approaches are available:
 In the Averaging approach, the fluid flow within the rotating
region is calculated in the rotating region’s local reference frame.
Flow field parameters are transferred from adjacent flow regions to
the rotating region’s boundary as boundary conditions. The flow
field must be axially symmetric at the rotating region’s boundary.
The rotating regions must not intersect with each other.
 In the Sliding Mesh approach, it is assumed that the flow field is
unsteady and it is available for transient analysis only. This
assumption allows to obtain more accurate simulation the rotor-
stator interaction is strong. However, because this approach
requires an unsteady numerical solution, it is computationally more
demanding than the Mixing Plane approach.
Part 1: This lesson is divided into two parts. In the first part you will use the
Averaging mixing plane method to analyze a table fan. The flow field in this
problem is axially symmetrical; axial symmetry in the flow field is one
of the requirements when using mixing plane method.
Case Study: In this lesson, we will use a local rotating reference frame to model
Table Fan flow through a table fan. Our mesh settings will be set up manually and
we will learn how to properly post-process the results.
Problem The fan shown in the figure rotates
Description at 200 rad/s. The fan is surrounded
by environmental pressure. The fan
also experiences a constant wind
velocity at 0.1 m/s in the z-
direction. Analyze how the flow
moves through the fan by using a
local rotating reference frame in the
area of the blades.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 8
Rotating Reference Frames

Stages in the  Create the project.

Process Using the Wizard, the internal analysis can be created.
 Define computational domain and set up the mesh.
The initial mesh and mesh settings will be generated manually.
 Define rotating region.
A rotating region around the fan blades will be defined.
 Apply boundary conditions.
Environmental pressure will be defined around the fan.
 Declare calculation goal.
The defined calculation goal will be used to evaluate the results.
 Set calculation control and run the analysis.
Some calculation control options will be defined to minimize the
run time.
 Post-process the results.
The results can be processed using many available options in
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation.

Procedure Follow the procedure below:

1 Open an assembly file.
Open Fan_Assy from the Lesson08\Case Study\Table Fan folder.
Make sure that the default configuration is active.
The local rotating region has been defined around the fan blades and is
called Part1.
Note The entire fan is surrounded by the External cylinder part. In
rotating problems such as this, creating an outer cylindrical shell to
enclose the fan helps the problem obtain convergence. Thus, the
problem will be defined as an internal analysis.
2 Create a project.
Create a new study using the Wizard with the following settings:

Configuration Use Current: “Default”

Name
Project name “Fan Flow - averaging”
Unit System SI
Set units of Length to mm.
Analysis type Internal.
Also, select Rotation.
Select Local region(s) (Averaging).
Default Fluid Air

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Configuration Use Current: “Default”

Name
Project name “Fan Flow - averaging”
Wall conditions Default
Initial conditions Clear the Pressure Potential check box in
Thermodynamic Parameters.
Set velocity in z direction to 0.1 m/s and clear the
Relative to rotating frame check box.
Click Finish.

3 Set initial global mesh parameters.

Edit Definition of the Global Mesh, specify Manual settings.
On the Basic Mesh tab enter the following number of cells:
Number of cells per X: 24
Number of cells per Y: 24
Number of cells per Z: 27
On the Channels tab set the Maximum Channel Refinement Level
slider to level 3.
On the Advanced Refinement tab set Small Solid Feature
Refinement Level to level 3.
Click OK.
4 Create rotating region.
Right-click Rotating Regions in the
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree and select Insert Rotating
Region.
Using the SOLIDWORKS flyout
FeatureManager, select Part1.
Apply an angular velocity of 200 rad/s.
Click OK.
Also, be sure that the body gets excluded in Component Control after
it is specified as rotating.
Note If you cannot see Rotating Regions in the Flow Simulation analysis
tree, right-click the Fan Flow study and select Customize Tree. You
can then select Rotating Regions from the list.

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5 Apply environmental pressure.

Apply an environmental pressure to the inner
walls of the cylindrical outer shell.
6 Create a local initial Mesh.
Right-click Mesh and select Insert Local
Mesh. Select Part1.
On the Channels tab set Maximum Channel
Refinement Level to level 2.
On the Advanced Refinement tab set the Small Solid Feature
Refinement Level to level 5.
Click OK.
7 Create surface goal.
Select the Fan_blade part and apply a Force (Z) and Torque (Z)
surface goal.
8 Set calculation control options.
Right-click Input data in the Flow Simulation analysis tree and select
Calculation Control Options.

On the Finishing tab, check Iterations and set it to 3600.

Clear the Calculation time, Travels, and Goals convergence check
boxes.
Click OK.
9 Run the project.
The analysis takes approximately 50 minutes to solve on a 3.6 GHz
Intel Xeon E5 machine with 16 GM RAM.
At this point, we would go ahead and run the simulation. Due to the
time required, the results of this analysis have already been computed,
and we will use them for the post-processing.

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10 Activate project.
Activate project completed - averaging.
11 Load results.
Right click the Results folder and select Load.
12 View cut plot.
Define a cut plot for Velocity.
Use Right Plane, activate Contours and Vectors, and increase
Number of Levels to 100.
Click OK.

13 Show surface plot for velocity.

Right-click the Surface Plots icon and select Insert.
Click the whole part Fan_Blade-1 in the SOLIDWORKS
FeatureManager tree. This will select all the surfaces of that part.
Under Display, click the
Contours button.
Under Contours, select Velocity
and increase Number of Levels
to 100.
Click OK.
The highest velocities are on the
larger diameter. Velocity gets
smaller as the radius decreases.

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14 Show surface plot for pressure.

Following step 13, define a new surface plot for Pressure.

The pressure is lower as the air enters the fan, and it increases as the air
exists from the fan. The difference between the static pressure at the fan
exit and entrance is referred to as pressure drop.
15 Create flow trajectory.
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Results, right-click the
Flow Trajectories icon and select Insert.
In the SOLIDWORKS FeatureManager fly-out tree, click the Sketch1
item. This will select the curves of Sketch1 as Reference.
Under Starting Points, in the Number of Points box, type 100.
Under Appearance, in the Width box, enter 5 mm.
Under Constraints, in the Maximum length, increase the value to
30000mm.
Click OK.

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16 Create second flow trajectory.

Define a new set of the flow trajectories with the same parameters as in
the previous step. Use the Front Plane as reference.
The resulting plot shows a combination of flow trajectories from both
of the previous steps.

Noise Fan noise, or its acoustic emissions are now becoming important design
Prediction criteria. Better fan design will not only result in increased air flow, but
also may result in reduction of its noise.
Broadband Model In many applications noise caused by turbulent flow does not contain
specific distinct tones, but rather contains wide spectrum of
frequencies. In such situation statistical noise quantities can be readily
obtained from Proudman formula for acoustic power generated by
isotropic turbulence without mean flow. The broadband noise source
model does not require transient solutions, but also does not provide
any spectral information.
Acoustic Power, Acoustic power indicates amount of energy emitted per unit volume. It
Acoustic Power is measured in the units of W/m^3.
Level
Acoustic power level is measured in decibels, and it is calculated as
follows:
P-
L w = 10 log -----
Po

where P o indicates the sound power corresponding to the lowest

sound a person with clear hearing can discern.

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17 Plot surface plot for acoustic power

level.
The plot for acoustic power level in dB
shows where most noise gets
generated, and it level.
Running simulation multiple times for
various designs and rpm would reveal
the noise levels and help select the
most suitable fan design.

Note For transient simulation it is possible to obtain spectral information by

requesting the FFT plots.

Part 2: Sliding In the second part of this lesson you will use a more robust sliding
Mesh mesh approach to simulate flow through a blower fan. This method
assumes unsteady flow field and is therefore available for transient
solutions only. While this method can be used for various flow
configurations, it is especially suitable to provide solutions in cases
where the rotor-stator interaction is strong, and in cases where the flow
exits the rotating components radially. It is computationally
significantly more demanding that the Mixing Plane approach.
Case Study: In this case study you will use sliding mesh method to analyze flow in a
Blower Fan blower fan. The basic characteristics of this model are that the flow
exits the rotor radially, and that there is strong interaction between the
rotor and stator.
Problem The blower fan shown in
Description the figure rotates at 700
rpm (73.3 rad/sec) and
moves air from one side of
the system to the other.
Analyze how the flow
moves through the fan by
using a sliding mesh
approach.

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1 Open an assembly file.

Open fan from the Lesson08\Case Study\Blower Fan folder.
The fan inlet is formed by a dome shaped lid to help flow obtain more
suitable distribution on entry to the fan.
Note Because setup of this simulation is similar to the setup of the table fan
model in part 1, some of the study features were prepared beforehand
and will only be reviewed here.
2 Activate project.
Activate project Blower fan - sliding mesh.
The table below summarizes the project setup. Review it.

Configuration Use Current: “Default”

Name
Project name “Blower fan - sliding mesh”
Unit System SI
Units of Length are set to m.
Analysis type Internal.
Selected features: Rotation, Local region(s) (Sliding
mesh).
Default Fluid Air
Wall conditions Default
Initial conditions The Pressure Potential check box in Thermodynamic
Parameters is cleared.
Click Finish.

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3 Review initial global mesh.

Advanced Settings are used for initial mesh in
this project. Review the global mesh settings.
On the Basic Mesh tab review the number of
cells specified manually.
On the Refining Cells tab, Level of Refining
Fluid Cells and Level of Refining Cells at
Fluid/Solid Boundary are both set to level 1.
On the Channels tab, Characteristic Number
of Cells Across Channel is set to 5, and
Maximum Channel Refinement Level is set to
level 2.
On the Advanced Refinement tab, both Small
Solid Feature Refinement Level and
Tolerance Level are set to level 4. Tolerance
Criterion is set to 0.0015m.

4 Review rotating region.

Similar to the table fan model, rotating
region surrounding rotor must be defined.
Review Rotating Region 1 project
features. The angular velocity is set to 700
rpm (73.3 rad/s).
Review also that rotating region part is
disabled in the Component Control tool.

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Lesson 8 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Rotating Reference Frames

Tangential Notice that the rotating region used in this project does not include the
Faces of Rotors top and bottom faces of the flat sheet metal on the top and bottom of the
rotor. While rotating region could include them, an alternative
approach is used here.

Rotating region
Rotor top
sheet metal

Rotor
blade

When there is an entire wall moving in tangential direction with respect

to the fluid, it is recommended that an explicit Real Wall boundary
condition is used instead. This recommendation applies in general to
faces both inside and outside of the rotating region. A 700 RPM
absolute angular velocity is therefore applied on all tangential faces.

5 Tangential walls of rotor. Rotor top

Define a Real Wall boundary
condition on the three
indicated faces on the top of
the rotor, and three faces on the
bottom of the rotor.
Specify an Absolute, 700
RPM for Angular Velocity Rotor bottom
with respect to the global Z
axis.

Note Because this boundary condition is applied to tangential faces both

outside and inside of the rotating region, absolute value must be used.

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6 Inlet boundary condition.

Inlet boundary is formed by a dome
shaped lid to allow for more realistic
flow distribution at the entry to the
fan.
Apply an Environmental Pressure
boundary condition on the inside
face of the dome lid.

7 Outlet boundary condition.

Apply an Environmental Pressure boundary
condition on the inside face of the outlet lid.

8 Review local initial mesh.

Two local initial mesh conditions are specified in this project.
The first condition is specified on the rotating region part to refine
mesh immediately surrounding the rotor.
The second condition is specifically
created to further refine mesh at the tips
of the blades where complex and
unsteady flow patters may be expected.
lm2 part with dummy cylinders at the
leading edges on both sides of each
blade is used for this condition.
Review both local initial mesh
conditions.

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9 Review goals.
Several goals are already defined in the project. Review all goals.
10 Set calculation control options.
Right-click Input data in the Flow Simulation analysis tree and select
Calculation Control Options.
On the Finish tab check Physical time and specify 0.2s. The rest of
the criteria should be unchecked.

Note The project will simulate a little more than two full rotor revolutions.
The period of one revolution (obtained from the angular velocity of 700
RPM) is 0.0857s.
On the Refinement tab make sure that Global Domain refinement is
Disabled, and local regions use global settings (disabled).
On the Solving tab, specify manual time step of 0.0002s.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 8
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Time Step Time step is very important parameter in any transient solution. Too
large a time step will cause solver to diverge or generate inaccurate
results, while too small a time step will cause simulation to run for
extremely long times. Automatic setting will, in general, use
conservative time step size, which will ensure that simulation results
are correct. Unfortunately, calculation times may be prohibitive in
traditional desktop setting.
Manual setting, on the other hand, allows operator to specify larger
time step and speed up the calculation. It is important to note, however,
that it is the responsibility of an operator to ensure that manually
specified time step is small enough to provide correct and converged
results.
In this project, we will base our time step assumption on the absolute
time required for one blade to move from its position to the position of
the neighboring blade. For the angular velocity of 700 RPM, 32 rotor
blades, the time required for a blade to move from its position to the
position of the neighboring blade is:

60 –4
t = ------------------------------ = 2.67 10 s
700  32  10
Note The time step is equal to one tenth of the time required for a blade to
move from one position to the position of its neighboring blade.

11 Set time period.

On the Saving tab, under Full Results, check Periodic and specify
Physical time [s]. Enter 0s for Start and 0.004s for Period.

Note A total of 50 instances of the calculated results will be saved.

Click OK.

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12 Run the project.

The analysis takes approximately 52 hours to solve on a 3.6 GHz Intel
Xeon E5 machine with 16 GM RAM.
Due to the time required, the results of this analysis have already been
computed. Due to the disk space requirements results files are not
provided as part of the training file set.
Postprocessing section will conclude with two velocity cut plots and a
transient animation.
13 Velocity cut plot.
The two cut plots below show distribution of the velocity field close to
the beginning (1st saved time step corresponding to the 20th
computational time step), and at the end of the simulation.

t=4e-3 s

Notice that close to the beginning of the simulation only air in the
direct neighborhood of the rotor moves with significant velocity.

t=0.2 s

The highest speeds indicated by the red sphere reach close to 48 m/s.

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14 Animation.
The first two revolutions of the rotor are captured in the attached
animation1.avi.
The captured event has a duration of only 0.2s with a frame rate of 100
fps. To better see the animation slow the playback speed to
approximately 25%, or less.

Summary In this lesson, we learned about two distinct solution approaches to

rotating flow problems: mixing plane and sliding mesh.
Mixing plane is a simpler approach imposing certain assumptions on
the flow field distribution. One of the major assumption is that ignoring
the rotational characteristics, the flow must be asymmetrical. This
means that majority of flow must enter and exit the rotating region
axially. The advantage of this approach is relatively short time required
to obtain solution.
Sliding mesh is a robust solution able to tackle complex rotational
flows with unsteady fields. In the examples presented in this lesson,
blower fan with air exiting in the radial direction was used.
Calculations using this method must be transient, and will take a
considerable amount of time to complete.

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Exercise 11 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Ceiling Fan

Exercise 11: In this exercise, you will Ceiling

Ceiling Fan solve the flow caused by
rotation of a three-blade
ceiling fan.
This exercise reinforces the
following skills:

 Rotating Reference
Frame on page 204
 Part 1: Averaging on
page 204
Floor
 Create rotating region.
on page 206
 Create a local initial Mesh. on page 207

Problem The safety valve in the

Description image features three
blades. It is located in a
larger space only a part of
which is modeled in this
simulation. The side walls
are therefore not present;
the four sides of the
computational domain are
positioned reasonably far
from the fan, and assigned
environmental boundary
Environmental pressure
conditions. The fan rotates on 4 sides of the domain
with a velocity of 5 rpm
(31.4 rad/sec).
Boundary The fan rotates at 5 rpm. All 4 sides of the computational domain are
Conditions simulated with the environmental pressure boundary conditions.
Certain rotating parts on the fan need to be included in the rotating
region, some others may need to be assigned real wall boundary
condition with the rotating wall motion.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 11
Ceiling Fan

Computational Select the Size tab and enter the following values:
Domain

Size (m)
X max: 2.25
X min.: -2.25
Y max: 2.25
Y min: -2.25
Z max: 0.29298
Z min: -2.7 m

Goal Create rotating region dummy body and select what will be included in
it. Create reasonable local mesh controls on all important regions in the
computational domain, and all important parts of the fan. Obtain the
flow profile.
The assembly file Fan_Assembly for this exercise is located in the
Lesson08\Exercises folder.

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Ceiling Fan

222
 Lesson 9
Parametric Study

Objectives Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Create an analysis using the Parametric (optimization) Study
feature.
 Create a quarter model using symmetry planes.
 Properly post-process parametric analysis results.

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Lesson 9 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Parametric Study

Case Study: In this lesson, we will perform a

Piston Valve parametric study on a piston valve
assembly using SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation. The model will allow for
the use of symmetry to simplify the
calculations. Several variables using
the model dimension and boundary
conditions will be defined. A single
goal will be defined to understand its
behavior as the values of the variables
change. It will also be used to determine convergence if specific target
value is desired.
Problem Water enters the assembly shown below through the inlet and moves
Description axially towards the orange piston. Pressure is built on the piston and the
water can then move radially out through the exit holes. The piston is
constrained by a spring that requires a 6 N force on its face to allow it
to move. Find the configuration of the assembly (i.e. piston location)
that will produce that force if the pressure at the inlet is 2 bar and the
outlet is 1 bar. The geometry of the valve allows for the usage of a
quarter model through symmetry.
Piston

Inlet

Stages in the  Create the project.

Process Using the Wizard, the internal analysis can be created.
 Define computational domain.
Symmetry conditions can be used in the model to simplify the
computational domain.
 Apply boundary conditions.
The conditions for the fluid flow into and out of the enclosure must
be defined.
 Declare calculation goal.
The defined calculation goal will be used to evaluate the results of
each iteration.
 Define parametric study.
Define the variable parameters and goal of the model.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 9
Parametric Study

 Run the analysis.

 Post-process the results.

The results can be processed using many available options in
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation.
Parametric In parametric analysis a set of calculations are run where certain
Analysis parameters (input variables) are varied iteratively within selected
boundaries until a specified goal has been met, or to study specific
trends influencing design.
Steady State Parametric study can only consider the steady state analysis of a fixed
Analysis model geometry. If you wish to investigate the time needed for the flow
to reach steady state, a transient analysis is required and the parametric
study cannot be used. Each transient study must be modified and run
individually.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Piston Valve from the Lesson09\Case Study folder. Make
sure that the default configuration is active.
2 Create Project.
Create a new study using the Wizard with the following settings:

Configuration Use current: “Default”

name
Project name “Piston”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Under the Main category in the table of parameters, select
Bar for units of Pressure & stress. (1 bar = 105 Pa)
Analysis type Internal flow
Also, make sure the Exclude cavities without flow
conditions check box is selected.
Default Fluid Water
Wall Conditions Default adiabatic smooth walls (0 micrometer)
Initial Conditions Default. Click Finish.

3 Set initial global mesh parameters.

Set Level of initial mesh to level 3.

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Lesson 9 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Parametric Study

4 Set Computational Domain.

From the Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click Computational
Domain and select Edit Definition.
Enter the following values and specify the appropriate conditions in the
Size and Conditions dialog.

Size (meters) Condition

X max: 0.00335 -
X min: -0.013 -
Y max: 0.0065 -
Y min: 0 Symmetry
Z max: 0.0065 -
Z min: 0 Symmetry

When finished, click OK.

5 Apply inlet pressure boundary
condition.
Apply Pressure Openings, Static
Pressure boundary condition on the inner
face of the inlet lid.
Under Thermodynamic Parameters
enter 2 bar as the pressure.
Rename the inlet condition to Inlet p = 2
bar.
6 Set outlet boundary conditions.
Apply Pressure Openings, Static
Pressure boundary condition on the inner
face of the exit lids.
Specify a pressure value of 1 bar.
Rename the inlet condition to Outlet p =
1 bar.

7 Set Global Goal.

Define a global goal for Static Pressure, Av.
Make sure Use for Conv. is checked as well.

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Parametric Study

8 Set Surface Goal.

Define a surface goal for Force (X) and make sure Use for Conv. is
checked.
Change the transparency of Part2 to see the orange piston. Select the
four faces exposed to the flow on the piston (see the following figure).

Click OK.

Parametric Study Parametric study allows you to launch a set of calculations with the
goal to study trends of selected quantities, or to find an optimum value
of a selected parameter until a specified goal is met (optimization).
Introducing: In parametric study, each iteration creates a new configuration with a
Parametric Study different set of parameter values (defined as dimensions or boundary
conditions) that will change the flow field. Three types of parametric
study can be defined:
 One dimensional optimization (Goal Optimization)
Upon each iteration, a specified goal is calculated and compared to
the target goal (defined as constant, table, or a function). At each
iteration, the software automatically updates the variable parameter
using the secant method and solves the study. This procedure is
repeated until either the goal is met, or the maximum number of
iterations has been reached, or it is decided that the goal cannot be
reached within the variable parameter limits.

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Lesson 9 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Parametric Study

 Multi variable design scenario (What If)

Each iteration can vary multiple number of parameters until the
desired grid of values is calculated. The scenario postprocessing
allows you to study trends of selected quantities and their
dependence on the study parameters.
 Multi parameter optimization (Design of Experiments and
Optimization)
Multi variable response surface based optimization expands on the
one dimensional optimization. It allows you to define multiple
geometry and simulation parameters and perform optimization
(minimizing, maximizing or finding a specific value) of an
objective function. Objective function can be defined as a single
goal, or a sum of goals with assigned weights. The technique
employed to achieve the optimized solution is called Design of
Experiments (DoE).

Where to Find It  Menu: Tools, Flow Simulation, Solve, New Parametric Study
 Flow Simulation Main toolbar: New Parametric Study

Part 1: Goal In this part of the lesson you will prepare a goal optimization study. The
Optimization objective is to find an optimum position of a valve.
9 Set up Parametric Study.
In the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, select Solve, New Parametric
Study to open the optimization study setup widget.
Set optimization study to the Goal Optimization mode.

Note In the Goal Optimization mode, only one variable parameter can be
varied.

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Parametric Study

Input Variable You have an option to optimize a selected dimension or the flow
Types parameter (mass flow rate, inlet volume flow rate, etc.).
In this project we want to know the piston position that results in a 6N
force. We will therefore use the Add Dimension Parameter option to
vary the SOLIDWORKS mate controlling the position of the piston.

10 Specify input variable type.

On the Input variables tab, click Add Dimension Parameter to open
the Add Parameter selection field.
Click the Piston X dimension mate controlling the position of the
piston to add it to the Add Parameter selection field.
Click OK to close the Add Parameter field.

Add Dimension Edit Variation

Parameter

11 Specify input variable range.

With the dimension variable selected, click the
Edit Variation button (see the figure above)
and enter 0.003m and 0.006m for the minimum
and maximum dimensions.
Click OK to complete the definition.

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Parametric Study

12 Specify criteria.
On the Criteria tab, click the Add Goal
button .

In the Add Goal dialog, check the checkbox

next to SG Force (X) 1.
Click OK to close the Add Goal dialog.

13 Specify target value.

On the Criteria tab, click the Target Value
button and specify 1.5 N for the target value
and 0.3 N for the study Maximum Deviation.
Click OK to close the Target Value dialog.

14 Specify output parameters.

Click the Output Parameters tab.
The goal used for the criteria, SG
Force (X) 1, is automatically
added as the output variable for
postprocessing.
You can add more output parameters by clicking the Add Goal
button.

Target Value You have an option to specify the target value dependence type. In this
Dependence lesson, you specified a Constant target value of 6 N in step 13.
Types Constant is also the default dependence type setting for the target value.
The dependence
button (see the
figure in step 13) in
the target value dialog
allows you to specify
more complex
dependence types such as Table of values of Formula. The Formula
type enables you to create a dependence of the target value directly on
the input variable (in your case the dimension controlling the position
of the piston).

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 9
Parametric Study

Output Variable The Initial Values button on the output

Initial Values parameters tab enables you to save calculation
time by specifying the output variable values
(i.e. solutions of the flow simulations) at the
limits of the input variables specified in step 11.
If these values are unknown leave these fields
empty. SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation will
automatically run two extra calculations to obtain solutions at the limits
of the input variable.

15 Study Options.
Click the Scenario tab.

In the Study Options dialog, enter 10

for Maximum number of calculations.
Keep the default values for the rest of
the options.

Running SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation will attempt up to 10 calculations to

Optimization obtain the input variable value (position of the piston) at which the
Study output variable (force acting on the piston) is 1.5 N (with the
convergence criterion of 0.3 N). If this position is not found, more
calculations are necessary. Note that if more complex dependencies are
specified, the number of calculations can be substantial.
Optimization Study Each new calculation will be associated with a new study under the
Results same SOLIDWORKS configuration. It is therefore possible to review
solution for each value of the input variable.
Running on Multiple Add Computer button on the scenarios tab enables you to add
Computers multiple network connected computers. This computer can be
requested for running the study in the study options tab specified in
step 15. A proper software license is required for this configuration.

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Lesson 9 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Parametric Study

16 Run the study.

Review the study settings in the summary table located on the
Scenario tab and click Run.
Note If you do not want to run the
Parametric Study
immediately, save the setup
busing the Save Study As
button on the Scenario tab.
When ready to run the
Parametric Study, use the
Load Study button to load the
parametric study project.
17 Review Results.
The following message indicates the end of the optimization procedure:
Solution converged.
Dismiss this message and review the optimization results.
After all studies are calculated, the solutions (design points) are
presented on the Scenario tab, with the last design point
SOLIDWORKS configuration activated and the corresponding results
files loaded.
In this project, you can see that it took 3 iterations to obtain an
optimized solution.

The optimized position of the piston is at 4.9 mm when the piston force
reaches 1.36 N (for a quarter of the piston only).
.The project setup is saved into the Flow
Simulation tree.

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Parametric Study

18 Load results.
Right-click the converged design point (here
Design Point 3), and select Create project.

The following message will be displayed:

Creating project can change geometry in all configurations in
accordance with the Design Point temporarily in the current
session.
Do you want to create new project and change the geometry?
Click Yes.
A new configuration with the project titled
Design point 3 will be created, and become
active.
In the new project Design Point 3, right-click
the Results folder and select Load. The
correct result file will be loaded.

Note Alternatively, you can access all parametric study result files by right-
clicking the Results folder under the original project Piston, and
selecting Load from file. You can then navigate to the lesson folder
corresponding to the project Piston, Parametric Study, and the
subfolder with the highest number.

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Parametric Study

19 View Cut Plot.

Right-click Cut Plot in the Results section of the Flow Simulation
analysis tree and select Insert.
Click the Contours and Vectors buttons.
Select Plane 1 (not PLANE1) from the SOLIDWORKS
FeatureManager tree as the reference.
Select Velocity and click OK to show the plot.

The maximum velocity at the optimized position of the piston reaching

approximately 19 m/s.
20 Examine surface Parameters.
Right-click Surface Parameters under the Results folder and select
Insert.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree click the
SG Force (X) 1 goal to select all four faces on the piston.
Select All from the Parameters list. Click Show.

Notice that the force is close to the goal of 1.5 N and within the 1.2 N to
1.8 N convergence criterion interval.
Close the tables and click OK to close the Surface Parameters
property manager.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 9
Parametric Study

21 Define Goal Plot.

In the Results section of the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree, right-click Goal Plots and select Insert.
Select the check box next to SG Force (X) 1.
Click Export to Excel.
A Microsoft Excel file opens and displays information about the goal.
Click the SG Force (X) 1 tab at the bottom to display a graph of how
the optimized solution was reached.
Part 2: Design In the second part of this lesson you will define “What If” type of the
Scenario parametric study. It allows you to analyze effects of various input
parameters on the selected result quantities.
The objective of this part of the study is to determine the effect of input
pressure and the valve position on the piston force.
22 New parametric study.
Right-click the Parametric Studies
folder (under Default configuration,
Piston study in the top project tree and
select New.
23 Set up Parametric Study.
On the Input variables tab, make
sure that the optimization is set to the
What If Analysis mode.
Note In the What If Analysis mode, multiple variable parameters can be
varied.
24 Specify the first input variable.
Follow steps 10 and 11 and specify the Piston X dimension mate
controlling the position of the piston as the first input variable
parameter.
Select Discrete Values and input the following values: 0.003m,
0.004 m, 0.005 m and 0.006m.
Click OK.

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Lesson 9 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Parametric Study

25 Specify the second input variable.

The second input variable will vary the input pressure.
Click the Add Simulation Parameter button .
In the Add Parameter dialog window expand
Boundary Conditions and the Inlet p= 2 bars
folder.
Select Static pressure and click OK.

Select the static pressure parameter, click the

Edit Variation button , and specify the
Range with Number input type .
Enter and enter 1.3 bar and 2 bar for the lower
and upper limits correspondingly. The number
of calculation positions for this parameter is
equal to 3.
Click OK to complete the definition of the
parameter.
The Input Variable tab with both input variables defined is shown in
the figure below.

Note Contrary to the Goal Optimization mode, the What If optimization

does not have criteria. The What If optimization mode calculates a grid
of result values from which you may analyze various trends in the
output variables.
26 Specify output parameters.
On the Output Parameters tab, click
the Add Goal button .

In the Add Goal dialog, check the checkbox

next to SG Force (X) 1.

Click OK to close the Add Goal dialog.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 9
Parametric Study

27 Design points.
Click the Scenario tab and review twelve design points, or input
variable combinations, at which results will be calculated.
Optionally, if your computer features sufficient resources you may
speed up the solution by setting Maximum simultaneous runs to 2.

Note It is possible to add an additional design point by clicking the Add

Design Point button , or to delete it by right clicking the respective
column and selecting Delete Design Point.
28 Run the study.
Review the design points and click Run.
29 Review Results.
Review the results for all finished design points.

The extreme values of the piston force within the limits of both input
variables are 0.69 N and 7.79 N (for the whole piston). While these
extremes were reached at design points 1 and 12, they can in general
occur at any considered design point.
Click OK to close the design study widget.
Note Each design point results are associated with saved Flow Simulation
project. You can activate any of these projects, load its results and
analyze them.

237
Lesson 9 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Parametric Study

Part 3: Multi In the third part of this lesson you will define the “Design of
parameter Experiments and Optimization” type of parametric study. It allows you
Optimization to optimize your design using various input parameters.
The objective of this part of the study is to determine the optimum
position of the piston.
30 New parametric study.
Right-click the Parametric Studies folder (under Default
configuration, Piston study in the top project tree and select New.
31 Set up Parametric Study.
On the Input variables tab, make
sure that the optimization is set to
the Design of Experiments and
Optimization mode.
32 Specify the first input variable.
Follow steps 10 and 11 and specify the Piston X dimension mate
controlling the position of the piston as the first input variable
parameter.
Define the variation from 0.003m to 0.006m.
Click OK.

33 Specify the second input variable.

Follow step 25 to add the second input variable for the inlet pressure.
Define the variation between 1.3 bars to 2 bars.
34 Specify output parameters.
Follow step 26 and define the output variable.
35 Number of experiments.
Click the Scenario tab.
We will keep the default Number of
experiments of 10. However, in
general, a larger number experiments
will produce a more accurate optimized solution.

238
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 9
Parametric Study

Click Create. 10 experiments (design points) will be automatically

created.

36 Run the optimization study.

Review the experiments (design points) and click Run.
37 Finding minimum.
Click Find Optimum.

To find minimum of the piston force,

keep the Objective Function at
Minimize, and Equation at “SG
Force (X)1”.

Note Equation field contains a sum of goals defined on the Output

Parameters tab (step 34) with different weights specified under the
Objective Function section. In this optimization study we only have
one output parameter (force goal) and hence its weight is kept at a
default value of 1.

239
Lesson 9 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Parametric Study

Click Add Optimal Design Point.

An optimal point corresponding to the minimum of the output
parameter will be added to the list of experiments.

In this case, not surprisingly, the minimum of the piston force occurs
when both input variables are at their minimums, 0.003m and 1.3 bars,
respectively. In general this does not need to be the case and the
minimum can occur at another position on the response surface.
38 Finding maximum.
To find maximum of the piston force,
change Objective Function to
Maximize.
Click Add Optimal Design Point.
An optimal point corresponding to the
maximum of the output parameter will
be added to the list of experiments.

Similarly to the case of the minimum of the piston force, the maximum
for the force occurs at the extremities of the input variables, 0.006m
and 2 bars, respectively.
39 Finding specific value.
To find a combination of the input
variables corresponding to the piston
force value of 1.5 N, change
Objective Function to Target, and
change target for SG Force (X) 1 to
1.5.
Click Add Optimal Design Point.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 9
Parametric Study

An optimal point corresponding to the piston force equal to 1.5 N will

be added to the list of experiments.

1.5 N piston force therefore occurs when the piston is located at 5.7mm
and the inlet pressure is at 1.86 bars. This results is close to the result
from the Goal Optimization study (step 17). There, a lower position of
the piston, 4.9mm, resulted in somewhat smaller force of 1.36 N, which
was still withing the tolerance of that parametric study.
Note Goal optimization study kept the inlet pressure at a fixed value of 2
bars, while the Design of Experiments and Optimization study varied
this pressure from 1.3 to 2 bars. The two studies discussed in the
paragraph above are therefore not simulating the same problem.
Click OK to close the design study widget.
Note Projects can be created for each optimal design point (see step 18).
However, because optimal design points are obtained from the analysis
of the response surface, the projects will have to be solved first if
results at these optimal point are to be reviewed.
40 Close assembly.

Summary In this lesson you learned how to perform an optimization using the
parametric study feature. Parametric study can be defined in three
modes: Goal Optimization, What if scenario and Design of
Experiments and Optimization.
Goal optimization (Single variable design scenario) represents a one
dimensional optimization using the secant method. SOLIDWORKS
Flow Simulation calculates the problem with adjusted input variable as
long as the calculated value is not within the desired limits of the output
variable, or until the maximum number of iterations is reached.
What If (Multi variable design scenario) parametric study allows you to
define multiple input variables, and define their range. Flow Simulation
then calculates grid of result quantities at every combination of the
input variables. This way, you are able to study various trends in the
results quantities.

241
Lesson 9 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Parametric Study

Design of Experiments and Optimization (Multi parameter

optimization) allows you to define multiple parameters and goals.
Parametric study then computes a set of experiments (design points)
forming a response surface. A requested optimal design point
(minimum, maximum, or a specific value) can then be extracted from
this surface.
The input parameters may include input variables (general settings,
mesh settings or boundary conditions), model dimensions and the
design table values. Output variable can be any defined project goal.
Results are saved for all computed projects and can be activated and
postprocessed.

242
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 12
Variable Geometry Dependent Solution

Exercise 12: In this exercise, you will solve the

Variable safety valve assembly. This model
Geometry features dependence of the flow
Dependent solution and the position of the
valve.
Solution
This exercise reinforces the Valve
following skills:
Outlet

 Parametric Analysis on
page 225

Inlet

Problem The safety valve in the image features a spring loaded plunger. To open
Description the valve, i.e. move the plunger up, some minimum level of flow is
required. Consider the mass inflow of 1 kg/sec; this inflow is sufficient
to keep the valve open. To correctly solve this problem, you need to use
parametric study and design proper mesh, especially in the vicinity of
the plunger.
The spring is compressed by
3mm at a fully closed position.
The maximum opening of the
plunger is 30mm.

3mm

Closed
position

243
Exercise 12 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Variable Geometry Dependent Solution

The force generated in the spring can be expressed using the following
nonlinear equation (with compression expressed in meters):
2
F N  = 7708.2   compression  + 2
The correct solution is with the plunger position somewhere between 7
mm to 16 mm above Sitz_SW component.
Note The dimension controlling the
position of the plunger is indicated
in the image to the right. (In this
image, the plunger opening is 2
mm.)

Boundary The water mass inflow is 1 kg^3/s. The outlet features environmental
Conditions pressure boundary condition.

Goal Mesh the valve assembly and solve the flow simulation. Your solution
needs to find the correct position of the valve opening.
The assembly file Safety valve for this exercise is located in the
Lesson09\Exercises folder.
Note Use local initial mesh to generate optimum mesh in the vicinity of the
valve.

244
 Lesson 10
Free Surface

Objectives Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Get familiar with free surface problems.
 Define correct boundary conditions for free surface models
 Display free surface results.

245
Lesson 10 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Free Surface

Case Study: This lesson covers the free flow of water, commonly referred to as free
Dam-Break surface. The objective of this lesson is to introduce the free surface
Flow flow type. The results will be post-processed using cut plots.

Problem A column of water in hydrostatic equilibrium between two vertical

Description walls with gravity acting downward is considered. The right wall (dam)
restraining the body of water is removed and the body of water is free
to spill into the empty regions of the tank. Once the water reaches the
back side of the tank, it will bounce creating a back wave. Mesh
controls will be used to ensure quality results.
Open side

Gravity

Water
(initial stage) Empty space (initial stage)

Free Surface Flow Simulation allows to model two immiscible fluids with a free
surface. In the case of two liquids, they are said to be immiscible if they
are completely insoluble in each other. A free surface is an interface
between immiscible fluids, for example, a liquid and a gas. In this
simulation we will consider free surface between water and air.
However, any phase transitions (including humidity, condensation,
cavitation), rotation, surface tension and boundary layer on an interface
between immiscible fluids are currently not allowed.
Volume of Fluid In Flow Simulation free surfaces are modeled with the Volume of Fluid
(VOF) (VOF) technique by solving a single set of momentum equations and
tracking the volume fraction of each of the fluids throughout the
domain.
The VOF technique is based on the concept of a fluid volume fraction,
which must have a value between 0 and 1. In a two-phase system, in
mesh cells of liquid the fluid volume fraction would be 1, while in cells
of gas the fluid volume fraction is 0. The location of a free surface is
where the fluid volume fraction changes from 0 to 1.

246
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 10
Free Surface

1 Open a part file.

Open 2D-broken-dam from the Lesson10\Case Study folder.
Make sure that the default configuration is active.
2 Create a project.
Create a new study using the Wizard with the following settings:

Configuration Use Current:

name “2D Water Column”
Project name “Broken dam”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Analysis Type External.
Select Time-dependent. Specify 1.5 s for Total analysis time. Leave
the Output time step unchanged at 0 s. We will set its value later.
Select the Gravity box. The Y-Component -9.81 m/s^2 is the correct
direction and value for this analysis.
Select Free Surface.
Default Fluid In the Gases list, double-click Air.
In the Liquids list, double-click Water.
Make sure that both are checked under Default Fluid Immiscible
Mixture.
Wall conditions Default conditions
Initial conditions Make sure that Pressure potential is checked, and Air is specified
under Concentrations.
Under Turbulence Parameters, change Turbulence intensity and
Turbulence length to 2% and 0.0005 m, respectively.
The rest of the settings are left at default settings.
Click Finish.

247
Lesson 10 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Free Surface

3 Define flow symmetry condition and domain size.

Edit computational domain and specify 2D Simulation in XY plane.
Under the computational domain Size and Conditions enter the
dimensions shown in the table:

Size (m)
X max: 1.21
X min.: -0.01
Y max: 0.71
Y min: -0.01
Z max: 0.005
Z min: -0.005

4 Set initial global mesh parameters.

Edit Definition of Global Mesh, specify Manual settings.
On the Basic Mesh tab, enter the following number of cells:
Number of Cells Per X: 80
Number of Cells Per Y: 44
Make sure Keep Aspect Ratio is unchecked.
All other mesh settings are not used. Make sure that Channels,
Advanced Refinement, Close Thin Slots and Display Refinement
Level are unchecked.
Click OK.
5 Outlet boundary
condition.
Define Pressure
Openings,
Environmental
Pressure condition on
the top face of the
domain.
This condition simulates side open to the outside.
The default outlet Static Pressure of 101325 Pa and Temperature of
293.2 K are acceptable for this problem.
Substance Concentrations, and all other remaining settings default
to the values set in the initial conditions.

248
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 10
Free Surface

6 Initial conditions.
Right-click the Initial Conditions folder and
click Insert Initial Conditions.
Under Selection, click WaterDomain solid
body.
Make sure Disable solid components option
is check.
Under Substance Concentrations, select
Water.
Keep rest of the parameters at their default
values.
Click OK.

7 Insert point goals for Density (Fluid).

Under Points click the Coordinates button.
Enter 0.45 m, 0.01 m, 0 m for X Coordinate,
Y Coordinate and Z Coordinate respectively.
Click Add Point.
Similarly, add the following additional points:
[0.6, 0.01, 0], [0.75, 0.01, 0], [0.9, 0.01, 0],
[1.05, 0.01, 0], [1.19, 0.01, 0].
8 Set the calculation time step.
Right-click Input Data in the Flow
Simulation analysis tree and select
Calculation Control Options.
Click the Solving tab.
Under Time Step Settings, change Time step
option to manual, and enter 0.005 s.

249
Lesson 10 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Free Surface

9 Set the saving options.

Still in the Calculation Control Options window, click the Saving
tab.
Under Selected Parameters (Transient Explorer), check Periodic.
Iterations under Values will be set by default.
Keep 0 for Start and 1 for Period (results from all iterations will be
saved).
Expand Parameters list. Under the Main folder, check the following
quantities: Mass Fraction of Water, Pressure, Velocity and Volume
Fraction of Water.
Click OK.
10 Run the project.
The study completes in a few minutes.
11 Load results.
The results should load automatically. If not, right click the Results
folder and select Load.
12 Plot Volume Fraction of Water.
Insert cut plot for Volume Fraction of Water. Use the Front plane as
the cut plane.
Decrease the Number of Levels parameter to 3.
Click OK to show the plot.

The blue regions in the cut plot indicate air, red regions then indicate
water.

250
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 10
Free Surface

13 Animate Volume Fraction of Water cut plot.

With the cut plot still active, right-click the Results folder and click
Transient Explorer.
Move the mouse over the time line, and click Play.

The time animation will start to play.

14 Review point goals.
Right-click Goal Plots and click Insert.
Under Goals click All, and for Abscissa select Physical time.
Click Export to Excel.
Analyze each transient graph showing the variation of Density (Fluid)
in time at the location of the point goal. For example, the figure below
shows the variation for point closest to the initial body of water with
coordinates [0.45, 0.01, 0]. The leading water front edge reaches this
location at approximately 0.087 second.

251
Lesson 10 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Free Surface

Experimental Experimental data for this problem is available (see References). The
Data figure below illustrates its initial configuration.

Environmental pressure
300mm

Water front

600mm

Leading water front position x

252
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 10
Free Surface

The position of the leading front edge is of primary interest in hydraulic

engineering and ocean engineering. The figure below shows the
comparison with the experimental data.

Experimental data
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation 1

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation 2

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation 3

Time [s]

Note that various SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation solutions

referenced in the figure above correspond to the same problem solved
using various mesh refinement settings. It can be concluded that the
numerical solution agrees with the experimental data.
Summary In this lesson, we used the free surface option to solve for the dam-
break problem. The body of water initially contained in a region on the
left side was suddenly released and started to flow into the empty
regions of the tank.
The cut plot for the volume fraction of water was then animated using
Transient Explorer.
References J. C. Martin and W. J. Moyce, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal
Society of London, Series A 244 (1952) 312.

253
Exercise 13 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Heat Exchanger with Multiple Fluids

Exercise 13: In this exercise, we will perform a free surface analysis of an included
Heat Exchanger water jet.
with Multiple This exercise reinforces the following skills:
Fluids  Free Surface on page 246
 Introducing: Engineering Goals on page 26

Problem A 2D water jet inclined

Statement at 60 degrees with
respect to the horizontal Gravity
plane ejects water at 4
m/s. The objective of
this exercise is to obtain Air
Water
trajectory of the ejected
water, and compare it
with the theoretical
results. This problem is Ejection
solved as 2D external, velocity = 4 m/s
with the geometry of the
jet protruding into the
computational domain.
1 Open a part file.
Open 2D FJet from the Lesson10\Exercises folder.
2 Create a project.
Using the Wizard, create a new project with the following properties:

Configuration Use current:

name “Default”
Project name “Jet”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Analysis Type External.
Physical Features Select Time-dependent. Specify 10 s for Total analysis time.
Select the Gravity box. The Y-Component -9.81 m/s^2 is the correct
direction and value for this analysis.
Select Free Surface.
Database of In the Gases list, double-click Air.
Fluids In the Liquids list, double-click Water.
Make sure that both are checked under Default Fluid Immiscible
Mixture.

254
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 13
Heat Exchanger with Multiple Fluids

Wall conditions Default conditions

Initial conditions Make sure that Pressure potential and Refer to the origin are both
checked, and Air is specified under Concentrations.
Under Turbulence Parameters, set Turbulence intensity to 2%, and
Turbulence length to 0.0002 m.
The rest of the settings are left at the default settings.
Click Finish.

3 Define flow symmetry condition and domain size.

Edit computational domain and specify 2D Simulation in XY plane.
Under the computational domain Size and Conditions enter the
dimensions shown in the table:

Size (m)
X max: 1.8
X min.: -0.5
Y max: 1.3
Y min: -0.1
Z max: 0.002
Z min: -0.002

4 Set initial global mesh parameters.

Edit Definition of Global Mesh, specify Manual settings.
On the Basic Mesh tab, enter the following number of cells:
Number of Cells Per X: 124
Number of Cells Per Y: 67
Make sure Keep Aspect Ratio is checked.
All other mesh settings are not used. Make sure that Channels,
Advanced Refinement, Close Thin Slots and Display Refinement
Level are unchecked.
Click OK.

255
Exercise 13 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Heat Exchanger with Multiple Fluids

5 Define local mesh control.

Right-click Mesh and click Insert Local
Mesh.
Under Selection, select the exit face of the
jet.
Expand Refining Cells, and set both
Level of Refining Fluid Cells and Level
of Refining Cells at Fluid/Solid
Boundary to 2.
Click OK.
All other local mesh settings are not used. Make sure that Equidistant
Refinement, Channels, Advanced Refinement, Close Thin Slots
and Display Refinement Level are unchecked.
Click OK.
6 Inlet boundary condition.
Define Inlet Velocity on the same exit face, where the local mesh
control was defined in the previous step.
Enter 4 m/s in the Normal to Face direction.
Under Substance Concentrations select Water.
Click OK.
7 Define global goals.
Define goals for Min and Max of Static Pressure, Temperature
(Fluid), Velocity, Velocity (X) and Velocity (Y).
Define goals Ave and Min for Turbulent Viscosity, and Max for Mass
of Water.
8 Set the calculation time step.
Right-click Input Data in the Flow Simulation analysis tree and select
Calculation Control Options.
Click the Solving tab.
Under Time Step Settings, change Time step option to Manual, and
enter 0.02 s.

256
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 13
Heat Exchanger with Multiple Fluids

9 Set the saving options.

Still in the Calculation Control Options window, click the Saving
tab.
Under Selected Parameters (Transient Explorer), check Periodic.
Iterations under Values will be set by default.
Keep 0 for Start and 1 for Period (results from all iterations will be
saved).
Expand Parameters list. Under the Main folder, check the following
quantities: Mass Fraction of Water, Pressure, Velocity and Volume
Fraction of Water.
Click OK.
10 Run the project.
The study completes in a few minutes.
11 Load results.
The results should load automatically. If not, right click the Results
folder and select Load.
12 Plot Volume Fraction of Water.
Insert cut plot for Volume Fraction of Water. Use the Front plane as
the cut plane.
Decrease the Number of Levels parameter to 3.
Click OK to show the plot.

The blue regions in the cut plot indicate air, red regions then indicate
water.

257
Exercise 13 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Heat Exchanger with Multiple Fluids

13 Animate Volume Fraction of Water cut plot.

With the cut plot still active, right-click the Results folder and click
Transient Explorer.
To start the transient animation, move the mouse over the time line and
click Play.
14 Create XY plot in the vertical plane.
Create XY Plot using Sketch8 for Volume Fraction of Water.
Export the plot in Excel.

0.604 m

Hovering with the mouse over the peak point shows that the tip of the
jet reaches approximately 0.604 m in height. This corresponds very
well with the theoretical solution of 0.612 m.

258
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 13
Heat Exchanger with Multiple Fluids

15 Create XY plot in the horizontal plane.

Create XY Plot using Sketch4 for Volume Fraction of Water.
Export the plot in Excel.

1.423 m

Hovering with the mouse over the peak point shows that the jet width
of flight is approximately 1.423 m. This corresponds very well with the
theoretical solution of 1.414 m.

259
Exercise 13 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Heat Exchanger with Multiple Fluids

Theoretical The jet lift height can be evaluated from the following expression:
Results
2
V  sin   -
H = --------------------------
2g
The jet width of flight can be evaluated from the following expression:

2
L = 2V  sin   cos -
------------------------------------------
g
In the expressions above, g is the gravity acceleration, v is the initial
exit velocity of water, and alpha is the angle of jet inclination with
respect to the horizontal plane.
It was shown that the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation solution agrees
with the theoretical predictions very well.
Summary In this exercise we analyzed jet stream using the free surface feature.
The problem was defined as external analysis, with the geometry of the
jet protruding into the computational domain. The objective was to
obtain the Jet lift height, and width of flight. In both cases, numerical
results were compared very well with the theoretical results.
The cut plot for the volume fraction of water was then animated using
Transient Explorer.

260
 Lesson 11
Cavitation

Objectives Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Select the cavitation flow type.
 Display cavitation results.

261
Lesson 11 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Cavitation

Case Study: This lesson covers the flow of water through a cone valve. The
Cone Valve objective of this lesson is to introduce the cavitation flow type option.
Symmetry will be used to simplify the analysis. The results will be
post-processed using cut plots.
Problem A pipe with a cone valve is shown in the figure. Water at 363 K flows
Description through the pipe at 3.5 m/s. The water is partially blocked by the valve
in the middle causing a dramatic pressure drop and cavitation.
Symmetry can be used to heavily simplify the calculations. Mesh
controls will be used to ensure quality results.

Cavitation Cavitation is a common problem for many engineering devices in

which the main working fluid is in liquid state. The deleterious effects
of cavitation include: lowered performance, load asymmetry, erosion
and pitting of blade surfaces, vibration and noise, and reduction of the
overall machine life. Cavitation models used today range from rather
crude approximations to sophisticated bubble dynamics models.
Details about bubble generation, growth, and collapse are important for
the prediction of a solid surfaces erosion, but are not necessary to
estimate the performance of a pump, valve or other equipment.
In SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, an engineering model of
cavitation is employed to predict the extent of cavitation in industrial
fluids and its influence on the performance of the analyzed device.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open 01 - cone valve from the Lesson11\Case Study folder.
Make sure that the default configuration is active.

262
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 11
Cavitation

2 Create a project.
Create a new study using the Wizard with the following settings:

Configuration Use Current:

name “55deg”
Project name “Cavitation”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Analysis Type Internal
Default Fluid In the Liquids list, double-click Water.
Check the Cavitation check box under Flow Characteristic.
Wall conditions Default conditions
Initial conditions Default conditions - except for Temperature enter 363.15 K.
Click Finish.

3 Set initial global mesh parameters.

Edit Definition of Global Mesh, specify Manual settings.
On the Basic Mesh tab, enter the following number of cells:
Number of cells per X: 112
Number of cells per Y: 12
Number of cells per Z: 12
On the Refining Cells tab, set Level of Refining Fluid Cells and
Level of Refining Cells at Fluid/Solid Boundary both to level 1.
In the Channels tab, set the Characteristic Number of Cells Across
Channel parameter to 7, and keep Maximum Channel Refinement
Level at level 1.
On the Advanced Refinement tab set the Small Solid Feature
Refinement Level slider bar to 5.
Click OK.
4 Inlet boundary condition.
Define a Flow Openings,
Inlet Velocity condition on
the inner face of the inlet lid,
located at the end of the
shorter side.
Specify 3.5 m/s, Normal to
Face.

263
Lesson 11 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Cavitation

5 Outlet boundary condition.

Define Pressure Openings,
Static Pressure condition on the
inner face of the outlet lid,
located at the end of the longer
side.
The default outlet Static
Pressure of 101325 Pa and
Temperature of 363.15 K are
acceptable for this problem.
6 Insert global goals for the density.
Under Parameter, check the Min (Minimum) and Av (Average) boxes
for the Density (Fluid).
7 Run the project.
Due to the time required, the results of this analysis have already been
computed, and we will use them for the post-processing.
8 Activate project.
Activate project completed.
9 Load results.
Right click the Results folder and select Load.
10 Plot density.
Insert cut plot for Density (Fluid). Use the Top plane as the cut plane.
Increase the Number of Levels parameter to 100.
Click OK to show the plot.

The blue regions in the cut plot represent very low density regions,
which indicate that cavitation is occurring in these regions.

264
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 11
Cavitation

Discussion To study the effects of cavitation, we used a cut plot of the density. We
also could have used a cut plot of the water mass fraction, water
volume fraction, vapor mass fraction, or vapor volume fraction to see
where the cavitation has occurred. Note that the model does not
describe the behavior of individual bubble.
The cavitation area grows slowly during the calculation and there is
some risk that the calculation could stop before the cavitation area is
completely developed. To combat this, we specified a global goal of
average density and made sure that it was used in convergence. We also
could adjust the calculation control options to insure that the
calculation runs longer.
Summary In this lesson, we used the cavitation option to solve for the cavitation
of water flowing through a valve. We evaluated the cavitation by
showing a cut plot of the density. The low density regions represent
cavitation and the formation of a vapor. We also could have plotted the
vapor volume fraction to evaluate the cavitation.

265
Lesson 11 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Cavitation

266
 Lesson 12
Relative Humidity

Objectives Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Apply Relative Humidity as a boundary condition.
 Display Relative Humidity results.

267
Lesson 12 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Relative Humidity

Relative Relative humidity is defined as the ratio of the current water vapor
Humidity density to the water vapor density in saturation under the current
pressure and temperature. Relative humidity allows you to specify the
existence of water vapor in a gas or mixture of gases. Rather than
directly specifying water vapor in a Flow Simulation project, a relative
humidity can be specified within the initial or boundary condition.
Case Study: In this lesson, we will apply humidity parameters to our boundary
Cook House conditions to simulate the presence of water vapor in the gas. We will
also learn how to properly post-process the results of this type of
analysis.
Problem A cook house internal environment is controlled by a centralized
Description system. The exhaust vent blowing hot, humid air is located near the
back of the room on top of the table. There are two openings located on
either side of the room near the ceiling. One outlet has an exhaust fan
pulling air out at a defined constant flow rate, while the other one is
open to ambient air and has no fan.

Outlet without fan

Hot humid air exhaust

Outlet with fan

Procedure Follow the procedure below:

1 Open an assembly file.
Open Cook_House from the Lesson12\Case Study folder. Make
sure that the default cook-house configuration is active.

268
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 12
Relative Humidity

2 Create a project.
Create a new study using the Wizard with the following settings:

Configuration Use Current:

name “Default”
Project name “Relative Humidity”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Under Parameter, Loads&Motion, change the units for Volume Flow
Rate to m^3/min and the Temperature (under Main) to  C.
Analysis Type Internal
Under Physical Features, select Gravity.
The default value of -9.81 m/s^2 in the y direction is correct for this
model.
Database of In the Gases list, double-click Air.
Fluids Check the Humidity check box at the bottom of the dialog window.
Wall conditions Default conditions
Initial conditions Expand the Humidity list.
Enter a value of 60% for the Relative Humidity.
Click Finish.

3 Set initial global mesh parameters.

Edit Definition of Global Mesh.
Set Level of initial mesh to level 4, and enter 0.1m for Minimum Gap
Size and 0.01m for Minimum Wall Thickness.
Click OK.

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Lesson 12 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Relative Humidity

4 Inlet boundary condition.

Define a Flow Openings, Inlet
Volume Flow condition the top face
of the pot on the stove as shown in the
figure.
Specify Normal to Face, Volume
Flow Rate of 0.1 m^3/min.

Under Thermodynamic Parameters, enter a

Temperature of 100 C (373 K).
Under Humidity Parameters, enter values of
100%, 101325 Pa, and 100 C for the Relative
Humidity, Humidity Reference Pressure and
Humidity Reference Temperature,
respectively.
Click OK.
5 Outlet boundary condition.
Define Flow Openings, Outlet Volume Flow
condition on the face shown in the figure
below.

Under Flow Parameters enter 1 m^3/min.

Click OK.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 12
Relative Humidity

6 Outlet boundary condition.

Define Pressure Openings, Environmental Pressure condition to
the inner face of the other outlet lid near the back of the room.
The default outlet Environmental Pressure and Temperature
parameters of 101325 Pa and 20.05 C (293 K) are acceptable for this
problem.
Under Humidity Parameters, specify a value of 35%.
Click OK.
Note The Relative Humidity and Temperature parameters are only used if
there is a recirculation near the outlet and flow is entering back into the
room. If all the flow is exiting through the outlet, these parameters are
ignored.
7 Insert Heat Source.
Insert surface heat sources on the
three circular patterns that are
mounted flush with the top of the
table.
Under Parameter, enter 1000 W for
the Heat Transfer Rate.
Click OK.

8 Insert Surface Goal.

Define a surface goal on the outlet face used for the Environmental
Pressure1 boundary condition.
In the Parameter table, select the Av check box for Temperature
(Fluid) and the Av box for Mass Flow Rate.
Click OK.
9 Insert Temperature Surface Goal on outlet face with fan.
Insert Temperature (Fluid) (Av value) surface goal on Outlet Volume
Flow 1.
10 Insert global goals for the density.
Insert Density (Fluid), (Av value) goal.

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Lesson 12 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Relative Humidity

11 Run the project.

Make sure that the Load results check box is checked.
Click Run.
At this point, we would go ahead and run the simulation. Due to the
time required, the results of this analysis have already been computed,
and we will use them for the post-processing.
12 Activate project.
Activate project completed.
13 Load results.
Right click the Results folder and select Load.
14 Create Cut Plots.
Define a cut plot for Relative Humidity. Use Front Plane with
1.0765m offset as a reference.

We can observe that the maximum relative humidity around the

mannequin is approximately 64%.
Hide the cut plot.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 12
Relative Humidity

15 Display Flow Trajectories.

Under Results, right-click the Flow
Trajectories icon and select Insert.
From the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
design tree, select the Inlet Volume Flow1
boundary condition. This will automatically
select the inlet surface for the flow trajectories.
Reduce the Number of Points field to 10.
Under Appearance, reset the legend limits to
the global maximum and minimum values.
Click OK to show the plot.

Rotate the view so that you can inspect the flow trajectories entering
the room through the hot exhaust vent and mixing throughout the room.

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Lesson 12 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Relative Humidity

16 Crop Flow Trajectories.

In large models, you may want to crop the flow trajectory region.
Right-click the flow trajectory plot created in the preceding step and
click Edit Definition.
Expand the Crop Region dialog and edit the
region dimensions as shown in the figure.
Click OK to view the plot.

The flow trajectories will show only in the reduced region around the
mannequins.

Summary In this lesson, we used relative humidity to analyze the conditions in a

cook house. Like in cavitation, relative humidity problems run the risk
of the calculation finishing before the condensation develops
completely. We specified the global goal for average density to ensure
complete calculations because the density is strongly dependent on
condensation. To see the condensation areas, we used a cut plot of
Relative Humidity. We could also visualize condensation using the
Condensate Mass Fraction.

274
 Lesson 13
Particle Trajectory

Objectives Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Inject a physical particle into a flow stream.
 Use the Particle Study command.
 View particle trajectory results.

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Lesson 13 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Particle Trajectory

Case Study: In this lesson, we will perform a particle study on particles injected into
Hurricane a hurricane generator assembly. Gravity will be applied and we will
Generator learn to specify the type of solid particle injected. In addition, we will
set up different boundary conditions applied to how the particles move
in the model.
Problem A hurricane generator can be used as an educational tool when learning
Description how hurricanes form. When the sun heats the ocean water, it evaporates
to form a rising cloud of moist air. The surrounding cooler air is then
drawn into the cloud in a swirling motion.
In our generator, there are four bulbs
towards the top that generate 100 W Bulbs
of heat. At the bottom of the
generator, a 600 W heater heats water
in a bed to help the evaporation. The Inlets
air is then drawn in at the slits on the Bulbs
sides of the wall faces. Due to the
placement of the slits, a swirling
motion ensues and the hurricane
forms. Inlets

We will use the particle trajectory Water Bed

capability of Flow Simulation to
show how the water droplets might evaporate out of the heated bed. We
will also investigate all of the options available to us when using
particle trajectories.
Particle In accordance with the particle motion model adopted in
Trajectories - SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, particle trajectories are calculated in
Overview the post-processor after completing a fluid flow calculation (for either
steady state or time-dependent analysis). The particle mass and volume
flow rates are assumed to be substantially lower than those of the fluid
stream, so particle motions and temperatures have a negligible
influence on the fluid flow parameters, and particle motion obeys the
following equation:

dV p f  Vf – Vp   Vf – Vp
m --------- = – ----------------------------------------------------- C d A + F g
dt 2
where m is the particle mass, t is time, Vp and Vf are the particle and
fluid velocities (vectors), accordingly,  f is the fluid density, Cd is the
particle drag coefficient, A is the particle frontal surface area, and Fg is
the gravitational force.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 13
Particle Trajectory

Particles are treated as non-rotating spheres of constant mass and

specified (solid or liquid) material, whose drag coefficient is
determined from Hendersons semi-empirical formula. At a very low
velocity of particles with respect to fluid-carrier (i.e., at the relative
velocities Mach number M=0), this formula becomes:

C d = ----- 4.12
24- + ----------------------------------------------------------
- + 0.38
R e 1 + 0.03  R + 0.48 R
e e

where Reynolds number (Re) is:

f Vf – Vp d
R e = ----------------------------
-

where d is the particle diameter and  is the fluid dynamic viscosity.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open hurricane_generator from the Lesson13\Case Study
folder.
2 Create Project.
Create a new study using the Wizard with the following settings:

Configuration name Use Current: “Default”

Project name “hurricane”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Analysis Type External
Physical Features Select the Heat conduction in Solids check box.
Select the Gravity box.
The Y-Component -9.81 m/s^2 is the correct direction
and value for this analysis.
Database of Fluids In the Fluids list, under Gases, double-click Air to
add it to the Project Fluids.
Solids Default solid should be set to Titanium under the
Metals list.
Wall conditions The default Roughness value of 0 micrometer is
acceptable for this analysis.
Initial conditions Default conditions. Click Finish.

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Lesson 13 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Particle Trajectory

3 Set initial global mesh parameters.

Set Level of initial mesh to level 3.
Specify 0.0127m for Minimum Wall Thickness.
4 Define Computational Domain.
In the Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Input Data, right- click the
Computational Domain icon and select Edit Definition.
Enter the following values for each respective item.

Size (meters)
X max: 1
X min: -1
Y max: 2
Y min: -0.25
Z max: 1
Z min: -1

Note We are significantly reducing the computational domain because we

are only studying what is going on inside the generator.
5 Heat Source.
Define volume heat source for the four bulb parts.
Enter 100 W as the Heat Generation Rate.
6 Heat Source.
Repeat the previous step and apply 600 W to
the heater component.
7 Global Goal.
Insert a global goal to calculate the Max of
Temperature (Fluid).
8 Component Control.
Disable the four Part1 bodies that were
created in-context. These bodies are lids for
the inlets in the generator and we do not want to include them in the
analysis. We will use them when reviewing the results.
9 Run the analysis.
Make sure that the Load results and Solve check boxes are selected.
Click Run.
10 Cut Plot.
Insert a Cut Plot using the Top Plane as a reference and 0.3m as the
Offset.
Deselect the Contours button and select Vectors.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 13
Particle Trajectory

Under Vectors, specify Velocity and set

Spacing to 0.03m, Max Arrow Size to 0.15m,
and Min/Max Arrow Size Ratio to 0.01m.
Click OK.

You can see the swirling flow in the generator.

Hide the Cut Plot 1 when you are through reviewing.
11 Flow trajectory.
Show the lid Part1 from the FeatureManager
design tree.
Use the inside surface of the lid to create a
Flow Trajectory plot.
Under Appearance, keep Pipes and enter
0.01m for the Width.
Select Velocity.
Under Constraints specify the generation of
the trajectories in the Forward direction only.
Click OK.

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Lesson 13 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Particle Trajectory

The flow enters the slits and then begins

swirling, forming a hurricane-like cloud.
Hide the Flow Trajectory1 plot.

12 Particle study.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Results,
right-click the Particle Studies icon and select Wizard.
In the Name dialog keep Particle Study 1.
Click Next.

Select the top face of the heater as a reference

where the particles will be injected into the
domain.
Under Particle Properties, enter 0.00001m
for the Diameter and specify Water (under
Liquids) as the material of the particles.
Under Mass Flow Rate enter the value 1 kg/s.
Click Next.

Note Additional injection definitions can be specified by clicking the More

Injections button on the bottom of the Injection Property Manager.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 13
Particle Trajectory

Particle Study - This menu allows the user to specify additional physical features: the
Physical Settings Gravity, wall Erosion caused by the particles or the particle Accretion
at walls.
13 Settings.
Under Physical Features, Gravity is turned
on by default.
Keep both the Accretion and Erosion
unchecked.
Click Next.

Particle Study - This menu allows the user to specify what happens if the particle comes
Wall Condition in contact with a wall. For this lesson, we will keep the default wall
condition to Absorption which means if the particle(s) come in contact
with a wall the particle will be absorbed by that wall. The other options
allow for reflection of the particle after contact with the wall.

14 More settings.
Under Default Wall Condition, keep
Absorption and click Next.

Keep all parameters in the Calculation

Settings property manager at their default
values.
Click Next.

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Lesson 13 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Particle Trajectory

In the last property manager click Run.

The particle study will complete very quickly.

15 Particle Study.
Under the Particle Studies folder, Show Injection 1.

16 Animate.
Right-click the Injection 1 and select Animate to animate the particle
study.

Summary In this lesson, we performed a particle study on water particles in a

hurricane generator. The study allowed us to begin to understand how
hurricanes are formed. You are encouraged to continue investigating
the different settings of the particle studies.

282
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 14
Uniform Flow Stream

Exercise 14: In this lesson, we will perform a particle study on particles injected into
Uniform Flow a uniform flow field. Gravity will be applied and we will learn to
Stream specify the type of solid particle injected. In addition, we will set up
different boundary conditions applied to how the particles move in the
model.

Problem To simplify the analysis, Uniform

Statement this problem will be solved Fluid Flow
as a 2D (i.e. in the XY-
plane) flow problem. Particle Injection
The corresponding Injection of a particle into an uniform fluid flow
SOLIDWORKS model is
shown below. Both of the
walls are ideal to simulate symmetry conditions, the channel has a
length of 0.233 m and height of 0.12 m, and all the walls have a
thickness of 0.01 m. The problem will consist of a uniform fluid
velocity Vinlet, a fluid temperature of 293.2 K, default values for
turbulent flow with a laminar boundary layer at the channel inlet, and a
static pressure of 1 atm at the channel outlet. The fluid flow
calculations will be performed at a result resolution
level of 5.

1 Open a part file.

Open Channel from the Lesson13\Exercises folder. Make sure that
the default configuration is active.
2 Create a Project.
Using the Wizard, create a new project with properties as follows:
Configuration Use Current:
name “Default”
Project name “Gravity”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Analysis Type Internal
Physical Features None
Database of Fluids In the Gas list, double-click Air.

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Exercise 14 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Uniform Flow Stream

Wall conditions In the Default outer wall thermal

condition list, select Adiabatic.
In the Roughness box, type 0 micrometer.
Initial conditions Default conditions. Click Finish.

You will receive the following message:

Fluid volume recognition has failed because the model
currently is not watertight. An internal task must has a
sealed internal volume. You need to close openings and holes
to make the internal volume sealed.
You can close openings with the Create Lids tool. Do you
want to open the Create Lids tool?
Click No. The simulation will be run in 2D, and so the open sides of the
model do not need to be closed with lids.
3 Set initial global mesh parameters.
Set Level of initial mesh to level 5.
4 Define Computational Domain.
Specify 2D simulation domain in the XY plane.
5 Create inlet velocity.
Specify Normal to Face, Inlet
Velocity of 0.6 m/s on the inside
surface of the SOLIDWORKS
feature representing the inlet as
shown in the figure.

6 Apply outlet Boundary Condition.

Specify Static Pressure boundary
condition on the inside face of the
channel on the end opposite from the
inlet.
Accept the default ambient values.

284
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Exercise 14
Uniform Flow Stream

Ideal Wall The Ideal Wall condition allows you to apply adiabatic, frictionless
wall boundary conditions instead of the default fluid friction wall. If
appropriate, you can also use the Ideal Wall condition to introduce a
flow symmetry plane, which can assist in reducing the computational
resources.
7 Select faces for Ideal Wall
conditions.
Select the top and bottom faces (walls).
Use the Ctrl key to accept both the top
and bottom surfaces.
Right-click the Boundary Conditions
icon and select Insert Boundary
Condition.
Under Type, click the Wall button and select Ideal Wall.
Click OK.
8 Set Engineering Goals.
Specify a surface goal for the average value of the static pressure on the
inlet face used for the velocity boundary condition.
9 Run the analysis.
Click Run.
10 Create Particle Study With One Injection.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Results,
right-click the Particle Studies icon and select Wizard.
In the first property manager keep the default name Particle Study 1.
Click Next to define the first injection.
In the Injection 1 property manager, under Starting Points click the
Coordinates button and enter the coordinates of the injection: 0m, 0m,
0m. Click the Add point button to add point to the list.
Still in the Injection 1 property manager, specify particle Diameter of
0.001m, Iron as the Material, 1 kg/s for the Mass Flow Rate, 0 K for
the Relative initial particle Temperature, and the following Absolute
initial velocity:
Velocity in X direction = 0.6 m/s
Velocity in Y direction = 1.2 m/s
Velocity in Z direction = 0 m/s
Click Next.
11 Set particle study boundary conditions and physical features.
In the Physical Settings property manager, activate Gravity and enter
-9.81 m/s^2. in the Y-Gravity field.
Click Next.

285
Exercise 14 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Uniform Flow Stream

In the Default Wall Condition property manager, keep the default

Absorption condition.
Click Next.
In the Calculation Settings property manager, keep all parameters at
their default values and click Next.
In the Run property manager click Run. The calculation completes
very quickly.
12 Display Flow Trajectory.
Right click Injections folder from the SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation analysis tree and select Show All.
You can also right-click Injection 1 from the SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation analysis tree and select Show to view the particle trajectory.

Note You can Edit Definition of the Particle Study 1, turn off the gravity
and rerun the particle study to see the effects with the gravity term off.
You can also go back and use a different material, diameter, and/or
velocity to see these affects.
If time allows, you can try the following three cases:
 Air flow with Vinlet = 0.002 m/s, gold particles of d = 0.5 mm,
injected at the velocity of 0.002 m/s perpendicularly to the wall.
 Water flow with Vinlet = 10 m/s, iron particles of d = 1 cm, injected at
the velocities of 1, 2, 3 m/s perpendicularly to the wall.
 A particle trajectory in the Y-directed gravitational field
(gravitational acceleration gy = -9.81 m/s2, air flow with Vinlet = 0.6
m/s, an iron particle of d = 1 cm, injected at the 1.34 m/s velocity at
the angle of 63.44o with the wall).

286
 Lesson 14
Supersonic Flow

Objectives Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Create an external supersonic flow analysis.
 Use the solution adaptive mesh feature for supersonic flows.
 Create contour plots of Mach number.

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Lesson 14 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Supersonic Flow

Supersonic Flow is considered supersonic when it is traveling faster than the speed
Flow of sound. In subsonic flow, a fluid is able to react to a disturbance
because a pressure difference develops at the disturbance and
propagates downstream so that the oncoming flow can react and
change due to the disturbance.
In supersonic flow, however, these pressure differences do not develop
upstream because the fluid is moving so rapidly. The disturbance
downstream, therefore, cannot be sensed by the oncoming flow. When
the flow reaches the disturbance, a violent change in flow properties
occurs known as a shock wave.
Case Study: As can be expected, supersonic flow behaves
Conical Body very differently than subsonic flow. In this
lesson, we will study an external supersonic
flow of air over a segmental conical body. As
we have done in previous lessons, symmetry
will be used to simplify the model. The adaptive
meshing technique will be used to ensure good
quality results in the areas that result in shock
waves. We will also use engineering goals to calculate the drag
coefficient of the body.
Problem The conical body of study is shown in the figure below. The flow
Description around the body has a Mach number of 1.7, a static pressure of 1 atm,
static temperature of 660.2 K, and turbulence intensity of 1%. These
flow conditions represent a Reynolds number of 1.7×106 (defined with
respect to the body frontal diameter).
10.481
R0.300
R4.700

27o 6
R11.971 R0.57

3.225
Model sketch dimensioned in centimeters

To reduce the computational domain, the Z = 0 flow symmetry plane

will be utilized for this analysis. Additionally, the Y = 0 flow symmetry
plane will also be specified. A result resolution of level 6 will be used
because of the automatic solution adaptive mesh refinement at this
level.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 14
Supersonic Flow

Drag Coefficient The longitudinal aerodynamic drag coefficient is defined using the drag
equation as follows:
F
t -
C = -----------------
t 2
1 U S
-----------------
2
where Ft is the aerodynamic drag force acting on the body in the t
direction, U2/2 is the incoming stream dynamic head, and S is the body
frontal cross section (being perpendicular to the body axis) area.
The longitudinal aerodynamic drag coefficient equation will be used
later in this lesson when defining the Equation Goal in Flow
Simulation.

1 Open a part file.

Open cone from the Lesson14\Case Study folder. Make sure that
the default configuration is active.
2 Create a project.
Create a new study using the Wizard with the following settings:

Configuration Use current:

name “Default”
Project name “000 dg”
Unit system SI (m-kg-s)
Analysis Type External

Physical Features None

Database of Fluids In the Gases list, double-click Air.
Under Flow Characteristic, select the High Mach number flow check
box.
Wall conditions In the Default wall thermal condition list, select Adiabatic wall.
In the Roughness box, type 0 micrometer.
Initial conditions Under Thermodynamic Properties, in the Temperature box, enter a
value of 660.2 K.
Under Velocity Parameters, in the Parameter list, click Mach
Number. In the Defined by, keep 3D Vector.
In the Mach number in the X direction box, type a value of 1.7.
In the Mach number in the Y direction box, type a value of 0.
In the Mach number in the Z direction box, type a value of 0.
Under Turbulence Parameters, change Turbulence Intensity to 1%.
Click Finish.

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Lesson 14 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Supersonic Flow

3 Set initial global mesh parameters.

Set Level of initial mesh to level 5.
4 Set Computational Domain.
In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, right-click
Computational Domain and select Edit Definition.
The computational domain can be reduced to model a quarter of the
conic body to reduce the solution size and time to solve.
Specify Symmetry condition at Y min and Z min locations.
Specify the following dimensions for the domain.

Size (meters)

X max: 0.4
X min: -0.15
Y max: 0.25
Y min: 0
Z max: 0.25
Z min: 0

Click OK.
5 Setting Calculation Control Options.
Right-click Input Data in the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation
analysis tree and select Calculation Control Options.
On the Refinement tab, set Global Domain refinement to level=1.
Under Refinement Settings, select the Approximate maximum cells
check box and set the value to 350000. Set Refinement strategy to
Periodic. Keep the rest of the parameters at their default values.
Select the Finishing tab. Under Finish Conditions, select the
Refinements check box and set the value to 1.
Click OK.
6 Define Engineering Goal.
Define global goal for Force (X).
7 Define Equation Goal.
Right-click the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree Goals
icon and select Insert Equation Goal.

290
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 14
Supersonic Flow

Enter the following equation for the longitudinal aerodynamic drag

coefficient mentioned earlier in this lesson:
4*{GG Force (X) 1}/1.7^2/1.399*2/101325/3.14159*4/0.1^2.
Set the Dimensionality to No Units.
Click OK.

8 Rename the Equation Goal to Cd.

9 Run the project.

Make sure that the Load results check box is checked.
Click Run.
This analysis will take about seven minutes to run on a 3.6 GHz Intel
Xeon E5 machine.
10 Create Cut Plots.
Define a cut plot for Mach Number.
Under Display, click the Contours and Vectors buttons.
Use Plane1 and increase Number of Levels to 100.
Click OK to generate the plot.

291
Lesson 14 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Supersonic Flow

Shock Waves As stated before, a shock wave occurs when the properties of the flow
are forced to change dramatically due to the presence of a disturbance.
The shock wave seen in this example consists of two parts. First, a bow
shock exists in the direction normal to the flow. The presence of a bow
shock significantly increases the drag force on the object. An oblique
shock is also seen propagating from the edge of the cone as the flow
moves around the edge. Because the supersonic flow encounters a
convex corner, an expansion fan of rarefaction waves (often called a
Prandtl-Meyer expansion fan) are seen after the oblique shock that
further accelerate the flow. The subsonic wake region past the body can
also be seen.

Normal Shock

Oblique Shock

11 View Cut Plot with Mesh.

Right-click Cut Plot1 and select Edit definition.
Under Display, click the Mesh button and deselect both the Contours
and Vectors buttons.
Click OK.

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SOLIDWORKS Simulation Lesson 14
Supersonic Flow

12 Create Goal Plot.

In the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation analysis tree, under Results,
right-click Goal Plots and select Insert.
In the Goals dialog, click All.
Click Export to Excel.
The X-Component of Force is shown along with the equation goal for
drag (Cd).

Discussion The conical shape in this lesson has been used as a design for vehicles
that undergo re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere. It is important to
note, however, that our model does not simulate this situation. That
type of analysis would require flow with an even larger mach number,
often referred to as hypersonic flow (> Mach 5). In this type of flow,
there are further physical changes in the fluid properties of the flow
(i.e. ionization, molecular dissociation). SOLIDWORKS Flow
Simulation is not capable of modeling these effects.
Summary In this lesson, we studied supersonic flow over a conical shaped body.
Symmetry was used to simplify the analysis. In addition, the automatic
mesh refinement technique was used to ensure high quality results.
Both normal and oblique shock waves appeared as a result of the
simulation. The results were analyzed using cut plots.

293
Lesson 14 SOLIDWORKS Simulation
Supersonic Flow

294
 Lesson 15
FEA Load Transfer

Objectives Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Transfer flow results to SOLIDWORKS Simulation for a finite
element analysis.
 Create a SOLIDWORKS Simulation study using results from
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation as input boundary conditions.
 View results in SOLIDWORKS Simulation.

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FEA Load Transfer

Case Study: In this lesson, we will demonstrate how SOLIDWORKS Flow

Billboard Simulation data can be transferred into SOLIDWORKS Simulation for
Finite Element static analysis. The Flow Simulation will be created and
run, then the results will be used as a loading condition in
SOLIDWORKS Simulation.
Problem The billboard shown in the figure
Description stands in hurricane force winds of
40 m/s. Using Flow Simulation, find
the force caused by the incoming
wind. Export those results to
SOLIDWORKS Simulation to find
the maximum stress on the model.

1 Open an assembly file.

Open Billboard from the Lesson15\Case Study folder. Make sure
that the default configuration is active.
2 Create a Project.
Create a new study using the Wizard with the following settings:

Configuration Use Current: “Default”

Name
Project name “Billboard”
Unit System SI (m-kg-s)
Analysis type External, and select Exclude cavities without flow conditions.
Default Fluid Air
Wall conditions Default
Initial conditions Set Velocity in X direction to -40 m/s (negative because of direction
of coordinate system relative to model).
Click Finish.

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3 Set initial global mesh parameters.

Set Level of initial mesh to level 3.
Enter 0.3m for Minimum Gap Size., and 0.05m for Minimum Wall
Thickness.
4 Set Computational Domain.
Select the Size tab and enter the following values:

Size (m)
X max: 30.5
X min.: -30.5
Y max: 26
Y min: 0
Z max: 30.5
Z min: -24

5 Create Surface Goal.

Insert Surface Goal on the following
face using Force (X) and use for
convergence.

6 Run Project.

7 Create Velocity Cut plot.

Create a Velocity cut plot using fluid Vectors and Contours. Use the
Front plane and offset it by 6m.

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FEA Load Transfer

8 Examine the Surface Goal.

Use the Surface Goal to examine the surface force.
9 Export Results to Simulation.
From the Tools, Flow Simulation menu, select Tools, Export Results
to Simulation.
10 Define a SOLIDWORKS Simulation Study.
From the Simulation menu, select Study.
Name the study Wind effects.
From the Type list, select the Static icon.
Click OK.
The Simulation Study tree will appear in the
lower part of the FeatureManager.
11 Apply material properties.
Right-click on the Parts folder in the Simulation Study tree and select
Apply material to all.
Under the Aluminum Alloys folder, select 2024 Alloy.
Click Apply.
Click Close to close the window.
12 Import loads from SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation.
Right-click the Wind Effects study in the Simulation Study tree and
select Properties.
Click the Flow/Thermal effects tab.
Under Fluid Pressure option, click the check box next to Include
fluid pressure effects from SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation.
Click the ... button next to the blank space, choose the SOLIDWORKS
Flow Simulation results file, and click Open.
Keep Use reference pressure (offset) in .fld file 101325 N/m^2
selected.

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Note Reference pressure is obtained from Flow Simulation and its value is
typically equal to the atmospheric pressure of 101325 Pa. Use Define
reference pressure (offset) option to use different value.

Click OK.
13 Create Fixed Restraint.
Right-click Fixtures in the Simulation Study tree
and select Fixed Geometry.
Select the bottom face of the base of the billboard
and apply a Fixed Geometry restraint.
Click OK.

14 Create Mesh.
Right-click Mesh in the Simulation Study tree and select Create
Mesh.
Accept the default mesh settings and click OK.
15 Run the analysis.
Right-click Wind Effects in the Simulation Study tree and select Run.

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FEA Load Transfer

16 View Stress plot.

To view the results, expand the Results folder and double-click
Stress1.

17 View animation.
Right-click the Stress1 plot and click Animate.
Click the play button to animate the model.
Click OK when finished.
18 View a Displacement plot.
To view the displacement of
the model, double-click the
Displacement1 plot in the
Results folder.

Summary In this lesson, we used Flow Simulation to solve for the pressure
distribution from wind on a billboard. We then used that pressure
distribution to run a linear static analysis in SOLIDWORKS
Simulation to study the response of the structure. Flow Simulation
gives us the opportunity to export results (pressure, temperature,
convection) to SOLIDWORKS Simulation for linear static analysis.
From here, we can further evaluate the response of our structures.

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 Index

A Conjugate Heat Transfer 161 H

A vortex crosses the pressure opening Control Planes 71 Heat Sources 107
32 Add Plane 72 Surface Source 107
Adiabatic Wall 22 Control Intervals 71 I
Advanced channel refinement 68 Number of Cells 71 Ideal Wall 285
Advanced Narrow Channel Refinement Ratio 71 Inertial Forces 133
68, 84 Coriolis 204 Initial Mesh 62
Advanced Refinement 68 COSMOSMotion Initial mesh 62
Aerodynamic Drag Coefficient 289 Add-Ins 7 Internal Flow Analysis 7
B Create Lids 8 Internal Fluid Volume 13, 227
Basic Mesh 62, 68 Curvature Level 68 Invalid Contact 13
Show Basic Mesh 62 Cut Plots 35 Invalid contacts 13
Basic mesh 62 D Irregular cells 68
Batch Run 178 Design of Experiments and Optimiza- L
Boundary Conditions 24 tion 228 Leak Tracker 16
Bow Shock 292 Drag Coefficient 289 Lid Thickness 9
C Drag Equation 139 Lids 8
Calculation Control Options 137, 139 E Local Mesh 69, 70, 73
Calculation Time 138 EFD Zooming 172 M
Flow Freezing 138 Engineering Database 105, 186 Mach number 288
Goals Convergence 138 Engineering goals definition 26 Mass Fraction 165
Nested Iterations 138 External Flow 133 Maximum Channels Refinement Level
Physical Time 138 External Flow Analysis 7 68
Refinement 216 F Minimum gap size 63
Refinements 138 Fan Curves 109 Minimum Wall Thickness 63
Time Step 138, 217 Fans 109 Display wall Thickness 63
Cavitation 262 Flow Trajectories 40 N
Centrifugal 204 Flow Trajectory 286 Noise Prediction 210
Channels 68 Fluid cells 68 Acoustic Power 210
Check Geometry 12 Fluid Subdomain 163 Acoustic Power Level 210
Clone Project 126 Free area ratio 112 Broadbank Model 210
Compare 179 Free Surface Non-Isotropic material 107
Component Control 74, 188 Volume of Fluid (VOF) 246 O
Computational Domain 137, 175 G Oblique Shock 292
Computational domain definition 24 Geometry Resolution 63 Orthotropic 117
Computational mesh 62 Global Goal 26
Conductivity Global Mesh 63
Axisymmetrical 107 Automatic Settings 68
Biaxial 107 Manual Settings 68
Goal Plot 32, 45
Goals 26

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Index SOLIDWORKS Simulation

P T
Parametric Analysis 225 Thin Wall Optimization 89
Parametric Study Time Animation 142
Goal Optimization 227 Time-Dependent Analysis 135
Multi-Variable Design Scenario Tolerance Level 68
228 Tolerance Refinement 68
Partial cells 68 Transferred Boundary Conditions 176
Particle Drag Coefficient 276 Transient Analysis 135
Particle Motion Equation 276 Transparency 35, 54
Perforated Plates 111 Travel 138
Permeability 186 Turbulence 133, 146
Permeability Type 186 Turbulence Intensity 135
Point Goal 26 Two Dimensional Flow 136
Porosity 186 U
Resistance Calculation Formula User-Defined Material 105, 147
186 V
Porous Media 186 Variable Inlet Velocity 198
Porous Media property input 186 Viscous Forces 133
Prandtl-Meyer expansion fan 292 Volume Goal 26
Project Wizard 18 Von Karman Vortex 132, 141
R W
Real Gases 161 Wizard 18
Rebuild 74 X
Reference Axis 21 XY-Plot 42
Refining Cells 68
Relative Humidity 268
Resistance 186
Result Resolution 66
Result Resolution definition 30
Reynolds Number 132, 133
Reynolds number 146, 288
Rotating Reference Frame 204
Rotating Reference Frames 204
Averaging 204
Sliding Mesh 204, 211
Rotating Region 206
Roughness 22
Run 30
S
Shedding Vortex 132
Shock Waves 292
Small Features 65
Small Solid Feature Refinement Level
68
Solid cells 68
Solution Adaptive Mesh Refinement
136
Supersonic Flow 288
Surface Goal 26
Surface Parameter 44
Surface Plot 39

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