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User Manual

FINE™/Turbo v8 (including Euranus)


Flow Integrated Environment

- October 2007 -

NUMERICAL MECHANICS APPLICATIONS


User Manual
FINE™/Turbo v8
Documentation v8a

NUMECA International
5, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt
1050 Brussels
Belgium

Tel: +32 2 647.83.11


Fax: +32 2 647.93.98
Web: http://www.numeca.com

NUMERICAL MECHANICS APPLICATIONS


Contents

CHAPTER 1: Getting Started 1-1


1-1 Overview 1-1
1-2 Introduction 1-1
What is CFD? 1-1
Components 1-3
Multi-Tasking 1-3
Project Management 1-3
1-3 How To Use This Manual 1-5
Outline 1-5
Conventions 1-5
1-4 First Time Use 1-6
Basic Installation 1-6
Expert Graphics Options 1-6
1-5 How to start FINE™ Interface 1-7
1-6 Required Licenses 1-8
Standard FINE™ License 1-8
Additional Licenses 1-8

CHAPTER 2: Graphical User Interface 2-1


2-1 Overview 2-1
2-2 Project Selection 2-2
Create New Project 2-2
Open Existing Project 2-4
Grid Units & Project Configuration 2-4
2-3 Main Menu Bar 2-5
File Menu 2-5
Mesh Menu 2-9
Solver Menu 2-10
Modules Menu 2-11
2-4 Icon Bar 2-12
File Buttons 2-12
Grid Selection Bar 2-12
Solver Buttons 2-13
Module Buttons 2-13
User Mode 2-14
2-5 Computation Management 2-14
2-6 Graphical Area Management 2-15
Configuration Management 2-15
Parameters Management 2-15
View Area 2-16
Mesh Information 2-17
Parameters Area 2-18
Graphics Area 2-18
Viewing Buttons 2-18
2-7 Profile Management 2-21

FINE™ iii
Contents

CHAPTER 3: Fluid Model 3-1


3-1 Overview 3-1
3-2 The Fluid Model in the FINE™ Interface 3-2
Properties of Fluid Used in the Project 3-2
List of Fluids 3-2
Add Fluid 3-3
Delete Fluid from List 3-8
Edit Fluid 3-9
Show Fluid Properties 3-9
Filters 3-9
Import Fluid Database 3-9
Expert Parameters 3-9
3-3 Theory 3-10
Transport Properties 3-10
Fluid Models 3-11

CHAPTER 4: Flow Model 4-1


4-1 Overview 4-1
4-2 Time Configuration 4-2
Interface for Unsteady Computation 4-2
Expert Parameters for Unsteady Computations 4-5
Best Practice on Time Accurate Computations 4-6
Theoretical Aspects for Unsteady Computations 4-9
4-3 Harmonic Method 4-16
Interface & Best Practice for Harmonic Computations 4-16
Expert Parameters for Reconstruction in Time 4-19
Theory 4-19
References 4-22
4-4 Mathematical Model 4-22
Euler 4-22
Laminar Navier-Stokes 4-22
Turbulent Navier-Stokes 4-22
Expert Parameters for Turbulence Modelling 4-24
Best Practice for Turbulence Modelling 4-27
Theoretical Aspect of Turbulence Modelling 4-35
Gravity Forces 4-50
Preconditioning 4-50
4-5 Passive Tracers 4-55
Boundary Conditions 4-56
Initial Solution 4-56
Outputs 4-56
Theory 4-56
4-6 Characteristic & Reference Values 4-57
Reynolds Number Related Information 4-57
Reference Values 4-57

iv FINE™
Contents

CHAPTER 5: Rotating Machinery 5-1


5-1 Overview 5-1
5-2 Rotating Blocks 5-2
5-3 Rotor/Stator Interaction 5-3
5-4 How to Set-up a Simulation with Rotor/Stator Interfaces? 5-5
Mixing Plane Approach 5-6
Frozen Rotor 5-9
Domain Scaling Method 5-10
Phase Lagged Method 5-12
Harmonic Method 5-14
5-5 Theoretical Background on Rotor/Stator Interfaces 5-16
Introduction 5-16
Default Mixing Plane Approach 5-17
Full Non-matching Technique for Mixing Planes 5-19
1D Non Reflecting 5-21
Domain Scaling Method 5-23
Harmonic Method 5-26

CHAPTER 6: Throughflow Model 6-1


6-1 Overview 6-1
6-2 Throughflow Blocks in the FINE™ GUI 6-2
Global Parameters 6-2
Block Dependent Parameters 6-2
Mesh Constraints 6-6
Boundary Conditions 6-7
Initial Solution 6-8
Output 6-8
6-3 File Formats 6-9
One-Dimensional Throughflow Input File 6-9
Two-Dimensional Throughflow Input File 6-11
Output File 6-11
6-4 Expert Parameters 6-12
Under-relaxation Process 6-12
Others 6-12
6-5 Theoretical Background 6-12
Time Dependent Approach 6-12
Basic Equations & Assumptions 6-13
Tangential Blockage Factor 6-13
Blade Force 6-13
Friction Force 6-14

CHAPTER 7: Optional Models 7-1


7-1 Overview 7-1
7-2 Fluid-Particle Interaction 7-1
Introduction 7-1
Fluid-Particle Interaction in the FINE™ GUI 7-3

FINE™ v
Contents

Specific Output 7-7


Expert Parameters 7-8
Theory 7-8
References 7-11
7-3 Conjugate Heat Transfer 7-11
Introduction 7-11
Conjugate Heat Transfer in the FINE™ GUI 7-11
Theory 7-13
7-4 Cooling/Bleed 7-15
Introduction 7-15
Cooling/Bleed Model in the FINE™ GUI 7-16
Expert Parameters 7-32
Theory 7-32
Cooling/Bleed Data File: ’.cooling-holes’ 7-33
7-5 Transition Model 7-38
Introduction 7-38
Transition Model in the FINE™ GUI 7-39
Expert Parameters 7-40
Theory 7-41

CHAPTER 8: Boundary Conditions 8-1


8-1 Overview 8-1
8-2 Boundary Conditions in the FINE™ GUI 8-1
Inlet Condition 8-3
Outlet Condition 8-6
Periodic Condition 8-9
Solid Wall Boundary Condition 8-10
External Condition (Far-field) 8-13
8-3 Expert Parameters 8-14
Imposing Velocity Angles of Relative Flow 8-14
Extrapolation of Mass Flow at Inlet 8-14
Outlet Mass Flow Boundary Condition 8-14
Torque and Force Calculation 8-14
Euler or Navier-Stokes Wall for Viscous Flow 8-15
Pressure Condition at Solid Wall 8-15
8-4 Best Practice for Imposing Boundary Conditions 8-15
Compressible Flows 8-15
Incompressible or Low Speed Flow 8-16
Special Parameters (for Turbomachinery) 8-16
8-5 Theory 8-17
Inlet Boundary Conditions 8-17
Outlet Boundary Conditions 8-24
Solid Wall Boundary Conditions 8-27
Far-field Boundary Condition 8-30

CHAPTER 9: Numerical Model 9-1


9-1 Overview 9-1

vi FINE™
Contents

9-2 Numerical Model in FINE™ GUI 9-2


CFL Number 9-2
Multigrid Parameters 9-2
Preconditioning Parameters 9-3
9-3 Expert Parameters 9-4
Interfaced Expert Parameters 9-4
Non-interfaced Expert Parameters 9-5
9-4 Theory 9-8
Spatial Discretization 9-8
Multigrid Strategy 9-14
Full Multigrid Strategy 9-17
Time Discretization: Multistage Runge-Kutta 9-17
Implicit residual smoothing 9-21

CHAPTER 10:Initial Solution 10-1


10-1 Overview 10-1
10-2 Block Dependent Initial Solution 10-1
How to Define a Block Dependent Initial Solution 10-2
Examples for the use of Block Dependent Initial Solution 10-2
10-3 Initial Solution Defined by Constant Values 10-3
10-4 Initial Solution from File 10-3
General Restart Procedure 10-3
Restart in Unsteady Computations 10-5
Expert Parameters for an Initial Solution from File 10-5
10-5 Initial Solution for Turbomachinery 10-5
Methodology 10-5
Grouping & Parameters 10-7
Expert Parameters 10-8
10-6 Throughflow-oriented Initial Solution 10-8

CHAPTER 11:Output 11-1


11-1 Overview 11-1
11-2 Output in FINE™ 11-2
Computed Variables 11-2
Surface Averaged Variables 11-8
Azimuthal Averaged Variables 11-9
ANSYS 11-10
Global Performance Output 11-17
Plot3D Formatted Output 11-19
11-3 Expert Parameters 11-20
Azimuthal Averaged Variables 11-20
Global Performance Output 11-21
11-4 Theory 11-22
Computed Variables 11-22
Surface Averaged Variables 11-23
Azimuthal Averaged Variables 11-24
Global Performance Output 11-26

FINE™ vii
Contents

CHAPTER 12:SubProject Management 12-1


12-1 Overview 12-1
12-2 Set-up of SubProjects in FINE™ 12-1
Grid Requirements 12-1
Create SubProjects 12-2
Modify & Merge SubProjects 12-5
File Structure 12-6

CHAPTER 13:Blade to Blade Module 13-1


13-1 Overview 13-1
13-2 Blade-to-Blade in the FINE™ GUI 13-2
Start New or Open existing Blade-to-Blade Computation 13-2
Blade-to-Blade Data 13-3
Boundary Conditions 13-8
Numerical Model 13-10
Initial Solution Menu 13-10
Output Parameters 13-10
Control Variables Page 13-10
Launch Blade-to-Blade Flow Analysis 13-11
13-3 Expert Parameters 13-11
13-4 Theory 13-11
Mesh Generator 13-11
Flow Solver 13-12
13-5 File Formats 13-13
Input Files 13-13
Output Files 13-15

CHAPTER 14:Design 2D Module 14-1


14-1 Overview 14-1
14-2 Inverse Design in the FINE™ GUI 14-2
Start New or Open Existing Design 2D Project 14-2
Creation of Inverse Design Input Files 14-3
Initial Solution Menu 14-5
Launch or Restart Inverse Design Calculation 14-6
Expert Parameters 14-6
14-3 Theory 14-7
14-4 File Formats 14-8
Input Files 14-8
Output Files 14-9

CHAPTER 15:The Task Manager 15-1


15-1 Overview 15-1
15-2 Getting Started 15-1
PVM Daemons 15-1
Multiple FINE™ Sessions 15-2

viii FINE™
Contents

Machine Connections 15-2


Remote Copy Features on UNIX/LINUX 15-4
Remote Copy Features on Windows 15-4
15-3 The Task Manager Interface 15-5
Hosts Definition 15-5
Tasks Definition 15-6
15-4 Parallel Computations 15-13
Introduction 15-13
Modules Implemented in the Parallel Version 15-13
Management of Inter-Block Communication 15-14
How to Run a Parallel Computation 15-14
Troubleshooting 15-15
Limitations 15-16
15-5 Task Management in Batch 15-16
Launch IGG™ in Batch 15-16
Launch AutoGrid™ in Batch 15-17
Launch FINE™ in Batch 15-18
Launch EURANUS in Sequential Mode in Batch 15-20
Launch EURANUS in Parallel Mode in Batch 15-21
Launch CFView™ in Batch 15-27
15-6 Limitations 15-28

CHAPTER 16:Computation Steering & Monitoring 16-1


16-1 Overview 16-1
16-2 Control Variables 16-1
16-3 Convergence History 16-2
Steering Files Selection & Curves Export 16-3
Available Quantities Selection 16-3
New Quantity Parameters Definition 16-4
Quantity Selection Area 16-5
Definition of Global Residual 16-5
The Graphics View 16-6
16-4 MonitorTurbo 16-7
Introduction 16-7
The Residual File Box 16-9
Quantities to Display 16-9
16-5 Best Practice for Computation Monitoring 16-11
Introduction 16-11
Convergence History 16-11
MonitorTurbo 16-12
Analysis of Residuals 16-13

APPENDIX A:Governing Equations A-1


A-1 Overview A-1
A-2 Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Equations A-1
General Navier-Stokes Equations A-1
Time Averaging of Quantities A-2

FINE™ ix
Contents

Treatment of Turbulence in the Equations A-2


Formulation in Rotating Frame for the Relative Velocity A-3
A-3 Formulation in Rotating Frame for the Absolute Velocity A-3

APPENDIX B:File Formats B-1


B-1 Overview B-1
B-2 Files Produced by IGG™ B-1
The Identification File: ’project.igg’ B-2
The Binary File: ’project.cgns’ B-2
The Geometry File: ’project.geom’ B-2
The Boundary Condition File: ’project.bcs’ B-2
The Configuration File: ’project.config’ B-2
B-3 Files Produced by FINE™ B-2
The Project File: ’project.iec’ B-2
The Computation File: ’project_computationName.run’ B-3
B-4 Files Produced by the Flow Solver EURANUS B-3
The Binary Solution File: ’project_computationName.cgns’ B-4
The Global Solution File: ’project_computationName.mf’ B-4
The Residual File: ’project_computationName.res’ B-4
The LOG File: ’project_computationName.log’ B-5
The STD file: ’project_computationName.std’ B-5
The Wall File: ’project_computationName.wall’ B-6
The AQSI File: ’project_computationName.aqsi’ B-6
The ADF File: ’project.adf’ B-6
The Plot3D Files B-6
The Meridional File: ’project_computationName.me.cfv’ B-7
B-5 Files Used as Data Profile B-7
Boundary Conditions Data B-8
Fluid Properties B-9
B-6 Resource Files B-10
Boundary Conditions Resource File: ’euranus_bc.def’ B-10
Fluids Database File: ’euranus.flb’ B-10
Units Systems Resource File: ’euranus.uni’ B-11

APPENDIX C:List of Expert Parameters C-1


C-1 Overview C-1
C-2 List of Integer Expert Parameters C-1
C-3 List of Float Expert Parameters C-3

APPENDIX D:Characteristics of Thermodynamic Tables D-1


D-1 Overview D-1
D-2 Main Characteristics for Water (Steam) D-1
D-3 Main Characteristics for R134a D-3

x FINE™
CHAPTER 1: Getting Started

1-1 Overview
Welcome to the FINE™ User’s Guide, a presentation of NUMECA’s Flow INtegrated Environ-
ment for computations on structured meshes. This chapter presents the basic concepts of FINE™
and shows how to get started with the program by describing:
• what is CFD,
• what FINE™ does and how it operates,
• how to use this guide,
• how to start the FINE™ interface.

1-2 Introduction
1-2.1 What is CFD?
All the mathematical sciences are founded on relations between physical laws and laws of numbers,
so that the aim of exact science is to reduce the problems of nature to the determination of quanti-
ties by operations with numbers.
James Clerk Maxwell, 1856
In the late 1970’s, the use of supercomputers to solve aerodynamic problems began to pay off. One
early success was the experimental NASA aircraft called HiMAT, designed to test concepts of high
manoeuvrability for the next generation of fighter planes. Wind tunnel tests of a preliminary design
for HiMAT showed that it would have unacceptable drag at speeds near the speed of sound; if built
that way the plane would be unable to provide any useful data. The cost of redesigning it in further
wind tunnel tests would have been around $150,000 and would have unacceptably delayed the
project. Instead, the wing was redesigned by a computer at a cost of $60,000.
Paul E. Ceruzzi, 1989
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is commonly accepted as referring to the broad topic encom-
passing the numerical solution, by computational methods, of the governing equations that describe

FINE™ 1-1
Getting Started Introduction

fluid flow related conservative equations (for instance involving energy or species concentration). It
has grown from a mathematical curiosity few decades ago, to become an essential tool in almost
every branch of fluid dynamics, from aerospace propulsion to weather prediction.
Key elements of CFD are briefly described below. Please notice these informations have mostly
been extracted from the web at http://www.crankfield.ac.uk/sme/cfd/whatiscfd.htm and http://
ltp.larc.nasa.gov/aero/login.htm. The reader is invited to consult the web at www.cfd-online.com
for more insight in CFD theory.
By 1900, theoretical and mathematical developments in fluid dynamics had not achieved signifi-
cant progress as quickly as experimental efforts. Although the Navier-Stokes equations describing
fluid behaviour had existed for over 75 years before the Wright brothers' first flight, they were sim-
ply too complex to solve in their complete form for anything but simplified problems under specific
conditions. Even today, theoretical solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations are rare and only suited
to specific classes of problems.
As a developing science, CFD has received extensive attention throughout the international com-
munity since the advent of the digital computer. CFD interests are mainly driven by the desire to
model complex physical fluid phenomena, that couldn't be easily or cost effectively simulated with
a physical experiment.
Computational techniques differ from analytical or theoretical solutions in the sense that they only
solve equations at a finite number of points rather than for the entire flow field. Choosing these
points may become quite difficult - especially for a complex geometry and may require hundreds of
thousands or even million of points. In general, a dense grid with many points will give a solution
of great detail, but require more computer memory and time to reach a solution. Since this trade-off
in computer resources and solution quality is required, the current trend is often to use a dense grid
in areas where the solution may change rapidly such as in the boundary layer or near a shock wave,
but use of a coarser grid with fewer computational points in areas where the solution is expected to
change more gradually.

The selection of grid nodes is the science of grid generation. It is a complex field on its own and has
many applications outside CFD, such as in constructing solid models for stress, vibration and heat
transfer analysis. There are several different techniques that are commonly used to develop compu-
tational grids for CFD.
Grid nodes can be arranged either in a regular or irregular pattern. Depending on the pattern
selected, the method of generation is referred to as structured or unstructured. Both techniques have
their own advantages and disadvantages.
Basically, structured methods enable the generation of regular grids, with high quality standards
and good control in the distribution of grid nodes in shear and boundary layers. However, they may
sometimes be hard to generate for very complex geometries. On the contrary, unstructured methods
allow a limited control in the grid quality (and thus in the grid solution) but the grid generation
process does usually require limited user resources, even for complex geometries.
It is thus important that the user recognizes these so that the best grid can be created for a particular
geometry. The quality of the grid is definitely important, since it strongly influences the solution -
including whether or not a solution can be found at all.
FINE™/Turbo and FINE™/Design3D environments developed by NUMECA rely on structured
grid methods, based on AutoGrid™ and IGG™ software tools. NUMECA offer also includes
unstructured capabilities, through HEXPRESS™ hexahedral grid generator and FINE™/HEXA
environment. More details can be provided upon request.

1-2 FINE™
Introduction Getting Started

Usually, about 4 to 5 unknowns are computed at each grid node. This makes methods of presenting
CFD results a difficult matter, mainly due to the large number of data to manage. Adequate post-
processing is then required to easily and quickly outline the major characteristics of the flow. This
is usually done through surface color techniques and particle paths/ribbons. The latter method is
mostly used to depict vortices and complex flow-wall interactions. The user referred to the
CFView™ User Manual for more detailed information on that area.

1-2.2 Components
The resolution of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) problems involves three main steps:
• spatial discretization of the flow domain,
• flow computation,
• visualization of the results.
To perform these steps NUMECA has developed three software systems. The first one, IGG™, is
an Interactive Geometry modeller and Grid generation system for multiblock structured grids. The
second software system, the flow solver EURANUS, is a state of the art 3D multiblock flow solver
able to simulate Euler or Navier-Stokes (laminar or turbulent) flows. The third one, CFView™, is a
highly interactive Computational Field Visualization system.
These three software systems have been integrated in a unique and user friendly Graphical User
Interface (GUI), called FINE™, allowing the achievement of complete simulations of 3D internal
and external flows from the grid generation to the visualization, without any file manipulation,
through the concept of project. Moreover, multi-tasking capabilities are incorporated, allowing the
simultaneous treatment of multiple projects.

1-2.3 Multi-Tasking
FINE™ has the particularity of integrating the concept of multi-tasking. This means that the user
can manage a complete project in FINE™ interface; making the grid using IGG™, running the
computation with EURANUS and visualizing the results with CFView™. Furthermore, the user has
the possibility to start, stop and control multiple computations. Please note that the flow simulation
can be time consuming, therefore the possibility of running computations in background has been
implemented. See Chapter 15 for more detail on how to manage multiple tasks through the interface
or in background.

1-2.4 Project Management


To manage complete flow analyses, FINE™ integrates the concept of project. A project involves
grid generation, flow computation and visualization tasks. The results of each of these tasks are
stored in different files that are automatically created, managed and modified within FINE™:
• The grid files: The grid generation process, IGG™, creates files containing the representation
of the geometry and the grid related to the project. The definition of the types of boundary con-
ditions is also done during this process. The five files that contain the information about the
mesh have the extensions ".igg", ".geom", ".bcs", ".config" and ".cgns".
• The project file: The project file is created by FINE™. It has the extension ".iec" and contains
the input parameters needed for the flow computations.
• The result files: FINE™ creates a new subdirectory for each computation where it stores the
following files:
— a file with extension ".run" containing all computation input parameters used by the solver
and by CFView™,

FINE™ 1-3
Getting Started Introduction

— a ".cgns" file that contains the solution and that is used for restarting the solver,
— a ".res" file used by the Monitor to visualize the residual history (see Chapter 16),
— two files used to visualize the convergence history in the Steering with extensions ".steer-
ing" and ".steering.binary" (see Chapter 16).
— two files with extensions ".mf" and ".wall" that contain global solution parameters.
— two files with extensions ".std" and ".log" that contain information on the flow computation
process.
— a ".batch" file used to launch the computation in batch (see Chapter 15).
• The CFView™ visualization files: In addition to the ".run" file, the flow solver creates a
series of files, which can be read by CFView™. These files have different extensions. For
example in case of turbomachinery flow problem, the solver will create a file for the azimuthal
averaged results with extension ".me.cfv".
Through the interface, the user can modify all the information stored in the files associated to the
project.
When creating a new project a new directory is made, e.g. "/project". In this directory the project
file is stored "/project/project.iec" and a directory is created called "/project/_mesh". In this direc-
tory the grid files used for the computations can be stored. It is however also possible to select a
grid that is located in another directory.

Only one mesh file should be used for all computations in a project. If computations
need to be done on another mesh file it is advised to duplicate the project (see section 2-
3.1.4) or to create a new project (see section 2-3.1.1) for those computations.

The character "u with umlaut" is not allowed in the path name.

batch

FIGURE 1.2.4-1 Example of file management for a FINE™ project

1-4 FINE™
How To Use This Manual Getting Started

1-3 How To Use This Manual


1-3.1 Outline
This manual consists of five distinct parts:
• Chapters 1 and 2: introduction and description of the interface,
• Chapters 3 to 14: computation definition,
• Chapter 15: task management,
• Chapter 16: monitoring capabilities,
• Appendix A: the Navier-Stokes equations,
• Appendix B: used file formats,
• Appendix C: list of supported non-interfaced expert parameters,
• Appendix D: characteristics of steam tables.

At first time use of FINE™ it is recommended to read this first chapter carefully and certainly sec-
tion 1-4 to section 1-6. Chapter 2 gives a general overview of the FINE™ interface and the way to
manage a project. For every computation the input parameters can be defined as described in the
chapters 3 to 14. Chapter 15 gives an overview of how to run computations using the Task Manager
or using a script. Chapter 16 finally describes the available tools to monitor the progress on a com-
putation.
In chapters 3 to 14, the expert user finds a section describing advanced options that are available in
expert user mode. Additionally Appendix C provides a list with all supported expert parameters on
the page Computation Steering/Control Variables in expert user mode. For each parameter a ref-
erence is given to the section in the manual where it is described.

The use of non-supported parameters is at own risk and will not guarantee correct
results.

1-3.2 Conventions
Some conventions are used to ease information access throughout this guide:
• Commands to type are in italics.
• Keys to press are in italics and surrounded by <> (e.g.: press <Ctrl>).
• Names of menu or sub-menu items are in bold.
• Names of buttons that appear in dialog boxes are in italics.
• Numbered sentences are steps to follow to complete a task. Sentences that follow a step and are
preceded with a dot (•) are substeps; they describe in detail how to accomplish the step.

The hand indicates an important note

The pair of scissors indicates a keyboard short cut.

A light bulb in the margin indicates a section with a description of expert parameters.

FINE™ 1-5
Getting Started First Time Use

1-4 First Time Use


1-4.1 Basic Installation
When using FINE™ for the first time it is important to verify that FINE™ is properly installed
according to the installation note. The installation note provided with the installation software
should be read carefully and the following points are specifically important:
• Hardware and operating system requirements should be verified to see whether the chosen
machine is supported.
• Installation of FINE™ according to the described procedure in a directory chosen by the user
and referenced in the installation note as ‘NUMECA_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY’.
• A license should be requested that allows for the use of FINE™ and the desired component and
modules (see section 1-6 for all available licenses). The license should be installed according to
the described procedure in the installation note.
• Each user willing to use FINE™ or any other NUMECA software must perform a user configu-
ration as described in the installation note.
When these points are checked the software can be started as described in the installation note or
section 1-5 of this users guide.

1-4.2 Expert Graphics Options


a) Graphics Driver
The graphics area of FINE™ interface uses by default an OPENGL driver that takes advantage of
the available graphics card. When the activation of OPENGL is causing problems, FINE™ uses an
X11 driver (on UNIX) or MSW driver (for Windows) instead.
It is possible to explicitly change the driver used by FINE™ in the following ways:
On UNIX:
in csh, tcsh or bash shell:
setenv NI_DRIVER X11
in korn shell:
NI_DRIVER=X11
export NI_DRIVER
The selection will take effect at the next session.
On Windows:
• Log in as Administrator.
• Launch regedit from the Start/Run menu.
• Go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/NUMECA International/Fine# register.
• Modify the DRIVER entry to either OPENGL or MSW.
The selection will take effect at the next session.

1-6 FINE™
How to start FINE™ Interface Getting Started

b) Background Color
The background color of the graphics area can be changed by setting the environment variable
NI_IGG_REVERSEVIDEO on UNIX/LINUX platforms or IGG_REVERSEVIDEO on Windows
platforms. Set the variable to ’ON’ to have a black background and set it to ’OFF’ to have a white
background. The variable can be manually specified through the following commands:
On UNIX:
in csh, tcsh or bash shell:
setenv NI_IGG_REVERSEVIDEO ON
in korn shell:
NI_IGG_REVERSEVIDEO=ON
export NI_IGG_REVERSEVIDEO
The selection will take effect at the next session.
On Windows:
• Log in as Administrator.
• Launch System Properties from the Start/Settings/Control Panel/System menu.
• Go in the Environment Variables.
• Modify or add the IGG_REVERSEVIDEO entry to either ON or OFF.
The selection will take effect at the next session.

1-5 How to start FINE™ Interface


In order to run FINE™, the following command should be executed:
On UNIX and LINUX platforms type: fine -print <Enter>

When multiple versions of FINE™ are installed the installation note should be con-
sulted for advice on how to start FINE™ in a multi-version environment.
On Windows click on the FINE™ icon in Start/Programs/NUMECA software/fine#. Alterna-
tively FINE™ can be launched from a dos shell by typing:
<NUMECA_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY>\fine#\bin\fine <Enter>
where NUMECA_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY is the directory indicated in section 1-4.1 and #
is the number corresponding to the version to be used.

FINE™ 1-7
Getting Started Required Licenses

1-6 Required Licenses


1-6.1 Standard FINE™ License
The standard license for FINE™ allows for the use of all basic features of FINE™ including:
• IGG™ (see separate IGG™ manual),
• AutoGrid™ (see separate AutoGrid™ manuals),
• CFView™ (see separate CFView™ manual),
• Task Manager (see Chapter 15),
• Monitor (see Chapter 16).

1-6.2 Additional Licenses


Within FINE™ the following features are available that require a separate license:
• parallel computations (see Chapter 15),
• treatment of unsteady rotor-stator interfaces (see Chapter 5),
• harmonic method (see Chapter 4),
• transition (see Chapter 7),
• fluid-particle interaction (see Chapter 7),
• passive tracers (see Chapter 4),
• conjugate heat transfer (see Chapter 7),
• thermodynamic tables (see Chapter 3),
• cooling/bleed flow (see Chapter 7),
• ANSYS outputs (see Chapter 7),
• throughflow (see Chapter 6),
• blade to blade and 2D inverse design (Chapter 13 and Chapter 14),
• SubProject module (see Chapter 12),
• porous media (no chapter available in this manual, please contact "[email protected]" for
more details),
• cavitation module (no chapter available in this manual, please contact "[email protected]"
for more details).
Next to FINE™ other products are available that require a separate license:
• FINE™/Design 3D (3D inverse design, see separate user manual).

1-8 FINE™
CHAPTER 2: Graphical User Interface

2-1 Overview
When launching FINE™ as described in Chapter 1 the interface appears in its default layout as
shown in Figure 2.1.0-1. An overview of the complete layout of the FINE™ interface is shown on
the next page in Figure 2.1.0-2. In the next sections the items in this interface are described in more
detail.
Together with the FINE™ interface a Project Selection window is opened, which allows to create a
new project or to open an existing project. See section 2-2 for a description of this window.
To define a profile through the FINE™ interface a Profile Manager is included. The Profile Man-
ager is described in more detail in section 2-7.

FIGURE 2.1.0-1 Default FINE™ Interface

FINE™ 2-1
Graphical User Interface Project Selection

Grid Configuration (under license) Main menu bar Icon bar


(Section 2-6.1) (Section 2-3) (Section 2-4)

Computations
button
(Section 2-5)

Parameters
button

(Section 2-6.2)

View
button
(Section 2-6.3)

Mesh information Parameters area Graphics area


(Section 2-6.4) (Section 2-6.5) (Section 2-6.6)

FIGURE 2.1.0-2 Complete overview of the FINE™ interface

2-2 Project Selection


When the FINE™ interface is started the Project Selection window is appearing together with the interface.
This window allows to create a new project or to open an existing one as described in the next sections. After
use of this window it is closed. To open a project or to create a new one without the Project Selection window
is also possible using the File menu.

2-2.1 Create New Project


To create a new project when launching the FINE™ interface:

1. click on the Create a New Project... icon ( ) in the Project Selection dialog box. A File Chooser will
appear, which allows to select a name and location for the new project.
The layout of the File Chooser depends on the used operating system but a typical layout is shown in
Figure 2.2.1-3. The Directories list allows to browse through the available directory structure to the project
directory. Then the Files list can be used to select the file name. In the case a file needs to be opened an exist-
ing file should be selected in the list of available files. In the case a new file needs to be created the user can
type a new file name with the appropriate extension. In the List Files of Type bar the default file type is set by
default to list only the files of the required type.

2-2 FINE™
Project Selection Graphical User Interface

FIGURE 2.2.1-3 Typical layout of a File Chooser window

2. In the Directories text box on UNIX a name can be typed or the browser under the text box may
be used to browse to an appropriate location. On Windows, the browser under the Save in text
box is used to browse to an appropriate location.
3. Once the location is defined type on UNIX and on Windows a new name in the text box under
respectively Files and File name, for example "project.iec" (it is not strictly necessary to add the
extension ".iec", FINE™ will automatically create a project file with this extension).
4. Click on OK (on UNIX) or Save (on Windows) to accept the selected name and location of the
new project.
A new directory is automatically created with the chosen name as illustrated in figure below indi-
cated by point (1). All the files related to the project are stored in this new directory. The most
important of them is the project file with the extension ".iec", which contains all the project settings
(Figure 2.2.1-4 - (2)). Inside the project directory FINE™ creates automatically a subdirectory
"_mesh" (Figure 2.2.1-4 - (3)).
(1) project directory

(2)

(3) automatically created


"_mesh" directory

(4) computation directory

FIGURE 2.2.1-4 Directories managed through FINE™

5. A Grid File Selection window (Figure 2.2.1-5) appears to assign a grid to the new project. There
are three possibilities:
• To open an existing grid click on Open Grid File. A File Chooser allows to browse to the grid
file with extension ".igg". Select the grid file and press OK to accept the selected mesh. A win-
dow appears to define the Grid Units and Project Configuration. Set the parameters in this
window as described in section 2-2.3 and click OK to accept.

FINE™ 2-3
Graphical User Interface Project Selection

• If the grid to be used in the project is not yet created use Create Grid File to start IGG™. Cre-
ate a mesh in IGG™ or AutoGrid™ (Modules/AutoGrid4 - Modules/AutoGrid) and save
the mesh in the directory "_mesh" of the new project. Click on Modules/Fine Turbo and con-
firm "yes" to return to the FINE™ project. Select the created mesh with the pull down menu
in the icon bar. A window will appear to define the Grid Units and Project Configuration.
Set the parameters in this window as described in section 2-2.3 and click OK to accept.

2.2 3

1.1

2.1
1.2

FIGURE 2.2.1-5 Grid File Selection window.

• When using the AutoBlade™ or FINE™/Design 3D modules it is not necessary to select a


grid. In that case close the Grid File Selection window and select Modules/AutoBlade or
Modules/Design 3D menu to use these modules.

2-2.2 Open Existing Project


To open an existing project the two following possibilities are available in the Project Selection
window:

• Click on the icon Open an Existing Project... ( ). A File Chooser will appear that allows to
browse to the location of the existing project. Automatically the filter in the File Chooser is set
to display only the files with extension ".iec", the default extension for a project file.
• Select the project to open in the list of Recent Projects, which contains the five most recently
used project files. If a project no longer exists it will be removed from the list when selected.
To view the full path of the selected project click on Path... To open the selected project click
on Open Selected Project.

2-2.3 Grid Units & Project Configuration


The Grid Units and Project Configuration window shows some properties of the selected mesh
when linking the mesh to the project:
• Grid Units: the user specifies the grid units when importing a mesh. The user may define a
different scale factor to convert the units of the mesh to meters. The scale factor is for instance
0.01 when the grid is in centimeters.

2-4 FINE™
Main Menu Bar Graphical User Interface

• Space Configuration: allows the user to specify whether the mesh is cylindrical or Cartesian
and the dimensionality of the mesh. In case the mesh is axisymmetric the axis of symmetry
should be defined.
• Use Grid Configuration: This option is only available with a special license feature (Sub-
Projects). The user can choose whether or not to use the automatic grouping based on the grid
configuration file (.config). More information on the automatic grouping can be found in
Chapter 8. This choice can only be made when loading the mesh for the first time, it cannot be
changed afterwards.

FIGURE 2.2.3-6 Grid Units & Project Configuration window

The mesh properties are always accessible after linking the mesh to the project through
the menu Mesh/Properties...

2-3 Main Menu Bar


2-3.1 File Menu
2-3.1.1 New Project
The menu item File/New allows to create a new FINE™ project. When clicking on File/New a File
Chooser window appears. Browse in the Directory list to the directory in which to create a new
project directory (in the example of Figure 2.2.1-4 the directory "/home" was selected). Give a new
name for the project in the File list, for example "project.iec" and click on OK to create the new
project.
When starting a new project a new directory is automatically (Figure 2.2.1-4) created with the cho-
sen name (1). All the files related to the project are stored in this new directory. The most important
of them is the project file with the extension ".iec", which contains all the project settings (2). Inside
the project directory FINE™ creates automatically a subdirectory "_mesh" (3). As all the computa-
tions of the project must have the same mesh it is advised to store the mesh in this specially dedi-
cated directory. Each time the user creates a new computation, a subdirectory is added (4). The

FINE™ 2-5
Graphical User Interface Main Menu Bar

output files generated by the flow solver will be written in the subdirectory of the running computa-
tion.
After the new project is created a Grid File Selection window (Figure 2.2.1-5) appears to assign a
grid to the new project. There are two possibilities:
• To open an existing grid click on Open Grid File. A File Chooser allows to browse to the grid
file with extension .igg. Select the grid file and press OK to accept the selected mesh. A win-
dow appears to define the Grid Units and Project Configuration. Set the parameters in this
window as described in section 2-2.3 and click OK to accept.
• If the grid to be used in the project was not yet created use Create Grid File to start IGG™.
Create a mesh in IGG™ or AutoGrid™ (Modules/AutoGrid4 - Modules/AutoGrid) and
save the mesh in the directory "_mesh" of the new project. Click on Modules/Fine Turbo and
confirm "yes" to return to the FINE™ project. Select the created mesh with the pull down
menu in the icon bar. A window will appear to define Grid Units and Project Configuration.
Set the parameters in this window as described in section 2-2.3 and click OK to accept.

2-3.1.2 Open Project


There are two ways to open an existing project file:

a) Use File/Open Menu


1. Click on File/Open.
2. A File Chooser window appears.
3. Browse through the directory structure to find the project file to open. This file has normally the
".iec" extension. If this is not the case, the file filter in the input box named 'List Files of Type',
has to be modified.
4. Select the project file.
5. Click on the file name and press the OK button.
The opened project becomes the active project. All subsequent actions will be applied to this
project.

b) Select File From the List of Files in File Menu.


The File menu lists the names of the five most recent projects that have already been opened. Click
on a project name from this menu to open this project.
FINE™ will check the write permission of the project directory and the project file and will issue a
warning if the project or directory is read only. In both cases the project can be modified, but the
changes will not be saved.

Only one project can be active. Opening a second project will save and close the first
one.

An attempt to open a no longer existing project will remove its name from the list in the
File menu.

2-6 FINE™
Main Menu Bar Graphical User Interface

2-3.1.3 Save Project


The File/Save menu item stores the project file (with extension ".iec") on disk. The project file is
automatically saved when the flow solver is started and can be saved when FINE™ is closed or
when another project is opened.

2-3.1.4 Save As Project


File/Save As is used to store the active project on disk under different name. A File Chooser opens
to specify the new directory and name of the project. When this is done a dialog box asks whether
to save all the results files associated with the project. If deactivated, only the project file (with the
extension ".iec") will be saved in the new location.

2-3.1.5 Save Run Files


File/Save Run Files is used to store all the information needed for the flow solver in the ".run" file
of the active computation (highlighted in blue in the Computations list). This menu is mainly use-
ful when the Task Manager is used (see Chapter 15 for a detailed description of the Task Manager).

Together with the ".run" file, a ".batch" (UNIX) or ".bat" (Windows) file is saved. This
file can be used to launch the computation in batch mode, without the need of opening
the interface. More information on how to use this ".batch" file can be found in
Chapter 15.

If more than one computation is selected in the Computations list, then all parameters in
the Parameters area will be assigned to all selected (active) computations. This may be
dangerous if the parameters for the currently opened information page are not the same
for all the selected computations. To avoid this it is recommended to select only one
computation at a time.

The ".run" file is automatically updated (or created if not existing) when starting a com-
putation through the main menu (Solver/Start...).

2-3.1.6 Preferences
When clicking on File/Preferences... the Preferences window appears that gives access to some
project specific and global settings:

FINE™ 2-7
Graphical User Interface Main Menu Bar

a) Project Units
In this section the user can change the units system of the project. The units can be changed inde-
pendently for a selected physical quantity or for all of them at the same time. To change the units
for one specific quantity select the quantity in the list (see (1) in Figure 2.3.1-7). Then select the
unit under Select New Units (2). To change the units for all physical quantities at the same time use
the box Reset Units System To (3).
The default system proposed by NUMECA is the standard SI system except for the unit for the
rotational speed, which is [RPM].
When the user changes the units, all the numerical values corresponding to the selected physical
quantity are multiplied automatically by the appropriate conversion factor. The numerical values
are stored into the project file ".iec" in the same units as they appear in the interface (e.g. the rota-
tion speed is in [RPM]), but in the ".run" file, which is used by the flow solver, the numerical values
are always stored in SI units (e.g the rotation speed is in [radian]). The results can be visualized
with the flow visualization system CFView™ in the units specified in FINE™.The change of the
units can be done at any stage of the creation of the project.
User-defined units can be defined through a text file "euranus.uni". Please contact NUMECA sup-
port team at [email protected] for more information.

(1) (2) (3)

FIGURE 2.3.1-7 Project Units in the Preferences Window

b) Global Layout
In this section, the user may specify project independent preferences for the layout of the interface.
More specifically the user may activate or deactivate the balloon help (Show Balloon Help), which
gives short explanation of the buttons when the mouse pointer is positioned over them. By default
balloon help is activated. Deactivation of the balloon help will only be effective for the current ses-
sion of FINE™. When FINE™ is closed and launched again the balloon help will always be active
by default.
Furthermore, the section allows the user to control the Number of curves that can be plotted in the
Convergence History page of the Task Manager. By default the parameter is set to 10 meaning that
only 9 curves can be plotted in the steering (more details in Chapter 16).

2-8 FINE™
Main Menu Bar Graphical User Interface

2-3.1.7 Quit
Select the File/Quit menu item to quit the FINE™ integrated environment after confirmation from
the user. The active project will be saved automatically by default (Save Active Project activated).

Note that this action will not stop the running calculations. A FINE TaskManager window will
remain open for each running computation. Closing the FINE TaskManager window(s) will kill the
running calculation(s) after confirmation from the user.

2-3.1.8 File Name Limitations


If the name of an already existing project is specified, this project file will be overwritten. All other
files and subdirectories will remain the same as before.
By default, no IGG™ file is associated with the new project and it is indicated "usr/unknown" in the
place of the grid file name. The procedure to link a mesh file to the project is explained in section 2-
4.2.

2-3.2 Mesh Menu


2-3.2.1 View On/Off
This toggle menu is used to visualize the grid in FINE™ GUI. It may take few seconds to load the
mesh file for the first time. The parameters area will be overlapped by the graphic window, and the
small control button on the upper - left corner of the graphic window can be used to resize the
graphics area in order to visualize simultaneously the parameters and the mesh (see section 2-6.6).
Once the mesh is opened, the same menu item Mesh/View On/Off will hide it. Note that the mesh
will stay in the memory and the following use of the menu will visualize it much faster than the first
time.
When the mesh is loaded the following items appear in the FINE™ interface:
• the View subpad (see section 2-6.3 for more details),
• the mesh information area (see section 2-6.4 for more details),
• the graphics area will appear in the FINE™ interface (see section 2-6.6 for more details),
• the Viewing buttons will appear on the bottom of the graphics area. Their function is described
in section 2-6.7).
The graphics area and the Viewing buttons will disappear when the mesh is hidden (Mesh/View
On/Off). All the tools will disappear when the mesh is unloaded (Mesh/Unload).

2-3.2.2 Tearoff graphics


This menu transfers the graphics area and its control buttons into a separate window. Closing this
window will display the graphics area back in the main FINE™ window.

This feature is only available on UNIX systems.

FINE™ 2-9
Graphical User Interface Main Menu Bar

2-3.2.3 Unload
Mesh/Unload clears the mesh from the memory of the computer.

2-3.2.4 Properties
Clicking on Mesh/Properties... opens a dialog box that displays global information about the
mesh:
• Grid Units: the user specifies the grid units when importing a mesh. When importing a mesh
the Grid Units and Project Configuration window appears, which allows the user to check the
mesh units (see section 2-2.3). The chosen units can be verified and, if necessary, changed.
• Space Configuration: allows the user to verify whether the mesh is cylindrical or Cartesian
and the dimensionality of the mesh. When importing a mesh the Grid Units and Project Con-
figuration window allows the user to check these properties. Those chosen properties can be
verified and, if necessary, changed.
• The total number of blocks and the total number of points are automatically detected from the
mesh.
• For each block: the current (depending on the current grid level) and maximum number of
points in each I, J and K directions, and the total number of points are automatically detected
from the mesh.

FIGURE 2.3.2-8 Mesh Properties dialog box

2-3.3 Solver Menu


This menu gives access to the NUMECA flow solver EURANUS, which is a powerful 3D code
dedicated to Navier-Stokes or Euler computations. EURANUS uses the computational parameters
and boundary conditions set through FINE™ GUI and can be fully controlled both from FINE™
Solver Menu and from the Task Manager (see Chapter 15).
In this section, the information is given on how to start, suspend, interrupt and restart the flow
solver. All these actions may be simply performed by using the pull down menu appearing when the
button Solver of the Menu bar is clicked.

2-3.3.1 Start Flow Solver


To start the flow solver, select the menu item Solver/Start....
It is not recommended to start the flow solver before setting the physical boundary conditions and
the computational parameters.

2-10 FINE™
Main Menu Bar Graphical User Interface

Using the Start item to run the flow solver on active computation implies that the result file pro-
duced by a previous calculations on that computation will be overwritten with the new result val-
ues. It also implies that the initial solution will be created from the values set in the Initial Solution
page.

2-3.3.2 Save
To save an intermediate solution while the flow solver is running click on Solver/Save....

2-3.3.3 Stop Flow Solver


There are two different ways to stop the flow solver:
• Solver/Suspend... interrupts the flow computation after the next iteration. This means that the
flow solver stops the computation at the end of the next finest grid iteration and outputs the
current state of the solution (solution files and CFView™ files) exactly as if the computation
was finished. This operation may take from few seconds to few minutes depending on the
number of grid points in the mesh. Indeed, if the finest grid is not yet reached, the flow solver
continues the full multigrid stage and stops only after completion of the first iteration on the
finest grid.
• Solver/Kill... allows to stop immediately the computation for the active project. In this case no
output is created and the only solution left is the last one that was output during the run. This
may become a dangerous choice if asked during the output of the solution. The output is then
ruined and all the computation time is lost. To avoid this, it is better to use Solver/Suspend...
or to kill the computation some iterations after the writing operations.

2-3.3.4 Restart Flow Solver


To restart a computation from an existing solution the solver should be started using the Solver/
Start... menu. On the Initial Solution page the initial solution has to be specified from an existing
file (".run"). Chapter 10 describes the several available ways to define an initial solution.

2-3.4 Modules Menu


Clicking on the menu item Modules shows a pull down menu with the available modules. The first
four items are related to geometry and mesh definition:
• IGG™ is the interactive geometry modeller and grid generator,
• AutoGrid™ 4 & AutoGrid™ are the automated grid generators for turbomachinery.
• AutoBlade™ is the parametric blade modeller,
Furthermore two design modules are available:
• Design2D is a tool for two-dimensional blade analysis and design.
• Design3D is a product for three-dimensional blade analysis and optimization.
The Task Manager is accessible with Modules/Task Manager. For more detailed information on
the Task Manager consult Chapter 15.
To start the flow visualization from FINE™, click on the Modules/CFView ... and confirm to start
a CFView™ session. Wait until the layout of CFView™ appears on the screen. CFView™ automat-
ically loads the visualization file associated with the active computation. To visualize intermediate
results of a computation, wait until the flow solver has written output. For more information about
the flow visualization system, please refer to the CFView™ User Manual.

FINE™ 2-11
Graphical User Interface Icon Bar

Finally the Harmo2Time module launches a reconstruction tool that will generate, starting from an
harmonic output, the "_unst.run" and "_unst_t#.cgns" files presenting the same format as for unste-
day flow simulation results (for more details, see section 4-3).

2-4 Icon Bar

The icon bar contains several buttons that provide a shortcut for menu items in the main menu bar.
Also the icon bar contains a File Chooser to indicate the mesh linked to the project and a pull down
menu to choose between Standard Mode and Expert Mode.

2-4.1 File Buttons


The four buttons on the left of the icon bar are shortcuts for items of the File menu:
The New Project icon is a shortcut for the menu item File/New.

The Open Project icon is a shortcut for the menu item File/Open.

The Save Project icon is a shortcut for the menu item File/Save.

The Save RUN Files icon is a shortcut for the menu item File/Save Run Files.

2-4.2 Grid Selection Bar


By clicking on the icon on the right of the bar a File
Chooser is opened, which allows to select the grid file
(with extension ".igg") of the mesh to use for the project.

To select a grid not only the grid file with extension ".igg" needs to be present but at least
the files with extensions ".igg", ".geom", ".bcs" and ".cgns" need to be available in the
same directory with the same name as for the chosen mesh.
If a mesh has already been linked to the current project and another mesh is opened, FINE™ will
check the topological data in the project and compare it against the data in the mesh file. If the top-
ological data is not equal, a new dialog box (Figure 2.4.2-9) will open. This dialog box informs the
user that a merge of the topologies is necessary and will also show at which item the first difference
was detected.
The three following possibilities are available:
• Merge Mesh Definition will merge the project and mesh data. For example, if a new block has
been added to the mesh. The existing project parameters have been kept for the old blocks, and
the default parameters have been set for the new block.

2-12 FINE™
Icon Bar Graphical User Interface

• Open Another Grid File will open a File Chooser allowing to browse to the a new grid file
with extension ".igg". Select the grid file and press OK to accept the selected mesh. Then the
dialog box Mesh Merge Information will appear.
• Start IGG will load automatically the new mesh into IGG™, where it can be modified.

FIGURE 2.4.2-9 Merge Topology dialog box

The merge process may also occur when opening an existing project, or when switching between
IGG™ and FINE™, because the check of the topology is performed each time when a project is
read.
In case the mesh file no longer exists, or is not accessible, an appropriate warning will pop-up when
opening the project. In this case it will not be possible to start the flow solver, so the user needs to
locate the mesh by means of the File Chooser button on the right of the Grid Selection bar.
Once the grid file is selected and its topology is checked, the Grid Units and Project Configuration
window appears. This window allows to check the properties of the mesh and to modify them if
necessary. See section 2-2.3 for more details on this window.

2-4.3 Solver Buttons


Three buttons allow to start, suspend and kill the active computation:
The Start Flow Solver icon is a shortcut for the menu item Solver/Start....

The Suspend Flow Solver icon is a shortcut for the menu item Solver/Suspend....

The Kill Flow Solver icon is a shortcut for the menu item Solver/Kill....

2-4.4 Module Buttons


Two buttons allow to start the pre- and post-processor:
The Start IGG icon is a shortcut for the menu item Modules/IGG.

FINE™ 2-13
Graphical User Interface Computation Management

The Start CFView icon is a shortcut for the menu item Modules/CFView.

2-4.5 User Mode


By clicking on the arrow at the right the user may select the user
mode. For most projects the available parameters in Standard
Mode are sufficient. When selecting Expert Mode, parameters
area included additional parameters. These expert parameters may be useful in some more complex
projects. The next chapters contain sections in which the expert parameters are described for the
advanced user.

2-5 Computation Management


When selecting the Computations subpanel at the top left of the interface a list of all the computa-
tions in the project is shown. The active computation is highlighted in blue and the corresponding
parameters are shown in the "parameters area". All the project parameters of the computation can
be controlled separately by selecting (from this list) the computation on which all the user modifica-
tions are applied.

When selecting multiple computations, the parameters of the active page in the "parame-
ters area" are copied from the first selected computation to all other computations.
With the buttons New and Remove computations can be created or removed. When clicking on New
the active computation (highlighted in blue) is copied and the new computation has the same name
as the original with the prefix "new_" as shown in the example below. In this example
"computation_2" was the active computation at the moment of pressing the button New. A new
computation is created called "new_computation_2" that has the same project parameters as
"computation_2".
To rename the active computation click on Rename, type the new name and press <Enter>.
These options are also available when click-right on the active computation.

Click-Right

FIGURE 2.5.0-1 Computations subpanel

2-14 FINE™
Graphical Area Management Graphical User Interface

2-6 Graphical Area Management


2-6.1 Configuration Management
When creating a mesh within AutoGrid™ or IGG™, the multiblock data structure can become very
complex. A database, named Grid Configuration, is created automatically at the end of the mesh
generation, saved together with the project into a file ".config" (more details can be found in the
IGG™ or AutoGrid™ User Manuals).
To access the grid configuration menu in FINE™/Turbo, the Use Grid Configuration option has to
be activated when linking the mesh for the first time, see section 2-2.3. This option is only available
through a special license feature (SubProjects).

FIGURE 2.6.1-1 Use Grid Configuration

The grid configuration describes (as presented in the figure below) the mesh structure of the project
as a tree through which the user can access the domain structure. The structure is defined as a set of
fluid and solid domains interconnected together through domain interfaces. Each domain contains a
set of subdomains and a set of interfaces. Each domain interface contains a type of boundary condi-
tion, a type of free boundary condition and the possible connected domain reference.

FIGURE 2.6.1-2 Grid Configuration control

This data structure is very useful. It can be used to reduce the time needed to analyse and visualize
the mesh of a project, to setup the boundary conditions within FINE™/Turbo and to create sub-
projects starting from the main project (see Chapter 12 for more details).

FINE™ 2-15
Graphical User Interface Graphical Area Management

2-6.2 Parameters Management


The Parameters subpanel on the left, below the Computations subpanel, is presenting a directory
structure allowing the user to go through the available pages of the project definition. The "parame-
ters area" shows the parameters corresponding to the selected page in the parameters list.

To see the pages in a directory double click on the name or click on the sign in front of the name.

FIGURE 2.6.2-1 Parameters subpanel

2-6.3 View Area


When the mesh is loaded with Mesh/View On/Off, a subpanel is shown in the list on the left: the
View subpanel. By default the View subpanel is opened. It consists of three pages and controls the
viewing operations on the geometry and the grid. The two first pages show the created geometry
and/or block groups of the mesh and allow to create new groups. This possibility is only useful in
FINE™ GUI for visualization purposes (for example, to show only some blocks of the mesh to get
a clearer picture in the case of a complex configuration).

FIGURE 2.6.3-1 View subpanel

The third page provides visualization commands on the grid. It consists of two rows: a row of but-
tons and a row of icons.
The row of buttons is used to determine the viewing scope, that is the grid scope on which the view-
ing commands provided by the icons of the second row will apply. There are five modes determin-
ing the scope, each one being represented by a button: Segment, Edge, Face, Block, Grid. Only
one mode is active at a time and the current mode is highlighted in yellow. Simply click-left on a
button to select the desired mode.

• : in Segment mode, a viewing operation applies to the active segment only.

• : in Edge mode, a viewing operation applies to the active edge only.

2-16 FINE™
Graphical Area Management Graphical User Interface

• : in Face mode, a viewing operation applies to the active face only.

• : in Block mode, a viewing operation applies to the active block only.

• : in Grid mode, a viewing operation applies to all the blocks of the grid.

The icons of the second row and their related commands are listed in the following table:

Icon Command
Toggles vertices.

Toggles fixed points.

Toggles segment grid points.

Toggles edges.

Toggles face grid.

Toggles shading.

The display of vertices should be avoided since it allows to modify interactively in the
graphics area the location of the vertices and therefore alter the mesh. The graphics area
is for display purposes only and any modification on the mesh in the graphics area will
not be saved in the mesh files and therefore not used by the flow solver.

2-6.4 Mesh Information


When the mesh is loaded also the Mesh Information area is shown containing the following infor-
mation for the selected section of the mesh:

Active block, face, edge and segment indices


Number of blocks, faces, edges and segments
for the active topology

FIGURE 2.6.4-1 Mesh Information area

• Active Block, Face, Edge and Segment indices.


• Number of grid blocks, active block faces, active face edges, active edge segments.
• Block:
— Number of active block points.

FINE™ 2-17
Graphical User Interface Graphical Area Management

— Number of grid points.


— Name of the block.
— Number of points in each block direction.
• Face: constant direction and the corresponding index.
• Edge: constant direction according to the active face and the corresponding index.
• Segment: number of points on the segment.

2-6.5 Parameters Area


The Parameters area displays a page containing the parameters related to the selected item of the
parameters list. Depending on the selected User Mode the available expert parameters will be dis-
played.

2-6.6 Graphics Area

button to resize
Graphics area

FIGURE 2.6.6-2 Resizing of Graphics Area

The graphics area shows the mesh of the open project. The graphics area appears and disappears
when clicking on Mesh/View On/Off. When the graphics area appears it is covering the parameters
area. Use the button on the left boundary of the graphics area to reduce its size and to display the
parameters area. The Grid page, in the View subpanel on the left, and the viewing buttons can be
used to influence the visualization of the mesh. The View subpanel is described in section 2-6.3 and
the viewing buttons area are described below.

2-18 FINE™
Graphical Area Management Graphical User Interface

2-6.7 Viewing Buttons


The viewing buttons are used to perform viewing manipulations on the active view, such as scroll-
ing, zooming and rotating. The manipulations use the left, middle and right buttons of the mouse in
different ways. The sub-sections below describe the function associated with each mouse button for
each viewing button.

For systems that only accept a mouse with two buttons, the middle mouse button can be
emulated for viewing options by holding the <Ctrl> key with the left mouse button.

2-6.7.1 X, Y, and Z Projection Buttons


These buttons allow to view the graphics objects on X, Y or Z projection plane. Press the left mouse
button to project the view on an X, Y or Z constant plane. If the same button is pressed more than
one time, the horizontal axis changes direction at each click.

2-6.7.2 Coordinate Axes


The coordinate axes button acts as a toggle to display different types of coordinate axes on the
active view using the following mouse buttons:
• Left: press to turn on/off the display of symbolic coordinate axis at the lower right corner of the
view.
• Middle: press to turn on/off the display of scaled coordinate axis for the active view. The axis
surrounds all objects in the view and may not be visible when the view is zoomed in.
• Right: press to turn on/off the display of IJK axis at the origin of the active block (in Block
Viewing Scope) or of all the blocks (in Grid Viewing Scope). For more informations about the
viewing scope, see section 2-6.3.

2-6.7.3 Scrolling
This button is used to translate the contents of active view within the plane of graphics window in
the direction specified by the user. Following functions can be performed with the mouse buttons:
• Left: press and drag the left mouse button to indicate the translation direction. The translation
is proportional to the mouse displacement. Release the button when finished. The translation
magnitude is automatically calculated by measuring the distance between the initial clicked
point and the current position of the cursor.
• Middle: press and drag the middle mouse button to indicate the translation direction. The
translation is continuous in the indicated direction. Release the button when finished. The
translation speed is automatically calculated by measuring the distance between the initial
clicked point and the current position of the cursor.

2-6.7.4 3D Viewing Button


This button allows to perform viewing operations directly in the graphics area. Allowed operations
are 3D rotation, scrolling and zooming.
After having selected the option, move the mouse to the active view, then:
• Press and drag the left mouse button to perform a 3D rotation
• Press and drag the middle mouse button to perform a translation
• Press and drag the middle mouse button, while holding the <Shift> key, to perform a zoom

FINE™ 2-19
Graphical User Interface Graphical Area Management

• To select the centre of rotation, hold the <Shift> key and press the left mouse button on a
geometry curve, a vertex or a surface (even if this one is visualized with a wireframe model).
The centre of rotation is always located in the centre of the screen. So, when changing it, the
model is moved according to its new value.

The 3D viewing tool is also accessible with the <F1> key.

2-6.7.5 Rotate About X, Y or Z Axis


The rotation buttons are used to rotate graphical objects on the active view around the X, Y or Z
axis. The rotations are always performed around the centre of the active view. Following functions
can be performed with the mouse buttons:
• Left: press and drag the left mouse button to the left or to the right. A clockwise or counter-
clockwise rotation will be performed, proportional to the mouse displacement. Release the
button when finished.
• Middle: press and drag the middle mouse button to the left or to the right. A continuous rota-
tion will be performed, clockwise or counter-clockwise. Release the button when finished.

2-6.7.6 Zoom In/Out


This button is used for zooming operations on the active view. Zooming is always performed
around the centre of the view. Following functions can be performed with the mouse buttons:
• Left: press and drag the left mouse button to the left or to the right. A zoom in - zoom out will
be performed, proportional to the mouse displacement. Release the button when finished.
• Middle: press and drag the middle mouse button to the left or to the right. A continuous zoom
in - zoom out will be performed. Release the button when finished.

2-6.7.7 Region Zoom


This button allows to specify a rectangular area of the active view that will be fitted to the view
dimensions. After having selected the button:
1. Move the mouse to the active view.
2. Press and drag the left mouse button to select the rectangular region.
3. Release the button to perform the zoom operation.
These operations can be repeated several times to perform more zooming.
Press <q> or click the right mouse button to quit the option.

The region zoom is also accessible with the <F2> key.

2-6.7.8 Fit Button


The fit button is used to fit the content of the view to the view limits without changing the current
orientation of the camera (which can be interpreted as the user's eyes).

2-6.7.9 Original Button


The original button is used to fit the content of the view and to change back to the default orienta-
tion of the camera.

2-20 FINE™
Profile Management Graphical User Interface

2-6.7.10 Cutting Plane


This option displays a movable plane that cuts the geometry and the blocks of the mesh. The plane
is symbolically represented by four boundaries and its normal, and is by default semi-transparent.
After having selected the button:
• Press and drag the left mouse button to rotate the plane
• Press and drag the middle mouse button to translate the plane
• Press < x >, < y > or < z > to align the plane normal along the X, Y or Z axis
• Press <n> to revert the plane normal
• Press < t > to toggle the transparency of the plane (to make it semi-transparent or fully trans-
parent). It is highly advised to deactivate the plane transparency when using X11 driver to
increase the execution speed.

2-7 Profile Management


When a law is defined by a profile clicking on the button right next to the pull down menu will
invoke a Profile Manager window.

FIGURE 2.7.0-3 Profile Manager for boundary conditions parameters

The Profile Manager is used to interactively define and edit profiles for both fluids and boundary
conditions parameters. The user simply enters the corresponding coordinates in the two columns on
the left. The graph is updated after each coordinate (after each pressing of <Enter> key).
The button Import may be used if the profile exists already as a file on the disk. The Export button
is used to store the current data in the profile manager as a file (for example to share profiles
between different projects and users).
The option Surface data allows the user to impose a 2D profile. The formats of the profile files are
explained in Appendix B where all file formats used by FINE™ and EURANUS are detailed.

FINE™ 2-21
Graphical User Interface Profile Management

If the mouse cursor is placed over a point in the graph window, this point is highlighted and the cor-
responding coordinates on the left will be also highlighted, giving the user the possibility to verify
the profile.
The button OK will store the profile values and return back to the main FINE™ window.

When imposing profiles, a zero extrapolation is applied for point located outside the
defined range of the profile. E.g. if the density profile is given for a pressure between 10
bar and 100 bar, the density at 1 bar will be the one imposed at 10 bar.

2-22 FINE™
CHAPTER 3: Fluid Model

3-1 Overview
Every FINE™ project contains a fluid with the corresponding properties. In FINE™ the fluid to use
for a computation can be defined by:
1. Using the fluid defined in the project file of which the properties are shown on the fluid selec-
tion page (see section 3-2.1), or
2. selecting a fluid from the fluid database included in the release that contains a set of pre-defined
fluids (see section 3-2.2), or
3. creating a new fluid (see section 3-2.3).
In the next section the interface is described in detail, including advises for use of the fluid defini-
tions. The theoretical background for the different fluid models is described in section 3-3.

FINE™ 3-1
Fluid Model The Fluid Model in the FINE™ Interface

3-2 The Fluid Model in the FINE™ Interface

list of pre-defined fluids

filters

list of properties

FIGURE 3.2.0-1 Fluid Selection page

3-2.1 Properties of Fluid Used in the Project


Every FINE™ project contains a fluid with the corresponding properties that are displayed in the
interface (see Figure 3.2.0-1). When a new project is created the used fluid is a default fluid. When
an existing project is opened the used fluid is defined by the properties as defined in the project file
".iec".
The first listed fluid property is the fluid type. Four fluid types are available:
• perfect gas,
• real gas,
• incompressible gas or liquid,
• condensable fluid.
For more detail on each of these types see section 3-3. For the first three fluid types, the properties
can be defined through the interface as described in section 3-2.3. To add a condensable fluid to the
list of fluids proposed by default, contact NUMECA support ([email protected]) to obtain the
appropriate tables.
To modify the properties of the fluid used, a fluid can be selected from the list of pre-defined fluids
(section 3-2.2) or a new fluid may be defined (where the new fluid is based on the current one, see
section 3-2.3 for more detail).

3-2.2 List of Fluids


The list of fluids (see Figure 3.2.0-1) contains pre-defined fluids in a database. For each fluid the
fluid type and the permissions are defined.

3-2 FINE™
The Fluid Model in the FINE™ Interface Fluid Model

Every fluid is associated with the user who created it and can be modified or removed only by its
owner (the owner has Read Write Delete permissions). All other users will only have Read Only
permissions.
If the user selects a fluid from the list, the selection will be highlighted and the properties are dis-
played in the information box below the fluid list. Those fluid properties will be saved in the project
file ".iec" as soon as the project is saved.

3-2.3 Add Fluid


To add a fluid to the database click on the Add New Fluid... button. A new fluid is then created with
the current properties as shown in the list of properties. A wizard will appear allowing the user to
modify those properties.
On the first page of this wizard the user can enter the name and the type of the new fluid. The name
should be entered by moving the mouse to the text box for the Fluid Name and to type the name on
the keyboard. By default a name is proposed like "new_fluid_1". The fluid type can be entered by
selecting the appropriate check boxes. First make a choice for a compressible or incompressible
fluid. For a compressible fluid select a perfect gas or a real gas. The fluid type corresponding to the
selected checkboxes is shown in the text box for the Fluid Type. To cancel the modifications to the
fluid definition and close the wizard click on the Cancel button.

FIGURE 3.2.3-2 Fluid Wizard

Once the fluid name and type are correctly set, click on Next>> to go to the next page of the wiz-
ard. On this page the following properties have to be defined:
• Specific Heat Law,
• Heat Conduction Law,
• Viscosity Law,
• Density Law (for an incompressible fluid only).
The possible values to enter for these laws depend on the selected fluid type as described in the next
paragraphs. In the case a law is defined by a constant value, type the value in the corresponding dia-
log box. In the case a law is defined by a profile, the Profile Manager can be opened by clicking on
the button ( ) right next to the pull down menu (see section 3-2.3.6 for more detail). In the case a
law is defined by a formula, the Formula Editor can be opened by clicking on the button ( ) right
next to the pull down menu (see section 3-2.3.5).

Information linked to fluid creation is stored in the fluid database only when closing the
FINE™ interface. As a consequence, this information will not be available to other users
as long as this operation is not completed.

FINE™ 3-3
Fluid Model The Fluid Model in the FINE™ Interface

3-2.3.1 Definition of a Perfect Gas


For the definition of a perfect gas the user has to specify:
• The specific heat at constant pressure. For a perfect gas only a constant Cp is allowed.
• The constant specific heat ratio (Cp/Cv) characteristic of the fluid.
• The heat conductivity which may be constant, defined by a polynomial or a profile in tempera-
ture or specified through a constant Prandtl number.
• The viscosity law which may be constant, temperature dependent or specified by the Sutherland
law. In case the viscosity depends on the temperature the user can specify the law through a pol-
ynomial or as a profile through the Profile Manager. Furthermore, when the viscosity law is
defined by the Sutherland law, the Sutherland parameters are accessible by clicking on the but-
ton ( ) right next to the pull down menu.

FIGURE 3.2.3-3 Sutherland Law Parameters

The default law uses the dynamic viscosity but the user can specify the kinematic viscosity if
required.

3-2.3.2 Definition of a Real Gas


A real gas is defined by laws for the dependence of Cp and/or γ with the temperature and/or gas
constant r.
By default when adding a new fluid, the recommended specific heat law consists on imposing Cp
with the temperature and the gas constant r.
The user can either define a profile, using the Profile Manager, or impose a polynomial approxima-
tion using the Formula Editor. In this last case, the polynomials take the following form:

–3 –2 –1 1 2 3
Cp ( T ) = A 0 T + A1 T + A2 T + A3 + A4 T + A5 T + A6 T , (3-1)

–3 –2 –1 1 2 3
γ ( T ) = B0 T + B1 T + B2 T + B3 + B4 T + B5 T + B6 T , (3-2)

where the coefficients A 0, A 1, A 2, A 3, A 4, A 5, A 6, B 0, B 1, B 2, B 3, B 4, B 5 and B 6 are chosen by the user


and set in the dialog box for Cp and γ respectively. In the definition of real gas properties, lower
and upper bounds of temperature variations [Tmin-Tmax] allowed in the domain must be provided.
Depending on the local temperature during the iterative process, the physical properties will then be
able to vary according to the laws defined in the fluid database. Note that it is necessary to cover the
whole temperature range occurring in the system otherwise some inaccuracy in the results might be

3-4 FINE™
The Fluid Model in the FINE™ Interface Fluid Model

introduced. In addition, the local temperature may not fit at some occasion in the prescribed range;
this is especially true during the transient. If so, as indicated by the formula editor (section 3-2.3.5),
the physical properties are kept constant, at a value that corresponds to the lower/upper bound
allowed by the range.

FIGURE 3.2.3-4 New Fluid Definition - Real Gas

For the default definition of a real gas, the user has to specify:
• The gas constant r and the specific heat at constant pressure Cp, which depend on the tempera-
ture through a polynomial or a profile. In both cases, the user has to specify the temperature
range over which the specific heat is defined. Furthermore there are alternative modelling meth-
ods for a real gas that consists on:
— involving a compressibility factor and two laws defining the dependence of Cp and γ with
the temperature.
— constant r model with γ dependent on the temperature and Cp calculated from r and γ.

For the pre-defined fluids, the value of Cp is defined as a function of the temperature
through a profile. These profiles have been computed for a constant atmospheric pres-
sure.
• The heat conductivity, which can be constant, defined by a polynomial or a profile in tempera-
ture or specified through a constant Prandtl number.
• The viscosity law, which can be constant, dependent on temperature or specified by the Suther-
land law. In case the viscosity depends on the temperature the user can specify the law through a
polynomial or as profile. Furthermore, when the viscosity law is defined by the Sutherland law,
the Sutherland parameters are accessible by clicking on the button ( ) right next to the pull
down menu. The default law uses the dynamic viscosity but the user can specify the kinematic
viscosity if required, see Figure 3.2.3-3.
Compared to a perfect gas computation (Cp and γ constant), the real gas option results in an
increase of about 25% of the CPU time. Real gas calculations are usually robust enough to avoid
any use of a preliminary run with averaged physical properties. However, convergence difficulties
may arise during the convergence process (say the first 100-200 iterations) if either the allowed
temperature range is too large or if the properties are expected to vary significantly in the allowed
temperature range. At these occasions, it is often useful to make an equivalent perfect gas computa-

FINE™ 3-5
Fluid Model The Fluid Model in the FINE™ Interface

tion, with average properties, in order to remove any temperature dependency and ease the conver-
gence process.

3-2.3.3 Definition of a Liquid


For the definition of a liquid two models are available:
• a ’pure’ liquid with constant density,
• a barotropic liquid for which the density varies with pressure.
Depending on the type of liquid the user has to specify:
• The specific heat at constant pressure. For liquids only a constant Cp is allowed.
• The heat conductivity, which can be constant, defined by a polynomial or a profile in tempera-
ture or specified through a constant Prandtl number.
• The viscosity law, which can be constant, dependent on temperature or specified by the Suther-
land law. In case the viscosity depends on the temperature the user can specify the law through a
polynomial or as profile. Furthermore, when the viscosity law is defined by the Sutherland law,
the Sutherland parameters are accessible by clicking on the button ( ) right next to the pull
down menu. The default law concerned the dynamic viscosity but the user can specify the kine-
matic if required, see Figure 3.2.3-3.
• The density law, which can be pressure dependent (using a polynomial law or as a profile
through the Profile Manager) or following the Boussinesq law. In this latter case the density is
constant and the Boussinesq coefficients are taken into account only if the button Gravity
Forces (Flow Model page) is activated. These coefficients are used in source terms of the den-
sity equation in order to model the gravitational effect (i.e. natural convection) although the
density is assumed to be strictly constant.

For liquids, the reference temperature and pressure must lie in the expected range of the
static temperature and pressure of the flow field. The reference pressure and temperature
are defined on the Flow Model page (Eq. 4-100).

3-2.3.4 Definition of a Condensable Fluid


The aim of the condensable fluid module is modelling the real thermodynamic properties of the
fluid by means of interpolation of the variables from dedicated tables.
The module can be used for a single-phase fluid of which the properties are too complex to be
treated with a perfect or real gas model. It can also be used in order to treat thermodynamic condi-
tions that are close to the saturation line. Note that the model can be used on the liquid or on the
vapour side of the saturation curve. In case the thermodynamic state lies inside the two-phase
region a homogeneous equilibrium two-phase mixture of vapour and liquid is considered. The
hypothesis of an equilibrium mixture is however not valid if the dryness (wetness) fraction exceeds
20%. The module can not be used above these fractions, as it completely ignores evaporation-con-
densation phenomena.
The approach that has been adopted in EURANUS consists of using a series of thermodynamic
tables, one table being required each time a thermodynamic variable must be deduced from two
other ones. This implies the creation of many tables as an input, but presents the advantage that no
iterative inversion of the tables is done in the solver, with as a consequence a very small additional
CPU time.
By default, a number of common thermodynamic tables are provided together with FINE™. Other
thermodynamic tables can be provided by NUMECA, upon request. The tables corresponding to
water steam have been generated on basis of literature (IAPWS, 1995). NUMECA has also devel-

3-6 FINE™
The Fluid Model in the FINE™ Interface Fluid Model

oped a tool for the generation of the thermodynamic tables on basis of equations presented in the
literature (Starling form of Benedict-Webb-Rubin and modified Benedic-Webb-Rubin equations).

Two sets of thermodynamic tables are provided with FINE™: Refrigerant R134a and
Water-Steam tables.
In order to use a condensable gas as a fluid model, the user has to copy the provided tables in a user-
defined subdirectory called "/tables_fluidname/". The location of this subdirectory is platform
dependent:
• On Unix/Linux systems:
"/NUMECA_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY/fine#/COMMON/thermodynamic_tables/"
• On Windows systems:
"/NUMECA_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY/Fine#/bin/thermodynamic_tables/"
The subdirectory has to be created before launching FINE™. When the subdirectory is existing, the
condensable gas is recognized by FINE™ and the fluid will appear in the list with respectively
Fluid Name and Fluid Type as "Condensable__fluidname" and "Condensable Fluid".

3-2.3.5 Formula Editor

When a law is defined by a formula clicking on the button ( ) right next to the pull down menu
will invoke a formula editor. When a law is defined by a formula clicking on the button right next to
the pull down menu will invoke the Formula Editor.

FIGURE 3.2.3-5 The Formula Editor for polynomials in the fluid properties

The Formula Editor is used to define polynomial values for the fluid properties. The user has to
define the seven coefficients of the polynomial according to the displayed formula on the top, and
also the lower and upper limits of the temperature range, in which the polynomial function is
defined. Press <Enter> after each entry to validate the input. Values outside of the specified temper-
ature range, will be considered constant and equal to the minimum or maximum value (as shown in
the graph in Figure 3.2.3-5).

If a fluid with "Read Only" permissions contains formulas they may be visualized by
means of the Show Fluid Properties... button that opens the Formula Editor window, but
they can not be modified - a message will warn the user that the selected fluid can not be
modified.

FINE™ 3-7
Fluid Model The Fluid Model in the FINE™ Interface

3-2.3.6 Profile Manager

When a law is defined by a profile clicking on the button ( ) next to the pull down menu will start
the Profile Manager.
The Profile Manager is used to interactively define and edit profiles for both fluid and boundary
condition parameters. To input a profile, the user has to enter the corresponding coordinates in the
two columns on the left. The graph is updated after each coordinate entry (after pressing the
<Enter> key).
The button Import can be used to import a profile, which is already existing as a data file on the
disk. The Export button is used to store the current data in the profile manager as a data file (for
example to share profiles between different projects and users). The format of the profile files is
explained in detail in Appendix B.
If the mouse cursor is placed over a point in the graph window, this point is highlighted and the cor-
responding coordinates on the left will be also highlighted, giving the user the possibility to verify
the profile.
The button OK will store the profile values into the fluid definition.

FIGURE 3.2.3-6 Profile Manager for fluid parameters

If a fluid with "Read Only" permissions contains profiles they may be visualized by
means of the Show Fluid Properties... button that opens the Profile Manager window,
but they can not be modified - a message will warn the user that the selected fluid can not
be modified.

Only uniform distributions should be entered in the Profile Manager. Non-uniform distri-
butions will be converted to a uniform distribution by EURANUS.

3-2.4 Delete Fluid from List


When the user has the permission to delete a fluid, the button Delete Fluid... allows to remove the
selected fluid from the list of available fluids.

Information linked to fluid removal is stored in the fluid database only when closing the
FINE™ interface. As a consequence, this information will not be available to other users
until this operation is completed. A message will however warn users that the fluid prop-
erties have been modified (up to removal in the present situation) by the owner.

3-8 FINE™
The Fluid Model in the FINE™ Interface Fluid Model

3-2.5 Edit Fluid


When the user has the write permission for a fluid, the properties of the selected fluid can be modi-
fied by clicking on Edit Fluid.... A wizard will appear allowing to modify the name, the type and
the laws defining the selected fluid. The two pages of this wizard and the laws to define are
described in detail in section 3-2.3.

Information linked to fluid edition is stored in the fluid database only when closing the
FINE™ interface. As a consequence, this information will not be available to other users
until this operation is completed. A message will however warn users that the fluid prop-
erties have been modified by the owner.

3-2.6 Show Fluid Properties


When the user does not have the write permission (Read Only) for a fluid the Show Fluid Proper-
ties... button opens the wizard with the properties of the fluid. In this case it is not possible to mod-
ify any of the properties in the wizard but the user has access to visualize the properties including
the defined profiles and formulae.

3-2.7 Filters
On the Fluid Model page two filters are available to display only a limited amount of fluids out of
the complete list of fluids. Select the owner(s) and fluid type(s) to display from the pull down
menus to limit the list of fluids.

Please notice that under Windows™ the fluid database is not owner-oriented. The data-
base is stored locally and user defined fluids are accessible with full permissions to all
Windows users.

The filters are used only to browse the fluid list and not to change the current fluid asso-
ciated to the active computation except if selected in the list by left-click on it.

3-2.8 Import Fluid Database


When the user has is own fluid database, the Import Fluids Database... enables to load a user
defined database through a File Chooser window to select the ".flb" file containing the properties of
all the fluids.

When loading an existing project and opening the Fluid Model page, please notice that
FINE™ is automatically checking if the fluid is existing or not in the fluid database. If
the fluid name is existing but the properties are different, a comparison window will
invite the user to select the fluid to use (the default fluid in the database or the fluid
defined in the project). If the fluid is not existing in the fluid database, no fluid will be
selected but the fluid parameters defined in the project will be kept.

3-2.9 Expert Parameters


In this section, the expert parameters which can be used in the definition of the fluid type can be
found. This is only a summary to know directly the expert parameters related to the definition of a
fluid. More details about these expert parameters are given in section 3-3.

FINE™ 3-9
Fluid Model Theory

All expert parameters related to fluid definition are available in Expert Mode in the Control Vari-
ables page. For these expert parameters the default values only have to be changed in case the user
has specific wishes concerning the fluid modelling.
PRT: Allows to define the turbulent Prandtl number (default value = 1.0).

3-3 Theory
3-3.1 Transport Properties
3-3.1.1 The Laminar Viscosity
In general the kinematic viscosity (in m2/s) is defined in FINE™. The laminar kinematic viscosity
can be
• constant,
• given in terms of a polynomial function of the temperature,
• given by a profile for a certain temperature range,
• varying according to Sutherland’s law.
The dynamic viscosity is then computed within the code by multiplying the kinematic viscosity by
the reference density.
The Sutherland law is given by:
For T ∞ > 120K

T
µ ( T ) = µ ( 120 ) --------- T ≤ 120K
120
(3-3)
T ∞ + TSUTHE⎞
µ ( T ) = µ ∞ ⎛ ------⎞ ⎛ -----------------------------------
T 1.5
- T ≥ 120K
⎝ T ∞⎠ ⎝ T + TSUTHE ⎠

For T ∞ ≤ 120K

T
µ ( T ) = µ ∞ ------ T ≤ 120K
T∞
(3-4)
T 1.5 120 + TSUTHE
µ ( T ) = µ ( 120 ) ⎛ ---------⎞ ⎛ ---------------------------------------⎞ T ≥ 120K
⎝ 120⎠ ⎝ T + TSUTHE ⎠

The viscosity µ ∞ in Eq. 3-3 and Eq. 3-4 is the dynamic viscosity specified in the Fluid Model page
or which is obtained from the kinematic viscosity and the density both specified in the Fluid Model
page. T ∞ and TSUTHE are respectively the reference temperature and the Sutherland temperature,
also specified in the Fluid Model page.

3-3.1.2 The Heat Conductivity


The laminar heat conductivity can be

3-10 FINE™
Theory Fluid Model

• constant,
• given in terms of a polynomial function of the temperature,
• given by a profile for a certain temperature range,
• specified through the Prandtl number.
In case the Prandtl number Pr is specified, the laminar thermal conductivity is obtained as:

µC
κ = ---------p- (3-5)
Pr
The turbulent viscosity is calculated iteratively using one of the turbulence models discussed in sec-
tion 4-4.3. The turbulent conductivity is obtained from the turbulent viscosity and a turbulent
Prandtl number whose value can be controlled through the expert parameter PRT (default: 1.0):

µt Cp
κ t = ----------- . (3-6)
Pr t

3-3.2 Fluid Models


In this section, details are provided about the different fluid types available in FINE™:
• perfect gas,
• real gas,
• liquid,
• condensable fluid.

3-3.2.1 Calorically Perfect Gas


The perfect gas law is used as constitutive equation:

p = ρrT (3-7)

with r the gas constant for the perfect gas under consideration:

R
r = ----- = c p – c v , (3-8)
M
with R the universal gas constant and M the molecular weight of the perfect gas.

γ is the specific heat ratio, C p the specific heat at constant pressure, and C v the specific heat at
constant volume with:

C
γ = -----p- . (3-9)
Cv
When the gas temperature is so low that the vibrational and electronic modes are frozen, the inter-
nal energy of the gas will be proportional to the temperature. The specific heats as well as γ are
then constant. The gas is called "calorically perfect". This is the usual assumption of moderate
speed aerodynamics.
The relation between r and C p is given by

FINE™ 3-11
Fluid Model Theory

γ–1
r = ----------- C p . (3-10)
γ
The values of γ and C p are user input. The static pressure is obtained from the conservative varia-
bles through the following relation:

2
( ρw ) .
p = ( γ – 1 ) ρE – -------------- (3-11)

3-3.2.2 Real Gas


For real gases or more precisely thermally perfect gases, C p and γ depend on the temperature T.
The corresponding values can be entered either through a polynomial approximation or through a
profile (see section 3-2.3.5 and section 3-2.3.6).
The thermally perfect gas model is based on two equations:
• the perfect gas relation, still valid:

R
p = ρrT = ρ ----- T , (3-12)
M
• the enthalpy equation:

⎛ T
⎞ ⎧ T

∫ ∫
p
h = ⎜ C p dT⎟ = e + --- = ⎨ C v dT ⎬ + rT , (3-13)
⎝ T0 ⎠ ρ ⎩ T0 ⎭
where T0 is a reference temperature. In practice T0 is set equal to the minimum temperature of the
temperature range specified in the Fluid Model page.
These two equations lead to:

⎛ T

rT = ⎜
⎝ ∫ T0
( C p – C v ) dT⎟ .

(3-14)

In the case of a real gas with varying specific heats one can notice that it is not possible to respect
the 2 above equations with a constant value of r, unless the difference (Cp-Cv) does not vary with
temperature.
Two solutions are proposed in EURANUS in order to model real gases:
• Constant r model. The user specifies the gas constant r (R). Then Cp(T) or γ(T) is provided and
Cp r
respectively γ is calculated as γ = -------------- or Cp is calculated as C p = ------------ .
Cp – r 1
1 – ---
γ
• Perfect gas with compressibility factor. It is used when the user specifies Cp(T) and γ(T) to
define the specific heat law. The equation of state is modified to include a compressibility fac-
tor Z:

R
p = ZρrT = Zρ ----- T (3-15)
M

3-12 FINE™
Theory Fluid Model

⎛ T ⎞

⎝ T0 ∫ ( C p – C v ) dT⎟

Z = -------------------------------------------- (3-16)
rT
where T0 corresponds to the new TMIN when from the two ranges, [TMING,TMAXG] for γ(T)
and [TMINC,TMAXC] for Cp(T), the smaller range is taken: TMIN=MIN(TMING,TMINC)
and TMAX=MAX(TMAXG,TMAXC). Then the range is expanded by (TMAX-TMIN)/2 on
the lower and upper side. This results in respectively a lowered TMIN and a higher TMAX, and
a two times wider range. Cp(T) and γ(T) are constant (zero order extrapolation) outside their
respective ranges.

In such case, in Eq. 3-16, the variable "ZrT" computed from user data (Cp(T) and γ(T)) is
directly used in Eq. 3-15 to define the pressure from the density.

3-3.2.3 Incompressible Fluid

a) Liquid
The density is user input:

ρ = Cst . (3-17)

This implies a decoupling of the mass and momentum conservation equations from the energy con-
servation equation, since no term in the mass and momentum equations depends on the tempera-
ture.

b) Barotropic Liquid
The density is a user defined function of the pressure:

ρ = f(p) . (3-18)

The corresponding values can be entered either through a polynomial approximation or through a
profile (see section 3-2.3.5 and section 3-2.3.6).
The particularity of the barotropic liquid formulation is that although the density is not constant, a
decoupling of the energy equation is still adopted, exactly as in the full incompressible formulation.
Modification of the treatment of the energy equation
A modification of the treatment of the energy is required in order to account for the density varia-
tions. The temperature equation for any type of fluid can be written as:

∂p
ρc v ------ = – T ⎛ ------⎞ ⎛ ∇V⎞ + ∇ ⎛ k∇T⎞ + ε v ,
dT
(3-19)
dt ⎝ ∂T⎠ V ⎝ ⎠ ⎝ ⎠

where εv is the viscous dissipation term and V is the specific volume (inverse of density). Since for
a barotropic fluid there is a unique relation between the pressure and the density the first term on
the right hand side of the above equation vanishes and the temperature for a barotropic fluid
becomes:

ρc v ------ = ∇ ⎛ k∇T⎞ + ε v .
dT
(3-20)
dt ⎝ ⎠
In addition, since from classical thermodynamics it is known that

FINE™ 3-13
Fluid Model Theory

∂c ⎛ ∂ 2 p⎞
--------v = T ⎜ --------⎟ , (3-21)
∂V ⎝ ∂T ⎠ V
2

the specific heat at constant volume depends only on the temperature C v = C v ( T ) . Note that for an
incompressible fluid the specific heats at constant pressure and at constant volume are equal
Cv = Cp .

The modification of the formulation of the energy for a barotropic fluid can be derived from the
above relations. For a barotropic fluid:

∂p
de = c v dT + ⎛ T ⎛ ------⎞ – p⎞ dV = c v dT – pdV . (3-22)
⎝ ⎝ ∂T⎠ V ⎠

The barotropic relation can be integrated from a reference state to finally obtain:

T p
⎛ ⎞
p ∂ρ
e ( p, T ) = e 0 + ⎜ c v dT⎟ + ----2- ------ dp

⎝ T0
∫ ⎟
⎠ p0 ρ

∂p
(3-23)

Compared to an incompressible formulation the energy depends on both pressure and temperature.

3-3.2.4 Condensable Fluid

a) Introduction
The aim of the condensable fluid module is modelling the real thermodynamic properties of the
fluid by means of interpolation of the variables from dedicated tables.
The module can be used for a single-phase fluid whose properties are too complex to be treated
with a perfect or real gas model. It can also be used in order to treat thermodynamic conditions that
are close to the saturation line. Note that the model can be used on the liquid or on the vapour side
of the saturation curve. In case the thermodynamic state lies inside the two-phase region a homoge-
neous equilibrium two-phase mixture of vapour and liquid is considered. The hypothesis of an equi-
librium mixture is however not valid if the dryness (wetness) fraction exceeds 20%. The module
can not be used above these fractions, as it completely ignores evaporation-condensation phenom-
ena.
For a real fluid the equation of state may be a complicated and usually implicit expression, generat-
ing unacceptable computational overhead if the corresponding equations are explicitly introduced
in the solver. Similarly when an equilibrium mixture of vapour and droplets (wet steam for
instance) is considered as a single fluid, the calculation from the saturation properties of thermody-
namic variables must be done iteratively.
The approach that has been adopted in EURANUS consists of using a series of thermodynamic
tables, one table being required each time a thermodynamic variable must be deduced from two
other ones. This implies the creation of many tables as input, but presents the advantage that no iter-
ative inversion of the tables is done in the solver, with as a consequence a very small additional
CPU time. This additional time corresponds to the one that is needed by the bilinear (or bicubic)
interpolation procedures through the tables. In order to optimize the efficiency of these interpola-
tions, the input tables are always built on basis of a Cartesian mesh in the plane of the input varia-
bles (V1,V2) (N1 and N2 values for the variables V1 and V2 respectively).

3-14 FINE™
Theory Fluid Model

b) Thermodynamic Tables
Tables are generated based on NUMECA internal tools, which are based on various sets of well-
known equations as described below:
• Starling form of the Benedict-Webb-Rubin equation (usually used with hydrocarbons),
• Modified Benedict-Webb-Rubin model (selected equation for hydrogen),
• Vander Waals equation.
Single tables are generally used, which means that the tables cover both single-phase and two-phase
regions, as for instance depicted in Figure 3.3.2-7, showing one of the tables used to model hydro-
gen. A bilinear interpolation approach is well adapted to these tables, providing an adequate
smoothing of the saturation region. Bicubic interpolation techniques have also been implemented
and tested. They provide a higher accuracy for a given number of data points but tend to create spu-
rious oscillations in the saturation region. These oscillations can be avoided by adopting separated
tables covering respectively the single and the two-phase regions. These two tables are intersecting
along the saturation line.
Five categories of tables are used by the solver:
1. Basic tables: p(e,ρ) and T(e,ρ) or ρ(h,p) and T(h,p)
For non-preconditioned equations, the numerical scheme is based on a formulation of the equations
on basis of the energy and the density. The basic tables are used in order to update the pressure and
the temperature after each update of the formulation variables. For preconditioned equations, the
basic variables are enthalpy and pressure, they are used in order to update the density and tempera-
ture.
2. Entropy tables: p(h,s), ρ(h,s), s(h,p), h(s,p)
The entropy tables are used at the inlet/outlet boundary conditions, and are required in order to cal-
culate the total (static) thermodynamic conditions from the static (total) ones.
3. The (p,T) tables: e(p,T) and ρ(p,T)
These tables are required in order to allow the use of the inlet boundary conditions based on total
pressure and temperature. They are also required by the turbomachinery initial solution procedure.

FINE™ 3-15
Fluid Model Theory

ρ [kg/m3]

FIGURE 3.3.2-7 Thermodynamic Table: ρ(p,Τ)

4. The viscosity and conductivity tables: µ(e,ρ) and κ(e,ρ)


The viscosity and conductivity can also be interpolated from tables. If these tables are not present
the other laws available within the user interface can be used.
5. The saturation table
This table contains the liquid and vapour values of all thermodynamic variables along the saturation
line. It is only required if the user activates the dryness fraction output and/or if the inlet boundary
condition based on total enthalpy and dryness fraction is selected.

c) Integration of Thermodynamic Tables in the Solver


Provided that all the input tables are present, the full functionality of the basic solver is accessible.
All boundary conditions are available, as well as the initial solution procedures. The numerical
schemes are not different, making use of the same acceleration techniques (multigrid, local time
stepping, residual smoothing) providing robust and fast convergence to steady state.
The evaluation of the advective, viscous and artificial dissipation fluxes involves the pressure in the
momentum and energy equations and the temperature in the energy equation. For a perfect gas both
are easily deduced from the equation of state, the conversion being so rapid that only the pressure
and the density are stored and the other variables recalculated from these whenever they are needed.
In the condensable fluid module the density, the pressure, the temperature and the energy are stored
in order to limit the number of interpolations. Only one interpolation is made in order to deduce the
new values of pressure and temperature after the update of the density and the energy.

3-16 FINE™
Theory Fluid Model

The speed of sound is also required. It enters the numerical solution process through the spectral
radius in the time step and in the residual smoothing and artificial dissipation coefficients. It can
either be interpolated from a table or computed from the partial derivatives of the p(e,ρ) table:

∂p p ∂p
c = ⎛ ------⎞ + ----2- ⎛ ------⎞
2
(3-24)
⎝ ∂ρ⎠ e ρ ⎝ ∂e⎠ ρ

The Baldwin-Lomax, Spalart-Allmaras and (k,e) turbulence models can be used. The turbulent con-
ductivity calculation is based on the usual relation:

µ
κ t = -------t- c p (3-25)
Prt

The specific heat at constant pressure can either be constant (the value being provided in the user
interface) or deduced from the specific table.

The condensable fluid option is not compatible with the use of cooling/bleed module
and/or upwind schemes for space discretization.

By default, a set of thermodynamic tables for water (steam) and the refrigerant R134a,
are installed. More details can be found in Appendix D. The installation of other sets of
thermodynamic tables must be performed as described in section 3-2.3.4

d) Specific Output
Specific outputs can be created by the condensable fluid module:
• enthalpy: static, total absolute and total relative
• dryness fraction (0<x<1), and generalised dryness fraction
Figure 3.3.2-8 shows the extra choices appearing in the Outputs/Computed Variables page under
the thumbnail Thermodynamics when a condensable gas is selected as a fluid model.

FIGURE 3.3.2-8 Condensable Gas Outputs

e) Selection of the Viscosity, Conductivity, and Specific Heat


As mentioned above the viscosity and conductivity can be specified in two-dimensional tables. If it
is not the case the other laws can be used (constant, polynomial expression or user profiles).
Since the complete integration of the condensable fluid module in the user interface is not yet fin-
ished, the selection of these laws is no longer available as soon as a condensable fluid is chosen.
The way to select these laws is the following:
1. create a perfect gas,
2. enter the desired properties for the viscosity and conductivity,
3. save the corresponding computation,
4. change the fluid type by selecting the condensable fluid.
The same procedure applies to the specific heat at constant pressure, that is used in order to derive
the turbulent conductivity from the turbulent viscosity.

FINE™ 3-17
Fluid Model Theory

3-18 FINE™
CHAPTER 4: Flow Model

4-1 Overview
The Flow Model page, as displayed in Figure 4.1.0-1, can be used in order to specify several char-
acteristics of the flow:
• the time configuration to define time dependence of the equations to solve,
• the mathematical model to:
— choose between viscous and non-viscous flow,
— choose between laminar and turbulent flow,
— activate gravity,
— activate pre-conditioning for low speed flow,
• the passive tracers,
• the characteristic scales defining the Reynolds number of the flow,
• the reference values of the temperature and pressure in the flow.
This chapter is organised in the following way:
• section 4-2 describes the interface, best practice and theoretical background for unsteady com-
putations,
• section 4-3 describes the interface, best practice and theoretical background for harmonic
method,
• section 4-4 describes the interface, best practice and theoretical background for the definition
of the mathematical model and especially the available turbulence models,
• section 4-5 provides details for the passive tracers,
• section 4-6 provides details on the Reynolds number related information and reference values.

FINE™ 4-1
Flow Model Time Configuration

FIGURE 4.1.0-1 Flow Model page.

4-2 Time Configuration


To perform time independent computations it is sufficient to select Steady. In case time dependence
needs to be included in the simulation Unsteady or Harmonic should be selected which gives
access to additional parameters respectively for unsteady flow simulation. All parameters in the
FINE™ interface related to Unsteady computations are described in the following section. The
parameters related to Harmonic computations are described in section 4-3. For more theoretical
information on unsteady flow simulation section 4-2.4 and section 5-5.6 should be consulted.

4-2.1 Interface for Unsteady Computation


When selecting Unsteady time configuration in the Flow Model page the following additional
parameters become accessible in the FINE™ interface:

a) Rotating Machinery
On the Rotating Machinery page, under the Rotor-Stator thumbnail, the Domain Scaling rotor/
stator interaction is activated. Furthermore, the Phase Lagged capability can be activated on the top
of the page. When activated, the Phase Lagged rotor/stator interaction will be applied.

b) Time Dependent Boundary Conditions


On the Boundary Conditions page the boundary conditions at inlet and outlet may be defined as a
function of time. To define a time dependent boundary condition go to the Boundary Conditions
page and change the default (Constant Value) with the pull down menu to:

4-2 FINE™
Time Configuration Flow Model

• fct(time) to define a constant value in space but varying in time. Click on the profile data but-
ton ( ) to activate the Profile Manager.
• fct(space-time) to define a space and time dependent variation of the boundary condition
value. In this case a one-dimensional space profile has to be defined. The time profile to
impose is a scaling factor that is applied to the space profile. This means that the profile in
space is only varying in time with a certain scaling factor.

Another way to define an inlet/outlet unsteady boundary condition is to set an absolute rotational
speed to the boundary condition by activating Rotating Boundary_Condition and specifying the
rotational speed in Rotational Speed Unsteady respectively under the INLET and OUTLET
thumbnails, and to set the periodicity of the signal entered in FINE™ through the expert parameter
NPERBC.

EURANUS allows only one rotation speed (combined with a zero rotation speed).

The inlet/outlet unsteady boundary condition circumferential profile has to be


imposed on a range covering the initial blade passage location and the blade passage
location after one period of the signal.
Example:

π
θ
0
θ1 θ2 θ3 θ4 2π

v2.2

t0 t0+T

FIGURE 4.2.1-2 Circumferential signal

The blade channel is initially (t0) located at θ1,θ2 and will after one period of the signal (T) be
located at θ3,θ4. Τhe circumferential signal has thus to be imposed from at least θ1 to θ4.

When Rotating Boundary Condition is activated, the time step is no longer specified by the phys-
ical time step in the FINE™ interface in the Computation Steering/Control Variables page.
Instead the time step is imposed by defining the Number Of Angular Positions.

c) Phase Lagged
When activating Rotating Boundary Condition in the Boundary Conditions page to rotate the
reference system of the boundary condition at the inlet and/or outlet, the period of the boundary
condition should be compared to the blade passing period. In the case of a single blade row calcula-

FINE™ 4-3
Flow Model Time Configuration

tion with the period of the varying inlet or outlet boundary conditions different from the blade pass-
ing period, the Phase Lagged option should be activated in the Rotating Machinery page and the
periodicity of the signal entered in FINE™ has to be specified through the expert parameter
NPERBC. See section 4-2.3.2 and section 4-2.4.5 for more detailed information on the phase
lagged boundary condition.

In the case of phase lagged approach, the Number Of Angular Positions is the
number of time iterations per full machine rotation.

EURANUS allows only one rotation speed (combined with a zero rotation speed).

The inlet/outlet unsteady boundary condition circumferential profile has to be


imposed on a range covering the initial blade passage location and the blade passage
location after one period of the signal (see Figure 4.2.1-2).

d) Control Variables
On the Computation Steering/Control Variables page the following parameters appear when
selecting an unsteady time configuration non-turbomachine:
• Physical Time Step: in general cases the user specifies the magnitude of the physical time step
in seconds. This time step is constant through the whole calculation. In cases of turbomachin-
ery applications where Rotor/Stator interfaces are detected or Rotating Boundary Condition
activated, the Number Of Angular Positions is requested instead of the time step as
described in section 4-2.3.4.
• Number Of Physical Time Steps: to define the number of time steps to perform. In cases of
turbomachinery applications where Rotor/Stator interfaces are detected or Rotating Bound-
ary Condition activated, the Number of Periods can also be specified.
• Save Solution Every: allows to save the solution after a constant number of time steps. By
default the output files will be overwritten, every time the solution is saved. In order to keep
the successive unsteady solutions, the multiple output (Multiple Files) option has to be acti-
vated.
• Include Time Averaged Solution in Output: When activated the time averaged solution will
be saved in a "_tav.cfv" file. This option is only available when Rotor/Stator interfaces are
detected or the Rotating Boundary Condition is activated.

The time averaged solution is not available when the phase lagged approach is used.

• Outputs For Visualization:


— At end only and Intermediate Restart Files: One File: During the computation, one set of
output files is saved1 for a possible restart of the unsteady computation. Output files for vis-
ualization in CFView™ are only available at the end of the computation. No second order
restart possible.
— At end only and Intermediate Restart Files: Multiple Files: During the computation, mul-
tiple sets of output files are saved1 for restart of the unsteady computation. Output files for
visualization in CFView™ are only saved at the end of the computation. This option allows
a second order restart (see paragraph e).

1. The solution is saved every x time steps as specified in Save Solution Every ... time steps

4-4 FINE™
Time Configuration Flow Model

— Intermediate and One Output File: One set of output files is saved1 for restart of the
unsteady computation and visualization in CFView™ during the computation. No second
order restart possible.
— Intermediate and Multiple Files: Multiple sets of output files are saved1 for restart of the
unsteady computation. and visualization in CFView™ during the computation. This option
allows a second order restart (see paragraph e). This combination has to be chosen to be able
to make an animation of the saved time steps in CFView™.
• Number Of Steady Iterations: the number of iterations to initialize the unsteady computa-
tion. Such initialisation is performed with the steady state algorithm, using fixed geometry and
mesh as well as constant inlet/outlet boundary conditions. In case this initialisation procedure
is used the steady state iterations can even be preceeded by a full multigrid process allowing a
rapid initialisation of the flow (see section 9-4.3).
• Save Steady Solution Every: the number of iterations at which the solution of steady initiali-
sation is saved

By default only one output file is created. For the generation of multiple output files,
the Multiple Files option has to be selected.

e) Second Order Accurate in Time


EURANUS performs second order accurate simulations in time. In order to allow a second order
restart it is necessary to select Multiple Files in the Computation Steering/Control Variables
page. When Multiple Files option is selected, in unsteady calculations the ".cfv" and ".cgns" are
saved at the requested time steps and only a part of the ".cgns" file is saved for the previous time
step. When requesting a restart of an unsteady computation EURANUS will automatically find this
second solution file to use. If this file is not found, a first order scheme is used for the first time step.

Note that only a limited output is saved when selecting Multiple Files with Output
For Visualization/At end only. If a solution is requested every x time steps, only solu-
tion files with extension ".cgns" are written every x time steps instead of a full set of
solution files. This limited output still allows to restart from this solution (see section 16-
2). The full set of solution files will be written at the end of the computation.

4-2.2 Expert Parameters for Unsteady Computations


4-2.2.1 Numerical Model in Expert User Mode
On the Numerical Model page, two new parameters appear in the user expert mode when selecting
the Dual time stepping technique. They are the control variables for the inner iterations. For each
physical time step a certain amount of iterations is performed in pseudo time leading to a converged
solution independent of the pseudo time (see section 4-2.4 for detailed information).
• Convergence criteria of the inner iterations (orders of magnitude of reduction). The inner
iterations are stopped if the reduction of the residuals reaches the specified value.
• Maximum number of inner iterations: it allows to define the maximum number of iterations
to perform for each time step. In general the default of 100 iterations per time step is sufficient.
The inner iteration process is automatically stopped after this maximum number of iterations if
the convergence criteria has not been satisfied before.

1. The solution is saved every x time steps as specified in Save Solution Every ... time steps

FINE™ 4-5
Flow Model Time Configuration

4-2.2.2 List of Non-interfaced Expert Parameters


The following expert parameter related to unsteady computations are accessible on the Control
Variables page by selecting the Expert Mode. Please consult section 4-2.4 for more theoretical
detail on this parameter.
ICYOUT can be equal to 0 or 1 (default):
• ICYOUT=0: name of output changes with suffix _t#iter,
• ICYOUT=1(default): each solution is overwritten every cycle (every NOFROT time steps).
IFNMB can be equal to 0 (default) or 1:
• IFNMB=0 (default): to keep all PERNM boundaries,
• IFNMB=1: to transform all PERNM boundaries into periodic full non matching ones.
NPERBC can be equal to 1 (default) or integer value:
• NPERBC=1 (default): when the inlet/outlet unsteady boundary condition is a rotating circum-
ferential profile (activating Rotating Boundary Condition and specifying the rotational
speed in Rotational Speed Unsteady respectively under the INLET and OUTLET thumb-
nails) and the boundary condition is entered in the FINE™ interface for the full range [0,2π].
• NPERBC= N: when the inlet/outlet unsteady boundary condition is a rotating circumferential
profile (activating Rotating Boundary Condition and specifying the rotational speed in
Rotational Speed Unsteady respectively under the INLET and OUTLET thumbnails) and
the boundary condition is entered in the FINE™ interface for part of the range [0,2π/N] cover-
ing one or multiple periods of the signal.
RELPHL =0.5 0.5 (default) if necessary, under-relaxation factor can be applied on Periodic and R/
S boundary conditions by reducing the two values of the expert parameter for respectively the peri-
odic and the R/S boundary conditions.
NPLOUT =0 (by default) enables to visualize multiple non periodic passage output in CFView™
by loading the corresponding ".cfv" file.

4-2.3 Best Practice on Time Accurate Computations


To perform time accurate computations, general advice is provided in this section. For advice on
how to perform a time accurate turbomachinery calculation including rotor/stator interactions see
section 5-4.3.

4-2.3.1 General Project Set-up for Time Accurate Computations


1. Create a new project,
2. Select the fluid to use in the Fluid Model page,
3. Select Unsteady time configuration in the Flow Model page and set all the other parameters on
this page in the same way as for a steady computations as detailed in section 4-4 and section 4-
6.
4. On the Rotating Machinery page set all the parameters (Phase Lagged option) in the same
way as for a steady computation as described in Chapter 5.
5. Set the steady or unsteady boundary conditions. For more detail on time dependent boundary
conditions and phase lagged approach see section 4-2.3.2.
6. Concerning the initial solution for unsteady computations there are three possibilities:
— to start from a steady solution,
— to start from an unsteady solution,

4-6 FINE™
Time Configuration Flow Model

— to use constant values, initial solution for turbomachinery or throughflow as an initial guess
with or without steady state initialisation.
For more detail on these initialisation procedures see section 4-2.3.3.
7. All outputs available in steady mode are also available in unsteady mode (see Chapter 11).
8. On the Control Variables page set:
— the physical time step or number of angular position (see section 4-2.3.4) and the number of
time steps or periods,
— the amount of output files (see section 4-2.3.5),
— amount of iterations in steady state initialisation (see section 4-2.3.3).

4-2.3.2 Time Dependent Boundary Conditions


Unsteadiness can be generated by means of time varying inlet/outlet boundary conditions. Two dif-
ferent situations can be encountered:
1. The time variation is imposed as an amplitude factor of the space variation,
2. The time variation is imposed by rotating the inlet and/or outlet boundary condition. The abso-
lute rotation speed of the boundary condition(s) is imposed in the Boundary Conditions page.
Depending on the periodicity of the boundary condition the phase lagged approach needs to be
used:
1. The circumferential distribution of the imposed inlet/outlet conditions has the same period as
the blade row. The calculation of such time-dependent flow does not require to activate the
Phase Lagged approach.
2. The period of the time varying inlet/outlet boundary condition is different from the blade pass-
ing period. The calculation of such time-dependent flow requires to activate the Phase Lagged
approach at the top of the Rotating Machinery page.

A circumferential profile must be entered in the FINE™ interface for the full range
[0,2π] and NPERBC = 1 or for part of the range [0,2π/N] covering one or multiple peri-
ods of the signal and NPERBC = N. The profile should be based on θ, z-θ or r-θ. The
profile is rotating at the speed, specified in the Boundary Conditions page (Rotational
Speed Unsteady).

It is important that the inlet/outlet unsteady boundary condition circumferential profile


is imposed on a range covering the initial blade passage location and the blade passage
location after one period of the signal (see Figure 4.2.1-2).

A profile as a function of r-θ must be structured. The profiles must be given at stations
of constant θ for increasing r. Also θ must be increasing going from one station to the
next in the file.

4-2.3.3 Initialisation Procedure

a) Start From Steady Solution


In most cases, it is first required to perform a preliminary steady state computation. The objective
might be to ensure that the problem naturally depicts the unsteady behaviour and/or to get an ade-
quate guess solution before going towards time accurate calculations depicting periodic behaviours.
The steady state initialisation may be done in a separate computation, performed in steady mode
using the time-marching approach based on a local time stepping, which is proposed by default.
The time accurate calculation is then started using this solution as an initial solution. To set up the

FINE™ 4-7
Flow Model Time Configuration

time accurate calculation in this case follow the steps 1 to 8 as detailed in section 4-2.3.1. In step 6
select in the Initial Solution page from file and select the solution of the steady computation. In
step 8 (section 4-2.3.1) it is also possible to select additional steady state initialisation in the Con-
trol Variables page (see paragraph c).

b) Start From Time Accurate Solution


It is possible to start from a previously performed time accurate solution. For general information
about starting from an initial solution see section 10-4.
In order to allow to do a second order accurate restart it is necessary that Multiple Files option is
selected in the Control Variables page in the Output Files parameters. When the option is acti-
vated in unsteady calculations the ".cfv" and ".cgns" files are saved at the requested time steps and
only a part of the ".cgns" file is saved for the previous time step. When requesting a restart of an
unsteady computation EURANUS will automatically find this second solution file to use. If this file
is not found, a first order scheme is used for the first time step.

c) Steady State Initialisation in Unsteady Computation


The steady state initialisation is automatically performed before starting the time accurate computa-
tion (that means within the same computation). To perform a steady state initialisation in an
unsteady computation, the number of iterations has to be entered in Steady Initialisation parame-
ters on the Control Variables page.

4-2.3.4 Physical Time Step


The physical time step should be entered on the Control Variables page. The time step to choose
depends on the expected frequency of the flow phenomena to capture. In general it is recommended
to compute at least 10 to 20 time steps per period.
When working with turbomachines, using a Number Of Angular Positions of 10 points per blade
passage is giving a coarse but reasonable result. To have a more accurate (but more CPU consum-
ing) result choose 20 to 30 points per passage (see Chapter 5 for more details).
Under the Phase Lagged option, the Number Of Angular Positions is the amount of stations per
2π and therefore it should be 10 to 20 times the number of blades (see Chapter 5 for more details).

Example 1: single blade row calculation involving phase-lagged boundary conditions


When working with a N1 blades turbomachine and a periodic signal at inlet presenting a periodicity
of N2 and plotted on [0,2π/N2] range.
• Number Of Angular Positions = i x N1 where i is an integer imposed so that (i x N1) is
around 30.
• Number Of Time Steps = j x (Number Of Angular Positions) where j is the number of full
revolutions. Usually j is set to 20.
• NPERBC = period of the signal (N2)
(Number Of Angular Positions)x(NPERBC) corresponds to the number of time steps per full rev-
olution (2π)

Example 2: complete row calculation involving sliding boundary conditions


When working with a N1 blades turbomachine and a periodic signal at inlet presenting a period of
N2 and plotted on [0,2π] range.

4-8 FINE™
Time Configuration Flow Model

• Number Of Angular Positions = i x N1 x N2 where i is an integer so that (i x N1) and (i x N2) are
around 30.
• Number Of Time Steps = j x (Number Of Angular Positions) where j is the number of full revolu-
tions. Usually j is set to 20.
• NPERBC = 1
(Number Of Angular Positions)x(NPERBC) corresponds to the number of time steps per full revolution
(2π)

4-2.3.5 Amount of Output


By default only one set of output files is created, which is periodically overwritten. Activate Multiple Files in
the Control Variables page to create a set of output files for each time step that an output will occur (this
depends on the Save solution Every entry available in the Control Variables page).

".cgns" files will be generated. The files are automatically renamed accordingly to the time step
computed using the suffix "_t#." that is thus determining the #th physical time step. The corre-
sponding ".cfv" files can be read in CFView™ only if in addition of the Multiple Files the Inter-
mediate option has been selected in the Output For Visualization option. Note that the ".run" and
".cgns" files (without "_t#." suffix) are linked to the initial state of calculation.

4-2.4 Theoretical Aspects for Unsteady Computations


Unsteady flow phenomena may arise intrinsically as for example in separated flows, wake flows or may be
caused by an external time dependent driving force as for example an oscillating structure. In any case an effi-
cient time-accurate solver has to be employed to obtain time dependent solutions within a reasonable compu-
tational time.
At present, the most effective approach is called the dual time stepping approach proposed by Jameson,
(1991): it consists in adding to the time dependent Navier-Stokes equations pseudo-time derivative terms. At
each physical time step, a steady state problem is solved in a pseudo time and all available acceleration tech-
niques such as multigrid, local time stepping and implicit residual smoothing can be applied. This approach
has been used for compressible flow simulations by several authors, Arnone, (1995), Melson et al., (1993),
Pierce et al., (1997), Eliasson et al., (1995) and has proved to be an important improvement over the classical
global time stepping approach.

4-2.4.1 Standard Time Accurate Solver (Non-preconditioned Formulation)


For unsteady flow simulations the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations are expressed as:

∂ ∂U
----
∂t ∫ ∫ ∫ U dV + ∫ ∫ ∫ ------
∂τ ∫∫
- dV + F ⋅ dS =
∫ ∫ ∫ ST dV , (4-1)
V V S V
where t is the physical time and τ is pseudo time, U is the solution vector of the conservative variables, V is
the volume, F are the conservative fluxes and ST are the source terms. The time discretization of the deriva-
tive of the conservative variables with respect to the physical time t is made to meet the desired accuracy in
time. Two formulations are available:
First order upwind in time:

⎛∂ ⎞n+1 n+1 n+1 n n

∫∫∫
U V –U V
⎜ ---- U dV⎟ = --------------------------------------------- . (4-2)
⎝ ∂t ⎠ ∆t
V

FINE™ 4-9
Flow Model Time Configuration

This first order scheme is used only for the first time step of the unsteady computation except for a
restart when the two previous solutions are available (see section 4-2.1, paragraph e).
Second order upwind in time:

⎛∂ ⎞n+1 n+1 n+1 n n n–1 n–1

∫∫∫
1.5U V – 2U V + 0.5U V
⎜ ---- U dV⎟ = ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ . (4-3)
⎝ ∂t ⎠ ∆t
V
All other terms in Eq. 4-1 are computed at time n+1. The equation is then treated as a modified
steady state problem in the pseudo time τ:

∂U
------- V n + 1 + R TA ( U ) = 0 . (4-4)
∂τ
Denoting by R the residual corresponding to the steady state problem, the new residual used for
time accurate computations RTA is given by:

n+1 n n n–1 n–1


β 1 UV + β 0 U V + β –1 U V
R TA ( U ) = R ( U ) + ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- . (4-5)
∆t
For the second order upwind scheme we have β1=1.5, β0=-2, β-1=0.5 while for the first order
scheme we have β1=1, β0=-1, β-1=0. The new residual contains terms that depend only on the solu-
tion of previous time steps, all other terms depend on the current solution vector U.
When steady state is reached at each physical time step, the left hand side of Eq. 4-5 tends to zero
and the time accurate solution is obtained.

a) The Time Stepping


When integrating equation Eq. 4-4 in the pseudo time τ, it is recommended, Arnone et al. (1995),
n+1 n+1
Pierce and Alonso (1997), to treat the term ( β 1 U V ) ⁄ ( ∆t ) implicitly. This is obtained by
developing the solution vector U in a Taylor expansion:

l+1 l ∂U
U = U + ------- ∆τ . (4-6)
∂τ
Putting Eq. 4-6 into Eq. 4-5, a modified pseudo time step is introduced:

∆τ
∆τ mod = ---------------------- . (4-7)
∆τ
1 + β 1 ------
∆t
The pseudo time step is modified by an additional term containing the physical time step. This term
becomes dominant if the physical time step is significantly smaller than the pseudo time step. This
situation does not often happen since the physical time step is taken as large as possible. However,
in the far field where mesh dimensions are increased the pseudo time step might reach high values
and the contribution of the physical time step will have a stabilizing effect there.
The physical time step ∆t is limited by the level of desired accuracy. For periodic flows the time
step is usually taken a fraction lying between 1/20-1/40 of the expected period.

b) Initial Solution at Each Physical Time Step


The simplest way to obtain an initial solution on the next time level is to choose the latest available
solution:

4-10 FINE™
Time Configuration Flow Model

n+1 n+1 n n
U initial V = U V (4-8)

Vn+1 being the cell volume evaluated at the next time step. The volume evaluation at each physical
time step is only performed for moving meshes.
In Jameson (1991) it is suggested to take as initial solution an extrapolated solution from the previ-
ous time steps. This is obtained by a Taylor expansion:

n
n+1 n ∂(U ⋅ V) 2
(U ⋅ V) = ( U ⋅ V ) + ----------------------- ∆t + O ( ∆t ) (4-9)
∂t
This expression leads to the following initial solution:

n+1 n+1 n n n–1 n–2


U initial V = ( U ⋅ V ) + β1 ( U ⋅ V ) + β0 ( U ⋅ V ) + β –1 ( U ⋅ V ) . (4-10)

In practice however, using this expression does not show any convergence enhancement for the
next time step compared to the convergence obtained with Eq. 4-8. Eq. 4-8 is therefore imple-
mented.
In the particular case of turbomachinery applications a discretization in time of the blade passing
period is performed by the unsteady algorithm, and once one full period has been accomplished by
the algorithm, the solution may be initialised using the solution obtained at the same position at the
previous rotation. This requires the storage of all the intermediate solutions and the experience has
shown that it did not bring significant convergence improvements. The approach has however been
implemented in EURANUS, and can be activated by setting the expert parameter PREROT to 1.

4-2.4.2 Density Based Time Accurate Solver and Preconditioning


Application of the dual time stepping approach along with low speed preconditioning to variable
and constant density flows is presented in Hakimi, (1997). For unsteady flow simulations the pre-
conditioned Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations are expressed as:

∂ – 1 ∂Q
----
∂t ∫ ∫ ∫ U dV + ∫ ∫ ∫ Γ ------- dV +
∂τ ∫ ∫ F ⋅ dS = ∫ ∫ ∫ ST dV , (4-11)
V V S V
where t is the physical time and τ is pseudo time, U is the solution vector of the conservative varia-
bles, Q is the solution vector of chosen dependent variables, Γ is the preconditioning matrix, V is
the volume, F are the conservative fluxes and ST are the source terms. For all fluids we have:

Q = ( p g, u, v, w, E g, ρ k, ρε, Y i ) . (4-12)

The time discretization of the derivative of the conservative variables with respect to the physical
time t is made to meet the desired accuracy in time. The equation is then treated as a modified
steady state problem in the pseudo time τ:

∂Q- n + 1
------ V + R TA ( Q ) = 0 , (4-13)
∂τ
with

n+1 n n n–1 n–1


Γ ( β 1 U ( Q )V + β 0 U V + β –1 U V )
R TA ( Q ) = R ( Q ) + ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- . (4-14)
∆t
The residual RTA in Eq. 4-14 being the preconditioned residual. The new residual contains terms
that depend only on the solution of previous time steps, all other terms depend on the current solu-

FINE™ 4-11
Flow Model Time Configuration

tion vector Q. When steady state is reached at each physical time step, the left hand side tends to
zero and the time accurate solution is obtained

a) The Time Stepping

When integrating Eq. 4-14 in the pseudo time τ, we treat the term ( Γβ 1 UV
n+1
) ⁄ ( ∆t ) implicitly.
This is obtained by developing the solution vector U in a Taylor expansion:

l+1 l ∂U ∂Q
U = U + ------- ------- ∆τ (4-15)
∂Q ∂τ
Putting this relation into equations Eq. 4-13 we obtain the following updating procedure:

∆Q
-------- V n + 1 = – ⎛ I + Γβ 1 ∂U
------- ∆τ
–1
------⎞ R ( U ) (4-16)
∆τ ⎝ ∂Q ∆t ⎠ TA

where I is the identity matrix. The updating procedure has been modified and includes now the time
steps ratios, leading to a stabilizing effect.

b) Initial Solution at Each Physical Time Step


The initial solution on the next time level is the latest available solution:

n+1 n+1 n n
U initial V = U V
(4-17)
n+1 n+1
Q initial = Q ( U initial )

Since the dependent variables are Q, these variables have to be computed at the beginning of each
physical time step from the conservative variables U.

4-2.4.3 Unsteady Inlet and Outlet Boundary Conditions


For a steady state flow problem, to any quantity imposed at the inlet or outlet section, a space distri-
bution on the surface is corresponding. This space distribution can be uniform, one dimensional
(x,y,z,r,θ,z) or two dimensional (xy,xz,yz,rθ,rz,θz). These distributions are written in a file and the
code performs a linear interpolation to obtain the desired quantity on the cell face centre of the sec-
tion.
For an unsteady flow problem, the inlet and outlet imposed quantities may vary in time. Two possi-
bilities are available within EURANUS:
1) user specified time function
For a fixed reference system with time dependent boundary conditions, the boundary condition for
a quantity q is given by:
q(t)=qo f(t),
where qo is a space distribution (uniform, 1D or 2D) and f(t) is a scaling function read from a file:
(tn, f(tn)).
2) rotation of the reference system
In turbomachinery the relative motion between stator and rotor blades induces an unsteadiness, due
to the fact that for instance in a turbine stage the flow conditions that a rotor sees at the inlet are
time dependent, whereas these conditions would be fixed for a fixed reference system.

4-12 FINE™
Time Configuration Flow Model

If one of the imposed variables along the inlet or the outlet is not uniformly distributed in the tan-
gential direction in the fixed space, the inlet/outlet section sees a boundary condition that changes
in time. In this case, the space distribution of the imposed quantity being defined by qo (1D or 2D),
each cell face centre coordinate is rotated by an angle ∆θ = Ω relative • ∆t at each time step, before
performing a new space interpolation.
The activation of this procedure along the inlet and/or the outlet is obtained by activating Rotating
Boundary Condition in the Boundary Conditions page and specifying the rotational speed in
Rotational Speed Unsteady respectively under the INLET and OUTLET thumbnails.

The use of a Rotating Boundary Condition imposes a limitation for the specified
profiles at the inlet and outlet. Only θ profiles (f(θ), f(r-θ) or f(θ-z)) are allowed and the
2D space profile f(r-θ) must be structured (profile f(r) with the same number of points for
different θ)

4-2.4.4 Unsteady Turbomachinery Calculations


The relative motion between successive blade rows together with boundary layers, wakes, shocks
and tip leakage jets are the major sources of unsteadiness that may affect a turbomachinery flow
locally or as it travels through the next rows. All these interactions are strongly coupled, increasing
in magnitude as the gap between successive blade rows is decreased, and affecting consequently the
performance of the machine.
Three types of unsteady simulations are available within EURANUS:
• single blade row calculation, periodic boundary conditions: the unsteadiness is created by a
time varying inlet or outlet conditions. The circumferential distribution of the imposed inlet/
outlet conditions has the same periodicity as the blade row, which permits to avoid the intro-
duction of any time periodicity in the periodic boundary conditions. The activation of this
unsteady mode requires to activate Rotating Boundary Condition in the Boundary Condi-
tions page and specifying the rotational speed in Rotational Speed Unsteady respectively
under the INLET and OUTLET thumbnails.
• single blade row calculation, phase-lagged periodic boundary conditions: contrary to the previ-
ous case, the period of the varying inlet or outlet boundary conditions is different from the
blade passing period, and phase-lagged periodic boundary conditions have to be used. To acti-
vate this mode, on the Rotating Machinery page, the Phase Lagged capability has to be acti-
vated on the top of the page.
• multi-stage calculations with unsteady rotor/stator interactions: the domain scaling or phase
lagged approach are used within EURANUS. The theoretical background and implementation
of this approach are presented in the Chapter 5.

4-2.4.5 Phase Lagged Periodicity Boundary Conditions


If the inlet and/or outlet boundary conditions present a pitchwise variation with a period different
from the blade passing period, a time periodicity has to be introduced along the periodic boundary
conditions upstream and downstream of the blade passage, leading to the so-called "phase-lagged"
boundary conditions (Fatsis, Pierret and Van den Braembussche, 1995).

FINE™ 4-13
Flow Model Time Configuration


D

C
n∆t

G
F
Y H
E
B A

Z X

FIGURE 4.2.4-3Illustration of a typical pump with periodicity conditions

NumberOfAngularPositions NOFROT
n = --------------------------------------------------------------------------- = ---------------------------
NumberOfBlades NBLADES

Let us consider that the computational domain is the one defined by ABCDHGFE as shown in
Figure 4.2.4-3, where the solid blade walls correspond to the segments BC and FG. Under the con-
text of phase-lagged boundary conditions, the scalar variables (density, pressure, turbulent viscos-
ity,...)on AB, EF and CD, GH are not equal and the velocity vectors are not related by a simple
rotation operator, since the flow is not periodic.

Boundary conditions for segments EF and GH:


Since, in the absolute frame of reference, the actual positions of segments EF and GH correspond
respectively to the positions of segments AB and CD n time steps earlier, the variables at time t on
segments EF, GH are obtained from those on segments AB, CD at time t- n ∆t:

U GH ( t ) = U CD ( t – ( n ⋅ ∆t ) ) , (4-18)

Therefore, the flow variables of segments AB and CD need to be stored for the n preceding time
steps.

Boundary conditions for segments AB and CD:


In the absolute frame of reference, the actual positions of segments AB and CD correspond respec-
tively to the positions of segments EF and GH, (NOFROT-n) time steps earlier. The variables at
time t on segments AB, CD are obtained from those on segments EF, GH using:

4-14 FINE™
Time Configuration Flow Model

U CD ( t ) = U GH ( t – ( NOFROT – n )∆t ) .. (4-19)

Therefore, the flow variables of segments EF and GH need to be stored for the (NOFROT-n) pre-
ceding time steps.
Since at the beginning of the computation no solution is available at the previous time steps, stand-
ard periodic boundary conditions are applied at the first iteration and then frozen during n time
steps for segments EF, GH and (NOFROT-n) time steps for segments AB and CD. Although this
procedure is the simplest, it might contribute to slow down the convergence to a periodic state.

The current implementation of the phase-lagged boundary conditions only allows


matching and full non matching periodic boundary conditions. This option can be used
with non matching periodic boundary conditions (PERNMB) if they are automatically
transformed into full non matching boundary by setting the expert parameter IFNMB to
1.

4-2.4.6 Choice of the Physical Time Step


For a general case the user specifies the amplitude of the physical time step. This time step is con-
stant through the whole calculation.
In the case of turbomachinery applications the user defines the time step in another manner, by
imposing the Number Of Angular Positions that the unsteady algorithm should solve within one
period. The time to accomplish one full rotation being equal to 2π /Ω (Ω the rotation speed of the
domain as defined in the Rotating Machinery page), the time step is computed using the relations:


∆t = --------------------------------------------------------------- , (4-20)
Ω ⋅ Nperiods ⋅ NOFROT
where Nperiods is the number of blades, or in case of phase lagged option:

2π 1
∆t = ------ ------------------------- . (4-21)
Ω NOFROT

4-2.4.7 References
Arnone, A., Liou, M. and Povinelli, L., 1995, " Integration of Navier-Stokes Equations using dual
time stepping and multigrid method:, AIAA-Journal, Vol. 33, No. 6, 1995, pp. 985-990.
Eliasson, P., and Nordstrom, J., 1995, " The development of an unsteady solver for moving meshes
", FFA/TN 1995-39.
Fatsis, A., Pierret, S., Van den Braembussche, R., 1995, " 3D unsteady flow and forces in centrifu-
gal impellers with circumferential distortion of the outlet static pressure ", ASME, 95-GT-33.
Hakimi N. (1997) ’Preconditioning methods for time dependent Navier-Stokes equations’, PhD
Thesis, Dept of Fluid Mechanics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Hirsch Ch. (1990) 'Numerical Computation of Internal and External Flows. Volume 2', John Wiley
& Sons.
Jameson, A., 1991, "Time dependent calculations using multigrid, with applications to unsteady
flows past airfoils and wings", AIAA-Paper 91-1596.
Melson, N.D., Sanetrik, M.D., Atkins, H.L., 1993, "Time accurate Navier-Stokes calculations with
multigrid acceleration", AIAA paper, pp. 1041-1042.
Pierce, N.A., Alonso, J.J., 1997,"A preconditioned implicit multigrid algorithm for parallel compu-
tation of unsteady aeroelastic compressible flows:, AIAA-Paper 97-0444.

FINE™ 4-15
Flow Model Harmonic Method

4-3 Harmonic Method


An attractive feature of FINE™ is the computation of unsteady flows using the so-called non-linear
harmonic method. This approach, introduced by He and Ning (1998), can be considered as a hybrid
method that conjugates the advantages of classical steady state and full unsteady calculations: it pro-
vides an approximate unsteady solution at affordable calculation costs.
The main idea is that the flow perturbations that make the flow unsteady are written about a time-aver-
aged value of the flow and are Fourier decomposed in time. Casting the unsteady Navier-Stokes sys-
tem into the frequency domain, transport equations are obtained for each time frequency. The user
controls the accuracy of the unsteady solution through the order of the Fourier series. Alongside the
solving of the time-averaged flow steady-state equations, each frequency requires the solving of two
additional sets of conservation equations (for the real and imaginary parts of each harmonic). The
method is made non-linear by the injection of the so-called deterministic stresses, resulting from all
the solved frequencies, into the time-averaged flow solver. Because of the transposition to the fre-
quency domain, only one blade channel is required like a steady flow simulation.
The presented method also features a improved treatment that enhances the flow continuity across the
rotor/stator interface by a reconstruction of the harmonics and the time-averaged flow on both sides of
the interface. A non-reflective treatment is applied as well at each interface.
The following section presents how to set the parameters, related to the harmonic method, in the
FINE™ GUI.

The non-linear harmonic method can only be used for turbomachinery applications.

4-3.1 Interface & Best Practice for Harmonic Computations


When activating Harmonic in the Flow Model page, two boxes appear:
• Number of frequencies per perturbation (number of harmonics: NBHAR): it represents the
number of time harmonics per periodic perturbation modelled in a row. Default value: 3. The
maximum is set to 5.
• Max. number of BPF per bladerow: the highest number of blade passing frequencies that a bla-
derow is subjected to (NPERT). Typically, this number is 2 for a igv/rotor/stator/…/rotor/ogv
configuration. Default value: 2. For the particular stator/rotor/stator configuration, where the sta-
tors have the same number of blades, this parameter is equal to 1.

FIGURE 4.3.1-4Harmonic parameters

When Harmonic is checked, the turbulence model is by default set to Spalart-Allmaras. The other
turbulence model that can be selected is Baldwin-Lomax. Euler flow and Laminar flow can also be
selected.

4-16 FINE™
Harmonic Method Flow Model

Only compressible perfect and real gases can be modelled using this method.

The flow perpendicular to the rotor/stator interface has to be subsonic, since a 1D non-
reflecting approach is used for the rotor/stator interfaces (see section 5-3).

The number of harmonics per perturbation in a row is restricted to be the same all over
the multistage machine.

The relative velocity is solved.

The other harmonic method parameters in FINE™ GUI can be found at the following menus:

a) Initial Solution
It is strongly recommended to set the initial solution as the result of a previous steady flow simula-
tion. This improves the rate of convergence to the values of the amplitudes of the disturbance fre-
quencies.

b) Outputs
A Harmonics thumbnail is accessible allowing specific outputs from the harmonic method and the
reconstruction in time.

Harmonics
Variables

Reconstruction
in
Time

Deterministic
Stresses

FIGURE 4.3.1-5Harmonic outputs

In the Harmonics page of the Outputs/Computed Variables page, a first group is visible and cor-
responds to the harmonic variables: Pressure, Density, Vx, Vy, Vz and Entropy.
If a box is checked, the Real & Imaginary parts and/or the norm (Amplitude), of the complex
amplitude of the harmonics of the variable, can be stored in the output ".cgns" file. The number of
harmonics is the maximum, over the whole flow field, of the total number of harmonics per group
(bladerow), which is equal to (NPERT)x(NBHAR), both set in the Flow Model page.

FINE™ 4-17
Flow Model Harmonic Method

Example 1: if the Pressure box is checked, there will be 6 harmonics of pressure fluctuation per
row in the output solution file for NBHAR=3 and NPERT=2. This means 6 (for real) + 6 (for imag-
inary) + 6 (for norm) = 18 additional flow variables in the ".cgns" file, if the real and imaginary
parts are selected as well as the norm.

Example 2: For a igv/rotor/ogv configuration, NPERT is set to 2 and NBHAR is set to 4 by the user.
There are thus 8 (2x4) harmonics H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6, H7, H8 in the output.
• In igv row: only one perturbation is generated, induced by the downstream rotor. The perturba-
tion is modelled by its first NBHAR=4 harmonics: H1-H2-H3-H4. No second perturbation
exists, so H5, H6, H7, H8 are set to zero.
• In rotor row: two perturbations are generated. If the first perturbation is the one originating
from the row upstream then:
H1-H2-H3-H4: first 4 harmonics of the periodic disturbance induced by the igv,
H5-H6-H7-H8: first 4 harmonics of the periodic disturbance induced by the ogv.
• In ogv row: one perturbation is modelled, the first 4 orders being solved. H1-H2-H3-H4: first 4
harmonics of the periodic disturbance induced by the rotor. H5-H6-H7-H8: zero.
In this case, selecting only the amplitude of the Pressure fluctuation for the output gives 8 addi-
tional flow variables in the ".cgns" file.

A second group proposes the selection of the deterministic stresses.

( ρV x' )V x', ( ρV x' )V y', ( ρV x' )V z' (4-22)

( ρV y' )V x', ( ρV y' )V y', ( ρV y' )V z' (4-23)

( ρV z' )V x', ( ρV z' )V y', ( ρV z' )V z' (4-24)

( ρV x' )H', ( ρV y' )H', ( ρV z' )H' (4-25)

If a stress is selected, each of its contribution per harmonic will be stored in the output ".cgns" file,
that is 8 different values in example 2 presented above.

c) Reconstruction in Time
The program Harmo2Time for reconstructing a harmonic solution in time, is available in the Mod-
ules menu. It can be also activated from the command line: harmo2time /full path/
computation_name.run
In the Harmonics tab of the Outputs/Computed Variables page, an extra control is available for
the reconstruction in time, see Figure 4.3.1-5. The following parameters are only used for the
Harmo2Time module and can thus be modified after the harmonic computation has finished:
• Number of harmonics per perturbation used: The number of harmonics per perturbation
that the user wants to keep for the reconstruction. By default, this parameter is set to the value
of the Number of frequencies per perturbation that was chosen by the user in the Flow
Model page. The number of harmonics per perturbation, used for the reconstruction in time,
can be lower or equal to the value set in the Flow Model page.

4-18 FINE™
Harmonic Method Flow Model

• Extract the solution in time at nodes: Offers the possibility to select different grid nodes in
the mesh blocks at which the flow time evolution will be calculated. The program of recon-
struction will generate one data file per grid node (_unst_P#.dat) that will include the evolu-
tion in time of the flow variables (density, pressure, velocity and also the eddy viscosity for a
turbulent flow).
Harmo2Time generates a run file named "_unst.run" presenting the same format as for the result of
an unsteady flow simulation.
By default, 10 unsteady "_unst_t#.cgns" files are generated whose time span extends over the max-
imum blade passing period over the multistage turbomachine. The "_unst_t#.cgns" files contain
only one blade channel per row. If a number of "_unst_t#.cgns" files different from 10 is wanted, as
well as more adjacent blade channels in a row, then the user can specify these quantities as expert
parameters. They are described in section 4-3.2.

4-3.2 Expert Parameters for Reconstruction in Time


The following expert parameter related to the reconstruction in time of a harmonic computation are
accessible on the Control Variables page by selecting the Expert Mode.
NDTREC:
Number of instantaneous solutions per maximum blade passing period. Default = 10.
NREPCH = array (NREPCHrow1, …, NREPCHrow50)
Number of repeated blade channels for each row. Default = (0, …, 0).

4-3.3 Theory
The unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations are considered, formulated in Cartesian
coordinates (x,y,z) in a rotating frame for the conservative flow variable U = ( ρ, ρv, ρE ) where
v = ( v x, v y, v z ) is the relative velocity.

The conservative variable is decomposed into a time-averaged value and a sum of periodic pertur-
bations, which in turn can be decomposed into N harmonics:

U ( r, t ) = U ( r ) +
∑ U' ( r', t ) (4-26)

∑ ( U˜
Iω k t ˜ ( r )e Iω–k t )
U' ( r, t ) = – k ( r )e +U –k (4-27)

k=1

The first harmonic being the fundamental associated with the blade passing frequency (BPF) of a
bladerow for instance. The harmonic amplitudes U˜ and U ˜ are complex conjugates.
k –k

A time-mean flow equation is obtained by time-averaging the unsteady equations. This is like Rey-
nolds averaging, except that the unsteady perturbations are periodic fluctuations, assumed to be pre-
ponderant over the turbulent fluctuations. The resulting time-mean flow equations are in a
conservative form and can be formulated following a finite-volume method as

∑ ∑
dU
Ω i ------- = – FcS + Fv S + Ωi Qi (4-28)
dt i
cellfaces cellfaces

FINE™ 4-19
Flow Model Harmonic Method

where i is the cell number and Ωi its volume. Fc and Fv are respectively the discretized convective and vis-
cous fluxes, and Q is the source term that includes the Coriolis and centrifugal terms.
The non-linearity makes the deterministic stress terms appear in the time-averaged equation in the same
way as Reynolds stress terms appear in the Reynolds averaged equations. They provide new contributions
Detc and Detv to the advective and viscous fluxes following:

( ρv ⋅ S )
( ρv ⋅ S )v x + pS x
F c S = ( ρv ⋅ S )v + pS + Det c (4-29)
y y

( ρv ⋅ S )v z + pS z
( ρv ⋅ S )H

0
0
Dx ⋅ S 0
Fv S = Dy ⋅ S + 0 (4-30)

Dz ⋅ S 0
Det v
(B ⋅ S) + q

Dx ⋅ v
where Dx = (τxx , τxy ,τxz), Dy = (τyx , τyy ,τyz), Dz = (τzx , τzy ,τzz) are the strain terms and B = D y ⋅ v .
Dz ⋅ v

0
v' x ( ( ρv )' ⋅ S ) D' x ⋅ v'
The deterministic stress contribution is of the form Det c = v' y ( ( ρv )' ⋅ S ) and Det v = D' y ⋅ v' ⋅ S .

v' z ( ( ρv )' ⋅ S ) D' z ⋅ v'

H' ( ( ρv )' ⋅ S )

To compute the stress terms and perform the model closure, a transport equation for the unsteady perturba-
tions is obtained by retaining the first-order terms in the basic unsteady flow equations. Considering the
first N harmonic components of the periodic fluctuation U’, a transport equation is obtained for each com-
plex amplitude U k of the fluctuation. By casting the 1st order linearized equation into the frequency
domain, this harmonic perturbation equation is made space dependent only like the time-averaged flow
equation. It can be made pseudotime dependent and, being in a conservative form, formulated following
the finite-volume method:

˜
∑ F S + ∑ F S + Ω Q˜
dU ˜ ˜
Ω i ------- = – c v i i (4-31)
dt i
faces faces

4-20 FINE™
Harmonic Method Flow Model

˜ ⋅ S)
( ρv
( ρv ⋅ S )v˜x + ( ρv
˜ ⋅ S )v + p̃ S
x x
F˜c S = ( ρv ⋅ S )v˜ + ( ρv˜ ⋅ S )v + p̃ S (4-32)
y y y

( ρv ⋅ S )v˜z + ( ρv
˜ ⋅ S )v + p̃ S
z z
˜
( ρv ⋅ S )H̃ + ( ρv ⋅ S )H

0
˜
Dx ⋅ S
F˜v S = D˜ ⋅ S
y (4-33)

D˜ z ⋅ S
( B˜ ⋅ S ) + q̃

D x ⋅ v˜ + D
˜ ⋅v
x
˜ ˜
where B = D y ⋅ v + D˜ ⋅v .
y

D z ⋅ v˜ + D
˜ ⋅v
z

Besides the linearized terms of the Coriolis and centrifugal forces, the harmonic source term
includes the complex term that was induced by the casting in the frequency domain:

Q˜ k = – Iω k U
˜ (4-34)

a) Viscous Stresses & Turbulence Model


In the time-averaged and harmonic flow equations, the laminar viscosity is computed from the
averaged flow variables only.
The turbulence is modelled by the eddy-viscosity one-equation Spalart-Allmaras model. The eddy
viscosity is assumed undisturbed by the unsteady fluctuations. Therefore, the total viscous terms are
in a linear form:

⎛ ∂v i ∂v j 2 ⎞
τ ij = ( µ + µ t ) ⎜ ------- + ------- – --- ( ∇ ⋅ v )δ ij⎟ (4-35)
⎝ ∂x j ∂x i 3 ⎠

⎛ ∂v˜ ∂v˜ 2 ⎞
τ˜ij = ( µ + µ t ) ⎜ -------i + -------j – --- ( ∇ ⋅ v˜ )δ ij⎟ (4-36)
⎝ ∂x j ∂x i 3 ⎠

q = – ( κ + κ t ) ∇T ⋅ S and q̃ = – ( κ + κ t ) ∇T̃ ⋅ S (4-37)

b) Closure of Model
The deterministic stress is directly computed from the harmonic values. The stress generated by
two fluctuations f’ and g’ reads

f'g' = 2 ( f˜R g˜R + f˜I g˜I ) (4-38)

FINE™ 4-21
Flow Model Mathematical Model

4-3.4 References
Adamczyk, J. J. (1985), ’Model Equations for Simulating Flows in Multistage-Turbomachinery’,
ASME Paper 85-GT-226.
Chen, T., Vasanthakumar, P., and He, L. (2001), ’Analysis of Unsteady Blade Row Interaction
Using Nonlinear Harmonic Approach’, AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 17, No.3.
Gerolymos, G. A., Michon, G. J., and Neubauer, J. (2002), ’Analysis and Application of Choro-
chronic Periodicity in Turbomachinery Rotor/Stator Interaction Computations’, AIAA Journal of
Propulsion and Power, Vol. 18, No. 6.
He, L. and Ning, W. (1998) ’Efficient Approach for Analysis of Unsteady Viscous Flows in Tur-
bomachines’, AIAA Journal, Vol. 36, No. 11.
Saxer, A. P. and Giles, M. B. (1993), ’Quasi-Three-Dimensional Nonreflecting Boundary Condi-
tions for Euler Equations Calculations’, AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 9, No. 2.
Vilmin S., Lorrain E., Hirsch C., Swoboda M. (2006) ’Unsteady Flow Modeling Across The Rotor/
Stator Interface Using The Nonlinear Harmonic Method’, ASME Turbo Expo 2006, Barcelona.

4-4 Mathematical Model


4-4.1 Euler
When selecting Euler on the Flow Model page an inviscid calculation will be performed. In such a
case all solid walls are considered as Euler walls and the (non-zero) velocity is tangential to the
wall.
Since the Reynolds number has no meaning for Euler calculations this number is not displayed
when Euler flow is selected.
See section 8-5.3 for more detailed information on the boundary conditions.

4-4.2 Laminar Navier-Stokes


When selecting Laminar Navier-Stokes equations the only effect is on the thermodynamic prop-
erty of the flow. The viscosity will be the laminar kinematic viscosity and thus does not contain any
turbulent component.

4-4.3 Turbulent Navier-Stokes


When selecting Turbulent Navier-Stokes equations, turbulence is taken into account depending on
the chosen turbulence model. In FINE™ several turbulence models are available:
• Algebraic model: Baldwin-Lomax
• 1-equation model: Spalart-Allmaras
• 2-equation models:
— Chien (low Reynolds number k-ε)
— Extended wall function k-ε
— Launder-Sharma (low Reynolds number k-ε)

4-22 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

— Yang-Shih (low Reynolds number k-ε)


— Non Linear k-ε (high Reynolds number)
— Non Linear k-ε (low Reynolds number)
— Wilcox k-ω
— Shear Stress Transport (SST) k-ω
• 4-equation model: v2-f code friendly (low Reynolds number)
In this section the parameters in the interface related to the turbulence models are described. In sec-
tion 4-4.6 more theoretical information is provided on those models.
For the Baldwin-Lomax model, algebraic formula are used to compute the turbulent data and con-
sequently no additional input is needed.

For the Spalart-Allmaras, v2-f, k-ε and k-ω models, additional equations are solved and conse-
quently suitable initial and boundary conditions must be defined in the interface.

a) Boundary Condition
Inlet
• Spalart-Allmaras: the value of the turbulent viscosity must be defined. It might be constant or
varying in space and time. The user can specify the time or spatial variation through the profile
manager.
• k-ε models: the values of the turbulent quantities (k and ε) must be defined. They might be
constant or varying in space and time. The user can specify the time or spatial variations
through the profile manager.
• v2-f model: the values of the turbulent quantities (k and ε) must be defined. They might be
constant or varying in space and time. The user can specify the time or spatial variations
through the profile manager. The value of v2 is deduced assuming an isotropic turbulence.
• k-ω models: the values of the turbulent quantities (k and ε) must be defined. They might be
constant or varying in space and time. The user can specify the time or spatial variations
through the profile manager. The value for ω is determined according to:

ε
ω = --------- , with β*=0.09 (4-39)
β∗ k

b) Initial Condition
• Spalart-Allmaras: a constant initial value of the turbulent viscosity is defined through the
expert parameter NUTFRE on the Control Variables page under the Expert Mode.
• k-ε models: the initial values of the turbulent quantities (k and ε) are specified by the user if a
constant or initial solution for turbomachinery is chosen.
• v2-f model: the initial values of the turbulent quantities (k and ε) are specified by the user if a
constant or initial solution for turbomachinery is chosen. The value of v2 is deduced assuming
an isotropic turbulence.
• k-ω models: the initial values of the turbulent quantities (k and ε) are specified by the user if a
constant or initial solution for turbomachinery is chosen. The value for ω is determined
according to Eq. 4-39.

FINE™ 4-23
Flow Model Mathematical Model

4-4.4 Expert Parameters for Turbulence Modelling


4-4.4.1 Interfaced Expert Parameters
In expert mode additional parameters related to turbulence modelling are available when using the
k-ε models with wall functions (extended wall function k-ε and high Reynolds non linear k-ε
model). For these turbulence models the wall type can be defined as smooth or rough:
• For a smooth solid wall (default) only the von Karman constant and Bo have to be specified (κ
and B, see section 4-4.6.3, paragraph d.1).
• When selecting a rough solid wall two additional parameters have to be specified: the equiva-
lent roughness height and the zero-displacement plane (k0 and d0, see section 4-4.6.3, para-
graph d.1).

4-4.4.2 Non-interfaced Expert Parameters


All non-interfaced expert parameters related to the turbulence models are accessible on the Control
Variables page by selecting the Expert Mode. Please consult section 4-4.6 for more theoretical
detail on those parameters.
Calculation of the wall distances
NREPET: repetition of the computed domain to find the closest wall (default value =1).
NSUBM: maximum number of subdomains a domain is split into (default value = 1000).
NTUPTC: number of patches whose sub-patches will be searched (default value = 100).
RTOL: maximum angle allowed between two normals of a patch (default value = 1.8).

When problems occur during the wall distance calculation (wall distance not equal to
0 on the wall), it is recommended to increase the value of NTUPTC (and to reduce RTOL
if the wall distance gradient is not smooth).
IDISTN: old algorithm for wall distance calculation when set to 0 (default value = 1).
Baldwin-Lomax
IATFRZ: multigrid parameter
= 0: apply the turbulence model on all grid levels,
= 1: freeze turbulence on coarser grids (default),
= 2: freeze turbulence on all grids (see ITFRZ and RESFRZ).
ITFRZ: freeze the turbulent viscosity field if the fine grid iteration exceeds ITFRZ (default value =
1000000).
RESFRZ: freeze the turbulent viscosity field if the fine grid residual is lower than RESFRZ
(default value = -12).
Spalart-Allmaras
MUCLIP: controls the maximum allowable value for the ratio MUT/MU in the flow field but not
on boundary conditions (default value = 5000).
NUTFRE: constant to initialize the turbulent viscosity field (default value = 0.0003).
k-ε models
CMU: constant for the k-ε model in Eq. 4-77 (default value = 0.09).

4-24 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

CE1: constant for the k-ε model in Eq. 4-75 (default value = 1.44 automatically set to 1.35 for the
Chien k-ε model).
CE2: constant for the k-ε model in Eq. 4-75 (default value = 1.92 automatically set to 1.8 for the
Chien k-ε model).
SIGK: constant for the k-ε model in Eq. 4-74 (default value = 1.).
SIGE: constant for the k-ε model in Eq. 4-75 (default value = 1.3).
PRT: constant for the k-ε model - the turbulent Prandtl Number (default value = 1.).
INEWKE: defines the high Reynolds k-ε model when k-epsilon (Extended Wall Function) is
selected:
= 0: standard formulation of the wall functions,
= 10 (default): mesh independent formulation of the wall functions (extended wall functions).
MAVRES: allows to control the update of k and ε (default = 0.95),
> 0: according to the restrictions defined by Eq. 4-88 and Eq. 4-89,
= 0: according to the restriction defined by Eq. 4-88,
< 0: according to the restriction defined by Eq. 4-90.
MAVREM: allows to control the multigrid corrections for k and ε (default = 0.95),
> 0: according to the restrictions defined by Eq. 4-88 and Eq. 4-89,
= 0: according to the restriction defined by Eq. 4-88,
< 0: according to the restriction defined by Eq. 4-90.
MUCLIP: controls the maximum allowable value for the ratio MUT/MU in the flow field but not
on boundary conditions (default value = 5000).
LTMAX: maximum turbulent length scale (default = 1.E+6),
= -1: control of turbulent length scale with automatic clipping.
IYAP: (= 1) applies the Yap’s modification to control the turbulent length scale (default value = 0).
The value of the expert parameter LTMAX must be the default value.
TEDAMP: parameter to improve the robustness of the k-ε models (default value = -1),
> 0: a minimum of TEDAMP multiplication factor of the clipping value (EKCLIP) is used
for k in the factor 1 ⁄ T in Eq. 4-75,

a minimum of TEDAMP multiplication factor of the clipping value (EPCLIP) is used


for ε to compute the turbulent viscosity (Eq. 4-77),

<= 0 : the minimum values used for k and ε correspond to the expert parameter EPS,
PRCLIP: sets an upper bound for the ratio between production and dissipation (default value = 50).
LIPROD: corresponds to a linearization of the production term (default value = 1) when strain rate
is large (i.e. impinging flow) and PRCLIP has no effect anymore on the flow field.
EKCLIP: clipping value for the turbulent kinetic energy k (default value = 1.E-5).
EPCLIP: clipping value for the turbulent dissipation rate ε (default value = 1E-5).
KEGRID: Full multigrid parameter corresponding to the finest grid level on which the Baldwin-
Lomax model is used (default = 2). On the lower grid levels, the k-ε model is used.

FINE™ 4-25
Flow Model Mathematical Model

IUPWTE: (= 1) uses an upwind scheme for the convection of k-ε instead of a centre scheme
(default = 1).
IKENC: (= 1) solves the k-ε equations with a non-conservative approach (default = 1).
IKELED: (= 1) actives the LED scalar scheme for k-ε instead of the standard central scheme
(default = 0).
IOPTKE: (= 1) optimized implementation for k-ε (Yang-Shi, Wall function, Lauder Sharma)
(default = 1).

v2-f model

CMUV2F: constant for the v2-f model in Eq. 4-98 (default value = 0.22),

C1F: constant for the v2-f model in Eq. 4-97 (default value = 1.4),

C2F: constant for the v2-f model in Eq. 4-97 (default value = 0.3),

CL: constant for the v2-f model in Eq. 4-99 (default value = 0.23),

CET: constant for the v2-f model in Eq. 4-99 (default value = 70.0),

CE2V2F: constant for the v2-f model in Eq. 4-95 (default value = 1.9),

SIGE: constant for the v2-f model in Eq. 4-95 (default value = 1.3),

SIGK: constant for the v2-f model in Eq. 4-94 (default value = 1),

MAVRES: allows to control the update of v2-f (default = 0.95),


> 0: according to the restrictions defined by Eq. 4-88 and Eq. 4-89,

MAVREM: allows to control the multigrid corrections for v2-f (default = 0.95),
> 0: according to the restrictions defined by Eq. 4-88 and Eq. 4-89,
= 0: according to the restriction defined by Eq. 4-88,
< 0: according to the restriction defined by Eq. 4-90,
EKCLIP: clipping value for the turbulent kinetic energy k (default value = 1.E-5),
EPCLIP: clipping value for the turbulent dissipation rate ε (default value = 1E-5),
KEGRID: Full multigrid parameter corresponding to the finest grid level on which the Baldwin-
Lomax model is used (default = 2). On the lower grid levels, the v2-f model is used.
k-ω models
For more information, contact NUMECA Support at [email protected].

4-4.5 Best Practice for Turbulence Modelling


4-4.5.1 Introduction to Turbulence
Turbulence can be defined as the appearance of non-deterministic fluctuations of all variables
(velocity u’, pressure p’, etc...) around mean values. Turbulence is generated above a critical Rey-
nolds number that may range in values from 400 to 2000 depending on the specific case. In 95% of
industrial applications the critical Reynolds number falls above that range. That is why it is in gen-
eral necessary to predict adequately the turbulence effects on the flow-field behaviour.

4-26 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

Τo model turbulent flow in a satisfactory way, four steps should be performed:


• choosing a turbulence model,
• generating an appropriate grid,
• defining initial and boundary conditions,
• if necessary, setting expert parameters to procure convergence.

4-4.5.2 First Step: Choosing a Turbulence Model.


A turbulence model is chosen based on the specific application. Table 4-1 states the most appropri-
ate turbulence models to use for different types of flows. Although these are the "most appropriate"
this does not mean that certain turbulence models cannot be used for the flow types listed, but just
that they are "less appropriate".

,v2-f

TABLE 4-1 Recommended turbulence models for different flow types

Three main kinds of turbulence models exist:


• algebraic models (e.g. Baldwin-Lomax),
• one-equation models (e.g. Spalart-Allmaras),
• two (four)-equation models (k-ε, k-ω and v2-f).
When quick turbulence calculations are required, for example, in design-cycle analysis, it is recom-
mended that the Baldwin-Lomax model is used due to its high numerical stability and low compu-
tational expense. To simulate more precisely the turbulent quantities with also a good rate of
convergence the Spalart-Allmaras model should be preferred.
Another model often used in design is the "standard" k-ε model. This model employs an empiri-
cally based logarithmic function to represent the near-wall physics and requires a lower grid resolu-
tion in this region as a result. One drawback of this treatment is that the logarithmic function does
not apply for separated flows, although the NUMECA extended wall function will still work. If it is
expected that a significant amount of separation will have to be predicted, one of the low-Reynolds
number turbulence models would be more appropriate. All of the listed turbulence models employ
constant turbulent Prandtl numbers which is somewhat of a restriction when performing heat trans-
fer calculations. However, experience has shown quite successful prediction of heat transfer coeffi-
cients when using low Reynolds models.

FINE™ 4-27
Flow Model Mathematical Model

4-4.5.3 Second Step: Generating an Appropriate Grid.

a) Cell Size

viscous sub-layer buffer layer log layer defect layer

Separating flow

logarithmic law

Data of Lindgren (1965)

Note that the sublayer extends up to y+=5 but 10 is an acceptable approximation for
design calculations.
Note: The variable v* displayed in the figure is uτ.
Picture from White, F.M., Viscous Fluid Flow, McGraw Hill, 1991.

FIGURE 4.4.5-6 Boundary layer profiles

When calculating turbulence quantities it is important to place the first grid node off the wall within
a certain range (ywall). This can be done for the blade and the endwalls (hub and shroud) independ-
ently. When doing computations including viscosity (Navier-Stokes equations) the boundary layer
near a solid wall presents high gradients. To properly capture those high gradients in a numerical
simulation it is important to have a sufficient amount of grid points inside the boundary layer. When
Euler computations are performed no boundary layer exists and therefore the cell size near solid
walls is of less importance.
To estimate an appropriate cell size ywall for Navier-Stokes simulations including turbulence, the
local Reynolds number based on the wall variable y+is computed. The value of y+ associated with
the first node off the wall will be referred to here as y1+:

ρu τ y wall
y1 + = --------------------- (4-40)
µ
where uτ is the friction velocity:

4-28 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

τ wall 1---
uτ = ----------- = ( V )2 Cf (4-41)
ρ 2 ref

Note that the value of ywall depends on the value of y1+.

In Figure 4.4.5-6 is represented the evolution of u+ against y+ from the measurements of Lind-
gren(1965) with:

u+= u / u τ

Low-Re models resolve the viscous sublayer and are well suited for y1+ values between 1 and 10
whereas high-Re models apply analytical functions to the log-layer and are appropriate to y1+ val-
ues ranging from 20 to 50 (depending on the extension of the buffer layer for the considered flow).
Moreover one can notice that the logarithmic function does not apply for separated flow. So
whether it is expected that a significant amount of separation will have to be predicted, one of the
low-Reynolds number turbulence models would be more appropriate.

Recommendations are given in the table below for ranges of y1+ specific to the different types of
models.

Turbulence High-Re: Low-Re: Non-linear k-e


Models Standard k-ε, Extended Baldwin-Lomax, Spalart- (Suited for research, not
wall-function k-ε Allmaras, Launder- design-cycle analysis)
Sharma k-ε, Yang-Shih
k-ε, Chien k-ε, Extended
wall-function k-ε, v2-f
High-Re Low-Re
y1+ 20-50 1-10 20-50 1-10
+
TABLE 4-2 Appropriate y1 values for available turbulence models

One way to estimate ywall as a function of a desired y1+ value is to use a truncated series solution of
the Blasius equation:

V ref –7 / 8 1/8
y wall = 6 ⎛⎝ ---------⎞⎠ ⎛L ref⎞
--------
- y1+... (4-42)
ν ⎝ 2 ⎠

Note that the reference velocity, Vref, can be taken from an average at the inlet. For instance, if the
mass flow is known the value can be calculated using density and the cross-sectional area of the
inlet. If the mass flow is not known the reference velocity may be calculated from the inlet total
pressure and an estimated static pressure using isentropic relations. The reference length, Lref,
should be based on a typical length scale since an estimation of boundary layer thickness is implied
in this calculation. For instance, in the case of a turbomachinery simulation one could use the dis-
tance between hub and shroud curves that exist upstream of the first row of blades. This is approxi-
mate, of course, as the thickness of the boundary layers will vary widely within the computational
domain. Fortunately it is only necessary to place y1+ within a range and not at a specific value.
Another method of estimating ywall is to apply the 1/7th velocity profile. In this case the skin fric-
tion coefficient Cf is related to the Reynolds number:

FINE™ 4-29
Flow Model Mathematical Model

0.027-
C f = ------------- (4-43)
Re x1 / 7

where Rex should be based on average streamwise values of Vref and Lref as discussed above. Since
uτ is based on Cf it may be calculated based on Eq. 4-41, and ywall may then be calculated from
Eq. 4-40. Note that either method is not exact but they will yield results that are quite close to each
other. In fact, it can be instructive to calculate ywall using both methods as a check. Since only one
wall distance is being calculated, the particular flow being studied should be kept in mind. For
instance if it is a diffusing flow Cf, and hence y1+, can be expected to drop. Since a certain range is
desired (e.g., 20< y1+<50 for high-Re Standard k- ε) the user may choose to base the calculation of
wall distance on an average of that range (e.g., 40).

b) Things to Look Out For


Previous recommendations should provide reasonable estimates but it is always wise to plot y+
once a solution has finished. Spot checks should be made to ensure that most y1+ values fall within
the desired range. For instance it is useful to plot y+ contours over the first layer of nodes from a
given wall (available in solid data output, see section 11-2.1.5). There are some special cases where
such checks do not strictly apply. For instance, skin friction approaches zero at points of separation
so it is expected that y1+ will be low in such regions. It is generally recommended that turbomachin-
ery blade tip clearances are meshed with uniform spanwise node distributions. In such cases, the
y1+ values will tend to be higher within the gap than elsewhere in the computational domain near-
wall regions. This should not raise concern as the tip clearance flow consists of thoroughly sheared
vortical fluid that undergoes significant acceleration and is therefore quite different than a standard
boundary layer. It is expected that the skin friction will be high in this region due to the accelera-
tion.

c) General Advice
• What grid resolution is adequate?
The resolution method employed in the EURANUS flow solver requires approximately 9 nodes
across a free shear-layer and approximately 15 across a boundary layer to provide grid-independent
results for turbulent flows. If wall functions are used the boundary layer only requires approxi-
mately 9 nodes.
Of course the flow field under study will realistically consist of shear layers of which the width var-
ies substantially throughout the flow field. The user must therefore decide what is important to cap-
ture and what is not. For instance, in the design-cycle analysis of a compressor with a volute it
would probably be acceptable to choose a fully-developed boundary layer. The number of nodes
across the diameter would therefore be approximately 29. However, it would be wise to select a
number like 33 to maintain a large number of multi-grid levels. The selection of nodes in the
streamwise direction should be governed by what resolution adequately represents the studied
geometry. Regions of concentrated high gradients, such as airfoil leading or trailing edges or any
geometrical corners should contain a relatively high clustering of nodes.
• What determines the grid quality?
After the various grid resolution concerns are addressed, the level of skewness must be analysed.
Providing clustering in a curved geometry can often lead to internal angles of grids cells of 10o. It is
important to minimize the number of cells containing such low angles as the calculation of fluxes
can become significantly erroneous under such conditions. More information concerning how to
check the quality of a grid can be found in the IGG™ or AutoGrid™ manual. If the adjustment of

4-30 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

node numbers and clustering does not reduce the level of skewness, local smoothing should be
applied. The expansion ratio, or the ratio of adjacent cell sizes, should also be checked. It is partic-
ularly important to keep this value within an absolute range of about 0-1.6 in regions of high gradi-
ents, such as boundary layers, free shear-layers and shocks. If it is evident that adjacent cells are
different in size by factors significantly greater than two, the clustering in this region should be
reduced or the number of nodes should be increased.

d) Verification of y1+
By following these instructions it should be possible to generate a grid of reasonable quality for tur-
bulent flows. It is recommended however, that the user checks values of y1+ after approximately
one hundred iterations on the fine grid to ensure the proper range has been specified. At the same
time, it can be useful to plot contours of residuals (continuity, momentum, energy and turbulence)
over selective planes. If the level of skewness is too high, this will be indicated by local peaks in
residuals that are orders of magnitude greater than the rest of the flow field. If a multi-block grid is
used, the residual levels in each block can be compared in the Monitor.

4-4.5.4 Defining Initial & Boundary Conditions


Turbulence is commonly modelled by emulating molecular diffusion with a so-called "eddy-viscos-
ity" (µT). A standard method for determining µT is based on turbulent-eddy length and time scales
that are modelled through turbulence kinetic energy (k) and dissipation (e.g. ε) equations. It is
important to note that the level of turbulence quantities (i.e. turbulence intensity, µT, k, ε) specified
at the inlet boundary can have a strong effect on the flow-field prediction for quantities like the total
pressure, velocity profiles, flow angles, total temperature etc. Since the measurement of turbulence
is rarely conducted in a design and test environment, the designer faces the problem of setting these
quantities without knowing the correct values.

a) Spalart-Allmaras Model
When the Spalart-Allmaras model is selected the user should specify in the inlet boundary condi-
tion the kinematic turbulent viscosity νΤ (m2/s). If no information is available on the turbulence
properties of the flow, estimates can be made based on the following assumptions that:
ν
• For internal flows (e.g. turbomachinery): -----T = 1 to 5.
ν
ν
• For external flows (e.g. vehicle aerodynamics): -----T = 1 .
ν

b) k-ε Models
• Estimation of k
The value of the turbulent kinetic energy can be derived from the turbulence intensity Tu or from
the wall shear stress.
— From the turbulence intensity: The turbulence intensity Tu can be expressed against the
streamwise fluctuating velocity u’ and the streamwise velocity Uref:

2
u'
T u = ---------- . (4-44)
U ref

FINE™ 4-31
Flow Model Mathematical Model

For internal flows the value of Tu is about 5% and for external flows it is reduced to 1%. With
these considerations k can be calculated in considering an isotropic turbulence:

2
k = --- ⎛ u' ⎞
3 2
(4-45)
2⎝ ⎠

— From the wall shear stress: If the wall shear stress is known, the user can use the wall func-
tions defined for the fully turbulent flow:

τ
wall
k = ----------- (4-46)
ρ Cµ

This value of k could be used as an initial value and also for the inlet boundary condition.

• Estimation of ε
The value of the turbulent dissipation can be specified through one of the following rules:
— Specify the ratio of the turbulent viscosity to the laminar viscosity:

2
µ ρ ref k
ε = C µ ------ -------------
- (4-47)
µ it µ

For internal flows (such as turbomachinery flow), typical values are µ it ⁄ µ = 50 .


For external flows (in aerodynamics computations), typical values are µ it ⁄ µ = 1 .
— Specify the turbulent length scale (only for internal flows):
A typical values is l = 0.1D H . where DH is the hydraulic diameter of the inlet section

3 3
--- ---
4 2
cµ k
ε = ---------- . (4-48)
l
— Derive ε from the asymptotic turbulent kinetic equation:
In a free uniform flow the turbulent kinetic energy equation reduces to

∂k
u ----- = – ε . (4-49)
∂x
This relation can be used to specify the value of the turbulent dissipation in the following way:

∆k
ε = – u ------ , (4-50)
L
where u is the inlet velocity, ∆k the decay of the turbulent kinetic energy over a length L. For
example, in a turbomachine, L is the maximum geometric length and ∆k could be set to 10% of
the inlet value of k.
Using this method, the user must make sure that the value of the turbulent viscosity obtained
µ
from these values of k and ε is not too big or too small. i.e. 1 < ----t < 1000 . If this condition is not
µ
satisfied, it is advised to scale down or up the value of k inlet or the ∆k and compute again the
turbulent dissipation
— Specify the wall shear stress:
If the wall shear stress is known, the user can use the wall functions defined for the fully turbu-
lent flow.

4-32 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

3
---
2
( τ wall ⁄ ρ )
ε = ------------------------
- (4-51)
l
If there is an initial solution file containing k and ε , the k and ε values of this file are used to
initialize the fields.
The initial values mentioned above can also be used to set the inlet boundary conditions for the k
and ε fields. However, to reduce the possibility of oscillations in skin friction due to non-physical
relaminarisation during convergence, it is recommended to insure ε ≈ 0.1 ε inlet .

Either of the above methods can be applied for setting the boundary conditions in tur-
bomachine applications. However, if the given values of k and ε lead to the killing of the
turbulence shortly after the inlet section, we suggest to apply Eq. 4-50 and select an inlet
values of k such that the ratio of the turbulent viscosity to the laminar viscosity equals
50.

In some cases a cross-check between Eq. 4-47 and Eq. 4-49 may result in very differ-
ent values for ε. In such a case it is recommended to re-evaluate k and ε in the following
manner:
1. Use relation Eq. 4-50:

∆k 0.1k
ε = – u ------- = u ---------- . (4-52)
∆L ∆L
This relation expresses that k0 (k at the inlet) is expected to be decreased by about 10% over a
length ∆L that is characteristic to the size of the domain.
2. Use relation Eq. 4-47. In this relation Cµ=0.09 and ν represents the laminar viscosity of the
fluid.
3. Combine the relations of the two previous steps to remove ε0, leading to:

0.1U µ T ν
k 0 = ------------ ⎛ ------ ------⎞ . (4-53)
∆L ⎝ µ C µ⎠

4. Using either relation Eq. 4-47 or Eq. 4-50 then easily leads to an estimation of ε0.

c) v2-f Model
The way the turbulent kinetic energy (k) and turbulent dissipation (ε) are estimated is the same as
the one used for k-ε models (see paragraph b). The value of v2 is deduced assuming an isotropic tur-
bulence.

d) k-ω Models
The way the turbulent kinetic energy (k) and turbulent dissipation (ε) are estimated is the same as
the one used for k-ε models (see paragraph b). The value for ω is determined according to Eq. 4-39.

4-4.5.5 Setting Expert Parameters to Procure Convergence


Several expert parameters may be set to procure convergence.

FINE™ 4-33
Flow Model Mathematical Model

a) Cut-off (Clipping) of Minimum k Value


The float parameter EKCLIP controls the minimum allowable value of k. This is done to prevent
non-physical laminarisation and remove the possibility of negative values being calculated during
numerical transients. Setting this value to a reasonable level has been shown to significantly
increase the convergence rate.
EKCLIP: clipping k to about 1% of inlet value maintains minimum residual turbulence in the
domain.

b) Minimizing Artificial Dissipation in the Boundary Layer


An alternative treatment of the dissipation terms in the k and ε equations has been introduced to
overcome difficulties related to turbulence decay in boundary layers observed in some specific test
cases. Currently, the dissipation terms are scaled with the spectral radius of the equations and are
further damped in an exponential manner across the boundary layer. The major drawback of this
formulation is that it introduces an excessive amount of artificial dissipation into the boundary
layer, leading to non-physical relaminarisation problems. A different implementation, based on the
L.E.D. (Local Extrema Diminishing) version of the Jameson-Schmidt-Turkel treatment introduces
better monotonicity properties of the k and ε equations.
IKELED = 0 (default): Dissipation scaled with spectral radius.
= 1: Less diffusive L.E.D. scheme activated.

c) Wall Function for the k-ε Turbulence Model


INEWKE = 0: Wall function applies for first node off the wall at Y+ =20-50, Launder & Spalding.
= 10 (default): Mesh-independent formulation of the wall function.

d) Full Multigrid k-ε / Baldwin-Lomax & v2-f / Baldwin-Lomax Switch


KEGRID = 2(default) Grid 222 - Baldwin Lomax,
Grid 111 - Baldwin Lomax,

Grid 000 - k-ε or v2-f Model.


KEGRID = 3: Grid 222 - Baldwin Lomax,

Grid 111 - k-ε or v2-f Model,

Grid 000 - k-ε or v2-f Model.


Example: k-ε run on the finest grid level (000) with 3 levels of grid (222, 111 & 000) in the multi-
grid procedure. The Baldwin-Lomax model remains active on levels 222 and 111 before k-ε is auto-
matically switched on when the finest grid is reached. This is controlled through the expert parame-
ter KEGRID whose value is set to 2 by default, meaning that the Baldwin Lomax model is used up
to the second level of grid. The µt / µ field computed using the Baldwin-Lomax model is then trans-
ferred to the finest mesh and used to calculate initial k and ε values. The use of a KEGRID value
higher than the number of grid levels available enables the k and ε equations to be solved on all grid
levels.
A similar procedure can be followed when a calculation on 111 mesh is first desired. Providing
KEGRID is set to 2 (default value), the Baldwin-Lomax is then active on level 222 before the k-ε
model is automatically switched on when the finest grid level (111 in this case) is reached. How-
ever, the question then arises when a restart procedure on the 000 level is required. How to restart
on 000 while transferring strictly the k and ε fields already computed on 111? By default, since

4-34 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

KEGRID=2, the solution computed on 111 is seen as a Baldwin-Lomax solution. The k and ε fields
are then reset using the classical procedure while the other variable fields (density, velocity and
energy) are transferred adequately. To overcome this difficulty, KEGRID must again be set to a
value higher than the number of grids. This procedure results in a much better initialisation of k and
ε, thus preventing some relaminarisation while enhancing convergence.

e) Cut-off (clipping) of Maximum Turbulence Production/Destruction Value


The float parameter PRCLIP controls the maximum allowable value of turbulence production/
destruction (=production/density*dissipation in k-ε model). Limiting this to a finite value enhances
the convergence rate by removing the possibility of unbounded turbulence spikes occurring during
the numerical transient. However, care must be taken to apply a reasonable limit. Recommended
values are:
PRCLIP (Float): For most flows: 50 (default),
In turbulent diffusion dominated flows (e.g., seals): 200.

f) Cut-off (clipping) of Maximum Turbulent Viscosity Ratio (µt /µ)


The float parameter MUCLIP controls the maximum allowable value of the turbulent viscosity ratio
µt/µ. Limiting this to a finite value enhances the convergence rate by removing the possibility of
unbounded spikes occurring during the numerical transient. At the end of the computation however,
the value of µt/µ should not be clipped anymore. During the convergence process, the user can
check the output of the computation to see if the maximum value for the turbulence ratio has been
reached. If this is the case, the output will contain a line: "MUT/MU CLIPPED FOR # CELLS".
MUCLIP can then be put to a higher value, to increase the limit. However, care must be taken to
apply reasonable limits. Recommended values are:
MUCLIP (Float): For most flows: 5000 (default).
Can be increased to 50000 if necessary.

4-4.6 Theoretical Aspect of Turbulence Modelling


An algebraic (Baldwin-Lomax), an one-equation (Spalart-Allmaras), several two-equation turbu-
lence models ( k – ε ), and v2-f model are available.
Wall distance
All turbulence models need to compute the wall distances everywhere in the computed domain. It is
a rather time consuming process so that they are saved in the ".cgns" mesh file at the beginning of
the first computation. These values will be read and used for the next computations. If the mesh file
is modified or saved again, they are erased and will be computed again.
Different important expert parameter are used in the calculation of the wall distance. The default
values are generally sufficient and they have to be changed only if a problem arises. The expert
parameter NREPET allows to take into account the periodicity of the computed domain. At each
point of the domain, the closest wall is not always in the computed domain if periodic boundary
conditions are used. Consequently the domain is repeated beyond the periodic boundaries to com-
pute correctly the wall distance. The default value is 1 and can be increased to 2 in very particular
cases. The expert parameter NSUBM is the maximum number of subdomains a domain is split into.
Its value is sufficiently high and it must be changed only if an error message informs the user to
increase it. The expert parameter NTUPTC is the number of patches whose sub-patches will be
searched. In a very complex geometry, the value of this parameter can be increased if the calcula-
tion of the wall distances fails. By default a new efficient algorithm is proposed to compute the wall
distance. The old implementation can be activated by setting the expert parameter IDISTN to 0.

FINE™ 4-35
Flow Model Mathematical Model

4-4.6.1 Baldwin-Lomax
The Baldwin-Lomax algebraic turbulence model, Baldwin & Lomax (1978), is a two layer model
where the turbulent viscosity in the inner layer is determined using Prandtls mixing length model,
and the turbulent viscosity in the outer layer is determined from the mean flow and a length scale.
The strain-rate parameter in Prandtls mixing length model is taken to be the magnitude of the vor-
ticity.
The influence on the mean flow equations through the turbulent kinetic energy is neglected.
The turbulent viscosity is given by

⎧ ( µ t ) i, n ≤ n c
µt = ⎨ (4-54)
⎩ ( µ t ) 0, n > n c

where n is the normal distance to the wall, and n c is the smallest value of n at which the inner and
outer viscosity is equal.
The inner viscosity is

2
( µ t ) i = ρl ω (4-55)

where

+ +
–y ⁄ A
l = kn ( 1 – e ) (4-56)

+ ⎛ ρ w τ w⎞
y = ⎜ ----------------⎟ n (4-57)
⎝ µw ⎠
and

∂u j
ω i = ε ijk (4-58)
∂ xk

with ε ijk the Kronecker symbol.

The outer viscosity is

( µ t ) 0 = KC cp ρF wake F Kleb ( n ) (4-59)

where F wake is the smaller of

n max F max
2 (4-60)
and C wk n max 2 2 2 2 2 2 /F max
( u + v + w ) max – ( u + v + w ) min

The term n max is the value of n corresponding to the maximum value of F , F max , where

+ +
– n /A
F( n) = n ω (1 – e ) (4-61)

and

4-36 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

–1
F Kleb = 1 + 5.5 ( nC 6
Kleb /n max )
(4-62)

+
The constants used are hard coded and equal to: A = 26 , C wk = 1. , C cp = 1.6 , k = 0.41 ,
C kleb = 0.3 , K = 0.0168 .The turbulent Prandtl number, needed to calculate the turbulent con-
ductivity, is accessible through the expert parameter PRT (see section 3-3.1.2).
The expert parameter IATFRZ allows to control the interaction of the model with the multigrid sys-
tem. When IATFRZ is set to 0, the model is applied separately on all grid levels. When it is set to 1
(default), the model is only applied on the finest grid and the turbulent viscosity is restricted
(through the restriction operator) to the coarser grids where the turbulent viscosity is frozen. It is
possible to freeze the turbulent viscosity field on all grid level by setting IATFRZ to 2. The value
can be automatically changed by using a criteria based on a maximum iteration number or on a
minimum convergence. The maximum iteration number is specified by the expert parameter
ITFRZ. The minimum reduction of order of magnitude is set in the expert parameter RESFRZ.

4-4.6.2 Spalart-Allmaras
The Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model is a one equation turbulence model which can be consid-
ered as a bridge between the algebraic model of Baldwin-Lomax and the two equation models. The
Spalart-Allmaras model has become quite popular in the last years because of its robustness and its
ability to treat complex flows. The main advantage of the Spalart-Allmaras model when compared
to the one of Baldwin-Lomax is that the turbulent eddy viscosity field is always continuous. Its
advantage over the k-ε model is mainly its robustness and the lower additional CPU and memory
usage.
The principle of this turbulence model is based on the resolution of an additional transport equation
for the eddy viscosity. The equation contains an advective, a diffusive and a source term and is
implemented in a non conservative manner. The implementation is based on the papers of Spalart
and Allmaras (1992) with the improvements described in Ashford and Powell (1996) in order to
avoid negative values for the production term ( S˜ in Eq. 4-68).
The turbulent viscosity is given by

ν t = ν̃f v1 (4-63)

where ν̃ is the turbulent working variable and f v1 a function defined by

3
χ
f v1 = ------------------
3
- (4-64)
χ + c v1

with χ is the ratio between the working variable ν̃ and the molecular viscosity ν ,

ν̃
χ = --- (4-65)
ν
The turbulent working variable obeys the transport equation

∂ν̃ 1
------ + V ⋅ ∇ν̃ = --- { ∇ ⋅ [ ( ν + ( 1 + c b2 )ν̃ ) ∇ν̃ ] – c b2 ν̃ ∆ν̃ } + Q (4-66)
∂t σ

where V is the velocity vector, Q the source term and σ , c b2 constants.

FINE™ 4-37
Flow Model Mathematical Model

The source term includes a production term and a destruction term:

Q = ν̃P ( ν̃ ) – ν̃D ( ν̃ ) (4-67)

where

˜
ν̃P ( ν̃ ) = c b1 Sν˜ (4-68)

ν̃
2
ν̃D ( ν̃ ) = c w1 f w ⎛ ---⎞ (4-69)
⎝ d⎠

The production term P is constructed with the following functions:

ν̃
S˜ = Sf v3 + ----------
-f ;
2 2 v2
(4-70)
κ d

1 ( 1 + χf v1 ) ( 1 – f v2 )
f v2 = ------------------------------3- ; f v3 = -------------------------------------------- (4-71)
( 1 + χ ⁄ c v2 ) χ

where d is the distance to the closest wall and S the magnitude of vorticity.

In the destruction term (Eq. 4-69), the function f w is

1
---
⎛ 1 + c w3 ⎞ 6
6
fw = g ⎜ -------------------⎟ (4-72)
⎝ g + c w3⎠
6 6

with

6 ν̃
g = r + c w2 ( r – r ) ; r = -------------
- (4-73)
˜S κ 2 d 2
The constants arising in the model are
2
c w1 = c b1 ⁄ κ + ( 1 + c b2 ) ⁄ σ , c w2 = 0.3 , c w3 = 2. , c v1 = 7.1 , c v2 = 5.

c b1 = 0.1355 , c b2 = 0.622 , κ = 0.41 , σ = 2 ⁄ 3

The equation Eq. 4-66 is solved with the appropriate boundary conditions:

on a solid wall ν̃ = 0 , along the inflow boundaries the value of ν t is specified ( ν̃ is obtained by
using a Newton-Raphson procedure to solve Eq. 4-63) and along the outflow boundaries it is
extrapolated from the interior values.

4-38 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

4-4.6.3 k-ε Turbulence Models

a) General Formulation
In the k – ε turbulence model two additional transport equations for the turbulent kinetic energy, k ,
and the turbulent dissipation rate, ε , are solved. In EURANUS, 4 linear and 2 non-linear models
are currently used.

In the following, the trace of the tensor X will be written {X}

In the k – ε turbulence model two additional differential equations need to be solved respectively
for k and ε . These additional equations can be put in the following general form:

∂ρk- µt ⎧ ⎫
-------- + ∇•⎛ ρwk – µ + ----- ∇k⎞ = – ⎨ ρw″ ⊗ w″ S ⎬ – ρε (4-74)
∂t ⎝ σk ⎠
⎩ ⎭

∂--------
ρε̃- µt 1⎛ ⎧ ⎫ ⎞
+ ∇•⎛ ρwε̃ – µ + ----- ∇ε̃⎞ = – --- ⎜ C ε1 f 1 ⎨ ρw″ ⊗ w″ S ⎬ + C ε2 f 2 ρε̃⎟ + E (4-75)
∂t ⎝ σε ⎠ T⎝ ⎠
⎩ ⎭

where S is the mean strain tensor and – ρw″ ⊗ w″ the turbulent Reynolds stress tensor.

The variable ε̃ is the modified dissipation rate

ε̃ = ε – D (4-76)

and the turbulent viscosity µ t is given by the following relation

µ t = ρC µ f µ kT (4-77)

b) Linear Models
In the linear models, the turbulent Reynolds stress tensor is related to the mean strain tensor in a lin-
ear way.

2
( – ρ w″ ⊗ w″ ) ij = 2µ t S ij – 2
--- ( ∇w )δ ij – --- ρkδ ij
3 3
(4-78)
1 ⎛ ∂w̃ i ∂w̃ j⎞
S ij = --- ⎜ + ⎟
2 ⎝ ∂ xj ∂ xi ⎠

The implemented linear models are:


- Chien, low Reynolds number k-ε model (Chien, 1982).
- Extended wall functions (Hakimi, 1997) = Standard high Reynolds (Launder & Spalding,
1974) if the expert parameter INEWKE is set to 0.
- Launder-Sharma, low Reynolds number k-ε model (Launder & Sharma, 1974).
- Yang-Shih, low Reynolds number k-ε model (Yang & Shih, 1993).

FINE™ 4-39
Flow Model Mathematical Model

The constants or functions Cµ, Cε1, Cε2, σk, σε, fµ,f1, f2, D, E and T are model dependent and are
2 0.5
k k y
defined in the Table 4-3 where Re t = ------ and Re y = -----------
νε ν

TABLE 4-3 Coefficients of the k-ε models


k-ε Chien Standard Launder & Sharma Yang & Shih
Model high-Re
Cµ 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09
Cε1 1.35 1.44 1.44 1.44
Cε2 1.80 1.92 1.92 1.92
σk 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
σε 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3
– 3.4
– ( Ax + Bx + Cx ) d
+ --------------------------------------
- a b c
fµ 1–e
– 0.0115y 1.0 ( 1 + ( Re t ) ⁄ 50 )
2
[1 – e ]
e
x Rey
A 1.5 10-4
a 1
B 5 10-7
b 3
C 10-10
c 5
d 0.5
f1 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
2 2
f2 – Re t ⁄ 36 1.0 – Re t 1.0
1 – 0.22e 1 – 0.3e

T k ⁄ ε̃ k⁄ε k ⁄ ε̃ k ⁄ ε + (ν ⁄ ε)
0.5

2 2
D 2νk ⁄ y 0. 2ν ( ∇ k ) 0.
+
– 0.5y
2µε˜ e
–---------------------------- 2 2
E - 0. 2νµ t ( ∇•S ) νµ t ( ∇•S )
2
y
2 0.5
kw uτ ⁄ Cµ /
0. 0. 0.
DNS
3
εw u τ ⁄ ( κy ) / 2
0. 0. 2ν ( ∇ k )
DNS

The constants Cµ, Cε1, Cε2, σk, σε can however be changed by the user (respectively the expert param-
eters CMU, CE1, CE2, SIGK, SIGE) in the Computation Steering/Control variables page. The
turbulent Prandtl number, needed to calculate the turbulent conductivity, is also an expert parameter
(PRT).

4-40 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

Two variants of the high Reynolds k-ε with wall functions (see section d) exist:

• If the expert parameter INEWKE=10 (default), the wall functions are derived from DNS
(Direct Numerical Simulation) curve fitting. The k-ε model is in that case derived from the
Yang-Shih model. This new model, named extended wall functions, allows to obtain accurate
results on fine mesh contrary to the standard high Reynolds k-ε model.
• if the expert parameter INEWKE=0, standard wall functions are applied and the y+ value of
the near wall cell should be greater than 20.

The Chien and the Launder-Sharma models belong to the same family (zero value of ε
at the wall) while the standard and Yang-Shih model belong to a second family (non zero
value of ε at the wall). Launching a restart from a previously computed solution is only
allowed as long as the user sticks to the same family.

c) Non Linear Models


The non-linear models are based on two linear models: the Yang and Shih model for low Reynolds
variant and the Standard k-ε model for high Reynolds variant.
c.1) The low Reynolds model
The production term is modified through:

⎛ γRi t ⎞
i
4 fµ 2
– ρw″ ⊗ w″ = --- ----------------------
- ⎜ 1 – ----------------------⎟ kTS – --- ρkI
3A + f s⎝ 1 + γRi ⎠
i 3
1 µ t

C τ2
kT' ⎛⎝ 2S – SΩ + ΩS – --- { S }⎞⎠
2 2 2 2
– -----------------------------
3 3
(4-79)
A2 + s + ω 3

C τ3
kT' ⎛ 2S + SΩ – Ω S – --- { S }⎞
2 2 2 2
– -----------------------------
A2 + s + ω
3 3 ⎝ 3 ⎠

where T is defined in Table 4-3 and:

1⁄3
A2
T' = 1 ⁄ ( f t1 ⁄ T w + f t2 ⁄ T ) ; T w = -------------------
2
2{S }
1 f t1
f t1 = 1 – ---------------------------------------------2- ; f t2 = 1 – --------------------------
-
2 1 + Re t ⁄ 70
( 1 + 2 { S }ν ⁄ ε )

1 ⎛ ∂w̃ ∂w̃ ⎞ 1 ⎛ ∂w̃ ∂w̃ ⎞


S ij = --- ⎜ i + j⎟ ; Ω ij = --- ⎜ i – j⎟
2 ⎝ ∂ xj ∂ xi ⎠ 2 ⎝ ∂ xj ∂ xi ⎠

2 2 2
s = T' 2 { S } ; ω = T' – 2 { Ω } ; Ri t = – ωs – ω

and Cτ2 = 46; Cτ3 = -7; A1 = 4; A2 = 1000 and γ = 0.2


c.2) The high Reynolds model
The model is modified in the following way:
• f µ is set to unity
• T’ is replaced by T

FINE™ 4-41
Flow Model Mathematical Model

The production term becomes:

4 1 ⎛ γRi t ⎞
i
2
– ρw″ ⊗ w″ = --- -------------- ⎜ 1 – ----------------------⎟ kTS – --- ρkI
3 A1 + s ⎝ 1 + γRi ⎠
i 3
t

C τ2
kT ⎛ 2S – SΩ + ΩS – --- { S }⎞
2 2 2 2
– ----------------------------- (4-80)
A2 + s + ω
3 3 ⎝ 3 ⎠

C τ3
kT ⎛ 2S + SΩ – Ω S – --- { S }⎞
2 2 2 2
– -----------------------------
A2 + s + ω
3 3 ⎝ 3 ⎠

where s and ω are modified according to:

2
s = T 2{S }
(4-81)
2
ω = T –2 { Ω }

The coefficients Cτ2, Cτ3, A1, A2 and γ remain unchanged.


Note that the High Reynolds non-linear model uses the wall functions as it is based on the standard
k-ε model.

Before launching the non-linear model, it is recommended to apply first the linear
model and restart from this solution. This procedure will provide a good initial solution
for the non-linear model and prevent the non-linear terms to cause divergence of the
code at the early stage.

Since the non-linear model is from Yang-Shih, the restart can be done only from the
Yang-Shih model (linear or not) and the Standard model with wall functions.

d) Solid Boundary & Wall Functions


The values of kw and εw are imposed at the boundary for the Chien, Launder & Sharma and Low
Reynolds non-linear models, while for the Standard and non-linear High Reynolds number models,
it is imposed in the first inner cell. The wall friction velocity uτ is calculated through a wall function
(Eq. 4-82 or Eq. 4-83) from the velocity at the cell center and the normal distance to the wall.

For the models that do not use wall functions (Chien, Launder Sharma, Yang & Shih
and Low Reynolds non linear model), the profile of the boundary layer is directly
inferred from the input values at the wall. Consequently, particular attention must be paid
to the grid refinement in this region in order to capture the viscous sublayer. A typical
+
value is given by 1 < y < 10 at the first node from the wall.

The wall functions are used to mimic the presence of the walls by reflecting the effect of the steep,
non-linear variations of the flow properties through the turbulent boundary layer. They define the
shear stress and the heat flux on the cell faces lying on solid boundaries as well as the values of k
and ε in the vicinity of the wall.
The wall functions are applied in the Standard (see kw and εw in Table 4-3 ) and in the High Rey-
nolds non linear k-ε models. For the extended wall functions model, the wall functions for k and ε
are fitted with polynomials to the DNS data.

4-42 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

d.1) Velocity
For smooth walls:
The wall function in the viscous sublayer is given by:

u- +
---- = y (4-82)

yu
with y = -------τ- , the dimensionless normal distance from the walls and u τ =
+
τ wall ⁄ ρ , the wall
ν
friction velocity directly related to the wall shear stress.
While in the turbulent layer, the wall function becomes:

u- 1 +
---- = --- ln y + B (4-83)
uτ κ

where κ is the von Karman constant (default value 0.41) and B another constant (default value
5.36). They can be modified by the user in the Boundary Condition page.
For rough walls:
The wall function is given by (no viscous sublayer considered):

u- 1 y–d
---- = --- ln -------------0- + B (4-84)
uτ κ k0

where κ and B are defined just above and k0 and d0 are constants asked for each rough wall. The
constant k0 is the equivalent roughness height while d0 is known as the height of the zero displace-
ment plane, defined by u ( k0 + d 0 ) = 0. (if B=0). For small roughness elements, d 0 = 0 . For high
roughness elements, the flow behaves as if the wall was located at a distance d0 from the real wall
position.
ks
k 0 = ------ where ks is the average roughness height
30

+
+ ks y
For rough walls, the constant B is usually zero (when ks+ > 70 with k s = ------------ ). Otherwise the
y
value of B is evolving as presented in below graph.

+
s

FINE™ 4-43
Flow Model Mathematical Model

When a rough wall is specified, the distance from the wall to the cell-centre of the first
inner cell should be bigger than k0 + d0. In general, the first inner cell should be located
within the fully turbulent layer.
d.2) Temperature
Similarly, for isothermal walls, the following laws are considered in the code:

+ +
T = Pr y in the viscous sublayer (4-85)

where Pr is the laminar Prandtl number and:


+
+ Pr t
T = ------- ln ⎛⎝ ----------⎞⎠ + 13.2Pr
y in the turbulent layer (4-86)
κ 13.2

+ Tw – T
where T = ---------------- .

The heat flux at the wall is defined as:

q w = ρCpu τ T τ (4-87)

A complete description of the available thermal boundary conditions at walls is provided in section
8-5.3.

The "law of the wall" distributions of velocity, temperature and other variables are
assumed to prevail across the boundary layer. They are imposed at the node of a single
+
grid cell for which the user is advised to check that 20 < y < 100 . As a result, if the first
cell node from the wall is placed too close, calculation is conducted in the viscous sub-
layer and the law is no longer valid. Similarly, if the first node is placed too far away,
then a discrepancy may exist between the profiles and their assumed shape.

e) Numerical Concerns
This paragraph provides a description of the numerical method used to deal with the k and ε equa-
tions.
e.1) Choice of the initial and boundary conditions
Initial values for k and ε must be specified by the user, as well as the inlet boundary condition.
The specified values at the inlet boundary can have a strong effect on the flow-field prediction. Sev-
eral methods are proposed in section 4-4.5.4 to help the user in the choice of suitable values.
e.2) Limiters for the turbulence variables
Successive limitations are set for the turbulence variables to ensure physical values and the stability
of the calculation. Indeed, the term sources in the k-ε equations can vary strongly especially at the
beginning of the computation and lead to unphysical values and divergence.
1. To control the stability of the calculation, the expert parameter MAVRES, denoted here ζ , is
used This parameter limits the variation of the turbulence variables for each Runge-Kutta stage.
n+1
Denoting the new value of k or ε as q , the following restrictions are imposed when MAVRES
> 0:

4-44 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

n+1 n+1 n
q = max ( q , EPS,ζq ) (4-88)

n+1 n+1 n
q = min ( q , ( 2 – ζ )q ) (4-89)

where EPS is an expert parameter with a small value, default 1E-28, also used to avoid possible divi-
sions by zero.
The restriction defined in Eq. 4-89 is not applied to the turbulent dissipation rate (ε) when this tends to
increase, in order to avoid excessive values of the turbulent viscosity.
If MAVRES = 0, only the restriction defined in Eq. 4-88 is applied (avoiding negative values)
If MAVRES < 0, the restriction is:

n+1 n
n+1 n (1 + ζ)(q –q )
q – q = --------------------------------------------- (4-90)
⎛ q
n + 1
– q -⎞
n
⎜ 1 + ------------------------- ⎟
⎝ q
n

2. A similar system is applied to the multigrid corrections with the expert parameter MAVREM,
denoted below as ζ :
n+1 n n
If MAVREM > 0: q – q < ( 1 – ζ )q
If MAVREM = 0: restriction to positive values
n+1 n
n+1 n (1 + ζ)( q –q )
If MAVREM < 0: q – q = ---------------------------------------------
⎛ q
n+1
–q ⎞
n
⎜ 1 + ------------------------- -⎟
⎝ ⎠
n
q

3⁄2
k
3. The expert parameter LTMAX is used to limit the turbulence length scale L turb = --------- to a value
ε
compatible with the domain scale.
If Lturb>LTMAX and MAVRES > 0, the value of ε is set to respect the maximum length scale.
If Lturb>LTMAX and MAVRES <= 0, the values of k and ε are set to a small value EPS.
The default value for LTMAX is 1E+6.
4. An automatic control of the turbulent length scale is possible by setting the expert parameter
LTMAX to a negative value (LTMAX = -1). In this case, the following length scale control is pro-
posed:

L = min ( kT, 5le max ) (4-91)

with le max the maximum equilibrium length scale in the computation, defined by

–3 ⁄ 4
le max = κd max C µ (4-92)

where d max is the maximum distance to the wall among all grid points of all blocks. The factor 5 in
Eq. 4-91 is set to avoid to clip the length scale too early.

The turbulent viscosity is then written as ν t = C µ f µ kL

FINE™ 4-45
Flow Model Mathematical Model

For the update of turbulent variables (previous paragraph), LTMAX is replaced by 5le max

5. Another way to control the turbulent length scale is the Yap’s modification. It is applied by set-
ting the expert parameter IYAP to 1. In this case, the expert parameter LTMAX should be set to its
default value (1.E+6) to avoid conflicts.
Yap’s modification consists of adding to the epsilon equation a source term that control the turbu-
lent length scale. It can be applied to all k-ε models. The source term to be added writes:

l 2ε
S YAP = 0.83max ⎛ --- – 1, 0⎞ ⎛ ---⎞ ---
l
(4-93)
⎝ le ⎠ ⎝ l e⎠ T

where l and l e are respectively the turbulent length scale ( l = kT ) and the equilibrium
–3 ⁄ 4
length scale ( l e = κdC µ ).

A weakness of Yap’s correction is that it might conflict with the inlet boundary conditions if these
are set without respecting a turbulent length scale criteria.
6. The expert parameter TEDAMP is another parameter to control stability. This parameter prevents
the factor 1 ⁄ T in the ε equation from being singular as k tends to zero (see Eq. 4-75 and the rela-
tionship between k and T in Table 4-3 ). A minimum of TEDAMP multiplication factor of the clip-
ping value (expert parameter EKCLIP) is used for k .

The same parameter is used to damp 1/ε coming from T in the calculation of the turbulent viscos-
ity, Eq. 4-77: a minimum of TEDAMP multiplication factor of the clipping value (expert parameter
EPCLIP) is used for ε .

If TEDAMP<=0, the minimum values used for k and ε correspond to the expert parameter EPS.
The default value of TEDAMP is -1.
Irrespective of the value of TEDAMP, this strategy always avoids the use of possible negative val-
ues of k in the source term and of ε in the turbulent viscosity.
7. Another important consideration is the amount of turbulence production compared to its dissipa-
tion, Prod ⁄ ( ρε ) . This quantity should stay within physically admissible ranges so that the turbu-
lence production remains limited. The parameter PRCLIP allows the control of this ratio. As an
example, Prod ⁄ ( ρε ) ≈ 1 for homogeneous core flows and thin shear layers, whereas
Prod ⁄ ( ρε ) < 1 for separated shear layers and wakes. Flows of high shear, such as jets in cross
flow, can exhibit much higher values of Prod ⁄ ( ρε ) . An upper bound of PRCLIP=50 is recom-
mended to the user. However, this control is removed by the use of a linearised turbulent production
model introduced in all linear k-ε models. This simple modification is relevant for impinging flows,
for which the turbulence models are well known to overestimate the turbulent production of kinetic
energy. It corresponds to a linearisation of the production term when the strain rate is large when the
expert parameter LIPROD is set at 1.
8. The expert parameters EKCLIP and EPCLIP are respectively the minimum allowable values of
the turbulent kinetic energy (k) and the turbulent dissipation rate (ε). They avoid non-physical neg-
ative values. Moreover the minimum value of k (EKCLIP) allows to maintain a minimum residual
turbulence in the domain. The default value is 1.E-5.
The minimum value of ε is chosen so that the computed value of the turbulent viscosity is reasona-
ble. With a default value set to 1.E-5, the turbulent viscosity has a value of the order 1.E-6.

4-46 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

9. The input parameter KEGRID allows the use of a particular full multigrid strategy for k-ε or v2-f
computations. The Baldwin-Lomax model is used on the coarse grids during the full multigrid stage
and the k, ε, v2 and f initial solution is obtained from the Baldwin-Lomax model solution.
KEGRID corresponds to the last grid level on which the algebraic model is used. For example, if
the computation is done with 4 levels of multigrid and KEGRID is equal to 2, the Baldwin-Lomax
model is used on the 333 (or level 4), 222 (or level 3) and 111 (or level 2) and the k-ε computation
is initiated when transferring to the finest grid. If KEGRID is set to 3, the k-ε computation will be
initiated when transferring to 222. If KEGRID is greater than the number of multigrid levels, the
computation will be started on the coarsest level with k-ε.
11. The expert parameter IKENC allows solving k-ε equations with a non-conservative approach.
This settings avoids the appearance of an artificial source term in the k-ε equations during the con-
vergence process. This artificial term comes from the residuals of the equation of the mass conser-
vation that can be non-negligible at the beginning of the convergence process. This approach is new
and not sufficiently tested to ensure that the loss of conservation is not excessive in all cases.
12. The expert parameter IKELED allows to avoid an excessive artificial dissipation of the standard
central scheme into the boundary layer. Indeed this scheme can lead to a non-physical relaminarisa-
tion in some specific test cases. An alternative computation of the artificial dissipation, based on the
Local Extrema Diminishing (LED) version of the Jameson-Schmidt-Turkel treatment has been
implemented. It is active when the expert parameter IKELED is set to 1.

All the above mentioned limiters are very important for the robustness of k-ε compu-
tations. With the exception of the length scale LTMAX all limiters are given appropriate
defaults and it is not recommend to modify them.

4-4.6.4 v2-f Turbulence Model

a) General Formulation
Though they produces relatively good results for a number of flow aspects, the Low-Reynolds k-ε
turbulence models use damping functions that correct the improper asymptotic behaviour of the
eddy-viscosity formulation close to solid walls. Insofar as the objective of this damping effect is to
represent the kinematic blocking by the wall, Durbin (1991) suggests to use the turbulent stress nor-
mal to streamlines instead of the turbulent kinetic energy in the definition of the turbulent viscosity.
Therefore, he introduces a new v2-f turbulence model that does not require any damping function:
v2 represents the turbulent stress normal to streamlines and f is a redistribution function.

The present code-friendly variant of v2-f turbulence model derived from the one described in Lien
and Kalitzin (2001). It is based on the high-Reynolds k-ε model with two additional equations for
the turbulent stress normal to streamlines and the redistribution function:

ν ∂k
------- = P k + ∂ ⎛ ⎛ ν + -----t ⎞ -------⎞
Dk
(4-94)
Dt ∂ xj ⎝ ⎝ σ k⎠ ∂x j⎠

C ε1 P k – C ε2 ε ∂ ⎛ ⎛ ν t ∂ε
ν + -----⎞ -------⎞

------- = -------------------------------
-+ (4-95)
Dt T ∂ xj ⎝ ⎝ σ ε⎠ ∂x j⎠

2
ε ν ∂v 2
--------- = kf – 6v 2 -- + ∂ ⎛ ⎛ ν + -----t ⎞ --------⎞
Dv
(4-96)
Dt k ∂ xj⎝ ⎝ σ k⎠ ∂x j ⎠

FINE™ 4-47
Flow Model Mathematical Model

2 2 ( C1 – 1 ) v 2
2
P 5 v2
L ∇ f – f = -------------------
- + ---- – --- – C 2 -----k – --- ---- (4-97)
T k 3 k Tk
2
The eddy viscosity is computed as ν t = C µ v T where the turbulent time (T) and length (L) scales
are defined by:

⎛ ⎛ k ν 0.6k ⎞ ⎞
T = min ⎜ max ⎜ ⎛ --, 6 ---⎞ , ----------------------⎟⎟ (4-98)
⎝ ⎝ ⎝ ε ε ⎠ 6C µ v S⎠ ⎠
2

⎛ ⎛ ⎛ k3 ⁄ 2 k
3⁄2 ⎞ 3⁄4
ν ⎞⎞
L = C L max ⎜ min ⎜ ⎜ ---------, ----------------------⎟ , C η ---------
-⎟ ⎟ (4-99)
⎝⎝ ε
⁄4
⎝ 6C µ v S⎠ ε ⎠⎠
2 3

The terms that include the strain-rate magnitude (S) are linked to the realizability constraint intro-
duce by Durbin (1995) in order to overcome a too high production close to stagnation points. The
turbulent time and length scales are also bounded by the Kolgomorov scales.
The parameter used in this model and available through expert parameter in the Control Variables

page under Expert Mode are: Cµ = 0.22 , σk = 1, σε = 1.3, Cε1 = 1.4 ⎛ 1 + 0.05 ⎛ ----⎞ ⎞ , Cε2 = 1.9,
k
⎝ ⎝ 2⎠ ⎠
v
C1 = 1.4, C2 = 0.3, CL = 0.23 , Cη = 70.

b) Solid Boundary
k 2
The boundary condition on no-slip wall boundaries are: k → 0 ; ε → 2ν ----2 ; v → 0 ; f → 0 when
y
y→0.

c) Limitations
To date the current implementation has not been extended to some specific modules: Rotor/Stator
interfaces, Full Non-Matching connections and Cooling/Bleed module.

4-4.6.5 k-ω Turbulence Models


For more information, contact NUMECA Support at [email protected].

4-4.6.6 References
Ashford G.A. , and Powell K.G. 1996, "An unstructured grid generation and adaptative solution
technique for high-Reynolds number compressible flow", VKI (Von Karman Institute) Lecture
Series 1996-06.
Baldwin B., Lomax H. (1978) 'Thin Layer Approximation and Algebraic Model for Separated Tur-
bulent Flows', AIAA-78-257.
Chien K.Y. (1982) 'Predictions of Channel and Boundary-Layer Flows with a Low-Reynolds-
Number Turbulence Model', AIAA J., Vol. 20, No. 1.
Durbin P.A. (1991), ’Near-wall turbulence closure modeling without damping function’. Theor.
Comput. Fluid Dynamics 3,1.
Durbin P.A. (1995), ’Separated flow computations with the k-e-v2 model’. AIAA J., 33, 659-664.

4-48 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

Hakimi N. (1997) ’Preconditioning methods for time dependent Navier-Stokes equations’, PhD
Thesis, Dept of Fluid Mechanics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Jameson A., Schmidt W., Turkel E. (1981) 'Numerical Solutions of the Euler Equations by Finite
Volume Methods using Runge-Kutta Time-Stepping Schemes', AIAA-81-1259.
Jameson A., 1995, "Positive schemes and shocks modelling for compressible flows", International
Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids, Vol 20, pp 773-776.
Launder B.E. and Sharma B.I., 1974,"Application of the Energy-Dissipation Model of turbulence to
the Calculation of Flow Near a Spinning Disc", Letters in Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 1, pp. 131-
138.
Launder B.E. and Spalding D.B., 1974, "The numerical computation of turbulent flow", Comput.
Methods App. Mech. Eng., vol. 3, pp. 269-289.
Lien F.S. and Kalitzin G. (2001), ’Computations of transonic flow with the v2-f turbulence model’.
International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow 22, 53-61.
Nichols R.H. (1990) 'A Two-Equation Model for Compressible Flows', AIAA paper 90-0494.
Sarkar S., Erlebacher G., Hussaini M.Y., Kreiss H.O. (1991) 'The analysis and modelling of dilata-
tional terms in compressible turbulence', J Fluid Mech, Vol.227, pp.473-493.
Spalart P.R. and Allmaras S.R. (1992),"A one equation turbulence model for aerodynamic flows",,
AIAA 92-0439
Vandromme D. (1991) 'Turbulence Modelling for Compressible Flows and Implementation in
Navier-Stokes Solvers', VKI Lecture Series 1991-02.
Yang Z. and Shih T.H., 1993, "A k-e model for turbulence and transitional boundary layer", Near-
Wall Turbulent Flows, R.M.C. So., C.G. Speziale and B.E. Launder(Editors), Elsevier-Science Pub-
lishers B. V., pp. 165-175.
Zhang H.S., So R.M.C., Speziale C.G., Lai Y.G. (1991) 'A Near-Wall Model for Compressible Tur-
bulent Flow', ICASE Report 91-82.

4-4.7 Gravity Forces


When gravity should be taken into account the box Gravity Forces should be checked. If gravity is
activated, three input dialog boxes appear to define the Gravity Vector. The default gravity vector
is defined as: (gx,gy,gz)=(0,-9.81,0) [m/s2], representing the gravity on Earth where the y-axis is ori-
ented normal to the ground.

When the gravity is taken into account in the Navier-Stokes equations, the source terms ρg

and ρ ( g ⋅ V ) are respectively introduced in the momentum and energy conservation equations
where ρ is the density, g the gravity vector and V the velocity vector.
If the fluid is a liquid, the density is constant and there is no influence of the pressure or temperature
on the flow by interaction with the gravity. To simulate these interactions, one can use the Boussin-
esq approximation in the gravity source terms. With this approximation, the density is developed in
the first order of the MacLaurin series. It becomes:

FINE™ 4-49
Flow Model Mathematical Model

ρ = ρ ref ( 1 + α ( p – p ref ) + β ( T – T ref ) ) (4-100)

with α the compressibility and β the dilatation coefficients specified in the fluid properties.
This variation of the density is only applied to the gravity source term (Boussinesq approximation).
Otherwise, the density is kept constant in the conservation equations. The value of ρ ref is the
characteristic density specified in the Flow Model page. p ref and T ref are the reference values in
the Flow Model page.

When the gravity is taken into account, a reference pressure must be specified at a ref-
erence altitude to add the hydrostatic pressure in the initial pressure field. The reference
pressure is the reference value in the Flow Model page. The reference altitude is speci-
fied in the expert parameter IREFPT in meter [m].

4-4.8 Preconditioning
This option appears in the Flow Model page only if the fluid type is compressible.
Preconditioning is automatically used for incompressible fluids.

This option is only available for central schemes. Consequently, the upwind spatial
scheme (Numerical Model page) is not available if the preconditioning option is chosen.

Starting from FINE™/Turbo v8.2-1, Merkle preconditioning is also available. This


type of preconditioner is not only limited to low speed flows. For more information,
please contact NUMECA support at [email protected].

4-4.8.1 General Description


In the low subsonic Mach number regime, time-marching algorithms designed for compressible
flows show a pronounced lack of efficiency. When the magnitude of the flow velocity becomes
small in comparison with the acoustic speeds, time marching compressible codes converge very
slowly.
The problems faced by compressible codes at low Mach number are:
• High disparity between the convective eigenvalues u and the acoustic eigenvalues u+c, u-c
leading to a much too restrictive time step for the convective waves causing thus poor conver-
gence characteristics.
• Round off errors mostly due to the use of absolute pressure in the momentum equations.
• Impossibility to treat strictly incompressible flows.
Therefore the development of a low speed preconditioner was motivated in order to provide fast
convergence characteristics and accurate solutions as the Mach number approaches zero. Over the
past years and up to now, many attempts have been made to solve nearly incompressible flow prob-
lems within available compressible codes and with minor programming efforts. The corrective
action brought to the discretization of the conservation equations is called preconditioning and is
derived from the artificial compressibility method introduced for incompressible flows by Chorin,
(1967).
For steady state applications solved by time marching algorithms the time derivatives of the
unknowns arising in the flow equations are of no physical meaning and can thus be modified with-
out altering the final steady state solution. The idea of preconditioning precisely uses this property
and consists of multiplying the time derivatives of the dependent variables with a matrix called pre-

4-50 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

conditioning matrix. The main property of this matrix is to remove the stiffness of the eigenvalues.
In addition, reduced flow variables such as the dynamic pressure and the dynamic enthalpy are
introduced, reducing drastically the round off errors at low Mach numbers. The acoustic wave
speed c is replaced by a pseudo-wave speed c’ of the same order of magnitude as the fluid speed. To
be efficient the selected preconditioning matrix should be valid for inviscid computations as well as
for viscous computations with heat transfer.
The preconditioning methodology developed (Hakimi, 1997) is of sufficient generality and can
treat any type of fluids including perfect gases and incompressible Newtonian and non Newtonian
fluids. On the numerical level, the solution procedure including space discretization, time integra-
tion and boundary conditions have been adapted to the new transient behaviour of the conservation
equations.
The low speed preconditioner has been validated for inviscid flows, viscous flows, turbulent flows
and unsteady flows. Efficient convergence rates and accurate solution have been obtained for Mach
numbers from M=0.1 to M=10-6, Reynolds numbers from Re=106 to 10-6 and aspect ratios from 1
to 2000.

4-4.8.2 Basic Equations


The preconditioned equations considered for a compressible fluid are:

∂p- ---------
1- ----- ∂ρu ∂ρv ∂ρw
---- + + --------- + ---------- = 0
2 ∂t ∂x ∂y ∂z
β
αu ∂p ∂τ xx ∂τ yx ∂τ zx
------2- ----- ------ + ∂p
- + ρ du ------ = ---------
- + ---------- + ----------
β ∂t dt ∂x ∂x ∂y ∂z

αv ∂p dv ∂p ∂τ xy ∂τ yy ∂τ zy (4-101)
- + ---------- + ---------- – ρg
------2 ------ + ρ ------ + ------ = ---------
β ∂t dt ∂y ∂x ∂y ∂z

αw ∂p dw ∂p ∂τ xz ∂τ yz ∂τ zz
- ------ + ρ ------- + ------ = ---------
------- - + ---------- + ---------
2 ∂t dt ∂z ∂x ∂y ∂z
β

ρ ------ + p ⎛ ∇ ⋅ V⎞ = ∇ ⋅ ⎛ k∇T⎞ + ε v
de
dt ⎝ ⎠ ⎝ ⎠
Compared to the unpreconditioned Navier-Stokes equations a pressure time derivative is added to
the continuity equation and also to the momentum equations. The internal energy equation is con-
∂v
sidered to build the system and ε v is a dissipation term defined as: ε v = ⎛ τ ⋅ ∇⎞ ⋅ V = τ ij -------i ;
⎝ ⎠ ∂x j

V = ( u, v, w ) is the velocity vector. At this stage the eigenvalues as well as the eigenvectors associ-
ated with the preconditioned method defined by Eq. 4-101 are already completely defined.

4-4.8.3 General Form of the Preconditioning Matrix


The Preconditioned Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations including turbulence and species
transport equations written in a Cartesian frame of reference and integrated over a control volume
Ω are expressed as:

– 1 ∂Q
∫∫∫Γ ------- dΩ +
∂t ∫ ∫ F ⋅ dS = ∫ ∫ ∫ ST dΩ (4-102)
Ω S Ω

with

FINE™ 4-51
Flow Model Mathematical Model

T
Q = ( p g, u, v, w, E g, ρk, ρε̃ ) . (4-103)

The variable p g = p – p ref is the gauge pressure and the variables E g is the total gauge energy.

For a perfect gas with constant Cv , E g is given by:

2
V
E g = C v ( T – T ref ) + ----- (4-104)
2

For an incompressible fluid with constant Cp , E g is given by:


2
V
E g = C p ( T – T ref ) + ----- . (4-105)
2
The extension of the preconditioning matrix to the turbulence transport equations is then given in its
general form both for compressible and incompressible fluids by:

⎛ ⎞
⎜ 1- ⎟
⎜ ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . . 0 ⎟
⎜ β
2 ⎟
⎜ ⎟
⎜ ( 1 + α )u ⎟
⎜ --------------------
- ρ 0 0 0 0 0 0 . . 0 ⎟
⎜ β
2

⎜ ⎟
⎜ ( 1 + α )v ⎟
--------------------
- 0 ρ 0 0 0 0 0 . . 0
= ⎜ ⎟
–1
Γ β
2
(4-106)
⎜ ⎟
⎜ ( 1 + α )w ⎟
⎜ ---------------------- 0 0 ρ 0 0 0 0 . . 0 ⎟
⎜ β
2

⎜ ⎟
⎜ αv 2 + Eg ⎟
⎜ ---------------------- ( – 1 )∗ 0 0 0 ρ 0 0 0 . . 0 ⎟
2
⎜ β ⎟
⎜ ⎟
⎜ 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 . . 0 ⎟
⎝ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 . . 0 ⎠

* the term -1 should be added in compressible cases only.


We notice from Eq. 4-106 that the preconditioning matrix does not apply to the transport equations
of k and ε. This choice is the simplest and did not cause any particular instability for turbulent test
cases run so far.

4-4.8.4 Eigenvalues of the System


The eigenvalues of the preconditioned system defined by Eq. 4-101 are determined from the Euler
part and can be obtained easily if the equations are written in terms of the primitive variables
(p,u,v,w,p or e ).

Their expression is given in 3D for compressible fluids by:

4-52 FINE™
Mathematical Model Flow Model

λ 1 ,2, 3 = V ⋅ n

2 2 (4-107)
1 ⎛ β⎞
2 ⎛ ⎛ β ⎞⎞
2 ⎛ 2 (V ⋅ n) ⎞ 2
λ 4 ,5 = --- V ⋅ n ⎜ 1 – α + ----2-⎟ ± ⎜ V ⋅ n ⎜ 1 – α + ----2-⎟ ⎟ + 4 ⎜ n – -----------------
-⎟ β
⎝ c ⎠ ⎝ ⎝ c ⎠⎠ ⎝ c ⎠
2 2

The two parameters α and β are chosen so that the stiffness of the eigenvalues is minimised at low
speed.
The corresponding eigenvalues for incompressible fluids are:

λ 1 ,2, 3 = V ⋅ n
(4-108)
1 2 2 2
λ 4 ,5 = --- V ⋅ n ( 1 – α ) ± ( V ⋅ n ( 1 – α ) ) + 4n β
2

Compared to preconditioned system of compressible fluids, the first three eigenvalues are
unchanged and the eigenvalues of the acoustic waves can be obtained by setting in Eq. 4-107 the
speed of sound to infinity. We note in particular that the acoustic eigenvalues are always of opposite
sign showing that the flow remains subsonic with respect to the pseudo-sonic speed. As for the
compressible preconditioner the two parameters α and β are chosen so that the stiffness of the
eigenvalues is minimised at low speed.
Note that if a k-ε model is considered, the corresponding eigenvalues will be:

λi k-ε = V⋅n (4-109)

4-4.8.5 Choice of the Parameters α, β and the Reference Velocity


The user control variables are P ref, T ref ,α ,β .

P ref ,T ref are accessible through the Flow Model page and are referred to as reference pressure and
reference temperature.

A value of Tref of the order of magnitude of the expected temperature field will reduce
the machine round-off errors influence on the temperature field.

The value of Pref fixes the absolute level of the pressure in the field. This value is used
in the equation of state for a compressible fluid and in the second order artificial dissipa-
tion term. A value of Pref close to the real pressure level is therefore recommended.
The parameter α is accessible as expert parameter in the Control Variables page under Expert
Mode as ALPHAP. According to several computations accomplished with the central scheme,
good convergence rates were obtained for values of α lying in the range [-1,1]. So far the best value
is found to be α=-1. This optimal value is not surprising since it increases the spectral radius and
therefore adds an additional amount of artificial dissipation.

Τhe preconditioning parameter β is imposed by the user in the Numerical Model page through a
coefficient β∗ and a characteristic velocity U ref such that

β = β∗ U ref
2 2
(4-110)

FINE™ 4-53
Flow Model Mathematical Model

U ref is representative of the maximum velocity in the flow field. For example, in external flows,
Uref could be taken as the free stream velocity whereas in internal flows it could be taken as the
maximum inlet velocity. For the user’s convenience, the constant Uref is however always set equal
to the reference velocity specified in the Flow Model page and used in the calculation of the Rey-
nolds Number.

The choice of Uref has an influence on the convergence.

The default value of β∗ is 3. Based on our experience with the presented low speed preconditioner
the parameter β∗ can be taken of order unity for inviscid flow computations. For viscous computa-
tions associated with Reynolds numbers greater than about Re=1000, a constant value β∗ of order
unity is also adequate. If convergence difficulties are encountered at the very beginning of a compu-
tation, it is recommended to increase the value of the parameter β∗. Remember however that a too
large value of β∗ will introduce excessive artificial dissipation into the solution.
For lower Reynolds number the parameter β∗ has to vary in order to preserve numerical stability and
a good convergence rate. The parameter β∗ should increase as the Reynolds number decreases and
may vary over several orders of magnitude (see Figure 4.4.8-7).

With low Reynolds number, β∗ has to be increased. But this increases the dissipation
and therefore alters the precision of the solution.
If the local velocity scaling option is activated in the Numerical Model page, another definition of
β is used:

β = β∗ max ( U ref, U loc )


2 2 2
(4-111)

where U loc is the local velocity.


β
*

10000
1000
100

10
1
1 10 100 1000 10000 Re

FIGURE 4.4.8-7 Typical variation of the preconditioning parameter β* with Reynolds


number

For high Reynolds flows it is suggested to choose β among the following values:

• β=3
• β=30
• β=300
Too small or too big values of β may lead to divergence or to a too dissipative solution (if β is too
high)

4-54 FINE™
Passive Tracers Flow Model

4-4.8.6 References
Chorin, A. J. (1967) ’A numerical method for solving incompressible viscous flow problems’, J. of
Comput. Phys., Vol 2, pp. 12-26.
Hakimi N. (1997) ’Preconditioning methods for time dependent Navier-Stokes equations’, PhD
Thesis, Dept of Fluid Mechanics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

4-5 Passive Tracers


Selecting the Passive Tracer option in the Flow Model page allows the user to introduce, into the
computations, species that are passive with regards to the carrier fluid. This means that the carrier
fluid ignores the tracer and is only defined by its own properties.

• The carrier fluid may be compressible (perfect gas only).


• The passive tracers are not allowed to react with each other.

4-5.1 Boundary Conditions


There are currently two types of boundary conditions available in EURANUS for passive tracers:
inlet and external (far field).
The inlet condition is set through the specification of the species mass fractions ρ s ⁄ ρ where
ns

ρ= ∑ ρs with ns, the total number of species. The external condition requires the same input data.
s=1

For passive tracers, species concentrations are entered and are independent from each
other. There is no limitation on the sum of the concentrations.

4-5.2 Initial Solution


For each species, the initial value of the mass fraction at the initial stage is required. Initial condi-
tions are uniform over the domain for each species.

For passive tracers, species concentrations are entered and are independent from each
other. There is no limitation on the sum of the concentrations

4-5.3 Outputs
For each species, EURANUS will compute automatically the species concentration for each tracer.

4-5.4 Theory
The species conservation equation is written as

FINE™ 4-55
Flow Model Characteristic & Reference Values

∂ ∂ ∂ ∂c s
c s + ------- c s u = - ------- ⎛ D s --------⎞
j
---- (4-111)
∂t ∂x j ∂x j ⎝ ∂x j ⎠

where cs is the species concentration. D s is the diffusion coefficient.


The diffusion coefficient Ds is calculated from a specific Schmidt number Sc :

µ
D s = -------- (4-112)
ρS c

For turbulent computations a turbulent Schmidt number Sc,t is added leading to:

µ µt
D s = -------- + ------------ (4-113)
ρS c ρS c, t

4-6 Characteristic & Reference Values


4-6.1 Reynolds Number Related Information
The user has to specify some characteristic values (length, velocity and density). These values are
used to calculate the Reynolds Number (only plotted when the kinematic viscosity is constant) that
provides a useful information to choose the suitable model (section 4-4.5). These characteristic val-
ues can be used for other purposes as well.

The characteristic length is used:


— in the outlet boundary condition for which the mass flow is imposed with pressure adapta-
tion,
— in the computation of CP1 and CP3 for cylindrical cases.
— in the transition model, to set the free stream turbulent intensity.
The characteristic velocity is used:
— in the preconditioning method to compute the parameter β (see section 4-4.8.5),
2
— in the computation of the solid data Cf (normalized by ( ρ ref U ref ⁄ 2 ) ).
The characteristic density is used:
— in the Boussinesq approximation for incompressible fluid (Eq. 4-100),
2
— in the computation of the solid data Cf (normalized by ( ρ ref Uref ⁄ 2 ) ),
— in the evaluation of the Reynolds number only when the dynamic viscosity of the fluid is
specified in the Sutherland law on the Fluid Model page.

4-56 FINE™
Characteristic & Reference Values Flow Model

4-6.2 Reference Values

The reference values have been introduced for preconditioning, to define a gauge pressure and a
gauge total energy. These reference values also have some additional uses which are described
hereafter:
— in the Boussinesq approximation for incompressible fluid (Eq. 4-100),
— in the outlet boundary condition for which the mass flow is imposed with pressure adapta-
tion,
— in the definition of the heat transfer coefficient when the expert parameter HTCDEF is set to
2, see section 11-2.1.5.

FINE™ 4-57
Flow Model Characteristic & Reference Values

4-58 FINE™
CHAPTER 5: Rotating Machinery

5-1 Overview
The Rotating Machinery page contains the following tab pages:
• Rotating Blocks, defining for each block typical information concerning cylindrical cases.
This page is only available when the mesh is cylindrical (see Mesh/Properties... to see
whether the mesh is cylindrical or Cartesian). See section 5-2 for more detail on this tab page.
• Rotor-Stator, defining the properties of each rotor/stator interface. This page is only available
when the mesh contains Rotor/Stator interfaces. Rotor/Stator interfaces are defined in IGG™
as ROT boundary condition. For more detail on this thumbnail see section 5-3.
• Throughflow Blocks, giving access to two-dimensional throughflow Euler simulation. This
module is only accessible for non-viscous flows (Euler has to be selected as the mathematical
model on the Flow Model page). See Chapter 6 for more details on the options available in
this tab page.

FINE™ 5-1
Rotating Machinery Rotating Blocks

5-2 Rotating Blocks

FIGURE 5.2.0-1 Rotating Blocks on Rotating Machinery Page

When selecting the Rotating Blocks thumbnail the page appears as shown in Figure 5.2.0-1. On the
left a list of all blocks is displayed. If the mesh has been made with AutoGrid™, a default grouping
per row is proposed. It is also possible to manually group the blocks that have the same properties:
1. Clicking on a block de-selects the currently selected block(s). It is possible to select several con-
secutive blocks in the list by clicking on the first one and holding the left mouse button while
selecting the next. To select a group of blocks which are not situated next to each other, click on
each of them while keeping the <Ctrl> key pressed.
2. Click on the Group button. A text box will appear just below the Group button. Place the cursor
in the text box and type the name of the group and press <Enter>. The name of the group will
appear on the list of blocks in red with a plus sign on the left of the name. To see the blocks that
are included in a certain group double click on the name of the group or click on the symbol
in front of the name.
3. To remove a group of blocks select the group and click on the Ungroup button. The group will
be removed and the blocks that were in this group will be listed again in the list as separate
blocks.
4. The Reset Turbo Groups button allows to reset the default grouping proposed by AutoGrid™.

On the right of the list with blocks, the information for the selected block or group of blocks is
given. If multiple blocks are selected the information is only displayed for the first selected block.
For each block the current and maximum number of nodes in the three grid directions is shown.
Four items need to be defined by the user: the streamwise direction, the spanwise direction, the azi-
muthal direction and the rotational speed:
— The streamwise, spanwise and azimuthal directions allow to determine the block orientation.
Please note that if AutoGrid™ is used for the grid generation, the streamwise direction is
automatically taken as being the k-direction, the spanwise direction as the j-direction and the
azimuthal direction as the i-direction.

The block orientation has an impact when using the radial equilibrium outlet (span-
wise direction used), when performing an azimuthal or surface averaging (respectively
spanwise and streamwise direction used).

5-2 FINE™
Rotor/Stator Interaction Rotating Machinery

— The EURANUS flow solver solves the equations in a relative frame of reference. This
implies that the mesh blocks surrounding rotating blades rotate with the blades and should
therefore be set as "rotating" in this page. The Rotational Speed of the block has to be given
in Revolutions Per Minute (RPM). A positive value for the rotation speed indicates a rota-
tion in positive θ-direction with θ positive according to a right handed coordinate system. In
Figure 5.2.0-2 this is illustrated for the case where the z-axis is the axis of rotation which is
automatically the case for a mesh created with AutoGrid™.

FIGURE 5.2.0-2 Positive rotation speed

The different computations in a project can not have different configuration settings. If
any of the settings in this area are changed, the modifications will be taken into account
for all (active and non-active) computations.

The rotation axis should be the z-axis in order to be compatible with the EURANUS
flow solver.

Only one rotation speed presenting an amplitude different than 0 is allowed.

5-3 Rotor/Stator Interaction


The Rotor-Stator thumbnail gives access to the definition of the rotor/stator interfaces as shown in
Figure 5.3.0-3. This thumbnail is only accessible when the mesh contains rotor/stator interfaces.
Rotor/stator interfaces are defined in IGG™ as ROT boundary condition. Consult the IGG™ User
Manual for more detailed information on how to define this boundary condition. For more theoreti-
cal information on rotor/stator interfaces see section 5-5.

The rotor/stator patches should not include regions where R=0.

On the left, the list of patches is displayed which are defined as part of a rotor/stator interface in
IGG™ (boundary condition type: ROT). It is possible to display only a limited amount of patches
by using the Filter. Type in the text box the part of the name that is common to all patches to dis-
play and press <Enter>. All patches containing in the name the entered text will be displayed. Note
that the filter is case insensitive.
It is possible to group patches that have the same definition by selecting them in the list and click-
ing on the Group button. A text box will appear below this button which allows to enter a name for
the group. The group will be displayed in red in the list of patches. Double click on the group name
to see which patches are in the group. To select multiple patches select them while keeping the

FINE™ 5-3
Rotating Machinery Rotor/Stator Interaction

<Ctrl> key pressed. To remove the group simply select the group from the list and click on
Ungroup. The patches in the selected group will be put back into the list of patches and the group
name will be removed from the list.
Multiple rotor/stator interfaces can be treated in one single project. Each rotor/stator interface is
indicated by an ID Number and each of them may contain an arbitrary number of Upstream and
Downstream patches. For each patch in the list, the ID number of the corresponding rotor/stator
interface has to be provided by the user. Also it should be specified whether the patch is located in
the upstream or downstream side of the interface. It should be mentioned that no hypothesis is made
on the direction of the flow through the interface, except when the transition module (see section 7-
5) or the stage-by-stage analysis (see section 11-3.2) is used. The purpose of the upstream and
downstream denominations is only to establish the two groups of patches belonging to respectively
the rotor and the stator side.

FIGURE 5.3.0-3 Rotor-Stator interface definition in steady mode

In addition to the ID number and the upstream/downstream side specifications the user has to select
also:
• the order of Extrapolation (zero or first order). Zero order extrapolation (default) is used in
most cases and usually provides satisfactory results. First order extrapolation may be useful in
case of important flow gradients in the direction normal to the interface together with a rela-
tively coarse mesh.
• one of the five available steady state techniques (for steady state applications only), i.e. the
Conservative Coupling by Pitchwise Rows, Local Conservative Coupling, Full Non
Matching Mixing plane, Full Non Matching Frozen Rotor and Non Reflecting 1D
approaches.
1. The Conservative Coupling by Pitchwise Rows approach is recommended due to its capability
to provide an exact conservation of mass flow, momentum and energy through the interface. This
approach adopts the same coupling procedure for all the nodes along the circumferential direction,
even if the local flow direction is different from the averaged one. This technique offers the advan-
tage of being able to guarantee a strict conservation of mass, momentum and energy through the
interface. Moreover it shows to be very robust and is therefore used by default.
2. The Local Conservative Coupling approach is only recommended for the rotor/stator interface
between an impeller and a volute. Experience has shown that in cases, where significant flow varia-
tions are observed in the circumferential direction (as for instance in the case of rotor-volute inter-

5-4 FINE™
How to Set-up a Simulation with Rotor/Stator Interfaces? Rotating Machinery

actions), it is more stable to base the flux decomposition on the local flow direction as it is done in
the Local Conservative Coupling technique. Small conservation errors can be observed with this
technique, which is therefore only used for special configurations.
3. The Full Non Matching Mixing plane approach is respecting an exact conservation of mass
flow, momentum and energy through the interface as the Conservative Coupling by Pitchwise
Rows but has less constraints on the interface geometry.
4. The Full Non Matching Frozen Rotor approach is considering the rotor/stator interface as a
perfect connection and is neglecting the rotor movement in the connecting algorithm. In this
approach, the periodicities between rotor stator must be equal.
5. The Non Reflecting 1D approach is based upon a characteristic analysis of the linearized Euler
equations. The characteristic variables are imposed on each side of the rotor/stator interface. Such a
treatment is recommended when wave reflection is observed at the interface, which can occur when
the interface is close to the blade.

The Non Reflecting 1D approach can not be used when the flow perpendicular to the
rotor/stator interface is supersonic.

The type of several rotor-stator interfaces can be changed simultaneously by selecting


one rotor-stator interface, hold the <Shift> button and left-click on the desired type of
rotor-stator interface. All other settings, such as the ID Number, will be kept.

5-4 How to Set-up a Simulation with Rotor/Stator


Interfaces?
Five different approaches are available in FINE™ to simulate the interaction between rotating and
non-rotating blocks:
Steady state:
• Mixing plane approach: a pitchwise averaging of the flow solution is performed at the rotor/
stator interface and the exchange of information at the interface depends on the local direction
of the flow. See section 5-4.1 for more detail on how to use this approach and section 5-5.2 and
section 5-5.3 for the theoretical background.
• Frozen rotor: a steady simulation of one specific position of the rotor with respect to the sta-
tor. For more information on how to set up a project according to this method see section 5-
4.2. For its theoretical background see section 5-5.5.3.
Unsteady:
• Domain scaling method: unsteady simulation in which the mesh periodicities are constrained
to be identical on both sides of the interface. See section 5-4.3 for more detail on how to use
this approach and section 5-5.5 for the theoretical background.
• Phase lagged method: unsteady simulation in which the mesh periodicities are not con-
strained to be identical on both sides of the interface. See section 5-4.4 for more detail on how
to use this approach and section 5-5.3 for the theoretical background.
• Harmonic method: like the phase-lagged method, this method only needs one inter-blade
channel per bladerow. No special requirement on the periodicities is required. The interaction
between two adjacent bladerows is modelled by computing the time harmonics of the fluctuat-
ing part of the unsteady flow along the two sides of the rotor/stator interface as well as the

FINE™ 5-5
Rotating Machinery How to Set-up a Simulation with Rotor/Stator Interfaces?

time-averaged flow. The values are calculated with respect to the matching of the unsteady
flow on both sides of the interface and are treated locally by a non-reflective treatment. A mix-
ing-plane approach is applied to the eddy-viscosity if the Spalart-Allmaras model is used. See
section 5-4.5 for more detail on how to use this approach and, section 4-3.3 and section 5-5.6
for the theoretical background.

5-4.1 Mixing Plane Approach


In the mixing plane approach the flow solution at the rotor/stator interface is azimuthally averaged
and the exchange of information at the interface depends on the local direction of the flow. In this
section it is described how to use this approach in FINE™. For more theoretical detail on the mix-
ing plane approach itself consult section section 5-5.2 and section 5-5.3.

5-4.1.1 Geometrical Constraints


The default mixing plane method (Local Conservative Coupling and Conservative Coupling by
Pitchwise Rows) used in FINE™ imposes the following geometrical constraints:
• The patches on both sides of the rotor/stator interface must cover the same range in spanwise
direction,
• The meshes need not to match in the spanwise direction, but the azimuthal mesh lines on the
boundary must be circular arcs.
An illustration of these constraints is given in Figure 5.4.1-4. Consisting of two stripes, the depicted
configuration provides a complete description of the capabilities. The upstream side of the quasi-
steady interface consists of three blocks, represented by the bold frames and the surface meshes,
while a single block is assumed for the downstream side. A gap may exist between two blocks, e.g.,
if the mixing plane coincides with the exit plane of a blade row having a blunt trailing edge. The
grid points distribution are different for each of the boundary patches involved, but the pitchwise
grid lines have constant radius and the pitchwise line along which two patches of the same side join
(e.g., BC 1 and BC 3) exists as an inner grid line on all other boundaries. In the example, the inter-
face is thus decomposed into two stripes, stripe 1, consisting of BC 1 and BC 2 on the upstream side
and BC 5 on the downstream side, and stripe 2, consisting of BC 3 and BC 4 on the upstream side
and BC 6 on the downstream side.

FIGURE 5.4.1-4 Example of stripe configuration

5-6 FINE™
How to Set-up a Simulation with Rotor/Stator Interfaces? Rotating Machinery

Another interpolation technique (Full Non Matching Mixing plane) has been implemented to
avoid those geometrical constraints. This technique is based on the full non-matching algorithm and
has clear advantages:
• The geometrical constraints have been removed, the only remaining constraint being that the
rotor/stator patches belonging to a given interface should lie on the same common axisymmet-
ric surface.
• An exact conservation of the mass flow, momentum and energy is guaranteed.

In special configurations such as rotor-volute interaction it is preferable to use Local


Conservative Coupling.

5-4.1.2 Mesh Constraints


Only one blade passage needs to be meshed for both the rotor and the stator, regardless of their
respective periodicities. The boundary condition type must be set to "ROT" in IGG™ for all grid
patches belonging to a rotor/stator interface.

5-4.1.3 FINE™ Settings


1. The mixing plane approach is a steady simulation technique which requires to set the Time
Configuration to Steady on the Flow Model page.
2. The patches that have boundary condition type "ROT" in the mesh are listed in FINE™ on the
Rotating Machinery page under the Rotor-Stator thumbnail. The user has to specify for each
of these patches:
• an ID Number that identifies the rotor/stator interface (useful for multistage configurations).
• a switch to indicate if the patch is belonging to the Upstream or Downstream part of the
rotor/stator interface.

ID = 2

Upstream Downstream

Upstream Downstream

ID = 1

Flow Direction

FIGURE 5.4.1-5 Aachen Turbine: Upstream/Downstream and ID number identification

• the boundary condition: Conservative Coupling by Pitchwise Rows, Local Conservative


Coupling, Full Non Matching Mixing plane or Non Reflecting 1D as described in section 5-
3.

FINE™ 5-7
Rotating Machinery How to Set-up a Simulation with Rotor/Stator Interfaces?

5-4.1.4 Illustrative Example


To illustrate the mixing plane approach the flow around a cube is considered as shown in
Figure 5.4.1-6. The flow is entering the domain at the bottom of the figure. The upstream portion of
the domain is the 'rotor' with a cube fixed on it. The second part is a 'stator'. Due to the pitchwise
averaging process one can see that the vortex occurring slightly downstream the 'trailing edge' of
the cube is spread when entering in the 'stator' component. If the rotational speed of the cube is
high, this approximation is acceptable since one can consider that the stator "sees" a more statisti-
cally averaged flow. If the rotational speed is low, this approximation is essentially invalid and thus
another method should be considered.

In some cases, i.e. in low pressure ratio compressors or turbines, the losses at the
rotor/stator interfaces are in the order of magnitude of the overall gain in the machine. In
such cases, it is recommended to use an unsteady approach and more specifically the har-
monic approach (section 5-4.5)

FIGURE 5.4.1-6 Flow around a cube: Mixing Plane approach

5-4.1.5 Expert Parameters


This section provides a summary of the expert parameters related to mixing plane approach.

a) Under-relaxation with Default Mixing Plane Approach


NQSTDY gives the possibility to the user to update the rotor-stator boundary conditions every
NQSTDY iterations. If the parameter NQSTDY is set to zero (default), the update is done at every
Runge-Kutta step. This is an under-relaxation technique that is rarely used.
Before the mixing process, an under-relaxation technique can be applied on the averaged variables
to stabilize the calculation:
RQSTDY = 1 (default): no relaxation
= 0 to 1: under-relaxation
This is another under-relaxation technique that allows to limit the changes in the variables from one
iteration to the next. This technique is used in special cases where stability problems are encoun-
tered.

5-8 FINE™
How to Set-up a Simulation with Rotor/Stator Interfaces? Rotating Machinery

5-4.2 Frozen Rotor


The basic idea at the origin of the frozen rotor technique consists of neglecting the rotor movement
in the connecting algorithm.
The governing equations are solved for the rotor in a rotating frame of reference, including Coriolis
and centrifugal forces; whereas, the equations for the stator are solved in a absolute reference
frame. The two components are literally connected, and hence a rotor-stator approximation is not
required, rather the continuity of velocity components and pressure is imposed. As a result, the final
steady solution will be depending on the relative position of the rotor and the stator. Unsteady 'his-
tory effect' (such as shedding separated zones) are neglected.
It is usually well accepted that the frozen rotor approach is an appropriate solution for the treatment
of rotor-volute interactions, where pitchwise variations of the flow cannot be neglected. However, it
requires the meshing of the complete impeller (all passages). Another drawback is that the flow
solution depends on the rotor position, relative to the stator.

5-4.2.1 Mesh Constraints


Exactly as for the domain scaling approach a constraint must be satisfied on the mesh periodicity.
The pitchwise distance must be the same for both sides of the rotor/stator and coincident (no gap
allowed between rotor and stator components in the pitchwise direction). For each different position
of the rotor with respect to the stator a new mesh will have to be created in IGG™ and a new steady
calculation has to be performed.

5-4.2.2 FINE™ Settings


There are three ways to run a frozen rotor calculation:
1. To mesh all blade rows completely and to use matching connections (CON) in IGG™ for the
patches at the interface of the rotor and the stator. The blocks of the rotor should be made rotat-
ing, as well as the boundary conditions. A steady calculation can be run for this configuration. A
non matching (NMB) connection can not be used in this case: even though the computation
might run the result would not be correct. This was previously the only way to perform frozen
rotor calculations in FINE™. This approach is no longer used as the constraint on matching
connections is too restrictive.

Only CON matching connections are allowed in this first method.

2. To create a mesh covering the same pitchwise distance on both sides of the interface and to
impose Full Non Matching Frozen Rotor in the Rotating Machinery page under the Rotor-
Stator thumbnail. Furthermore the user has to specify for each of these patches the ID and the
upstream/downstream location as described in section 5-4.1.3 at step 2. Therefore, the boundary
condition type must be set to "ROT" in IGG™ for all grid patches belonging to a rotor/stator
interface.
3. When starting an unsteady computation by imposing iterations as a steady initialization in the
Control Variables page, the frozen rotor technique is used during the steady iterations.

Note that for example for an impeller-volute computation the complete impeller
would need to be meshed in all three cases since the periodicity of the volute is 1.

5-4.2.3 Illustrative Example


Results obtained from frozen rotor calculations usually look similar to unsteady ones. A more
detailed analysis shows that the approximation introduced in the connection algorithm induces a
deviation of the wake when passing through the interface.

FINE™ 5-9
Rotating Machinery How to Set-up a Simulation with Rotor/Stator Interfaces?

FIGURE 5.4.2-7 Aachen Turbine: Frozen Rotor approach

As an illustration the frozen rotor method is compared to the sliding mesh approach for the Aachen
Turbine in Figure 5.4.2-7 and Figure 5.4.2-8.

FIGURE 5.4.2-8 Aachen Turbine: Domain Scaling (Sliding Mesh) approach

5-4.3 Domain Scaling Method


The Domain Scaling Method is an unsteady simulation technique for rotor/stator interfaces. The
effect of displacement due to rotation is taken into account. At each time step, the rotor is set at its
correct position and equations are solved for that particular time step for the whole computation
domain. The final solution is therefore a succession of instantaneous solutions for each increment
of the rotor position.

5-10 FINE™
How to Set-up a Simulation with Rotor/Stator Interfaces? Rotating Machinery

5-4.3.1 Mesh Constraints


The boundary condition type must be set to "ROT" in IGG™ for all grid patches belonging to a
rotor/stator interface. The blade passages of each blade row to include in the mesh should cover the
same pitch distance (have the same periodicity). If the periodicity of the rotor and the stator is not
the same this can be solved in three different ways:
• modelling a higher number of blade passages on each side to find a common periodicity,
• scaling the geometry (with the scaling being as close to 1 as possible). The common way to
scale the geometry is to modify the number of blades during the mesh generation process. The
time frequencies are resolved with an error that is proportional to the scaling coefficient.
• using the phase lagged approach explained in section 5-4.4.
Apart from this constraint on the periodicity, there is no constraint on the patches and mesh nodes
configurations.

5-4.3.2 FINE™ Settings


1. Domain Scaling Method is an unsteady simulation technique so the Time Configuration in the
Flow Model page should be set to Unsteady.
2. By default, in the Rotating Machinery page under Rotor-Stator tab page, the Domain Scaling
approach is selected. The user has to specify for each of these patches the ID and the upstream/
downstream location as described in section 5-4.1.3 at step 2. Therefore, the boundary condition
type must be set to "ROT" in IGG™ for all grid patches belonging to a rotor/stator interface.
3. The initialization process can be performed in two ways:
• A steady state initialization is performed in a separate computation with Steady as Time Con-
figuration. It is suggested to model all rotor/stator interfaces in this case using frozen rotor
approach. The unsteady domain scaling computation is using the result of this steady computa-
tion as initial solution. See Chapter 10 for more information on how to start a computation
from an initial solution file.
• The steady state initialization is automatically performed before starting the time accurate
computation (that means within the same computation), switching to Unsteady as Time Con-
figuration in the Flow Model page and selecting in the interface an appropriate Number of
Steady Iterations in the Steady Initialization parameters on the Control Variables page.
4. The Number Of Angular Positions is defined in the Control Variables page.
5. The Number Of Time Steps is defined in the Control Variables page.
6. For more info on the Outputs Files available in the Control Variables page, see section 4-2.1.

5-4.3.3 Illustrative Example


For the example case of the flow around a cube where the flow is entering the domain at the bottom
of Figure 5.4.3-9. The upstream portion of the domain is the 'rotor' with a cube fixed on it. The sec-
ond part is a 'stator'. With the domain scaling approach, one can observe a strong vortex shed into
the stator passage, leading to a correct physical simulation of the unsteady phenomenon (at the
expense of much higher CPU time compared to mixing plane approach).

FINE™ 5-11
Rotating Machinery How to Set-up a Simulation with Rotor/Stator Interfaces?

FIGURE 5.4.3-9 Flow around a cube: Domain Scaling method

5-4.3.4 Expert Parameters


The following expert parameters can be used with an unsteady computation using domain scaling
method:
Parameter for Saving/Reading of FNMB data of rotor-stator interface:
IFRSFI = 0: FNMB data computed but not saved
= 1: FNMB data computed and results saved in .adf file.
= 2 (default): FNMB data computed and results saved if the .adf file is not existing.
Results read from .adf file otherwise.
In both cases the pre-processing needs to be restarted if either the Number Of Angular Positions
or the number of grid levels is changed.
ICYOUT = 1 is used in combination with Multiple Files option to avoid overwriting of the output
files at each blade passage.

5-4.4 Phase Lagged Method


The Phase Lagged Method is an unsteady simulation technique for rotor/stator interfaces. The
effect of displacement due to rotation is taken into account. At each time step, the rotor is set at its
correct position and equations are solved for that particular time step for the whole computation
domain. The final solution is therefore a succession of instantaneous solutions for each increment
of the rotor position.
This method is allowing the user to reduce the CPU time needed for computing an unsteady simula-
tion of a turbomachinery stage (rotor-stator interaction). This capability has been implemented as
an additional functionality into the release FINE™/Turbo.

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How to Set-up a Simulation with Rotor/Stator Interfaces? Rotating Machinery

5-4.4.1 Mesh Constraints


The only constraints is that the boundary condition type must be set to "ROT" in IGG™ for all grid patches
belonging to a rotor/stator interface.

It is recommended to have an overlapping region in the circumferential direction between the


channel(s) of the rotor and the channel(s) of the stator.

5-4.4.2 FINE™ Settings


1. The Phase Lagged Method is an unsteady simulation technique so the Time Configuration in the Flow
Model page should be set to Unsteady.
2. At the top of the Rotating Machinery page, the Phase Lagged option has to be activated and under Rotor-
Stator thumbnail, the Phase Lagged approach is selected automatically. However the user has to specify for
each of these patches the ID and the upstream/downstream location as described in section 5-4.1.3 at step 2.
Therefore, the boundary condition type must be set to "ROT" in IGG™ for all grid patches belonging to a
rotor/stator interface.
3. The initialization process can be performed in two ways:
• A steady state initialization is performed in a separate computation with Steady as Time Configuration. It
is suggested to model all rotor/stator interfaces in this case using frozen rotor approach. The unsteady
phase-lagged computation is using the result of this steady computation as initial solution. See Chapter 10
for more information on how to start a computation from an initial solution file.
• The steady state initialization is automatically performed before starting the time accurate computation
(that means within the same computation), switching to Unsteady as Time Configuration in the Flow
Model page and selecting in the interface an appropriate Number of Steady Iterations in the Steady Ini-
tialization parameters on the Control Variables page.
4. The Number Of Angular Positions defined in the Control Variables page is the number of time steps per
full revolution (2π) of the rotor. In theory, the number of time steps per full rotation has to be a multiple of
the number of blades in the rotor (Nbrotor) and number of blades in the stator (Nbstator).
Number Of Angular Positions = i x Nbrotor x Nbstator

The two periods of blade passing frequencies are respectively (ixNbrotorx∆t) and (ixNbstatorx∆t).
Since the number of time steps per passage is usually imposed around 40, the value of i should be
adjusted so that (ixNbrotor) and (ixNbstator) are both close to this number. By experience, if the
number of time steps per passage is lower than 30 the solution starts to be deteriorated.
5. The Number Of Time Steps in the Control Variable page is defined as:
Number Of Time Steps = j x (Number Of Angular Positions)/min(Nbrotor,Nbstator)

During the calculation, it is recommended to repeat the longer period at least 15 to 20 times (j
evolves from 15 to 20). By experience, usually after 20 times (j=20), the flow becomes periodic.
There is thus no need to make many full rotations and sometimes even one full rotation.
6. For more info on the Outputs Files available in the Control Variables page, see section 4-2.1.

By default, the Phase Lagged method computes the viscous fluxes at the rotor/stator interface by
extrapolation from dummy cell values, set from same side inner cells (more details can be found in
section 5-5.5.2).

FINE™ 5-13
Rotating Machinery How to Set-up a Simulation with Rotor/Stator Interfaces?

5-4.4.3 Expert Parameters


The following expert parameters can be used with an unsteady computation using phase lagged
method:
ICYOUT = 1 is used in combination with Multiple Files option to avoid overwriting of the output
files at each blade passage.
RELPHL = 0.5 0.5 (default) if necessary, under-relaxation factor can be applied on Periodic and R/
S boundary conditions by reducing the two values of the expert parameter for respectively the peri-
odic and the R/S boundary conditions.
NPLOUT = 0 (default) enables to visualize multiple non periodic passage output in CFView™ by
loading the corresponding ".cfv" file.

5-4.5 Harmonic Method


The harmonic method provides unsteady flow results with considerably less constraints than the
domain scaling and phase-lagged methods.

5-4.5.1 Mesh Constraints


Like the phase-lagged approach, it is necessary to set the grid patches of a rotor/stator interface to
the boundary condition type "ROT".
No specific azimuthal position of the blade channels is requested by the harmonic method, but it is
recommended to have an overlapping region in the circumferential direction between the rotor and
the stator channel. This is only for post-processing purposes. Visualization of the flow across the
interface is much clearer.
Mesh resolution in the tangential direction:
The harmonic method is based on the spatial Fourier decomposition of the time-averaged flow and
the harmonics in the tangential direction.
To guarantee at least 30 grid nodes in the azimuthal direction to represent in space the first har-
monic (or fundamental) of a periodic disturbance at the inlet/outlet of a row, the number of nodes in
the tangential direction of the row channel should be 30 times the number of blades of the adjacent
bladerow generating this harmonic divided by the number of the blades of the row. The narrower
the adjacent bladerow channels, the more refined the channel should be.
This number of nodes is directly proportional to the number of harmonics selected for the harmonic
simulation (number of harmonics per perturbation in the Flow Model page).
For example, for a stator/rotor/stator configuration, where the number of blades in the rotor and sta-
tors are Nbrotor, Nbstator 1 and Nbstator 2 and NH is the number of harmonics:

Nb rotor
Number Of Points in Azimuthal Direction in stator 1: 30 x --------------------
- x NH
Nb stator1

Number Of Points in Azimuthal Direction in rotor:

Nb stator1 Nb stator2
max(30 x --------------------- x NH, 30 x --------------------- x NH)
Nb rotor Nb rotor

Nb rotor
Number Of Points in Azimuthal Direction in stator 2: 30 x --------------------- x NH
Nb stator2

5-14 FINE™
How to Set-up a Simulation with Rotor/Stator Interfaces? Rotating Machinery

5-4.5.2 FINE™ Settings


1. The harmonic method is a hybrid method. Unsteady flow results are obtained by the solving of
pseudo-steady transport equations like in steady flow simulation. These pseudo-steady transport
equations are solved for the time-averaged flow and for the harmonics of the periodic unsteady distur-
bances about the time-averaged flow. The Time Configuration in the Flow Model page should be set
to Harmonic.
2. Under the Rotor-Stator thumbnail of the Rotating Machinery page, the type of rotor/stator treat-
ment is automatically selected. The full non-matching technique is used like in a mixing-plane simu-
lation. However, the mixing-plane method is used only for the time-averaged Spalart-Allmaras eddy-
viscosity. In particular, it includes a part of the deterministic stress that appears because of the time-
averaging of the advective fluxes of the eddy-viscosity transport equation. All the other flow variables
are treated by a connection algorithm based on the spatial Fourier decomposition of the time-averaged
flow and the harmonics (see section 4-3.3 and section 5-5.6). The user has to specify for each of the
patches the ID and the upstream/downstream location as described in section 5-4.1.3 at step 2.
3. The initialization should be performed using a steady state initialization performed in a separate com-
putation for which the Time Configuration is set to Steady. For this computation, it is suggested to
model the rotor/stator interface using the Non Reflecting 1D treatment. The result of this computa-
tion is used as the initial solution for the harmonic run. See Chapter 10 for more information on how
to start a computation from an initial solution file.

5-4.5.3 Illustrative Example


Results obtained from harmonic calculations using two harmonics.

FIGURE 5.4.5-10 Aachen Turbine: entropy at 50% spanwise

5-4.5.4 Expert Parameters


The following expert parameter are related to the reconstruction in time of a harmonic computation and
are accessible on the Control Variables page by selecting the Expert Mode.
NDTREC:
Number of instantaneous solutions per maximum blade passing period. Default = 10.
NREPCH = array (NREPCHrow1, …, NREPCHrow50)
Number of repeated blade channels for each row. Default = (0, …, 0).

FINE™ 5-15
Rotating Machinery Theoretical Background on Rotor/Stator Interfaces

5-5 Theoretical Background on Rotor/Stator


Interfaces
5-5.1 Introduction
The relative motion between successive blade rows together with boundary layers, wakes, shocks
and tip leakage jets are the major sources of unsteadiness that may affect a turbomachinery flow
locally or as it travels through the next rows. All these interactions are strongly coupled, increasing
in magnitude as the gap between successive blade rows is decreased, and affecting consequently the
performance of the machine.
Solving for such flows requires an unsteady and viscous flow solver with the capability to manage
enormous data storage. One way to optimize the computer memory requirement is to resolve the
steady flowfield on a truncated computational domain. This requires a pitchwise averaging process
to be performed at the so-called rotor/stator interfaces. This particular boundary condition is availa-
ble under the FINE™/Turbo environment as the mixing plane approach. The rotor-stator interaction
is done by exchanging circumferentially averaged flow quantities. Physically, this means that the
blade wake or separation occurring in the blade passage are mixed circumferentially before entering
the downstream component. As a result, the velocity components and pressure is uniform in the cir-
cumferential direction at the rotor/stator interface. This physical approximation tends to become
more acceptable as rotational speed is increased. This mixing plane technique is by far the most
used rotor/stator modeling in industry approach. See section 5-5.2 and section 5-5.3 for more detail
on the mixing plane approach.
The second step allowing for a higher level of accuracy consists of considering an unsteady rotor/
stator interaction. Various techniques allowing to treat configurations with an arbitrary number of
blades in the rotor and the stator have been proposed by many authors (Giles, 1990, Lemeur, 1992,
Erdos et al, 1977, He, 1997), each of them having their own advantages and disadvantages, each of
them affecting differently the memory requirement, solution time and the most important parame-
ter, the accuracy of the computed flow solution. But none of these techniques allows to resolve on a
truncated computational domain all time frequencies present in the turbomachinery configuration,
except if the pitch distance is the same in the successive rotors and stators. In fact, each of them are
affecting the computed time frequencies and Fourier modes that are propagating the flow informa-
tion inside the gap region.
The Domain Scaling Method is another type of unsteady rotor/stator interface treatment (Rai,
1989), that has been selected and implemented in the EURANUS flow solver. This technique is
based on the constraint that the pitch distance must be identical on both sides of the interface. If the
numbers of blades in the rotor and the stator are different, this implies either to increase the number
of passages modelled or to scale the geometry. The Domain Scaling Method presents the advantage
that it allows to resolve all time frequencies with an error that is proportional to the scaling coeffi-
cient. The accuracy of the computed unsteady flow solution may then be improved at the expense
of more data storage and larger solution time if more blade passages are considered.
Finally, the Phase Lagged Method is the last type of unsteady rotor/stator interface treatment that
has been selected and implemented in the EURANUS flow solver. This technique is removing the
Domain Scaling constraint that the pitch distance must be identical on both sides of the interface.
The Phase Lagged Method presents the advantage that it allows to resolve all time frequencies with
an error that is proportional to the scaling coefficient. The accuracy of the computed unsteady flow
solution may then be improved at the expense of more data storage and larger solution time if more
blade passages are considered.

5-16 FINE™
Theoretical Background on Rotor/Stator Interfaces Rotating Machinery

5-5.2 Default Mixing Plane Approach


5-5.2.1 Geometrical and Topological Constraints
The rotor-stator interfaces are defined by stripes. A stripe is the element along which the required
averaging in tangential direction is carried out. It is composed of a number of boundary patches
which must cover the same range in the spanwise direction. The upstream and the downstream
sides are distinguished. Each boundary condition must belong either to the upstream or to the
downstream side. These two sides communicate through the exchange of pitch-averaged variables.
The meshes do not need to match in the spanwise direction, but the azimuthal mesh lines on the
boundaries must be circular arcs.

5-5.2.2 Communication Process


On both sides, the flow state is extrapolated from the inner cells onto the interface. It is then inter-
polated onto meshes that share the same spanwise grid point distribution on both sides. The pitch-
wise averaging is carried out on those meshes and the mixing process, depending on the boundary
condition type, is applied. This mixing process combines the variable on one side of the interface
with the pitchwise averaged variables of the other side. Once the mixing process is completed, the
flow state is interpolated back onto the initial mesh interface and the dummy cells are set to impose
the calculated variables on the interface.
The extrapolation of the flow state from the inner cells onto the interface can be done using differ-
ent techniques. These are the same as those used by the outlet boundary conditions exposed in sec-
tion 8-5.
Before the mixing process, the averaged variables can be underrelaxed to stabilize the calculation.
The relaxation factor is user input (RQSTDY), the default value being 1, which means that no
under-relaxation is performed in the default configuration of the solver. The possibility is given to
the user to update the rotor-stator boundary conditions every NQSTDY iterations. If the parameter
NQSTDY is set to zero (default), the update is done at every Runge-Kutta step.

5-5.2.3 Different Available Boundary Conditions


The rotor/stator interface included in the EURANUS flow solver exchange the mass, momentum,
and energy fluxes instead of the classical primitive variables. The advantage of a flux-based
approach is that a more strict global conservation through the interface is ensured. Two kinds of
boundary conditions are currently available and are described in this paragraph:
• The local conservative coupling (with flux decoding),
• The conservative coupling by pitchwise rows (no flux decoding).

a) Local Conservative Coupling (With Flux Decoding):


On each mesh point of both sides of the interface, a test is done to detect whether the interface can
be considered as a sub- or supersonic in- or outlet. Then a transfer of the fluxes and pressure from
the other side is performed depending on the result of the test.
• If the side is considered as a supersonic inlet, all the averaged fluxes from the other side are
taken with the averaged pressure.
• If the side is considered as a subsonic inlet, the averaged fluxes are taken from the other side.
The local pressure is kept.
• If the side is considered as a subsonic outlet, only the pressure is transferred from the other
side. The local fluxes are kept.
• If the side is considered as a supersonic outlet, nothing is taken from the other side.

FINE™ 5-17
Rotating Machinery Theoretical Background on Rotor/Stator Interfaces

Once the transfer is completed, a decoding of the fluxes with pressure is carried out on each side
with the formulas which depend on the type of fluid.
Compressible flows

For compressible flows, the density, velocity vector and pressure are derived from Q ρ, Q v, Q E ,
respectively the flux of mass, the flux of momentum plus the pressure force and the flux of energy.
The other variables such as k or ε are also derived from their fluxes. They are referred to, in the fol-
lowing as X an QX. The fluxes are constructed from the primitive variables using:

Qρ = ρ ( V ⋅ S )

Q v = ρV ( V ⋅ S )
. (5-1)
2
Q E = ρ ( CpT + V ⁄ 2 ) ( V ⋅ S )

Q X = ρX ( V ⋅ S )

where ρ is the density, V the absolute velocity vector, T the temperature, Cp the heat capacity and
S the surface vector of the cell face. After application of the mixing process the primitive variables
are calculated from the fluxes using:

2 ·
⎛ Qv ⋅ S ⎞
2
Qv ⋅ S ( γ – 1 ) ( Q v – ( 2Q ρ Q E ) )
- ± ⎜ ----------------------⎟ + ----------------------------------------------------------
p s = ---------------------
2
S (γ + 1) ⎝ S 2 ( γ + 1 )⎠ 2
S (γ + 1)

Qv – ps S
v = -------------------
-
Qρ (5-2)

ρ = ----------
v⋅S
QX
X = -------

where γ is the specific heat ratio.


Incompressible flows

For incompressible flows, the velocity vector and pressure are derived from Q ρ, Q v , respectively
the flux of mass and the flux of momentum plus the pressure force (See Eq. 5-1). The other varia-
bles like k or ε are also derived from their fluxes. They are referred to, in the following, as X and
QX. As far as the energy equation is concerned, the temperature is also derived from its flux like the
other X variables.

2
( Qv ⋅ S – Qρ ⁄ ρ )
p s = --------------------------------------
2
S

( Qv – ps S ) (5-3)
V = -------------------------

Q
X = ------X-

5-18 FINE™
Theoretical Background on Rotor/Stator Interfaces Rotating Machinery

b) Conservative Coupling by Pitchwise Rows (No Flux Decoding):


The local conservative coupling approach presents two weaknesses:
• The decoding of the fluxes might in some case lead to a blow up of the process, especially at
transonic flow conditions, because of the presence of a square root in Eq. 5-2, whose positivity
is not always guaranteed.
• The local approach may lead to opposite decisions on the flow direction for the corresponding
mesh points of both sides of the interface, which as a consequence decreases the accuracy on
the global conservation.
Therefore a new boundary conditions has been developed, in which the decision on the direction of
the flow is taken only once per pitchwise row, and which avoids the fluxes decoding. This new
boundary condition has shown to be more robust in most cases and guarantees a strict global con-
servation. As mentioned in section 5-3 the only type of application for which a local approach
would better suit is the impeller-volute interaction.

5-5.3 Full Non-matching Technique for Mixing Planes


5-5.3.1 Concept
The major purpose of the development of the new mixing plane module was the elimination of the
geometrical constraints imposed by the previous module.
The new module uses the concept of image. An image of the real mesh patches is built on both
sides of the interface, the left and right images respecting the above constraints and being in addi-
tion matching in the spanwise direction. The only remaining constraints are the following:
• the hub and the shroud lines are assumed to be located on a circular arc, and each extremity of
the hub and shroud lines should coincide with one corner of one of the patches.
• all patches constituting a rotor/stator interface should form a filled closed surface with no gap
• the rotor/stator patches should be fully included in the rotor/stator interface: contrary to the full
non matching algorithm, which includes an automatic detection of the connection zone, and in
which the patches can then be partially connected, the rotor/stator module assumes that the
patches are fully connected.

FIGURE 5.5.3-11 Creation of the image mesh

FINE™ 5-19
Rotating Machinery Theoretical Background on Rotor/Stator Interfaces

One image mesh is constructed on both sides of the interface. It respects the following constraints:
• The image is a "concatenation" of all the patches constituting the left or right side of the inter-
face.
• The pitchwise mesh lines lie on circular arcs.
• The left and right images have the same spanwise distribution of the nodes.
• The mesh density of the image is similar to the one of the initial patch.
The creation of the image mesh is illustrated by Figure 5.5.3-11, showing the creation of the image
of a butterfly configuration. With the previous version of the mixing plane module such a configu-
ration would have required the creation of an intermediate block with one face connected to the but-
terfly and the opposite face respecting the constraints of rotor/stator patches.

5-5.3.2 Implementation of Mixing Plane Approach with Full Non


Matching Technique
The communication algorithm between rotors and stators is organised in several steps:
1. Extrapolation of the flow solution from the inner cells to the boundary: the cylindrical velocity
components are extrapolated.
2. Sending of the flow solution from the initial mesh to the image (on both sides): an interpolation
tree is built between the image and the initial mesh, by applying the full non matching connect-
ing algorithm.
3. Application of the mixing plane algorithm between the left and right images, with construction
of flux variables to be imposed on the left and right side.
4. Sending of the fluxes from the image to the initial meshes: this is again performed with the aid
of the full non matching algorithm, which allows for an exactly conservative distribution of the
calculated fluxes throughout the cells. The transformation of the flux variables to the primitive
ones is not required, as the fluxes are directly added to the residuals of the finite volume
scheme, without the use of the dummy cells.
The mixing plane algorithm implementation is similar to the one of the previous module. Only the
conservative coupling by pitchwise rows has been implemented. The algorithm is organised under
the following steps:
1. Calculation of the flux variables on both sides

F 1 = ρV n ∆S

F 2 = ρV r V n ∆S

F 3 = ρV θ V n ∆S

F 4 = ρV z V n ∆S

F 5 = ρHV n ∆S

2. For all spanwise positions perform a pitchwise averaging of the flux and of the primitive varia-
bles.
3. For all spanwise positions determine the upstream and downstream side according to the flow
direction, and build the mixing plane fluxes.

5-20 FINE™
Theoretical Background on Rotor/Stator Interfaces Rotating Machinery

The local fluxes on the upstream side are taken from the upstream, with a contribution of the aver-
aged downstream static pressure.:
ups ups
F1 = F1
ups ups down
F2 = F2 + p n r ∆S
ups ups
F3 = F3
ups ups down
F4 = F4 + p n z ∆S
ups ups
F5 = F5

On the downstream side the local fluxes are taken as the averaged fluxes on the upstream side with
a contribution of the local static pressure:
down ups
F1 = F1
down ups down
F2 = F2 + p n r ∆S
down ups
F3 = F3
down ups down
F4 = F4 + p n z ∆S
down ups
F5 = F5

5-5.4 1D Non Reflecting


5-5.4.1 Concept
Because of the strong interaction between neighbouring rows, the flow in multistage turbomachin-
ery is rather complex. This complexity is increased by the difficulty that CFD codes have to handle
rotor-stator interfaces located close to blade rows. In such configurations, spurious, non-physical
reflections of steady waves - such as shock waves -can occur at boundaries.

Without IGV

Reflecting R/S Non Reflecting R/S

FIGURE 5.5.4-12 Relative Mach number at 95% spanwise position for a multistage
compressor

FINE™ 5-21
Rotating Machinery Theoretical Background on Rotor/Stator Interfaces

A common way to cope with this problem is to use a steady-state non reflecting boundary condition
based upon a characteristic analysis of the linearized Euler equations [Giles, 1988]. The characteris-
tic variables are imposed on each side of the rotor-stator interface. On a downstream patch the
entropy wave, two vorticity waves and the downstream running pressure wave are imposed,
whereas the upstream running pressure wave is imposed on the upstream patch.
Though the methodology is based on the linearized Euler equations, it could be applied to viscous
flows. Nonetheless, such an approach should be restricted to cases where the pitchwise variations
are much smaller than the pitch average quantities.
The use of this rotor-stator interface is limited to non-preconditioned perfect gas. It should be
noted that this method uses the Full Non-Matching technique and that the geometrical constraints
associated with the default mixing plane approach are eliminated. The procedure described bellow
is performed on the image meshes.

5-5.4.2 Characteristic Variables


The characteristic variables (ci) are determined in terms of perturbations to the average flow field:

c1
1 ρ –ρ
2
–c 0 0 0
c2 0 0 ρc 0 0 u –u
c3 = 0 0 0 ρc 0 v –v (5-4)

c4 0 ρc 0 0 1 w –w
c5 0 –ρ c 0 0 1 p –p

where ρ is the density, u is the velocity normal to the boundary considered, v and w are the tangen-
tial velocities, and p the pressure. The upper bar designs the averaging procedure. c is the speed of
sound. The characteristic variables are:
• c1: the linearized perturbation in entropy.
• c2 and c3: the tangential velocity.
• c4: the downstream running pressure wave.
• c5: the upstream running pressure wave.

Downstream of the rotor/stator interface the fourth first incoming characteristics are specified,
whereas the fifth characteristic is specified upstream of the rotor/stator interface. For instance if a
stator is located upstream of a rotor, at the stator outflow the imposed characteristic is c5 = 0 and at
the rotor inflow the imposed characteristics are c1 = c2 = c3 = c4 = 0
The other characteristics are computed using Eq. 5-4. The averaged vector used is composed of the
five flux-averaged quantities as computed by Eq. 5-2 on the opposite side of the rotor/stator inter-
face. For instance, the flux-averaged quantities computed on the downstream side are used in order
to compute the characteristic variables on the upstream side. Eq. 5-4 is inverted in order to recom-
pute the new primitive variables on the boundary.
In should be noted that the full non-matching mixing plane approach already described above is
used for the turbulent quantities.

5-22 FINE™
Theoretical Background on Rotor/Stator Interfaces Rotating Machinery

5-5.4.3 Expert Parameters


In some particular cases, a problem of mass flow conservation through a 1D non reflecting rotor-stator
interface can arise. This can be improved by de-activating the local enthalpy correction, which can be
controlled by following expert parameter:
LOCCOR= 0: local enthalpy correction de-activated
= 1 (default): local enthalpy correction activated

5-5.4.4 References
Giles, MB (1988), ’Non-reflecting boundary conditions for the Euler equations’. Technical Report TR-
88-1, MIT Computational Fluid Dynamics Laboratory.

5-5.5 Domain Scaling Method


The Domain Scaling Method considers in the computational domain respectively K1 and K2 blade pas-
sages with the following condition to be satisfied:

K1 P1 = K2 P2 . (5-5)

where the indices 1 & 2 refer to the upstream and downstream sides of the interface, and P1 & P2 are
the pitches of the two connected blade rows.
If the numbers of blades in respectively the rotor and the stator are not equal, the user should make the
choice between:
• modelling a higher number of blade passages (or even the entire machine if a common multiple
can not be found). If for instance the numbers of blades are 16 & 24, the numbers of passages to
model are respectively 3 & 2. This permits to avoid the introduction of an error due to the geome-
try scaling, at the cost of an increased memory requirement.
• scaling the geometry. The easiest way to proceed in order to obtain the required scaling is to gen-
erate a mesh with a blade number different from the real one. The ratio between the modified and
the real blade numbers should be as close as possible to 1.0.
In some cases the most appropriate treatment may be a combination of the 2 above approaches. If for
instance the numbers of blades are 18 & 24, one could scale the stator by changing the number of
blades from 18 to 16, and then choose to model 2 & 3 passages. The scaling factor is then 1.125,
instead of 1.33 in case only one blade passage is modelled.
The major advantage of having the same pitch distance on both sides of the interface is that it permits
to avoid considering any time periodicity in the boundary condition treatment. The boundary condi-
tions to be imposed along the periodic boundaries inside the gap region are given by

R R R R
U i ( r, θ i , z, t ) = U i ( r, θ i ± p, z, t ) i = 1, 2 , (5-6)

where p = K 1 P 1 is the pitch distance on both sides of the interface. The “+” sign is to be used when
imposing boundary conditions on the lower periodic segment (minimum azimuthal coordinates) and
the “-” sign is to be used for the higher periodic segment (maximum azimuthal coordinates). Along the
rotor/stator interface, the boundary condition is defined as

R(i) R(i) R(i) R ( i) m∈Z


Ui ( r, θ i , z, t ) = U 3 – i ( r, θ i – mp, z, t ) , (5-7)
i = 1, 2

FINE™ 5-23
Rotating Machinery Theoretical Background on Rotor/Stator Interfaces

R(i)
where the parameter m is selected such that the point θ i – mp is part of the computational
domain of row 3-i to allow for the interpolation across the interface. Since only the spatial periodic-
ity is accounted for in the connecting boundary condition, the periodic surfaces become simple non-
matching rotating boundaries, while the interface is a non-matching connecting boundary. The solu-
tion procedure is then as follows, for each physical time t:
• Rotate the grid in function of the physical time step and of the rotation speed of each row.
• Resolve the flowfield at the given physical time t. The boundary conditions to be imposed
along the periodic segments are defined by equation Eq. 5-6. The boundary condition to be
imposed along the interface boundary is defined by equation Eq. 5-7.
• Save the flow solution for future post-processing.
This method does not impose any time periodicity in the boundary condition treatment and thus,
allows to capture all time frequencies of the various unsteady interactions, but occurring on a mod-
ified geometry due to the grid scaling. The effect of the grid scaling on the accuracy of the com-
puted flow solution is of great importance when comparing computational results with the
experimental data, as another one-stage configuration has been truly resolved. These effects may be
summarized as:
• a shift in the spectrum of time frequencies for the blade row that has not been scaled.
• the modification in both blade rows of the Fourier modes that are propagating the flow infor-
mation.
The unsteady governing flow equations are resolved in the relative system of each row. Thus, no
grid rotation needs to be performed at each physical time step and only the interpolation data struc-
ture needs to be modified in function of the relative position of each component. For example, a
downstream rotor will see an upstream stator moving in the opposite direction of its own rotation
velocity, while the upstream stator will see the rotor moving in the direction of the rotor rotation
velocity.

Finally, the previous implementation lets the rotor do the full rotation. The problem in this method
is that the rotor and the stator are in front of each other for a little fraction of time. During this time,
no time shift is necessary at the R/S interface which acts then as a pure connection. The modifica-
tion proposed aims at increasing the time during which the R/S interface acts as a connection. To
perform this, only the periods during which the rotor and the stator are in front of each other, are
repeated. But, since the length of the periods are different in the 2 blades rows, the solution has to
be stored and reset in the row with the smallest period.
Example: if row 1 has the highest number of blades and therefore is submitted to the larger period,
this last period T1 is repeated over and over, while a fractional number of periods will be simulated
in row 2. The solution is thus stored at the end of the last completed period in row 2, to be reused at
the beginning of each T1. This method increases a lot the speed of exchange between the two blade
rows. It increases also the robustness of the computation.

5-5.5.1 Full Non-matching Approach


The FNMB approach is used for the domain scaling method as it presents several advantages:
• smaller pre-processing CPU time,
• smaller memory requirement,
• strict conservation of mass, momentum and energy.
The implementation is practically identical to the one that is adopted in the steady state frozen rotor
approach. The FNMB connecting algorithm is used in order to exchange the flow variables and

5-24 FINE™
Theoretical Background on Rotor/Stator Interfaces Rotating Machinery

fluxes between the left and right image. The difference in the case of unsteady calculations is that
the boundary condition patches linked to the rotor side need to be positioned according to the cur-
rent time step.
This implementation is organised in nearly the same way as the mixing plane approach, except
from the fact that the mixing plane technique applied between the two image must be replaced by
an additional full non-matching connection. The global organisation is the following:
1. Extrapolate the inner flow solution to boundary condition patches (on both sides),
2. Interpolate the flow solution from initial patches to the image (on both sides),
3. Full non-matching connection between the two images (with appropriate rotation of the rotor-
linked image),
4. Transfer of the calculated fluxes to the initial boundary condition patches.

5-5.5.2 Rotor/Stator Viscous Fluxes


The current implementation simply interpolates the value from the other side inner cells to the
dummy cells, reproducing the correct behaviour of a connection (Figure 5.5.5-13).

FIGURE 5.5.5-13 Rotor/stator interface improvement: viscous fluxes continuity

X’ and X” are respectively extrapolated on R/S interface from X3 and X4. Then X2’ is interpolated
from X’ and X”. Finally, X2” is defined in the dummy cell by extrapolating X2 (result coming from
the stator) and X2’ (result coming from the rotor). This last method is automatically activated for all
computations. It can be de-activated through the expert parameter IRSVFL (by default set to 1), by
setting it to 0.

The old implementation of the R/S interface (IRSVFL = 0), only ensures the continu-
ity of the inviscid fluxes. The viscous fluxes are computed at the interface from the value
in the dummy cells which are extrapolated from the inner cells.

5-5.5.3 Frozen Rotor


The frozen rotor technique consists of a simple connecting boundary condition, ignoring the rota-
tion of the rotor. The implementation is identical to the one adopted in the full non-matching
domain scaling approach (section 5-5.5.1), except from the fact that no rotation of the rotor-linked
image is performed, allowing the creation of a steady-state solution.

FINE™ 5-25
Rotating Machinery Theoretical Background on Rotor/Stator Interfaces

5-5.5.4 References
Erdos J.I., Alzner E. & McNally W. (1977), Numerical Solution of Periodic Transonic Flow
Through a Fan Stage, AIAA Journal, Vol. 15, No. 11, pp. 1559-1568
Giles M.B. (1990), Stator/Rotor Interaction in a Transonic Turbine, Journal of Propulsion, pp. 621-
627
He L. (1997), Computational Study of Rotating-Stall Inception in Axial Compressors, Journal of
Propulsion & Power, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 31-38
Lemeur A. (1992), Calculs 3D stationnaire et instationnaire dans un étage de turbine transonique,
AGARD Report CP-510
Rai M.M. (1989), Three-Dimensional Navier-Stokes Simulations of Turbine Rotor-Stator Interac-
tion; Part I - Methodology and Part II - Results, Journal of Propulsion, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 305-319
Van Leer B. (1985), Upwind-Difference Methods for Aerodynamic Flows Governed by the Euler
Equation, Lectures in Applied Mathematics, Vol. 23, Part 2, AMS, Providence, pp. 327-336

5-5.6 Harmonic Method


The rotor/stator interface is treated in order to respect the matching of the solution between the
upstream and downstream sides. The goal is to lead to the continuity of the unsteady flow across the
interface. Since the harmonic method uses a limited number of harmonics, this continuity cannot be
rigorously reproduced but the treatment is such that the observed discontinuity in the numerical
results decreases with a higher number of harmonics.
This analysis is based on the Fourier decomposition of the unsteady flow in space (azimuthal) and
in time along the interface (more details in section 4-3.3). The primitive flow variables can be rep-
resented by a first decomposition formulated along the downstream side, and also a second decom-
position formulated along the upstream side, because of the relative motion of the bladerows. A
necessary condition of the equality of the two definitions is obtained that, together with the phase-
lag periodicity condition, is equivalent to the chorochronic conditions demonstrated by Gerolymos
et al (2002). This yields a relation between the time harmonics of the unsteady flow on both sides of
the interface. This matching condition is applied to the discrete number of time harmonics consid-
ered by the harmonic method. Since the time harmonics are periodic in space over the bladerow, a
spatial Fourier decomposition of these time harmonics is also written. This, together with the
matching condition leads to a reconstruction of the harmonic and the time-averaged flow variables
at the rotor/stator interface. The continuity of the unsteady flow across the rotor/stator interface is
exactly satisfied for an infinite number of time harmonics. The implemented harmonic method
should approach this continuity, the discontinuity error due to the finite number of harmonics being
reduced if the number of harmonics is higher.
Incoming and outgoing characteristics are calculated from these reconstructed harmonic and time-
mean values. These local characteristic values are injected in a local non-reflective boundary treat-
ment. This is different from the treatment where the time-averaged flow is treated via a non-reflect-
ing flux-averaged algorithm (Saxer and Giles, 1993, and Chen et al, 2001, using the harmonic
method).

5-5.6.1 References
Adamczyk, J. J. (1985), ’Model Equations for Simulating Flows in Multistage-Turbomachinery’,
ASME Paper 85-GT-226.
Chen, T., Vasanthakumar, P., and He, L. (2001), ’Analysis of Unsteady Blade Row Interaction
Using Nonlinear Harmonic Approach’, AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 17, No.3.

5-26 FINE™
Theoretical Background on Rotor/Stator Interfaces Rotating Machinery

Gerolymos, G. A., Michon, G. J., and Neubauer, J. (2002), ’Analysis and Application of Choro-
chronic Periodicity in Turbomachinery Rotor/Stator Interaction Computations’, AIAA Journal of
Propulsion and Power, Vol. 18, No. 6.
He, L. and Ning, W. (1998) ’Efficient Approach for Analysis of Unsteady Viscous Flows in Tur-
bomachines’, AIAA Journal, Vol. 36, No. 11.
Saxer, A. P. and Giles, M. B. (1993), ’Quasi-Three-Dimensional Nonreflecting Boundary Condi-
tions for Euler Equations Calculations’, AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 9, No. 2.
Vilmin S., Lorrain E., Hirsch C., Swoboda M. (2006) ’Unsteady Flow Modeling Across The Rotor/
Stator Interface Using The Nonlinear Harmonic Method’, ASME Turbo Expo 2006, Barcelona.

FINE™ 5-27
Rotating Machinery Theoretical Background on Rotor/Stator Interfaces

5-28 FINE™
CHAPTER 6: Throughflow Model

6-1 Overview
The Throughflow module is intended for the design and the analysis of turbomachinery flows. This
kind of simulation is based on the two-dimensional steady state axisymmetric Euler equations with
a specific model for blade rows. It is fully integrated in EURANUS, the three-dimensional Euler-
Navier-Stokes flow solver. As a consequence:
• Options that apply to comparable 3D calculations also apply to throughflow calculations: the
physical fluid model, the boundary conditions, the spatial and time discretization, the conver-
gence acceleration techniques and the output, including data for visualization.
• The code accepts any number of blade rows.
• Throughflow blocks can be combined with 3D blocks in a single computation.
• Any improvement introduced in the 3D solver also applies to the throughflow blocks.

The throughflow simulation should be used only with the perfect gas model currently
available through the FINE™ interface.
The throughflow simulation can be activated directly from the FINE™ interface by clicking on the
Throughflow Blocks thumbnail in the Rotating Machinery page. This thumbnail is only accessi-
ble when the Mathematical Model is set to Euler in the Flow Model page. In the next section the
Throughflow Blocks option in the FINE™ interface is described including all related parameters.
Finally, section 6-5 provides its theoretical background.

FINE™ 6-1
Throughflow Model Throughflow Blocks in the FINE™ GUI

6-2 Throughflow Blocks in the FINE™ GUI


When selecting this tab page the page as displayed in Figure 6.2.0-1 is appearing. Two sections are
displayed: Global parameters and Block dependent parameters. The global parameters affect
all throughflow blocks, while the block dependent parameters can be tuned independently for each
throughflow block.

FIGURE 6.2.0-1Throughflow Blocks in Rotating Machinery page

6-2.1 Global Parameters


The Global parameters section for the throughflow method only concerns the time discretization
of the blade force equation (see section 6-5.1). The Relaxation factor determines the amplitude of
the blade force updates and can be interpreted as a CFL number whose value can be different from
the one that is adopted for the other equations. The default value is 1. The optimal value usually
varies between 0.5 and 5. Higher values result in faster convergence, but can lead to divergence if
the stability limit is exceeded.

6-2.2 Block Dependent Parameters


The Block dependent parameters section is subdivided into two areas. The left area is dedicated
to the block selection. The right area allows to specify the throughflow parameters for the selected
block(s). The Apply to Selection button assigns to the selected block(s) the values of the parameters
specified in the right area.
One or several blocks may be selected in the left area by simply clicking on them. Clicking on a
block unselects the currently selected block(s). Clicking on several blocks while simultaneously
pressing the <Ctrl> key allows to select a group of blocks.

6-2.2.1 Block Type: Throughflow or 3D


Two toggle buttons are provided to specify the block type: 3D or Throughflow. The 3D choice dis-
ables the throughflow method for the selected block(s). This is the default. It is also the required
setting for 3D blocks coupled with throughflow blocks in a single computation. Each throughflow
block contains exactly one blade row, with a mesh configuration that corresponds to the one pre-
scribed in section 6-2.3.

6-2 FINE™
Throughflow Blocks in the FINE™ GUI Throughflow Model

Two different types of throughflow blocks are available. The Throughflow module is fully active
by selecting either the Compressor or Turbine options. The difference between the two lies in the
definition of the loss coefficient: for a turbine the pressure used as reference is taken at the trailing
edge and for a compressor at the leading edge.

6-2.2.2 Analysis or Design Mode


Two main working modes are available:
• Classical Analysis: the blade geometry is known, and the user specifies the relative flow angle
distribution along the trailing edge. The leading edge flow angle distribution results from the
calculation and the user specifies the type of streamwise distribution to be used between the
leading and trailing edges.
• Design: the user specifies the relative tangential velocity distribution along the trailing edge,
and the throughflow module is used to compute the flow angles and hence to define the blade
geometry. The leading edge tangential velocity distribution results from the calculation and the
user specifies the type of streamwise distribution to be used between the leading and trailing
edges.
Two additional analysis modes are provided to the user, more appropriate than the classical one in
some cases:
• Hybrid Analysis mode: similar to the classical analysis mode, but the user specifies the
streamwise distribution of the tangential velocity instead of the flow angle, which has shown
to provide more accurate results especially at transonic conditions.
• analysis mode with Throat Control: this mode permits to impose the throat section instead of
the tangential thickness, which is more appropriate in case of high relative flow angles with
respect to the axial direction (high turning turbine blades for instance). In this working mode
the user has to specify the flow angle distributions along both leading and trailing edges.
In all working modes the user has to specify:
• the blockage distribution (tangential thickness of the blades) or the throat section.
• the relative flow angle (analysis) or relative tangential velocity (design) at the trailing edge
• the value of the loss coefficient along the trailing edge.
Depending on the chosen analysis or design mode the appropriate parameters are available under
the three thumbnails described in the next paragraphs.

6-2.2.3 Number of Blades


When the block type throughflow is selected, the Number of Blades needs to be specified for each
throughflow block presenting a grid recommended periodicity of 360 (α = 1o), with a mesh config-
uration that corresponds to the one prescribed in section 6-2.3.

6-2.2.4 Blade Geometry


When clicking on the Blade geometry thumbnail the parameters as shown in Figure 6.2.2-2 appear.
In the case the analysis mode with Throat Control is selected different parameters will appear as
shown in Figure 6.2.2-3 and described at the end of this paragraph.

FINE™ 6-3
Throughflow Model Throughflow Blocks in the FINE™ GUI

FIGURE 6.2.2-2Blade Geometry Parameters in Design, Classical or Hybrid Analysis mode

In all modes except the analysis mode with Throat Control the geometry can be defined by:
• 2D input file: the file defining the blade geometry should contain the (Z,R,θcl,θss,θps) coordi-
nates of the blade camber line, suction and pressure sides throughout the meridional domain
covered by the blade. For each (Z,R) meridional position the circumferential coordinate θ is
given at the camber line, the suction and pressure sides. For the format of a 2D input file see
section 6-3.
• 1D input parameters where the user specifies:
— the streamwise location of the maximum thickness at hub and shroud (a linear evolution is
assumed from hub to shroud),
— a file containing the spanwise distribution of maximum tangential thickness,
— the normalised streamwise distribution of blade thickness: This distribution can be com-
puted using a power function whose exponent has also to be specified or loaded from a 1D
input file with the format as specified in section 6-3. For most configurations a power func-
tion with an exponent of 2 leads to a correct modelling of the blade generating a quadratic
thickness evolution. The thickness function is set to zero at the leading and trailing edges
and presents a maximum at the prescribed position of maximum thickness.
An additional blockage can be introduced to take the endwall boundary layers (Endwall boundary
layer and wake blockage factors) into account. The two real parameters refer to the inlet and out-
let values of the endwalls blockage. A linear variation is assumed between the inlet and the outlet.

6-4 FINE™
Throughflow Blocks in the FINE™ GUI Throughflow Model

FIGURE 6.2.2-3Blade geometry parameters in Throat control Analysis mode

In case the analysis mode with Throat Control is selected the user specifies the streamwise evolu-
tion of the effective blockage, which results from the tangential blockage and the flow angle beff= b
cosβ, with b the tangential blockage and β the relative flow angle at the trailing edge.
The user specifies:
— the streamwise location of the throat at hub and shroud. If a negative value is entered, it is
assumed that there is no throat and a linear evolution of the effective blockage from the lead-
ing to the trailing edge will be adopted.
— a file containing the spanwise distribution of the throat section. The throat is by definition
the section in which the effective blockage is minimum. In transonic turbines it determines
the mass flow.
— the normalised streamwise distribution of effective blockage: This distribution can be
computed using a power function whose exponent has also to be specified, or loaded from
an input file. The streamwise distribution of effective blockage results from the values spec-
ified by the user at the leading and trailing edges and at the throat (if a throat is given).

6-2.2.5 Flow Angle/Tangential Velocity


When clicking on the Flow angle/Tangential velocity thumbnail the parameters related to the
direction of the velocity at the trailing edge become available:
In Analysis mode the user should always provide the spanwise distribution of the flow angle β at
the trailing edge. In Design mode the tangential velocity Wθ (design) at the trailing edge is required
instead of the flow angle.
A normalized streamwise distribution is also required. It is either read from a file or specified
through a power function whose exponent is given by the user. A zero value at the shroud implies
that the shroud value is equal to the hub one. The leading edge value being a result of the calcula-

FINE™ 6-5
Throughflow Model Throughflow Blocks in the FINE™ GUI

tion, the streamwise distribution of the flow angle or of the tangential velocity is iteratively com-
puted according to the calculated value at the leading edge and the value defined at the trailing
edge. The default value of the exponent is 1, which generates linear evolutions from leading to trail-
ing edge.

Two definitions of the flow angle are available, respectively based on the axial and
meridional directions. The choice between these definitions is made through the expert
parameter ITHVZM:
Wθ=Wz.tan β(ITHVZM=0, default)
Wθ=Vm.tan β(ITHVZM=1).
In case of radial configurations the parameter ITHVZM should be set to 1.
In the case of the Analysis mode with Throat control one additional input is required: the span-
wise distribution of the leading edge flow angle has to be provided in a file. This is required in
order to define the value of the effective blockage at the leading edge.

6-2.2.6 Loss Coefficient


When clicking on the Loss coefficient thumbnail the distribution of the loss coefficient can be
defined through:
• The spanwise distribution along the trailing edge as specified in a file.
• The normalized streamwise distribution as imposed through an external file or by using a
power function. The value 1 (recommended value) for the exponent of the power function
means that a linear function with a shift towards front is used. The leading edge value of the
loss coefficient is assumed to be 0.

6-2.3 Mesh Constraints


Figure 6.2.3-4 shows a configuration with two blade rows. Each throughflow block contains a sin-
gle blade row. The mesh has only one cell in the pitchwise direction. The cell opening angle, α in
Figure 6.2.3-4, has no influence theoretically but excessive values should be avoided (α > 10o or α
< 0.01o). A value of 1o is recommended. All blocks, must have the same cell opening angle. The
mesh indices I, J, and K are oriented as shown in Figure 6.2.3-4. The hub and shroud surfaces cor-
respond to the I=1 and I=Imax grid surfaces respectively, whereas the I=Cst grid surfaces corre-
spond to the successive streamwise positions. Rotors are computed in the relative frame of
reference.
The leading trailing edges positions are described by spanwise mesh lines (I=Cst). The blade region
is identified through the patch-decomposition of the periodic faces (See section 6-2.4.1). If multi-
grid is to be used, the inlet region, blade row, and outlet region must each have a suitable number of
cells in the I-J-directions.
Please note that according to Figure 6.2.3-4 the K=1 surface must be defined along the (Y=0) plane.

6-6 FINE™
Throughflow Blocks in the FINE™ GUI Throughflow Model

FIGURE 6.2.3-4 The throughflow mesh

6-2.4 Boundary Conditions


Compared with 3D turbomachine cases, throughflow calculations require the same boundary condi-
tions. All the necessary boundary conditions can be set through the general dialog box Patch Selec-
tor through the menu Grid/Boundary Conditions... in IGG™. Table 6-1 lists the four types of
boundaries and the pertaining boundary conditions.

TABLE 6-1 Boundary Conditions

Type of Boundary Boundary condition number


Periodic Boundaries (K-faces) BC 2

Hub and Shroud Walls (I-faces) BC 16, BC 17

Inlets and Exits (J-faces) BC 124, BC 125, BC 27, BC 23, BC 22

Connecting Boundaries (J-faces) BC 1, BC 44

6-2.4.1 Periodic Boundaries


The axisymmetric periodic boundaries require a rotational periodicity condition. Except for the
patch decomposition, they are set exactly as periodic boundaries of a 3D or axisymmetric non-
throughflow block.
As described in section 6-2.3 the block is composed of an inlet region, a blade passage, and an out-
let region. Instead of specifying one boundary condition for the entire K-face, the latter must be
artificially divided in three boundary patches, labelled P1, P2, and P3 in Figure 6.2.3-4 and desig-
nating respectively the inlet, the blade, and the outlet region. Both patches P1 and P3 must have at
least one cell in the J-direction. The decomposition needs to be performed in IGG™.
• The block is composed by the blade passage only. One boundary patch covers the entire K-
face, leading and trailing edge coincide with respectively inlet and exit of the domain.

FINE™ 6-7
Throughflow Model Throughflow Blocks in the FINE™ GUI

6-2.4.2 Hub & Shroud Walls


The present throughflow model assumes an inviscid fluid. Euler wall boundary conditions have to
be applied to the hub and to the shroud walls (I-faces).

6-2.4.3 Inlet & Outlet


All rotor inlet and outlet boundary conditions as described in Chapter 8 can be applied at inlet and
outlet (J-faces).

6-2.4.4 Connections
Under the framework of throughflow calculations, rotor/stator interfaces are replaced by simple
connections between the throughflow blocks.

Connection between throughflow blocks must be matching.

Throughflow blocks can also be connected to 3D blocks. This implies the use of a quasi-steady
interface (rotor-stator interface).

6-2.5 Initial Solution


Especially for the throughflow module the initial flow solution has an important influence on the
speed and robustness of the resolution algorithm.
Exactly as in FINE™/Turbo for 3D applications, a turbomachinery-oriented initial solution algo-
rithm has been implemented, generating automatically an initial solution based on the inlet/outlet
boundary conditions and on a user-specified value for the inlet static pressure. The initial solution
constructed with this algorithm respects the basic laws of rothalpy and mass conservations.
In order to activate this algorithm, the user should select on the Initial Solution page the for tur-
bomachinery option. The user then has to enter a value for the inlet static pressure and a radius if
radial equilibrium is selected.
The rotor/stator interfaces do not appear in the Initial Solution page because they are identified as
simple connections. The static pressure level at the successive rotor/stator interfaces can however
be specified through the expert parameter PRSCON. The values to be entered are p1, R1, p2,
R2,...,pi,Ri, where i is the index of the rotor/stator interface, p the static pressure in Pascal [Pa] and
R the radius in meters [m]. If the expert parameter is not modified by the user, a linear pressure evo-
lution is assumed from inlet to outlet.

In order to impose a constant pressure at the rotor/stator interface, the corresponding


radius has to be set to zero.

6-2.6 Output
The output for throughflow simulations can be selected on the Computed Variables page under
the Throughflow thumbnail. The following quantities can be stored:

• Blockage: tangential blockage factor b = ⎛⎝ 1 – d---⎞⎠ ,


s

∇b-
• Grad(B)/B-1st component: radial component of the ------ vector,
b

6-8 FINE™
File Formats Throughflow Model

∇b-
• Grad(B)/B-3rd component: axial component of the ------ vector,
b
• Lean vector (tangential vector along the blade in the spanwise direction),

• Shape function for β = atan ( W θ ⁄ W m ) or W θ ,

• Loss coefficient ψ ,
• Blade force vector fB ,

• Friction force vector f F ,


• Unit stream vector (USV),
·
• Flow angle atan ( W θ ⁄ ( Wm ⋅ USV ) ) ,
• Effective streamtube thickness,
• Blade force magnitude: magnitude of blade force fB ,
• Friction force magnitude: magnitude of friction force f F ,

• W_theta target: target relative tangential velocity Wtθarg et ,

• Beta target: target relative flow angle β t arg et = atan ( Wtθarg et ⁄ W m ) .

6-3 File Formats


The names of all throughflow input files are specified by the user in the above described interactive
windows (Figure 6.2.2-2). The aim of this section is to present the structure of these files. A short
description of a specific throughflow output file generated by the interface is also provided.
One can distinguish two types of files: the two-dimensional and the one-dimensional files. The file
format for each is described in the next paragraphs.

6-3.1 One-Dimensional Throughflow Input File


The one-dimensional files consist of two parts:
1. A header line containing four integer (the number of data points and 3 integer switches).
2. The data, organised in 2 columns.
The 4 integers contained in the header line define:
— the number of data points.
— the type of coordinate along which the data is given. The available coordinates are the X-
coordinate (1), the Z-coordinate (3), the radius (4) and the meridional coordinate (6).
— if the coordinate should be normalized (1) or not (0). The normalized data describes a distri-
bution between the leading and the trailing edge, or between the hub and the shroud.

FINE™ 6-9
Throughflow Model File Formats

— if for a streamwise distribution, the leading and/or trailing edge values should be extended to
the upstream/downstream ends of the block. Values of 1 and 3 extend the upstream region,
whereas values of 2 and 4 extend the downstream regions. This switch is used to achieve a
blockage factor below 1. upstream and/or downstream of the blade passages.
The angles are in degrees, the length in meters, except for the blade thickness, which is in millime-
tres.
Some examples of the geometrical files are given hereafter:
• Spanwise distribution of the maximum blade thickness:
14 4 1 0
.1181262 8.20958
.1282913 8.22191
.138422 8.16546
.1484767 8.03777
.1583352 7.85892
.1680261 7.58743
.1778827 7.26814
.1877939 6.86779
.197697 6.45259
.2076666 6.11613
.217709 5.78311
.2277728 5.65696
.2378241 5.84635
.2477884 6.27821

• Spanwise distribution of the trailing edge flow angle:


11 4 1 0
.0 10.10562
.1060092 -5.70642
.2095564 -16.2939
.3126917 -27.0153
.4146 -35.7384
.5148696 -41.7166
.6134925 -46.4628
.7112999 -50.3735
.8084939 -54.3548
.9048644 -57.9392
1.0 -59.542

• Spanwise distribution of trailing edge loss coefficient:


11 4 1 0
1.0 3.78416E-02
.9048644 3.78416E-02
.8084939 3.28353E-02
.7112999 3.74248E-02
.6134925 1.96157E-02
.5148696 3.18909E-02
.4146 3.61507E-02
.3126917 3.23982E-02
.2095564 5.45700E-02
.1060092 9.97951E-02
.0 9.97951E-02

6-10 FINE™
File Formats Throughflow Model

6-3.2 Two-Dimensional Throughflow Input File


The two-dimensional input file, only available for the blade geometry definition, consists of two
parts:
1. A header line containing the number of points in the two dimensions of the structured data
surface and three switches.
2. The data organised in 5 columns (the coordinates should be R,Z,θcl,θss,θps where θcl,θss,θps
are respectively the angle at the camber line, suction side and pressure side of the blade) and
evolves from hub to shroud and from the leading to the trailing edge.
The three additional switches define:
— the type of coordinates: should be 4.
— the type of structure: should be 3.
— the number of variables: should be 5.
All lengths in the data files should be in meters, and the angles in radians.
Following is an example of the two-dimensional input file:
57435 **(5*7 points: 5 points in spanwise and 7 points in streamwise)**
9.37745E-02 -8.87817E-03 6.47041E-02 7.40556E-02 5.53526E-02
.1934945 8.93166E-03 5.71797E-02 5.99261E-02 5.44332E-02
...

6-3.3 Output File

Absolute (V) and Relative (W)


velocities components along R,T,M

ALPHA = arctg(VT/VZ)
BETA = arctg(WT/VZ)
GAMMA = arctg(VR/VZ)

Mach Number
Meridional Mach Number
Static Pressure, Static Temperature,
Density
Absolute Total Pressure
Rothalpy Total Pressure
Relative Total Pressure
Absolute Total Temperature
Rothalpy Total Temperature
Relative Total Temperature
Isentropic Efficiency
Polytropic Efficiency
Mass Flow
Total Area

FIGURE 6.3.3-5 Throughflow Output File ".gtf"

FINE™ 6-11
Throughflow Model Expert Parameters

In addition of files which can be read by CFView™, a summary file is created when the through-
flow module is activated. It has the extension ".gtf" and gives the average inlet and outlet results for
each block in SI units.

6-4 Expert Parameters


6-4.1 Under-relaxation Process
Two types of under-relaxations have been introduced, allowing for an increased robustness of the
algorithm during the initiation of the resolution procedure.
This under-relaxation process is controlled through 2 sets of expert parameters (accessed on the
Control Variables page in expert mode), THNINI (2 integer parameters) and THFREL (2 real -
float parameters).
• the first THNINI and THFREL parameters permit to impose that during the first THNINI(1)
iterations, the blade force update factor is not the one specified in the "Throughflow blocks"
menu (section 6-2.1), but a (lower) value given by THFREL(1). This under-relaxation process
can be important for transonic cases especially. The default values for THNINI and THFREL
are respectively 10 and 0.1
• the second THNINI and THFREL parameters permit to under-relax the imposed value of
trailing edge velocity or flow angle during the first THNINI(2) iterations. The under-relaxation
factor multiplying by the imposed value varies linearly between THFREL(1) and 1.0 during
the first THNINI(2) iterations. The default values for THNINI and THFREL are respectively
10 and 0.85.

6-4.2 Others
• ITHVZM = 0 (default): Wθ=Wz.tan β
= 1: Wθ=Vm.tan β
Definition of the flow angle. The selection of ITHVZM to 1 is crucial for a correct treatment of
radial machines.
• PRCON to define the pressure for the initial solution at rotor/stator interfaces. If this parame-
ter is not modified a linear pressure distribution from inlet to outlet is assumed.

6-5 Theoretical Background


6-5.1 Time Dependent Approach
The dominant aspect of an Euler throughflow method is the modelling of the turning and the associ-
ated distributed blade force. Most authors so far have adopted a spatial discretization approach, in
which the blade force is determined from the tangential projection of the momentum equation in

6-12 FINE™
Theoretical Background Throughflow Model

conjunction with the imposed flow direction (analysis) or swirl (design), leaving four differential
equations to be solved.
In the present approach the blade force is treated as an additional time dependent unknown. The full
5-equations Euler system is then solved, with an additional equation for the blade force. This is the
so-called time dependent approach, which has proven to be more robust than the space discretiza-
tion, especially at transonic and supersonic flow conditions. The other advantage is that the fact that
the throughflow solver is based on the same time marching algorithm as the 3D one makes hybrid
3D-throughflow calculations possible.

6-5.2 Basic Equations & Assumptions


The basic equations describing axisymmetric throughflow are obtained through averaging in the θ-
direction of the three-dimensional Euler conservation laws for mass, momentum, and energy, yield-
ing, in concise notation and after introduction of the distributed loss model,

0
ρ bρW
∂ 1
---- + --- ∇ ⋅ b ( ρW ⊗ W + pI ) = ∇b (6-1)
∂t ρW b ρQ + p ------- + ρ ( f B + f F )
b
ρE bρWH ρQ
This is a system of 5 PDE for 5 unknowns (the dependent variables, e.g., the primitive variables in
cylindrical coordinates, ρ, Wr, Wθ, Wz, p) in two spatial dimensions (r and z). Apart from the
absence in the differential operators of derivatives with respect to the tangential direction, the sys-
tem differs from the three-dimensional Euler equations in three ways:
• The presence of the blockage factor b in the fluxes.

• Source terms p ∇b
------- and f B representing the inviscid action of the blades.
b

• A source term f F grouping all the effects of viscosity and heat conduction.
The system is solved in Cartesian coordinates using explicit Runge-Kutta integration in time and
either central or upwind spatial discretization.

6-5.3 Tangential Blockage Factor


The tangential blockage factor, b, also called the stream tube thickness parameter, represents the
contraction of the flow path that arises from the tangential thickness of the blades, d. With the pitch,
s, depending on the radius, r, and the number of blades, z, the tangential blockage factor is defined
as:

d 2πr
b = 1 – --- where s = --------- (6-2)
s z

Thus, b = 1 outside blade rows and 0 < b ≤ 1 inside blade rows (including the hypothetical case of
blades with zero thickness). The blockage factor is an external input to the computation.

6-5.4 Blade Force


By definition, the inviscid action of the blades consists in a distributed force normal to the blade
surfaces, i.e., suction and pressure surface. In our implementation the blade force is split into two
components:

FINE™ 6-13
Throughflow Model Theoretical Background

• the first main component is proportional to the suction-to-pressure side difference, and is ori-
ented in the direction normal to the mean camber surface. The tangential component of this
force is the additional unknown considered in the time dependent approach, for which an addi-
tional equation will be solved together with the 5 Euler equations.
• the second component is due to the deviation of the suction and pressure side normals from the
∇b
normal to the mean camber surface. It is computed according to p ------- , and is therefore deter-
b
mined entirely by the tangential blockage factor, b, which is external input as seen in the pre-
ceding section, and by the static pressure, which is a result of the computation.
As mentioned in section 6-5.2, the blade force is treated as an additional unknown with the present
approach. Starting from some initial value in each cell, the blade force is modified locally, until the
current converged solution exactly matches the externally imposed target, for instance the flow
angle β (analysis) or the tangential velocity Wθ (design). The correction is proportional to the dif-
ference between the actual and a required tangential velocity:

k+1 k t
( ρF Bθ ) = ( ρF Bθ ) + κ ( W θ – W θ ) (6-3)

where the constant κ is user input. The target tangential velocity Wθt is either direct external input
(design mode) or locally calculated from the prescribed relative flow angle β and the current merid-
ional velocity (analysis mode: Wθ=Vmtanβ). The vector of the blade force, f B , is perpendicular to
the mean camber surface, which is internally defined by the flow angle and the lean angle. Cur-
rently, a zero lean angle is assumed.
Robust analysis mode
In the case of the analysis mode another formulation of the above equation is adopted, based on the
magnitude of the blade force instead of its tangential component:
··
= ( ρF B ) – κ ⎛⎝ W n⎞⎠ ----
k+1 k F̃
( ρF B ) - (6-4)
W ˜

where FB is the magnitude of the blade force and n is the normal vector whose direction results
from the imposed relative flow angle distribution. In case the angle is measured with respect to the
axial direction (ITHVZM=0):

n r = 0.0 n θ = – sin β n z = cos β (6-5)

6-5.5 Friction Force


The distributed loss model retains, from all the effects of heat conduction and viscous stresses, the
contribution to the entropy production. The dissipative action of the viscous stresses is expressed
through a distributed friction force, f F . It acts in the direction opposite to the velocity vector and
for a perfect gas its amplitude is proportional to the loss coefficient derivative in the streamwise
direction:

p W
ρf F = – ------------ p ref ∂ m ψ --------- (6-6)
pt rot W

6-14 FINE™
Theoretical Background Throughflow Model

This formulation ensures that a loss coefficient of zero will give exactly a zero friction force. The
imposed loss coefficient is defined as:

LE
pt rot – pt rot
ψ = ------------------------------- (6-7)
p ref

where ptrot is the total pressure associated with rothalpy defined as:

γ -
----------
Ttrot γ – 1 2
W – ( ωr )
2
pt rot = p ⎛ -------------⎞ Ttrot = T + -----------------------------
⎝ T ⎠ where 2c p (6-8)

where W is the relative velocity magnitude and pref is a reference dynamic pressure taken at the
leading edge (for compressors) or trailing edge (for turbines) on each streamwise mesh line.

FINE™ 6-15
Throughflow Model Theoretical Background

6-16 FINE™
CHAPTER 7: Optional Models

7-1 Overview
FINE™ contains the following three optional models:
• Fluid-Particle Interaction to model solid particles in the flow.
• Conjugate Heat Transfer to model the heat transfer between the fluid and solid walls.
• Cooling/Bleed to model cooling holes or bleed.
• Transition Model to model the flow transition.
Each of these models requires a special license feature. If the model is not accessible due to a miss-
ing license it is displayed in grey under Optional Models. Contact NUMECA sales or support team
for more information about the possibility to obtain a license.

7-2 Fluid-Particle Interaction


7-2.1 Introduction
Particle-laden flows cover a large class of two-phase flows, such as droplets or solid particles in a
gas or liquid flow, or bubbles in liquids. One phase is assumed to be continuous and occupies the
majority of the flow. It is called the "carrier" phase. Another phase, whose volume fraction is rela-
tively small (usually less than 10-2), exists as a number of separate elements or particles. It is called
the "dispersed" phase.
In this section 7-2 an overview is given of the fluid particle interaction module incorporated in
FINE™ GUI:
• section 7-2.2 describes the main functionalities of the module and the way to proceed in the
FINE™ interface.
• section 7-2.5 summarizes the main theoretical features of the Lagrangian model.

FINE™ 7-1
Optional Models Fluid-Particle Interaction

7-2.1.1 Lagrangian Approach


A Lagrangian approach is used here, whereby the trajectories of individual groups of particles are
calculated as transported by the velocity field of the carrier phase, including the effect of drag and
other forces. The calculations of the carrier flow and of the particles can be fully coupled, the fully
coupling approach implying that the calculation of the particles trajectories is followed by a second
flow calculation, taking into account the presence of the particles in the flow (the interphase forces
are introduced as source terms in the flow calculation). The sequence consisting of a flow calcula-
tion and of the particle traces tracking can be repeated several times until no changes are observed
in the results (usually 3 to 10 times).
In the present Lagrangian model, the motion of the particles is only influenced by their own inertia
and by the flow, i.e. the local aerodynamic or hydrodynamic forces. Interactions between the parti-
cles are currently not considered. This implies the hypothesis of a dilute flow. On the contrary in a
dense flow, particle motion is governed by their direct interaction, which implies more complex
models, such as the Eulerian ones, in which both phases are modelled as continuous phases.
Particle-laden flows are found in many industrial applications such as cyclone separators, pneu-
matic transport of powder, droplet and coal combustion system, spray drying and cooling or sand-
blasting. In all cases, the flow consists of a continuous phase - also named carrier flow - and a
dispersed phase in the form of solid particles, liquid droplets or gas bubbles. In general, the motions
of the carrier flow and of the dispersed phase are interdependent.
In the lagrangian approach, the physical particle cloud is represented by a finite number of compu-
tational particles. The continuous phase (fluid) is treated as a continuum using a boundary-control-
led method whereas the dispersed phase (particles) is treated as a number of separate particles. The
particles are successively tracked as a single probe particle through the flow field using a
Lagrangian formulation.
In the case of laminar flows, each particle will follow a unique deterministic trajectory. In the case
of turbulent flows however, particles will have their own random path due to interactions with the
fluctuating turbulent velocity field. This feature is taken into account in EURANUS through a sto-
chastic treatment. This approach consists of employing a sampling technique based on a Gaussian
probability density function to introduce the random nature of the turbulent velocity field. The par-
ticle diffusion due to turbulence can therefore be modelled without introducing artificial diffusion
properties of the cloud.
According to the distribution and contents of the particles, an averaging procedure provides phase
coupling source terms to be added into the Eulerian carrier phase conservation equations. The two-
way coupling can be achieved through global iterations.

7-2.1.2 Algorithm
The hypothesis of a dilute mixture permits to have a very simple sequential calculation of the trajec-
tories of the different particles injected through the inlet sections.
The algorithm considers successively the different inlet patches. The user specifies the number of
trajectories per cell. The origins can be located at a given point chosen by the user, or equally dis-
tributed throughout the cell.
The algorithm proceeds cell by cell, the time step being calculated so that several time steps are per-
formed in each mesh cell. The procedure starts at a cell of an inlet boundary and stops when a
boundary is reached.
Each time step consists of:
• the calculation of the force on the particle.
• the integration to find the new velocity and position.

7-2 FINE™
Fluid-Particle Interaction Optional Models

• the determination of the cell in which the particle is located.

7-2.2 Fluid-Particle Interaction in the FINE™ GUI


To access the parameters select the Fluid-Particle Interaction page under the Optional Models.
In the parameters section click on Fluid-particle calculation to activate this model (see
Figure 7.2.2-1). The user enters not only the main features of the numerical simulations but also the
characteristics (i.e. processes to be taken into account) of the interphase force between the fluid and
the particles.

7-2.2.1 Parameters
The top window allows to choose the degree of influence of the particles on the flow. The calcula-
tion of the carrier flow and of the particles can be fully (2-way coupling) or weakly (1-way cou-
pling) coupled:
• in the 1-way coupling approach the flow calculation (ignoring the influence of the particles on
the flow field) is followed by a calculation of the trajectories of particles. In this case, there is
no influence of the particles on the flow.
• in the 2-way coupling approach the calculation of the trajectories of particles is followed by a
second flow calculation, taking into account the presence of the particles in the flow (the inter-
phase forces are introduced as source terms in the flow calculation). The sequence can be
repeated several times (by entering the Number of global iterations) until no changes are
observed in the results (usually 3 to 10 times).
Concerning the simulation itself, the user can choose the Global strategy:
• Start from scratch: to start the flow calculations and then pursue with the particle tracking
simulation. In this particular case, the criterion for the carrier flow calculations convergence is
the one set on the Control Variables page (set to -6 by default).
• Start from converged flow solution: to proceed directly with the Lagrangian coupling from a
previous converged flow calculation.

FIGURE 7.2.2-1 Parameters page of the lagrangian fluid-particle interaction model.

The usual way to proceed is:


1. perform a pure flow study without activating the Fluid-Particle Interaction model in a computa-
tion.
2. while this computation is active in the list of Computations subpanel on the top left of the inter-
face create a new project by clicking on the New button.

FINE™ 7-3
Optional Models Fluid-Particle Interaction

3. in this new computation activate the Lagrangian Fluid-particle calculation and perform a com-
putation with Lagrangian coupling. The particles encounter several forces: the friction force, i.e.
the resultant of the pressure and viscous stress in the carrier phase over the particle surface, as
well as potential inertia and gravity forces. The user is free to introduce the Gravity Forces
through the vectorial components of the acceleration of gravity on the Flow Model page. An
inertial force due to the rotation of the system of reference can also be included. If some of the
blocks are rotating the option Body forces/Rotation of reference system should systematically
be activated. In this case the reference rotation velocity is the one specified on the Rotating
Machinery page.
4. while moving through a turbulent flow, each particle faces a sequence of random turbulent
eddies that result in a lack of accuracy in particle velocity and position. This process is taken
into account using a stochastic treatment when activating Turbulence. The treatment is availa-
ble when the k-ε turbulence model is assumed for the carrier flow simulation. In this case a
Coefficient for eddy life time has to be imposed (more details in section 7-2.5.4).

7-2.2.2 Boundary Conditions


All boundary conditions available for the carrier flow solver are also accepted by the particle track-
ing algorithm. The only boundary conditions requiring user’s input are: inlet and solid boundary.
The boundary conditions are imposed by selecting a patch on which to fix the condition. The user
has to confirm the entered values by clicking on the Apply to selection button (Figure 7.2.2-2). In
the list of patches it is not possible to group patches but multiple patches can be selected at the same
time to apply the same boundary conditions to all of them. To select multiple patches hold the
<Ctrl> key while selecting them.

a) Inlet Boundary
The user can enter a number of classes of particles, each class representing a different type of parti-
cles. For each class the inlet boundary conditions have to be specified. The displayed boundary con-
ditions are the one for the class specified in the bar as indicated (a) in Figure 7.2.2-2. To select
another class use the scroll buttons on both sides of this bar. The purpose of this is to be able to sim-
ulate the presence of different types of particles in the same patch.

(a)

FIGURE 7.2.2-2 Inlet boundary conditions for the fluid-particle interaction model

7-4 FINE™
Fluid-Particle Interaction Optional Models

Note however that multiple classes are of interest for fully couples calculations only, by allowing
the flow calculation to account for the presence of different particle types. In the case of a weak
coupling strategy it is recommended to create one computation per particle class, because only one
particle class can be visualized in CFView™. The expert parameter (in Expert Mode on the Con-
trol Variables page) CLASID permits to specify which particle class must be included in the
CFView™ output.
The inlet boundary conditions are the following:
• spatial distribution of the injection points: uniform over the chosen patch or located at a chosen
point of coordinates (x,y,z).
• inlet velocity of the particles (absolute or relative frame of reference). The velocity is always
considered in the same relative frame of reference as the one of the block in which the inlet
particle is located. The relative velocities here defined as the difference between the particle
and the flow velocity (a zero relative velocity is therefore very commonly used) whereas the
absolute velocity boundary conditions is used when the velocity of the particle is well known
and different from the velocity of the flow. Note that only the Cartesian coordinate system is
available.
• density and mean diameter of the particles.
• particle concentration (number of particles/m3).
• number of particles per cell should be seen as the number of trajectories per cell.
The use of multiple trajectories per cell permits to ensure a more uniform covering of the inlet (and
hence of the computational domain) by the particles. This is only of interest in the case of fully cou-
pled calculations where it is important to ensure that the source terms are correctly evaluated in all
mesh cells. The use of multiple trajectories does not modify the number of particles entering the
domain. Each trajectory must be seen as an ensemble of particles. It is also very often referred to as
a computational particle.
In the case of full coupling, the number of particles per cell should be statistically large enough to
provide accurate averaging of the dispersed phase parameters. Therefore it is recommended in this
case to have a high number of particles per cell. This increases the computational time required for
the particle tracking process, but gives rise to a smoother distribution of the particles in the domain.
In the case of a weak (1-way) coupling, only one particle per cell is usually enough to provide a suf-
ficiently detailed description of the particles distribution in the field.

b) Solid Wall Boundary


The solid wall boundary condition requires an additional input data, which is the reflection ratio. If
the ratio is zero, all the particles remain stuck on the wall, whereas if it is 1.0, all particles are
reflected, without any loss of mass or energy. The user can choose the reflection ratio by clicking on
the corresponding button while moving the mouse (Figure 7.2.2-3).
Two reflection modes are available and can be selected by the expert parameter IBOUND:
• In the default mode (IBOUND = 1) the particle loses a fraction of its mass and hence of its
kinetic energy at each wall hit. After several wall hits, the size of the particles becomes very
small, and the tracking stops (once the diameter has reached a given ratio of the initial one,
specified by the expert parameter DIAMR).
• In the other mode (IBOUND = 2) the velocity of the particle is reduced, with an unchanged
mass. The particle is stopped as soon as the velocity becomes too small (also specified by the
parameter DIAMR).

FINE™ 7-5
Optional Models Fluid-Particle Interaction

FIGURE 7.2.2-3 Solid boundary conditions for the fluid-particle interaction model

7-2.2.3 Outputs

FIGURE 7.2.2-4 Outputs of the fluid-particle interaction model

The following quantities are calculated by the solver:


⎛ ⎞
• the number concentration ⎜ ∑ N i⎟ ⁄ Ω where Ni is the number of particles of class i in the
⎝ i

cell of volume Ω,
⎛ ⎞
• the mass concentration ⎜⎝ ∑ ρ ipart N i Ω ipart⎟⎠ ⁄ Ω (mass of particles per cell volume) where
i

ρ ipart is the density of the particle of class i and volume Ω ipart ,


⎛ ⎞
• the volume concentration ⎜ ∑ N i Ω ipart⎟ ⁄ Ω (volume of particles per cell volume),
⎝ i

7-6 FINE™
Fluid-Particle Interaction Optional Models

• the components of the mass weighted absolute velocity vector (Vx ,Vy, Vz)
⎛ ⎞
V x = ⎜ ∑ V xi ρ ipart Ω ipart N i⎟ ⁄ ∑ ρ ipart Ω ipart N i ,
⎝ i ⎠ i

• the weighted mass and weighted absolute or relative velocity vectors number,
⎛ ⎞
• the components of the interphase force F = ⎜ ∑ F i Ni⎟ ⁄ Ω .
⎝ i

The solver automatically writes an output file (".tr" and ".tr.sum") containing the particle traces that
is read by the CFView™ post processing software.

7-2.3 Specific Output


This section describes the specific outputs generated by the Lagrangian module.

7-2.3.1 Field Quantities (’.cgns’)


The solver automatically includes in the CFView™ output (".cgns") of the project the field quanti-
ties that have been specified by the user under the Outputs thumbnail in the Fluid-Particle Inter-
action page. These quantities can be scalars or vectors, and are the following:
• Vectors
Mass-weighted relative velocity (1)
Number-weighted relative velocity (2)
Mass-weighted absolute velocity (3)
Number-weighted absolute velocity (4)
Interphase force vector (5)

• Scalars
Number concentration (51)
Mass of particles per cell volume (52)
Volume of particles per cell volume (53)
Presence (1) or absence (0) of particles in cells (54)
Vx: x-component of mass-weighted velocity vector (55)
Vy: y-component of mass-weighted velocity vector (56)
Vz: z-component of mass-weighted velocity vector (57)
Fx: x-component of interphase force (58)
Fy: y-component of interphase force (59)
Fz: z-component of interphase force (60)

7-2.3.2 Particles Traces (’.tr’)


The solver also creates an specific lagrangian output file (".tr"), containing the trajectories of the all
the particles. This file is automatically transmitted to CFView™, which allows for the visualization
of the trajectories.

7-2.3.3 Summary File (’.tr.sum’)


In addition to the previous outputs, a summary file (".tr.sum") is automatically written by the solver,
giving for each injection patch the particles numbers and mass flows through the inlet/outlet bound-
aries, and the number of particles that remain stuck on the walls.

FINE™ 7-7
Optional Models Fluid-Particle Interaction

7-2.4 Expert Parameters


Other parameters appear in the Expert Mode of the Fluid-Particle Interaction page under the
Parameters thumbnail:

• The maximum residence time (TMAX in corresponding ".run" file), which is the time limita-
tion for particle residence in the flow. It may be used either to prevent particle stopping or to
avoid an infinite loop, having for instance a particle captured in a separation bubble. After the
time has expired, the particle disappears.
• The governing equations for particles in a carrier flow consist of a set of non-linear ordinary
equations. Two methods are provided to integrate this equations with respect to time (that can
be selected in expert mode):
— The Runge-Kutta scheme, in which the transfer to the next time level is fulfilled through a
finite number of intermediate steps. A two-stage and a four-stage option (NRKS in corre-
sponding ".run" file) are available. This scheme is limited to big particles.
— The exponential scheme that lies on a semi-analytical method. This scheme is particularly
suitable for small particles.
• The Drag force is in general the only considered part of the interphase force. It corresponds to
the force on a particle moving in a still fluid at constant velocity (or using the particle refer-
ence system, a fixed particle in a uniform laminar flow). At extremely low Reynolds numbers
(Rep << 1 i.e. at low relative velocities), it is expressed through the Stokes formula. For higher
Reynolds numbers, an optional standard curve fit may be chosen (section 7-2.5.1). The choice
between the two types of forces can be made in expert mode.

Other parameters have a standard value, which may be modified only on rare occasions. They are
accessible in the Expert Mode of the Computation Steering/Control Variables page:
CLASID: selection of class for CFView™ output
LMAX: the maximum number of segments along a trajectory may be used to avoid an infinite
loop in the case of an oscillatory movement for instance.
DDIMAX: tolerance factor to establish that a particle has left a cell (default=1.E-4).
I2DLAG: simplification for 2D problems (0 if 3D, 1 if 2D).
DIAMR: diameter ratio under which the particle tracking process stops (default value: 0.1).
KOUTPT: enables to write the ASCII ".tr.out" file containing the output of the trajectories
(default value: 0). Contact support at [email protected] to have more details on this file.

7-2.5 Theory
In a Lagrangian approach the particle cloud is modelled by a finite number of computational parti-
cles, representing a group of real physical particles with similar properties. The particles are tracked
separately, each as a single probe particle, through the flow field.

7-8 FINE™
Fluid-Particle Interaction Optional Models

7-2.5.1 Trajectories Calculation - Integration Method


The calculation of the trajectories is based on the Newton law:

∆V
F = ma = m ------- (7-1)
∆t
where a is the acceleration vector of the particle of velocity V and F is the sum of the friction force
between the fluid and the particle and the eventual inertia and gravity forces:

F = F d + F inertia + F gravity (7-2)

The gravity force is defined by the user on the Flow Model page:

F gravity = mg

It is assumed that the mesh blocks for which a rotation of the reference system is introduced in the
carrier flow equations (when rotation of the reference system is activated under the Parameters
thumbnail of the Fluid-Particle Interaction page) are also considered as rotating ones for the par-
ticles calculation. The inertia force due to the rotation of the reference system contains the two
terms related to the inertia and Coriolis effects:

F inertia = – m [ ω × ( ω × r ) + 2ω × V ] (7-3)

Fd is the drag force between the flow and the particles, calculated according to the Stokes law:

D
F d = – ----- ( V – U ) (7-4)
Fs

where D is the diameter of the particles, U is the velocity of the fluid and Fs depends on the viscos-
ity of the fluid and on the Reynolds number Rep based on D:

F s = 1 ⁄ ( 3πµC ) (7-5)

where:

ρ ( V – U )D
C = 1 (simple Stokes law for Re p ≡ --------------------------- « 1 )
µ

0.5
or C = 1 + 0.179Re p + 0.013Rep (standard curve approximation).

Up to now, no model is incorporated in which the mass and the volume of the particle would change
(for instance by combustion or evaporation).

7-2.5.2 Integration Time Step - Relaxation Time


The calculation of the trajectories is obtained by integrating the Newton law in time, using either a
2- or 4-steps Runge-Kutta or an exponential scheme. At each time step the force vector is re-calcu-
lated to obtain a new value for the velocity vector, whereas the velocity vector is used to calculate
the new position of the particle. This sequence is repeated until a boundary is reached. In order to
have an appropriate integration method to calculate the trajectories, the integration time step must
be properly chosen.

FINE™ 7-9
Optional Models Fluid-Particle Interaction

The time step used by the algorithm is the minimum between the time required to traverse the mesh
cell (which depends on the particle velocity and on the cell size) and the relaxation time, which is
the time required by the particle to lose its initial slip velocity:

2
τ drag = ( ρD ) ⁄ ( 18µC ) (7-6)

For a stationary reference system (no inertia force) and in the case of no gravity, the relaxation time
is the time required by the particle to reach the flow velocity U, whereas in the presence of an iner-
tia and/or a gravity force, the velocity reached by the particle after the relaxation time is not U, but
U + g . τdrag.
In some cases (for instance with very small particles) the relaxation time is very small, which leads
to a large number of time steps per mesh cell, and hence to a larger CPU time for the particle track-
ing algorithm. A faster convergence may then be reached by using the so-called exponential scheme
for the time integration step.

7-2.5.3 Full Coupling Carrier & Particle Flows


In case of a full coupling between the carrier and particles flows, the particles traces calculation is
followed by a coupled carrier flow calculation including the effect of the presence of the particles.
This is achieved by the introduction of source terms in the momentum equations, these source terms
being calculated according to the interphase force vector:

∆V
F interphase = m ------- – F inertia – F gravity (7-7)
∆t

7-2.5.4 Interaction with Turbulence


While moving through a turbulent flow (and when Turbulence is activated under the Parameters
thumbnail of the Fluid-Particle Interaction page), each particle faces a sequence of random turbu-
lent eddies that result in a lack of accuracy in particle velocity and position. This process is taken
into account using a stochastic treatment. The k-ε turbulence model is assumed for the carrier flow
simulation.
The instantaneous fluid velocity is represented as the sum of the local mean velocity (available
from the computed carrier flow field) and a random fluctuation:

U = U + U' (7-8)

The fluctuation U' is randomly sampled from the normal Gaussian distribution with the probabil-
ity-density-function f:

u'
1 ⎛ u' 2 ⎞
f ( u' ) = ----------------- exp ⎜ – ----------⎟ and
2 ⎝ 2u' 2⎠
U' = ∫ f ( u' ) du' (7-9)
2πu' –∞

The individual components of the velocity fluctuation are assumed to be non-correlated. The mean
square deviation is evaluated from the turbulent kinetic energy:

2 2
u' = --- k (7-10)
3
It is accepted that this sample velocity fluctuation remains unchanged within the turbulent eddy
during its life time. The eddy life time Te and size Le are calculated according to:

7-10 FINE™
Conjugate Heat Transfer Optional Models

1⁄2
k
Te = C lt -- and Le = Te ⎛⎝ 2--- k⎞⎠ (7-11)
ε 3

Where Clt is an empirical coefficient with a default value of 0.28 (Coefficient for eddy life time).

The eddy life time Te and size Le are bounded by the Kolgomoroff scales:

3⁄4
ν ν
Tk = --- and Lk = ----------
1⁄4
- (7-12)
ε ε
The calculated fluctuation gives the instantaneous flow velocity, which is used while tracking the
particle. As soon as the life time has expired or the particle has left the eddy, a new fluctuation is
chosen as described before, assuming no correlation with the previous sample.

The turbulence is only taken into account for the different linear and non linear k-ε
models and for the v2-f turbulence model. It is not compatible with the Spalart-Allmaras
and SST turbulence models. In the particular case of the Baldwin-Lomax model, turbu-
lence does not have a direct influence on the particles trajectories.

7-2.6 References
Chang, K. C., Wang, M. R., Wu, W. J., Liu, Y. C., Theoretical and Experimental Study on Two-
Phase Structure of Planar Mixing Layer, AIAA Journal, Vol. 31, No 1, pp 68-74, 1993.

7-3 Conjugate Heat Transfer


7-3.1 Introduction
The conjugate heat transfer model allows the simulation of the thermal coupling between a fluid flow
and the surrounding solid bodies, i.e. the simultaneous calculation of the flow and of the temperature
distribution within the solid bodies.

The model has been validated for steady state applications. It assumes that some of the blocks of the
multiblock mesh are "solid", whereas the other ones are "fluid". The connections between the solid
and fluid blocks become "thermal connections" along which the fluid-solid coupling is performed.
First section 7-3.2 explains how to set up a project involving the Conjugate Heat Transfer model
using the FINE™ user environment. In section 7-3.3 a theoretical description is provided, present-
ing the approach used to solve the conduction problem and describing the adopted solid-fluid cou-
pling strategy.

7-3.2 Conjugate Heat Transfer in the FINE™ GUI


The Conjugate Heat Transfer model can be directly activated from the FINE™ interface under
Optional Models. When opening the Conjugate Heat Transfer page it looks like Figure 7.3.2-5.
All blocks in the mesh are listed on the left of the page and all of them are by default set as "fluid".

FINE™ 7-11
Optional Models Conjugate Heat Transfer

FIGURE 7.3.2-5 Conjugate Heat Transfer page

The only action required from the user to set up a computation involving the Conjugate Heat Trans-
fer model can be decomposed in three steps:
1. determine the "solid" and "fluid" blocks.
2. set the global parameters.
3. define the thermal connections.
Those steps are described in the following paragraphs in more detail.

7-3.2.1 Step 1: Determine Solid & Fluid Blocks


The use of the Conjugate Heat Transfer model requires the generation of a multi-block mesh, the
"solid" and "fluid" parts of the domain being discretised with separate blocks.
Once the mesh is generated, the first step consists in pointing the "fluid" and the "solid" blocks via
the FINE™ user interface. In the default configuration of the solver all blocks are of Fluid type, so
that the Conjugate Heat Transfer page does not need to be entered for a classical flow calculation.
The transfer of some of the blocks from "fluid" to "solid" is performed by selecting those blocks on
the left part of the window and by selecting the option Solid.

For each solid block the thermal conductivity has to be specified (in W/m/K). The specified value
has to be larger than 0.

When the automatic grouping based on the Grid Configuration is used, the blocks
put as solid during the mesh generation, will automatically be set to solid in FINE™
GUI.

7-3.2.2 Step 2: Setting Global Parameters


The only global parameter is the CFL number used for the time integration of the conduction
equation. It can be different from the one used for the fluid. The default value is 1.0.

7-3.2.3 Step 3: Setting Thermal Connections


Once some blocks of the multi-block mesh are set as "solid" blocks, the connections between solid
and fluid blocks become "thermal connections". These connections are solid wall boundary condi-

7-12 FINE™
Conjugate Heat Transfer Optional Models

tions with a particular thermal condition, along which the imposed temperature profile is iteratively
recalculated in order to ensure a correct coupling.
These patches appear in the list of patches in the tab page Solid in the Boundary Conditions page.
Although the thermal aspect is fully controlled by the coupling procedure, the kinematic boundary
condition must be specified by the user (rotation speed in [RPM]).
Type of Connections Between Solid and Fluid Blocks
Two types of thermal connections are allowed:
• matching connections (one patch on each side),
• full non-matching connections (one patch or one group of patches on each side). The connec-
tion algorithm is implemented in a general way, allowing on both sides a grouping of solid and
fluid patches. This is useful for instance in order to facilitate the coupling of a turbine block
with holes with the external flow. One single connection can be built, with on the inner side a
group of patches including the blade surface and the outer face of the holes.
Type of Connections Between Solid and Solid Blocks
Three types of thermal connections are allowed:
• matching connections (one patch on each side),
• Periodic connections (PER),
• full non-matching connections (one patch or one group of patches on each side). The connec-
tion algorithm is implemented in a general way, allowing on both sides a grouping of solid and
solid patches.

7-3.3 Theory
This section describes the Conjugated Heat Transfer model implemented within EURANUS:
• the technique used to solve the conduction in the solid bodies,
• the thermal coupling strategy.

7-3.3.1 Simulation of Conduction in EURANUS


It has been shown in the previous chapters that the EURANUS flow solver is based on a cell centred
finite volume approach, associated with a centred or upwind space discretization scheme together
with an explicit Runge-Kutta time integration method. The same type of approach can be used to
simulate the conduction in solid bodies. The only term remaining in the finite volume equilibrium
results from the heat conduction. The discretised form of the remaining part of the energy equation
applied to the control volumes can be written as:

∆T
ρC p ------- Vol = Σ ⎛ k∇T⎞ n∆S (7-13)
∆τ ⎝ ⎠

where Vol is the volume of the control volume, n∆S is the normal vector to the faces of the control
volume and k,ρ and Cp are respectively the conductivity, density and specific heat of the solid body.
This equation is applied to calculate the change of temperature T at a given time step resulting from
the equilibrium of the conduction fluxes through the faces of the control volume.

One can notice that the absence of any advective contribution in the equilibrium permits to avoid the
use of artificial dissipation (case of a centred scheme). It also imposes to adopt a pure diffusive
approach for the calculation of the time step. For a 2D problem the time step is calculated according
to:

FINE™ 7-13
Optional Models Conjugate Heat Transfer

∆τ ρC Vol
--------- = ---------p ----------------------------------------- (7-14)
Vol k
Si + Sj + 2Si·Sj
2 2

One can notice that once the 2 above equations are put together the heat capacity Cp is eliminated
from the equation, and is hence not required as input data.

Exactly as for the flow solver the adopted time integration approach is a 4- or 5-steps Runge-Kutta
scheme whose efficiency is largely enhanced by the use of an implicit residual technique and of a
multigrid strategy.

This finite volume approach can be used for both steady and unsteady conduction problems. Its
efficiency has been compared for steady state applications to the classical Gauss-Seidel and PSOR
schemes often employed for the resolution of pure elliptic equations. The results have shown that the
use of a time marching approach together with multigrid is much more efficient.

7-3.3.2 Thermal Coupling Between Solid & Fluid Blocks


The fluid-solid interfaces constitute a new type of boundary condition, referred to as "thermal
connections", along which, the heat-flux and temperature are imposed to be equal.

The calculation is performed simultaneously on the fluid and solid blocks. The thermal coupling is
applied each time the boundary conditions are applied. Note that no particular procedure is required
in order to initiate the calculation. The full multigrid strategy is very efficient in order to rapidly
establish an overall temperature distribution in the domain.

On both solid and fluid sides, the thermal boundary condition imposes a temperature profile. This
profile is iteratively recalculated in order to ensure equality of the heat-fluxes calculated on both
sides:

hf(Tw-Tf)=-hs(Tw-Ts), (7-15)

where hf and hs are the heat transfer coefficients and Tf and Ts are the inner temperatures. The heat
transfer coefficients are calculated in a simple way, assuming a sufficient orthogonality of the mesh:

k
h = ------ , (7-16)
∆y
where k is the local conductivity and ∆y is the distance between the inner cell centre (where the
temperature of Tf and Ts is taken) and the wall.

7-3.3.3 Full Non-matching Thermal Connections


The Full Non-matching algorithm already used for the fluid-fluid connections can be used in the
Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) module. It is based on the same coupling procedure, including the
calculation of the interface temperature and heat-flux. In case the patches are not fully connected, as
for instance in Figure 7.3.3-6, the remaining patch is assumed to be adiabatic.
The thermal coupling equation is applied successively to all elements resulting from the FNMB
decomposition algorithm. This procedure gives as a result a separate value of the interface tempera-
ture and of the heat-flux for all elements.
The interface temperature on the left and right patch cells is then calculated as a weighted averaging
of the temperatures of the elements concerned by the cell. If the cell is not fully connected an addi-
tional contribution is added, the non connected part of the cell being assumed to be adiabatic:

7-14 FINE™
Cooling/Bleed Optional Models

∑ ∑
i i i
Tw = T n w n + T inner W i with wn + Wi = 1 . (7-17)
elmts elmts
In the generic case of Figure 7.3.3-6:
• the cell 1 is not connected and the above equation is applied with Wi=1,
• the cell 2 is partially connected and 0<Wi<1,
• the cell 3 is fully connected and Wi=0.
The heat-flux density is calculated as the summation of the contribution of the elements:

⎛ i ⎞
ϕ w = ⎜ ∑ ϕ n S n⎟ ⁄ S
i i
(7-18)
⎝ elmts ⎠

Note that the heat-flux density is saved instead of the heat-flux so that the thermal connection
boundary condition is compatible with the boundary condition imposing the heat-flux density. In
the routine imposing the heat-flux into the residual the heat-flux density is re-multiplied by the cell
surface.
It should be mentioned that hybrid connections are allowed, this means that each side of the inter-
face can be composed of fluid and solid patches.

1
2

FIGURE 7.3.3-6 Generic example of FNMB/CHT connection

7-4 Cooling/Bleed
7-4.1 Introduction
The Cooling/Bleed model allows both the simulation of cooling flows injected through solid walls
into the flow or bleed flows where mass flow leaves the main flow through solid wall.

The adopted technique makes use of additional sources of mass, momentum and energy located at
given points or along given lines of the solid walls and does not require the meshing of the cooling
flow injection channels. The objective of this model is not to describe the details of the cooling flow
itself but rather to consider its effect on the main flow. The major hypothesis of the model is that the
injection/bleed surface is smaller than the local cell surface.

FINE™ 7-15
Optional Models Cooling/Bleed

In the next sections the following information is given on the Cooling/Bleed model:
• section 7-4.2 describes how to set up a project involving the Cooling/Bleed model under the
FINE™ user environment.
• section 7-4.3 gives a summary of the available expert parameters related to cooling or bleed
flow.
• section 7-4.4 provides a theoretical description of the approach used to solve the cooling flow
problem.

7-4.2 Cooling/Bleed Model in the FINE™ GUI


The Cooling/Bleed model can be directly activated from the FINE™ interface by opening the Cool-
ing/Bleed page under Optional Models. The layout of the page is shown in Figure 7.4.2-7.

(a)

(b)

(c)

FIGURE 7.4.2-7 Cooling/Bleed page in FINE™

The list box on the top of the page (a) displays all the injectors (Cooling or Bleed) imported or
added by the user. The buttons below the list enable to Add, Edit, Remove or Import (more details
on data file in section 7-4.5) injectors (b). Clicking with the left mouse button on a selected injector
will display its corresponding parameters in the lower part of the page (c). Clicking with the right
mouse button on a selected injector will display a popup menu enabling to add/edit/remove the
injector.

7-4.2.1 Injector Sector Wizard


When adding an injector (Add Injector button), for each injection the following parameters need to
be specified through a wizard:
• injector name,
• injector role: Cooling or Bleed,
• injector solid patches location,

7-16 FINE™
Cooling/Bleed Optional Models

• definition of the geometry,


• position of the injector,
• flow parameters.
On the first page of this wizard the user can enter the name, the role, the solid patches, the geometry
definition and the type of positioning of the injector.

FIGURE 7.4.2-8 Injection Sector Wizard

a) Injection Sector Name


The name should be entered by moving the mouse to the text box for the Injector Name and to
type the name on the keyboard. By default a name is proposed like "injector_1".

It is strongly recommended to use only standard english letters, arabic numerals and
underscore "_" symbol when naming an injection sector. Non-standard characters may
not be recognized or may be misinterpreted when using the project on other computers.

b) Injection Sector Role


The role of the injector should be entered: Cooling if the flow is injected through solid walls into the
main flow or Bleed if part of the mass flow leaves the main flow through solid walls.

c) Injection Sector Geometry


Three types of injection sectors can be defined through the interface: point, line or slot.
• the Point type corresponds to a single cooling hole.
• the Line type stands for a series of cooling holes regularly distributed along a line with the
same geometrical and flow properties.
• a hub or shroud Slot is a continuous line of holes placed at constant radius and axial position
(typically used on the hub or shroud surface of a turbomachine). Slots are only defined along
axisymmetric surfaces.

In case a slot (or a line) should traverse several patches (as for instance in a HOH
mesh configuration) all the patches should be selected and one single slot should be cre-
ated.

FINE™ 7-17
Optional Models Cooling/Bleed

d) Injection Sector Positioning


Four modes are available to place the holes:
• Relative mode: this mode is used for blade walls and is valid for AutoGrid™ meshes only. In
this case, the spanwise and streamwise positions of the hole (or of the 2 extremities in the case
of a line of holes) are specified.
• Space Cartesian mode: the user specifies the (X,Y,Z) Cartesian coordinates of the hole or of
the 2 extremities for a line. For a slot the user enters the radius and the Z-coordinate of one
point of the slot.
• Space Cylindrical mode: the user specifies the (R,θ,Z) cylindrical coordinates of the hole or
of the 2 extremities for a line. For a slot the user enters the radius and the Z-coordinate of one
point of the slot.
• Grid mode: the user specifies the (I,J,K) indices of the hole or of the 2 extremities of a line of
holes.

The injection sectors of type Slot cannot be presented in relative coordinates.

The combination of injector geometry and positioning can be summarized as follows:

FIGURE 7.4.2-9 Injector sector geometry/positioning combination & restriction

To cancel the modifications to the injector definition and close the wizard click on the Cancel but-
ton.
Once the injector sector role, type and mode are correctly set, click on Next>> to go to the next
page of the wizard. On this page, depending of the role, type and mode of injector, the flow param-
eters and geometry/positioning parameters have to be defined in the second page of the wizard.

When defining a cooling or bleed using the Cartesian or cylindrical coordinates, no


procedure is implemented to check if the specified direction is correct.

e) Injection Sector Geometry/Positioning Parameters


As presented in Figure 7.4.2-9, 11 combinations are available. As the transformation from cylindri-
cal to Cartesian coordinates is obvious, only 8 combinations will be described in more detail.

7-18 FINE™
Cooling/Bleed Optional Models

e.1) Relative positioning for a single hole


The user specifies the diameter of the hole in case of a single hole.

Each hole is circular. The equivalent diameter of the hole surface is specified by the
user, but a hole is included in one cell only, even when the diameter exceeds the cell
width. If the expert parameter COOLFL is set to 3, all cells included in the definition of
the hole will be used, see section 7-4.3.
As for the old algorithm, the holes are located by means of a spanwise and a streamwise relative
position. The algorithm can be applied to H, I or O-meshes generated by AutoGrid™. For O-
meshes the blade surface is divided in two different sub-patches (one for the pressure side and one
for the suction side). Therefore, the user has to select on which side of the blade (Side1/Side2) the
injection will be located. A button has been added in the interface in order to select the side. This
button is active only for O-meshes.

FIGURE 7.4.2-10 Geometry parameters for relative positioning of a hole

Only the version of AutoGrid™ provided with FINE™ 6.1-1 (and later versions) can
be used to generate the mesh and this relative positioning is only available for blade sur-
faces.
The location is defined as a fraction of the arc length from hub to shroud and from the leading edge
to the trailing edge. Spanwise and streamwise coordinates are computed for each cell vertex. The
closest point found in this relative coordinate frame is the one that is concerned by the injection.
An option has been set-up in order to use the axial chord (Axial Coordinates option) instead of the
arc length (only available for axial machines).

The relative positioning does not accept meshes with a blunt at the leading edge

Finally, three ways to impose the injection direction are proposed through the interface: Cartesian,
cylindrical or grid indices. For injection direction specified in Cylindrical coordinates two options
are available: it can be defined in the relative frame of reference or in the absolute frame of refer-
ence.

FINE™ 7-19
Optional Models Cooling/Bleed

FIGURE 7.4.2-11 . Relative positioning of a hole at 70% spanwise and 50% streamwise.

When Grid Indices is selected, the injection direction is provided by the user through 2 angles
expressed in degrees (depending of the units selected in the menu File/Preferences). Each angle is
measured with respect to the local normal and one of the 2 grid line directions tangent to the wall.
I ( J, K )
In case of an = ct surface, the angles are measured with respect to the grid lines
J ( K, I )
K ( I, J )

respectively. Figure 7.4.2-12 illustrates the definition of angle βk for an I = cst surface.

I=constant surface
V
J

βk
n

βk is the angle of the velocity projection in the (K,n) plane with respect to the normal n
to the surface.

FIGURE 7.4.2-12 Angle definition in the cooling flow page of the FINE™ GUI

Each angle is defined as:

V i, j, k
β i, j, k = atan ⎛ -------------⎞ (7-19)
⎝ Vn ⎠

For example, in order to make the velocity direction oriented along the normal, the two angles
should be set equal to 0. A 90 degrees angle is not allowed as it will induce a velocity vector tan-
gent to the corresponding grid line direction, with zero mass flow.

7-20 FINE™
Cooling/Bleed Optional Models

For holes located on the blade walls and when the mesh is generated with AutoGrid™, the K- and
J- lines are the two tangent directions along the blade wall, respectively oriented in the streamwise
and spanwise directions.
e.2) Relative positioning for a line of holes
The user specifies the diameter of the hole in case of a line of holes. Furthermore, the number of
holes has to be specified and will be uniformly distributed on the line.

Each hole is circular. The equivalent diameter of the hole surface is specified by the
user, but a hole is included in one cell only, even when the diameter exceeds the cell
width. If the expert parameter COOLFL is set to 3, all cells included in the definition of
the hole will be used, see section 7-4.3.
As for the old algorithm, the line of holes is defined by two points (holes) that are located by means
of a spanwise and a streamwise relative position. The algorithm can be applied to H, I or O-meshes
generated by AutoGrid™. For O-mesh the blade surface is divided in two different sub-patches
(one for the pressure side and one for the suction side). Therefore, the user has to select on which
side of the blade (Side1/Side2) the injection will be located. A button has been added in the inter-
face in order to select the side. This button is active only for O-meshes.

For each point of the line the algorithm works as for the single hole positioning.

FIGURE 7.4.2-13 Geometry parameters for relative positioning of a line of holes

Only the version of AutoGrid™ provided with FINE™ 6.1-1 (and later versions) can
be used to generate the mesh and this relative positioning is only available for blade sur-
faces.
The location is defined as a fraction of the arc length from hub to shroud and from the leading edge
to the trailing edge. Spanwise and streamwise coordinates are computed for each cell vertex. The
closest point found in this relative coordinate frame is the one that is concerned by the injection.
An option has been set-up in order to use the axial chord (Axial Coordinates option) instead of the
arc length (only available for axial machines).

The relative positioning does not accept meshes with a blunt at the leading edge

FINE™ 7-21
Optional Models Cooling/Bleed

Finally, three ways to impose the injection direction are proposed through the interface: Cartesian,
cylindrical or grid indices. When Grid Indices is selected, refer to the end of section e.1) for more
details. For injection direction specified in Cylindrical coordinates two options are available: it can
be defined in the relative frame of reference or in the absolute frame of reference.
e.3) Cartesian positioning for a single hole
The user specifies the diameter of the hole in case of a single hole.

Each hole is circular. The equivalent diameter of the hole surface is specified by the
user, but a hole is included in one cell only, even when the diameter exceeds the cell
width. If the expert parameter COOLFL is set to 3, all cells included in the definition of
the hole will be used, see section 7-4.3.
As for the old algorithm, the holes are located by means of the (X,Y,Z) Cartesian coordinates.

For a single hole, the cell that is concerned by the injection is the closest cell face cen-
tre to the defined point. In case of repetition, the point is automatically transferred to the
meshed patch
Furthermore, in order to ease the capture of the right coordinates, the button Get Coordinates ena-
bles the user to interactively select the point in the mesh view after opening the mesh through the
menu Mesh/View On/Off or Mesh/Tearoff graphics (only available on UNIX).

FIGURE 7.4.2-14 Geometry parameters for space Cartesian positioning of a hole

Finally, three ways to impose the injection direction are proposed through the interface: Cartesian,
cylindrical or grid indices. When Grid Indices is selected, refer to the end of section e.1) for more
details. For injection direction specified in Cylindrical coordinates two options are available: it can
be defined in the relative frame of reference or in the absolute frame of reference.
e.4) Cartesian positioning for a line of holes
The user specifies the diameter of the hole in case of a line of holes. Furthermore, the number of
holes has to be specified.

Each hole is circular. The equivalent diameter of the hole surface is specified by the
user, but a hole is included in one cell only, even when the diameter exceeds the cell
width. If the expert parameter COOLFL is set to 3, all cells included in the definition of
the hole will be used, see section 7-4.3.
As for the old algorithm, the line of holes is defined by two points (holes) that are located by means
of the (X,Y,Z) Cartesian coordinates.

7-22 FINE™
Cooling/Bleed Optional Models

For the two points defining the line, the cells that are concerned by the injection are
the closest cell face centre to the defined point. In case of a repetition, the point is auto-
matically transferred to the meshed patch
Furthermore, in order to ease the capture of the right coordinates, the button Get Coordinates ena-
bles the user to interactively select the point in the mesh view after opening the mesh through the
menu Mesh/View On/Off or Mesh/Tearoff graphics (only available on UNIX).

FIGURE 7.4.2-15 Geometry parameters for space Cartesian positioning of a line of holes

A line is drawn from those two points (this line does not necessarily follow the surface of the patch,
see Figure 7.4.2-16). The segment is then uniformly divided into N-1 sub-segments (where N is the
number of holes on this line). Each N-2 limits of the sub-segment is then projected on the patch (the
closest cell face centre is found). Those are the cells where the injection will be applied. They are
not necessarily uniformly distributed on the patch.

points defined by user


points at cell face centre
where injection will be applied

FIGURE 7.4.2-16 Construction of a line of holes on a turbine hub

For a mesh with a high clustering, or for a high number of points on the line, several
projected points could end on the same cell. This is taken into account in the algorithm.
The mass flow injected is then multiplied by the relevant factor. Therefore, one should be
aware that the number of cells that are highlighted in the interface should not strictly
match the number of holes on the line.

FINE™ 7-23
Optional Models Cooling/Bleed

within
Parametric Space

without
Parametric Space

FIGURE 7.4.2-17 Definition of a line of holes without or within the parametric space

On the contrary for a mesh with a relatively poor spatial discretization, the location of the cell face
centres where the injection will be applied will not be strictly on a line. A limitation of this algo-
rithm is that the line does not necessarily follow the patch surface. Therefore, defining a line of
holes at the hub of a gap (upper surface of a rotor blade) could produce the problem presented on
the left side of Figure 7.4.2-17. The same problem can arise generally on a convex surface. In order
to solve this problem, the user can define a line of holes following a parametric surface defined by
the grid lines by activating Parametric Space. Therefore, a line of holes on a convex surface could
be more easily defined (right side of Figure 7.4.2-17).

One limitation of this option is that a line of holes cannot cross a connection. For
instance defining a line of holes (in the parametric space) close to the trailing edge of a O
mesh will produce the result sketched bellow.

POSSIBLE

FIGURE 7.4.2-18 Definition of a line of holes in the parametric space.

7-24 FINE™
Cooling/Bleed Optional Models

For turbomachinery configuration with periodic conditions, points could be located either on the
meshed passage or on one of its repetitions. Therefore, the injections are automatically transferred
to the meshed patch.

FIGURE 7.4.2-19 Two methods to respect repetition for a line of 3 holes.

In case of multi-patch selection the algorithm described above is applied independently for each
patch. Therefore, a direct definition of a line of holes crossing several patches is not possible. In this
case it is recommended to define as many lines as necessary (see figure below). In order to over-
come this problem the multi-patch selection has been restricted to the slots defined by Cartesian or
cylindrical coordinates.

FIGURE 7.4.2-20 Example of definition of a line of 5 holes with multi-patch selection.

Finally, three ways to impose the injection direction are proposed through the interface: Cartesian,
cylindrical or grid indices. When Grid Indices is selected, refer to the end of section e.1) for more
details. For injection direction specified in Cylindrical coordinates two options are available: it can
be defined in the relative frame of reference or in the absolute frame of reference.

FINE™ 7-25
Optional Models Cooling/Bleed

e.5) Cartesian positioning for a slot


The user has to specify the width of the slot.

The multi-patch selection has been restricted to the slots defined by Cartesian or cylin-
drical coordinates.

FIGURE 7.4.2-21 Geometry parameters for space Cartesian positioning of a slot

For the positioning of the slot, the radius and z values are asked to the user. The closest cell face of
the patch to this point is found. The radius and axial position of this cell face centre becomes the
slot position in the (r,z) plane. It should be noted that this slot position is not identical to the initial
user input. For most axial machines the radius can be easily identified by calculating the closest
point on the patch. In this case only the axial position of the slot is required in the interface. For
radial machines, or for axial machines with complex vein geometry, the two components of the
original point are required (Figure 7.4.2-22).

Axial Machine

Radial Machine

FIGURE 7.4.2-22 Examples of slot positioning

The algorithm that defines the cell faces that are concerned by this slot is illustrated in Figure 7.4.2-
23. For each cell face of the patch, the two extremities in the (r,z) plane of this polygon (A,B and
A’,B’) are identified (i.e., the two vertices with the maximum distance in this plane). They define
the limits of the cell face in the (r,z) plane. If those two points are called A,B for cell 1 and A’,B’ for
cell 2, and S is the slot location specified by the user in the (r,z) plane through FINE™, as presented
on Figure 7.4.2-23, S is only included in the domain of cell 1 limited by A,B in the (r,z) plane,
therefore, the cell 1 is the only cell concerned by the slot S.

7-26 FINE™
Cooling/Bleed Optional Models

FIGURE 7.4.2-23 Identification of the cells concerned by the slot S in the (r,z) plane. δ is the
distance between A and B.

On the contrary, S is not inside the domain defined by A',B'. Thus, the cell 2 will not be concerned
by the slot.

For O-meshes with small cells close to leading or trailing edges, this algorithm could
leads to missing cells. This problem is due to a (r,z) position specified by the user in
FINE™ for the slot that is not precise enough.

not precise enough exact value


value

points are missing points are


represented

FIGURE 7.4.2-24 Definition of a slot for a O-mesh

FINE™ 7-27
Optional Models Cooling/Bleed

Furthermore, in order to ease the capture of the right coordinates, the button Get Coordinates ena-
bles the user to interactively select the point in the mesh view after opening the mesh through the
menu Mesh/View On/Off or Mesh/Tearoff graphics (only available on UNIX).
Finally, three ways to impose the injection direction are proposed through the interface: Cartesian,
cylindrical or grid indices. When Grid Indices is selected, refer to the end of section e.1) for more
details. For injection direction specified in Cylindrical coordinates two options are available: it can
be defined in the relative frame of reference or in the absolute frame of reference.
e.6) Grid positioning for a single hole
The user specifies the diameter of the hole in case of a single hole.

Each hole is circular. The equivalent diameter of the hole surface is specified by the
user, but a hole is included in one cell only, even when the diameter exceeds the cell
width. If the expert parameter COOLFL is set to 3, all cells included in the definition of
the hole will be used, see section 7-4.3.
The grid positioning used in EURANUS depends on the grid indices of the centre of the cell faces.
It is different from the grid indices used in IGG™ and in CFView™. The grid indices are directly
used by the flow solver in order to introduce the flow of mass, momentum and energy at this cell
face.

FIGURE 7.4.2-25 Geometry Parameters for Grid positioning of a hole

Finally, three ways to impose the injection direction are proposed through the interface: Cartesian,
cylindrical or grid indices. When Grid Indices is selected, refer to the end of section e.1) for more
details. For injection direction specified in Cylindrical coordinates two options are available: it can
be defined in the relative frame of reference or in the absolute frame of reference.
e.7) Grid positioning for a line of holes
The user specifies the diameter of the hole in case of a line of holes. Furthermore, the number of
holes has to be specified.

Each hole is circular. The equivalent diameter of the hole surface is specified by the
user, but a hole is included in one cell only, even when the diameter exceeds the cell
width. If the expert parameter COOLFL is set to 3, all cells included in the definition of
the hole will be used, see section 7-4.3.
From the two cell face centres defined in the interface, two geometrical points are defined by their
(x,y,z) coordinates. Then, a line is constructed in the same way as for the Cartesian positioning (sec-
tion e.4). In this case there is no problem of repetition because the two extremities of the line are
located on the meshed patch. Furthermore, concerning the Parametric Space option, refer to sec-
tion e.4) on page 7-24 for more details.

7-28 FINE™
Cooling/Bleed Optional Models

FIGURE 7.4.2-26 Geometry parameters for Grid positioning of a line of holes

Finally, three ways to impose the injection direction are proposed through the interface: Cartesian,
cylindrical or grid indices. When Grid Indices is selected, refer to the end of section e.1) for more
details. For injection direction specified in Cylindrical coordinates two options are available: it can
be defined in the relative frame of reference or in the absolute frame of reference.
e.8) Grid positioning for a slot
The user specifies the width of the slot. has to be specified.
From the grid indices a geometrical point is defined. Then the slot is defined in the same way as for
the Cartesian positioning (section e.5).

FIGURE 7.4.2-27 Geometry Parameters for Grid positioning of a slot

Finally, three ways to impose the injection direction are proposed through the interface: Cartesian,
cylindrical or grid indices. When Grid Indices is selected, refer to the end of section e.1) for more
details. For injection direction specified in Cylindrical coordinates two options are available: it can
be defined in the relative frame of reference or in the absolute frame of reference.

f) Flow Parameters
The user has to specify the Mass flow: the specified mass flow is actually the total mass flow
through all the blades and through all the holes in the case of a line of holes. Thus the mass flow
through one hole is the specified mass flow divided by the number of blades and the number of
holes. The mass flow is often responsible for initialization troubles as it might be too high. The
FINE™ interface allows a tuning of the specified mass flow through an expert parameter. This is
described in section 7-4.3.

FINE™ 7-29
Optional Models Cooling/Bleed

For cooling flow the mass flow specified in FINE™ will be considered as positive.
The mass flow is considered as negative for bleed flow.

FIGURE 7.4.2-28 Flow parameters for Bleed

FIGURE 7.4.2-29 Flow parameters for Cooling

Furthermore, the Arrows scaling factor parameter enables the user to control the shape of the
arrows representing the injection direction after opening the mesh through the menu Mesh/View
On/Off or Mesh/Tearoff graphics (only available on UNIX).
For cooling additional parameters have to be defined:
• static or total temperature in absolute or relative frame of reference.
• turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation or turbulent intensity when the k-ε model is used.

• kinematic turbulent viscosity when the Spalart-Allmaras model is used.

7-30 FINE™
Cooling/Bleed Optional Models

7-4.2.2 Injector Sector Visualization


When adding an injection sector into FINE™, the location (cell face are highlighted) and the direc-
tion of the injection can be visualized. In order to be able to visualize, the user has to load the mesh
through the menu Mesh/View On/Off or Mesh/Tearoff graphics (only available on UNIX).

FIGURE 7.4.2-30 Injection sector visualization within FINE™

The parameters area will then be overlapped by the graphic window, and the small control button
on the upper - left corner of the graphic window can be used to resize the graphics area in order to
visualize simultaneously the parameters and the mesh (see section 2-6.6).

If the injection direction is imposed in cylindrical, whatever the reference frame


selected (absolute or relative), the arrows representing the injection direction is displayed
as for the cylindrical relative frame of reference.
Furthermore, new outputs have been added into FINE™ on the Outputs/Computed Variables
page under the thumbnail Solid data in order to enable the visualisation in CFView™ of the
injected flow (in [kg/s]) and the injection direction (normalized [0 1]).

FIGURE 7.4.2-31 Injector sector outputs for CFView™

Within CFView™, the injection direction is always visualized in a relative frame of


reference.

FINE™ 7-31
Optional Models Cooling/Bleed

7-4.3 Expert Parameters


COOLRT: in case some difficulties appear at the beginning of the simulation. The robustness can
be improved by reducing the imposed cooling/bleed mass flow with the expert parame-
ter COOLRT. The value of COOLRT (less than 1) corresponds to a constant factor
applied to all imposed cooling/bleed mass flow during the computation. The user
should make successive computations by progressively increasing this parameter (up to
1) in case of robustness problems.

ZMNMX: in the old algorithm (COOLFL=0) for the relative mode, the injector position in stream-
wise direction can be provided with 0 and 1 defined in two different ways:
= 0 (default):the leading and trailing edges are the grid edges, i.e the points where the
periodic lines of the mesh meet the blade walls
= 1: the points located at respectively the minimum and maximum axial positions.

COOLFL: there is a possibility to specify the cooling/bleed flow data through an external input
file with the extension ".cooling-holes". This file can be useful in case the flow calcula-
tion is integrated into an automatic procedure. For more details on the format of the
file, refer to section 7-4.5.
= 0: the old algorithm of the cooling/bleed model will be used (model used in FINE™
6.1 and previous releases). The backward compatibility is ensured through this
parameter set to 0.
= 1: the old algorithm of the cooling/bleed model will be used (model used in FINE™
6.1 and previous releases) based on an external file with the extension ".cooling-
holes" located in the corresponding computation subfolder will be read and the
data specified through the FINE™ interface will be ignored.
= 2 (default): the new algorithm of the cooling/bleed model will be used.
= 3: all cells included in the injection width/diameter will be included in the boundary
condition. By default only one cell is used, even when the width/diameter is bigger
then one cell.

MAXNBS: the maximum allowed number of injection sectors is controlled through the expert
parameter MAXNBS (the default value is 50). If the input file contains a higher
number of sectors the parameter should be modified.

7-4.4 Theory
The major hypothesis of the model is that the injection/bleed surface is smaller than the local cell
surface.
If COOLFL=0, the model consists in the addition of local source terms to all the flow equations
(mass, momentum, energy and k-ε equations when a 2-equations turbulence model is used). These
terms are added as fluxes through the solid boundary cells where a cooling hole has been placed by
the user. Fluxes are computed as:
mass
• Mass: F = ρW n S

= ρW x, y, z W n S + p∗ n x, y, z S
momentum
• Momentum F x, y, z

7-32 FINE™
Cooling/Bleed Optional Models

= W n ( ρE + p∗ )S
energy
• Energy F
k, ε
• k,ε-equations: F = ρW n ( k, ε )S
where ρ is the density, Wn is the velocity component normal to the solid wall and S is the cooling
hole surface.The increased static pressure is computed as:

2
p∗ = p + --- ρk (7-20)
3
and the total energy E* is:

W2
E∗ = e + ----- + k (7-21)
2
The density required to calculate the velocity components is obtained from the computed pressure
field along the walls and from the imposed static or total temperature.

Note that for the momentum equations only the velocity term is added as a source
term. The pressure term already exists even in the absence of holes.
If COOLFL=2, the cooling injection/bleed are treated as additional inlet or outlet boundary condi-
tion.
Finally, the turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation can either be directly imposed by the user or be
calculated from the turbulent intensity. In that case, the turbulent kinetic energy is obtained as:

2
k = 1.5 ( Tu ⋅ W ) (7-22)

where W is the velocity magnitude and Tu is the turbulent intensity. The turbulent dissipation is
obtained from the relation:

0.75 1.5
Cµ k
ε = -------------------
- (7-23)
0.1D
where D is the diameter of the hole and Cµ = 0.09.

It should be noted that the velocity remains equal to zero at the walls even in the cool-
ing flow region. Thus the boundary condition on the velocity is left unchanged and the
effect of the cooling flow will be observed in the surrounding cells. However, the tem-
perature field will be affected on the wall itself.

7-4.5 Cooling/Bleed Data File: ’.cooling-holes’


A parser is used to find the data in this file, using keywords to locate the position of the data in the
file. The advantage of this technique is that the data do not have to be positioned at a given line in
the file, but only have to be followed by the appropriate keyword (the keywords can be written with
capitals or not).
The user specifies in the file a series of 'injection sectors'. An injection sector is either
— a single cooling hole
— a series of distributed cooling holes along a line (all holes having the same geometrical and
flow properties)
— a hub or shroud slot (continuous line of holes along a constant radius and axial position line)
Each injection sector should respectively start and end with the keywords

FINE™ 7-33
Optional Models Cooling/Bleed

INJECTION SECTOR
END DATA

Each injection sector should contain all the appropriate data. If one data is missing, the
flow solver will stop and a message will appear on the screen.

7-4.5.1 Injection Sector Specification

a) Injection Sector Type


The user should start by defining if the sector is a single injection hole (1), a line of holes (2) or a
slot (3):

b) Boundary Patch
The user should specify the block and face number, as well as the boundary patch on which the
holes are located. The face number can be 1 (I=1), 2 (J=1), 3 (K=1), 4 (K=KM), 5 (J=JM), 6 (I=IM)
The patch number is only required if several solid patches are present on the face (for instance on a
hub or shroud wall).

c) Holes & Slot Position


Three modes are available to locate the holes:
c.1) Relative Positioning - for blade walls (can not be used for slots)
• spanwise position(s) of the hole or of the 2 extremities of the line of holes (between 0 at the
hub and 1 at the shroud)
• streamwise position(s) of the hole or of the 2 extremities of the line of holes (between 0 at the
leading edge and 1 at the trailing edge). The leading and trailing edges can either be the grid
edges, i.e. the points where the periodic lines of the mesh meet the blade walls (parameter
ZMNMX=0), or the points located at respectively the minimum and maximum axial positions
(parameter ZMNMX=1, valid for axial flow machines). The choice between the two possibili-
ties is made through the expert parameter ZMNMX, whose default value is 0.

Note that this "blade wall" positioning option is only valid for H- or I-type meshes, the
pressure and suction surfaces being assumed to be located on two opposite faces of the
mesh.

c.2) space Cartesian (X,Y,Z) positioning data


Wi , j ,k
• in case of a hole or of a line of holes the user specifies β i , j ,k = arctg ( )
the Cartesian coordinates of the hole or of the 2 extremi- Wn
ties.
• in case of slot the user specifies the radius and the Z-coordinate of one point of the slot.
A searching procedure is applied to find the closest solid wall cell to the specified point(s). The
point is periodically repeated around the machine axis so that the specified point does not need to
be located in the blade passage used for the computation.
c.3) Grid positioning data
The user specifies the grid indices of the hole, of one point of the slot or of the 2 extremities of the
line of holes. Depending on the face number, only 2 indices have to be provided (for instance, along
the I=1 face, only the J and K indices are required).

7-34 FINE™
Cooling/Bleed Optional Models

d) Holes Size or Slot Width


The user specifies in addition either the diameter of the holes in case of a single hole or a line of
holes, or the width of the slot (in meters).

e) Flow Properties
• the mass flow through the hole(s): the specified mass flow is the total mass flow through all
the blades. In case of a line of holes, the specified mass flow is the overall mass flow through
all the holes. Therefore the mass flow through one hole is the specified mass flow divided by
the number of blades and by the number of holes. Mass flow has to be negative for Bleed flow.
• the static or relative total temperature (if both are present only the static temperature will be
read).
• he turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation, or the turbulent intensity (if the k-ε model is used).

The kinematic turbulent viscosity (if Spalart-Allmaras model is used) cannot be speci-
fied through an external file ".cooling-holes".

f) Velocity Direction
Finally, when a cooling injection sector has been selected, three ways to impose the injection direc-
tion are proposed through the interface: Cartesian, cylindrical or grid indices. When the injection
direction is provided by the user through grid indices, 2 angles have to be expressed in degrees.
Each angle is measured with respect to the local normal and one of the 2 grid line directions tangent
to the wall. The user specifies 2 of the following 3 angles (in degrees), depending on the face on
which the hole is located:
• Angle with respect to I-grid line
• Angle with respect to J-grid line
• Angle with respect to K-grid line

Note that the two angles should be equal to 0 degree to make the velocity direction oriented in the
normal direction to the blade wall, whereas a 90 degrees angle induces the velocity vector to be tan-
gent to the corresponding grid line direction.
In the case of holes located on the blade walls, and if the mesh has been generated with the AutoG-
rid™ software, the K- and J-lines are the two tangent directions along the blade wall, respectively
oriented in the streamwise and spanwise directions. The K-angle is the streamwise angle, whereas
the J-angle is the spanwise angle.

FINE™ 7-35
Optional Models Cooling/Bleed

7-4.5.2 Input Data Summary

a) Global Data

Keyword
Single hole (1), line(2) or slot(3) type
Number of holes (if line) number of holes
Diameter (single hole or line) diameter
Width (slot) width
Block Number block
Face Number face
Patch Number (only if several patches) patch
Input Mode (1-relative, 2-Cartesian(X,Y,Z), 3-Grid(I,J,K)) mode

b) Positioning

Positioning - Single Injection Hole if mode 1 Keyword


Streamwise position of the hole Streamwise position
Spanwise position of the hole Spanwise position
Positioning - Single Injection Hole if mode 2
X-coordinate of the hole X-coordinate
Y-coordinate of the hole Y-coordinate
Z-coordinate of the hole Z-coordinate
Positioning - Single Injection Hole if mode 3
I-index of the hole I-index
J-index of the hole J-index
K-index of the hole K-index
Positioning - Line of Injection Holes if mode 1
Streamwise position of first point streamwise position of first point
Spanwise position of first point spanwise position of first point
Streamwise position of second point streamwise position of second point
Spanwise position of second point spanwise position of second point
Positioning - Line of Injection Holes if mode 2
X-coordinate of first point X-coordinate of first point
Y-coordinate of first point Y-coordinate of first point
Z-coordinate of first point Z-coordinate of first point
X-coordinate of second point X-coordinate of second point
Y-coordinate of second point Y-coordinate of second point
Z-coordinate of second point Z-coordinate of second point
Positioning - Line of Injection Holes if mode 3
I-index of first point I-index of first point
J-index of first point J-index of first point
K-index of first point K-index of first point
I-index of second point I-index of second point
J-index of second point J-index of second point
K-index of second point K-index of second point

7-36 FINE™
Cooling/Bleed Optional Models

Positioning - Slot - mode 2


Radius of one point of slot radius
Z-coordinate of one point of slot Z-coordinate
Positioning - Slot - mode 3
I-index of one point of slot I-index
J-index of one point of slot J-index
K-index of one point of slot K-index

c) Flow Properties

Keyword
Mass Flow (negative if bleed flow) mass flow
Static Temperature (only for cooling flow) static temperature
Relative Total Temperature (only for cooling flow) total temperature
Turbulent Kinetic Energy (only for cooling flow and k-ε model) width
Turbulent Dissipation (only for cooling flow and k-ε model) turbulent dissipation
Turbulent Intensity (only for cooling flow and k-ε model) turbulent intensity

d) Flow Direction (only for cooling flow)

Flow Direction - Cartesian mode Keyword


Angle with respect to x-direction(degrees) x-angle
Angle with respect to y-direction(degrees) y-angle
Angle with respect to z-direction(degrees) z-angle
Flow Direction - Cylindrical mode
Angle with respect to r-direction(degrees) r-angle
Angle with respect to theta-direction(degrees) theta-angle
Angle with respect to z-direction(degrees) z-angle
Flow Direction - Grid mode
Angle with respect to K-grid line(degrees) K-angle
Angle with respect to J-grid line(degrees) J-angle
Angle with respect to I-grid line(degrees) I-angle

7-4.5.3 Examples
Example 1 - Bleed Flow through a Slot define in Grid (I,J,K) mode

FINE™ 7-37
Optional Models Transition Model

Example 2 - Bleed Flow through a Slot define in Cartesian (X,Y,Z) mode

Example 3 - Cooling Flow through a Hole define in Cartesian (X,Y,Z) mode

7-5 Transition Model


7-5.1 Introduction
The boundary layer which develops on the surface of a solid body starts as a laminar layer but
becomes turbulent over a relatively short distance known as the transition region. This Laminar-
Turbulent transition is a complex and not yet fully understood phenomenon. Among the numerous
parameters that affect the transition one can list: the free stream turbulence intensity, the pressure
gradient, the Reynolds number, and the surface curvature.

Furthermore, predicting the onset of turbulence is a critical component of many engineering flows.
It can have a tremendous impact on the overall drag, heat transfer, and performances especially for
low-Reynolds number applications. However, most of the turbulent models fail to predict the
transition location.

Therefore, it is proposed to include a transition model in the original Spalart-Allmaras turbulence


model in order to take into account the transition onset at a certain chord distance on a blade pressure
and suction sides. The transition location (transition line in 3D) should be imposed either through a

7-38 FINE™
Transition Model Optional Models

user input or via a separate guess. It should be pointed out that these transition terms should only be
active when the transition module is used. When it is not used, the fully turbulent version of the
Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model remains unchanged.

In the next sections the following information is given on the Transition Model:
• section 7-5.2 describes how to set up a project involving the Transition Model under the
FINE™ user environment.
• section 7-5.3 gives a summary of the available expert parameters related to the Transition
model.
• section 7-5.4 provides a theoretical description of the approach used to solve the transition
region.

7-5.2 Transition Model in the FINE™ GUI


The Transition Model can be directly activated from the FINE™ GUI by opening the Transition
Model page under Optional Models. The layout of the page is shown in Figure 7.5.2-32.

FIGURE 7.5.2-32 Transition Model page in FINE™

A list of all the blades appears in the left box and the remaining area is divided into two boxes for
suction and pressure side, respectively. Four choices are possible:
— Fully Turbulent
— Fully Laminar
— Forced Transition
— Abu-Ghannam and Shaw (AGS) Model

Furthermore, for Forced Transition, the user has to specify the position of the transition lines on
each side of each blade. It is based on the relative stream-wise position and it is defined as a line on
the blade pressure and/or suction sides from hub to shroud. The user specifies two anchor points
through which a straight line will be built by the solver. It should be noted that only blades are
transitional while wall ends are fully turbulent.

The transition model is only available for the one-equation Spalart-Allmaras model
using AutoGrid™ mesh and is applied to blade boundaries and work in both steady and
unsteady modes.

FINE™ 7-39
Optional Models Transition Model

Rotor/Stator interfaces should be correctly oriented (from upstream to downstream)


and solid walls of the blades should be adiabatic.

For the Abu-Ghannam and Shaw model: only one "downstream" R/S upstream of
each blade is allowed. Furthermore, there are no restrictions on the number of inlets.
Finally, a new output has been added into FINE™ on the Outputs/Computed Variables page
under the thumbnail Solid data in order to enable the visualisation in CFView™ of Intermittency
(more details on this quantity in section 7-5.4).

7-5.3 Expert Parameters


INITRA (integer): control the number of multigrid iterations (default = 100) performed in fully tur-
bulent after the coarse grid initialization process. Thereafter, the blade pressure side and suction
side are identified and the transition line is defined. The computation pursue for the remaining iter-
ations in transitional mode. The transition line derived from the Abu-Ghannam and Shaw model is
computed at each iteration.
.

Fully
Turbulent
MultiGrid
Initialization
Full INITRA
MultiGrid Transition
Model
Coarse Grid
Initialization MultiGrid

For starting or restarting a computation in transitional mode from a previous solution


(fully turbulent or in transitional mode) the expert parameter INITRA should be set to 0
(otherwise iterations will be performed in fully turbulent mode).
INTERI (integer): control the type of intermittency distribution (0:binary or 1: from Dhawan and
Narasimah) (default = 0).
INTERL (integer): control the type of location used for forced transition (0: base on arc length or
1: based on axial chord) (default = 0).
FTURBT (real): control the proportion close to the trailing edge that is fully turbulent (default =
0.95).
FTRAST (real): prevents the transition to start in an area defined from the leading edge of the
mesh. The value set is a percentage of the chord upstream of which the transi-
tion is not allowed (by default 0.05: 5%).

7-40 FINE™
Transition Model Optional Models

ITRWKI (integer): switches on the wake induced transition model. When activated (ITRWKI set
to 1), the free stream turbulence intensity (defined at the inlet or at the rotor/sta-
tor interface) and the turbulence intensity from the boundary layer edge are
used to define the transition region. When this parameter is not checked, only
the free stream turbulence intensity is used.

7-5.4 Theory
The Transition Model consists of introducing a so-called intermittency, Γ, defined as the fraction of
time during which the flow over any point on a surface is turbulent. It should be zero in the laminar
boundary layer and one in fully developed turbulent boundary layer.
The intermittency function is defined on each point of the blade surface and at each iteration. It is
extended to the computational domain by a simple orthogonal extension (i.e., each point of the
computational domain has the same intermittency than the closest point on the blade surface).
The intermittency is used to multiply the turbulence production term. For the Spalart-Allmaras tur-
bulence model this gives:

~ ~
S = ΓS (7-24)

where S˜ is the production term in the Spalart-Allmaras in Eq. 4-52. Free-stream wakes (with only
a weak production term) will not be affected by the intermittency. A laminar boundary layer will be
preserved upstream of the transition location and turbulence could freely develop thereafter.

The transition location imposed by the user through the Forced Transition option and
by the AGS Model is only appearing if it has been defined in a turbulent boundary layer.

7-5.4.1 Fully Turbulent


When the Fully Turbulent model is selected, the intermittency, Γ is set to 1 on the whole blade
suction and/or pressure sides (fully developed turbulent boundary layer).

7-5.4.2 Fully Laminar


When the Fully Laminar model is selected, the intermittency, Γ is set to 0 on the whole blade suc-
tion and/or pressure sides (laminar boundary layer).

7-5.4.3 Forced Transition


The first step is to have a description of the blades in EURANUS to be able to position the transi-
tion line. Therefore AutoGrid™ has been adapted to output the position of the leading and trailing
edges and the topological patches composing the blade surfaces.
This last information is read by FINE™ and transmitted to the solver EURANUS. A dialog box has
been created to allow the positioning the transition line on the blade surfaces (Figure 7.5.4-33).
In Forced Transition mode, each transition line is positioned through a point on the hub and a
point on the shroud. By default, these points are defined by a percentage of the arc length
(Figure 7.5.4-33). However, a special treatment is also available where the transition points are
defined by a percentage of the axial chord (only available for axial machines). This option can be
activated via the expert parameter INTERL that should be set to 1 (default value = 0).

FINE™ 7-41
Optional Models Transition Model

The intermittency, Γ, is then computed on each point of the blade surface (it is set to 0 upstream of
the transition line and tends towards 1 downstream). Each point of the computational domain has
the same intermittency as the one of the closest point on the blade surface. However a special treat-
ment is required close to the trailing edge and in tip gaps.

FIGURE 7.5.4-33 Example of the calculation of a transition point on a blade suction side as a
percentage of the chord length.

7-5.4.4 Abu-Ghannam & Shaw Model (AGS)


The location of transition could be computed from the flow solution by using empirical relations
related to external parameters. It is here proposed to use the correlations obtained by Abu-Ghannam
and Shaw [1980] and derived from experimental data from transition on a flat plate with pressure
gradients. According to these authors transition starts at a momentum thickness Reynolds number:

⎛ F (λθ ) ⎞
Rθs = 163 + exp⎜ F (λθ ) − τ⎟
⎝ 6.91 ⎠ . (7-25)

λθ is a dimensionless pressure gradient defined as:

θ 2 dU e
λθ =
ν ds (7-26)

where Ue is the velocity at the edge of the boundary layer, s is the streamwise distance from the
leading edge, and θ denotes the momentum thickness in the laminar region.

7-42 FINE™
Transition Model Optional Models

τ is the free stream turbulence level (in %). It is computed based on the upstream (inlet or rotor/sta-
tor) eddy viscosity and assuming a turbulent length scale of about 10% of the reference length
scale:

νt
τ = 86 ⋅ ------------
- (7-27)
UL ref

The function F(λθ ) depends on the sign of the pressure gradient:

F (λθ ) = 6.91 + 12.75λθ + 63.64(λθ ) 2 for adverse pressure gradient (λθ < 0), (7-28)

F (λθ ) = 6.91 + 2.48λθ − 12.27(λθ ) 2 for a favourable pressure gradient (λθ > 0). (7-29)

Therefore, according to these relations, transition is promoted in adverse pressure gradient whereas
it is retarded in favourable pressure gradient.
The range of application of the AGS correlation is 0.1 > λθ > -0.1, and for a free stream turbulent
level ranging from 0.3 to 10%.

7-5.4.5 Intermittency Distribution


Either using the Forced Transition option or the Abu-Ghannam and Shaw (AGS) Model, the
stream-wise evolution of intermittency should be defined. It could be either a binary field or a
smoother field. In the current implementation those two options are available. It is controlled by the
expert parameter INTERI. With its default value (INTERI = 0) the intermittency is 0 before transi-
tion and 1 after the transition onset. If INTERI = 1, intermittency is defined following the relation
of Dhawan and Narasimha [1958]:

Γ = 1 − exp(−0.412ξ 2 ) (7-30)

1
ξ= Max( s − st ,0) (7-31)
λ
where st is the position of the transition onset and s is the current position on the arc from leading
edge to trailing edge. λ is the characteristic extent of the transition region and is determined from
the correlation:

Re λ = 9 Re st
0.75
(7-32)

Close to the trailing edge the intermittency is set to 1. This is necessary in order to allow a turbulent
wake to be generated downstream of the blade. This special treatment is controlled by the expert
parameter FTURBT that is set to 0.95 by default (i.e., only the last 5% of a blade side will have an
intermittency of 1). In order to get a tri-dimensional distribution of the intermittency, the intermit-
tency of a cell is the one of the closest cell on a solid surface (hub, shroud, and tip gap are fully tur-
bulent and have an intermittency equal to unity).

FINE™ 7-43
Optional Models Transition Model

7-44 FINE™
CHAPTER 8: Boundary Conditions

8-1 Overview
During the IGG™ grid generation process, the user has to define the type of boundary condition to
be imposed along all boundaries. The parameters associated with these boundary condition types
can be fully defined using the Boundary Conditions page.
This chapter gives a description of the boundary conditions, available in the Boundary Conditions
page. In section 8-2, the page is described. For expert use, section 8-3 gives an overview of the
available expert parameters. In section 8-4, some advice is provided on the combinations of bound-
ary conditions to use. For more detailed information, section 8-5 provides a theoretical description
of each available boundary condition

8-2 Boundary Conditions in the FINE™ GUI


When selecting the Boundary Conditions page the "parameters area" appears as shown in
Figure 8.2.0-1. Five thumbnails are available, depending on the boundary condition types defined
in the mesh. There are currently five types of boundary conditions available in the NUMECA flow
solver EURANUS: inlet, outlet, periodic (connection with or without rotational or translational
periodicity), solid walls and external (far-field). Each of those is described in the next sections.

Note that the connecting (matching (CON) and non-matching (NMB)) boundary con-
ditions (without periodicity) do not appear in this menu, because they do not require any
input from the user. Only the "periodic" conditions (PER & PERNM) appear in the Peri-
odic tab page.

Note that the full non matching and periodic full non matching connections defined
within IGG™ (refer to IGG™ User Manual for details on limitations) are appearing in
the Solid tab page.
A common particularity of the five boundary conditions pages is their subdivision into two areas.
The left area contains always a list of the different patches that are of the boundary condition type
of the selected tab page. A patch can be identified either by the name of the block face to which it
belongs and by its number, or by the numbers of the block and face and by its local index on the

FINE™ 8-1
Boundary Conditions Boundary Conditions in the FINE™ GUI

face (if no name is provided in IGG™). The right area is the area where the boundary condition
parameters are specified for the selected patch(es).

FIGURE 8.2.0-1 Boundary Conditions page

One or several patches may be selected in the left area by simply clicking on them. Clicking on a
patch unselects the currently selected patch(es). It is possible to select several patches situated one
after another in the list by clicking on the first one and holding the left mouse button while selecting
the next. To select a group of patches that are not situated one after another in the list, the user
should click on each of them while simultaneously holding the <Ctrl> key pressed.
Several patches can be grouped by selecting them and clicking on the Group button. A dialog box
will appear asking for a group name. The name of the group will appear in red color in the list of
patches to indicate that this is a group of patches. Every change in the parameters when a group is
selected applies to all patches in the group. The Ungroup button removes the group and its patches
are displayed individually in the list.

The Ungroup button is active only when at least one group is selected.

Clicking with the left mouse button on the plus sign + left of a group name in the list will display
the patches included in this group.

If some of the patches have been given names in IGG™, these names will appear in
FINE™. If the patches have been grouped in IGG™, by giving the same name to many
patches, they will appear ungrouped in FINE™ (with block, face and patch number
shown after the name) to avoid contradiction between grouping in IGG™ and FINE™.
Ungroup button will toggle the IGG™ name of the selected patch(es) with the default
FINE™ name (block, face and patch number).

If the Use Grid Configuration option is activated when linking the mesh for the first
time (see section 2-2.3), a default grouping by row is proposed by FINE™. For the solid
boundaries, the rotation speed specified in IGG™ or AutoGrid™ is automatically trans-
ferred to FINE™. This limits the user input to a strict minimum. This automatic group-
ing cannot be modified by the user.

8-2 FINE™
Boundary Conditions in the FINE™ GUI Boundary Conditions

If the graphics area with the mesh topology of the project is opened (Mesh/View On/Off menu), all
the selected patches and/or groups will be highlighted. A click with the right mouse button over a
selected patch will select all the patches and groups in the list that have the same parameters.
If the user selects several patches that have different parameters, a warning dialog box will appear.
When clicking on OK all parameters will be set equal to the ones of the first patch. Selecting Cancel
instead will cancel the selection.

(1)

(2)
(3)

FIGURE 8.2.0-2 Two patches will be grouped into a group called HUB.

The right area of all the notebook boundary condition pages is created in a generic way by means of
a resource file, where all the boundary condition parameters are described altogether with their
default values.

Some boundary conditions are only available for an incompressible, compressible or


condensable gases. FINE™ will automatically disable the boundary conditions that are
not available, depending on the type of fluid selected in the Fluid Model page. Also the
type of boundary conditions are adjusted according to the selection for Cartesian or
cylindrical boundary conditions.
The five pages associated to each of the five types of boundary conditions are described in detail in
the following sections.

8-2.1 Inlet Condition


8-2.1.1 Available Types
The inlet boundary condition page is customized according to the configuration of the project (Car-
tesian or cylindrical) as shown in the following two figures. The user has the freedom to access both
types of configuration in the Boundary Conditions page independently of the mesh properties.

FINE™ 8-3
Boundary Conditions Boundary Conditions in the FINE™ GUI

FIGURE 8.2.1-3 Subsonic inlet boundary conditions page for cylindrical problems.

FIGURE 8.2.1-4 Subsonic inlet boundary conditions page for Cartesian problems.

The upper part of the inlet boundary condition page allows the user to select the type of inlet condi-
tion to apply to the selected patches through a series of toggle buttons. There are two categories of
inlet conditions: conditions applicable to Subsonic inlets and conditions applicable to Supersonic
inlets.

Note that to determine whether an inlet (or an outlet) boundary is subsonic or super-

8-4 FINE™
Boundary Conditions in the FINE™ GUI Boundary Conditions

sonic, the velocity component normal to the boundary should be considered.


For each inlet condition type, the lower part of the page is adapted in order to provide input boxes
only for the physical variables that are required to fully determine the boundary condition. These
variables are for instance: the pressure and temperature (static or total), the velocity components,
the velocity magnitude, the velocity angles (specified in radians), or the mass flow. In case of a sim-
ulation using a k-ε, k-ω or v2-f turbulence model, the inlet values of the parameters k and ε are also
required. A turbulent viscosity entry appears in case the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model is used.
For the inlet boundary conditions:
• The velocity components are defined in the Cartesian or cylindrical coordinate system,
depending on the selected type
• The pressure and the temperature values to specify can be the static or the total values
• For rotating configurations, the specified values are the absolute quantities
• A special condition is available, for which the values can be entered in the upstream rotational
frame of reference

Six major types of inlet boundary conditions can be identified:


• velocity components and the static temperature
• total pressure, total temperature and the flow angles
• total enthalpy, dryness fraction and the flow angles (only for condensable fluid)
• mass flow and the static temperature (see the next paragraph for detail on coupling with the
outlet)
• distributions of the flow variables for the non-linear harmonic method
• conditions set from a rotor-stator interface (SubProjects only, see Chapter 12)
See section 8-5.1 for more theoretical detail on those boundary conditions.

8-2.1.2 Coupling Temperature with Outlet

Outlet
Taverage

Taverage + ∆T

Inlet

FIGURE 8.2.1-5 Meridional view of the "Coupling with Outlet ID" functionality

When the mass flow is imposed at an inlet patch, the temperature may be chosen to be coupled to an
outlet patch. The coupling is performed through the static temperature. Only in that case, the aver-
age temperature Taverage is computed at the specified outlet and imposed at the inlet as Tinlet = Taver-
age + ∆T (see Figure 8.2.1-5). The quantity ∆T is a constant temperature difference (>=0 or <0)

FINE™ 8-5
Boundary Conditions Boundary Conditions in the FINE™ GUI

specified by the user. This is done in FINE™ by choosing Mass Flow Imposed as boundary condi-
tion type for the subsonic inlet in cylindrical configuration and clicking on the Coupling Temper-
ature With Outlet button. A pull-down menu allows to select which patch of the outlet must be
involved in the coupling. The value to be entered in the static temperature box is ∆T.

This option is only working if both inlet and coupled outlet patch have the mass flow
imposed as a boundary condition.

8-2.1.3 Imposing Variables as an Interpolation Profile


Each variable can be defined as constant or as an interpolation profile of the variable. The imposed
boundary condition may be variable in space (one or two dimensions) and/or in time (in case of an
unsteady calculation).

To visualize and/or edit the profile data press the small button ( ) on the right side of the label
"profile data". This button opens the Profile Manager with the existing profile. See section 2-7 for a
detailed description of the Profile Manager. It offers the possibility to modify or to create a data
profile interactively. Click on the OK button to set the new profile to the selected patch(es).

FIGURE 8.2.1-6 The Profile Manager

The option Surface data toggles 1D and 2D editing modes. It can be used to change the dimension
of an existing profile. 2D profiles are displayed as a "cloud of points". Selecting a point will display
the f(x,y) value in blue in the corresponding column of the Profile Manager. More details on the
required file format are available in Appendix B.

If a quantity is defined as a function without the definition of a valid profile a warning


message will appear when saving the project or opening a new page or tab page. In such
a case a default constant value is used in the computation.

8-2.2 Outlet Condition


For a supersonic outlet all variables are extrapolated. An outlet is considered as supersonic on the
basis of the normal velocity direction to the boundary.
Three types of subsonic outlet boundary condition are available, as shown in Figure 8.2.2-7. These
three different boundary conditions are described in the following paragraphs.

8-6 FINE™
Boundary Conditions in the FINE™ GUI Boundary Conditions

An option for treatment of Backflow Control can be activated in the case of radial
diffusers outlet. The purpose of this option is to control the total temperature distribution
along the exit section. In case the flow partially re-enters the domain through the bound-
ary, the total temperature of the entering flow is controlled so that the entering and outgo-
ing flows globally have the same total temperature.

FIGURE 8.2.2-7 Outlet boundary conditions page.

8-2.2.1 Pressure Imposed


There are three different methods to impose the pressure at the outlet:
• Static Pressure Imposed: the static pressure is imposed on the boundary, the static tempera-
ture and the absolute velocity components are extrapolated. As described for the inlet condi-
tions, the static pressure can be constant or defined as a data profile.
• Averaged Static Pressure: if imposing an uniform static pressure at the outlet is not an appro-
priate approximation of the physical pressure distribution at the outlet, an averaged static pres-
sure may be used. In this case only an averaged value for the static pressure is imposed while
the pressure profile (around this average) is extrapolated from the interior field (see section 8-
5.2.1).
• Radial Equilibrium: This boundary condition is applicable only to cylindrical problems. It is
adapted for a patch in which the mesh lines in the circumferential direction have a constant
radius. The outlet static pressure is then imposed on the given radius and the integration of the
radial equilibrium law along the spanwise direction permits to calculate the hub-to-shroud pro-
file of the static pressure. A constant static pressure is imposed along the circumferential direc-
tion. See section 8-5.2.1 for further details.
The pressure imposed at the outlet, can be constant or as a function of space and/or time. To define
a profile as a function of space and/or time click on the profile button ( ) right next to the input
text box. The Profile Manager will appear as described in section 8-2.1.3.

FINE™ 8-7
Boundary Conditions Boundary Conditions in the FINE™ GUI

8-2.2.2 Mass Flow Imposed


When imposing the mass flow at the outlet, the related patches must be grouped. This permits to
have several groups of patches, each of the groups constituting an outlet through which the mass
flow can be controlled.
Two different techniques are available to impose the mass flow:
• Velocity Scaling: the pressure is extrapolated and the velocity vector is scaled to respect the
mass flow. This technique is only valid for subsonic flows, and is not recommended in case of
significant back flows along the exit boundary.
• Pressure Adaptation: this boundary condition is identical to the ’Static Pressure Imposed’
or ’Radial Equilibrium’ boundary conditions, except from the fact that the exit pressure is
automatically modified during the resolution process so that after convergence, the prescribed
mass flow is obtained.
The pressure asked in addition to the imposed mass flow with both options is only used to create the
initial solution and for the full-multigrid process, during which a uniform static pressure outlet con-
dition is used.

When using the mass flow imposed outlet boundary condition and restarting a compu-
tation from a file, only one group of patches can be used in the initial solution page and
the reset convergence history has to be deactivated

8-2.2.3 Characteristic Imposed


This boundary condition has been implemented to increase the robustness in the frame of a design
process and is only available when using a perfect or real gas in the Fluid Model page.
Figure 8.2.2-8 shows as an illustration performance curves for a centrifugal compressor. Near chok-
ing conditions the mass flow stays almost constant with a variation of the pressure. Therefore, it is
recommended in this region, to impose the static pressure at the outlet. Near stall however, the pres-
sure varies only slightly with varying mass flow. Therefore, it is recommended in this region of the
performance curve, to impose the mass flow at the outlet instead of the static pressure.

(static pressure)

(mass flow)

FIGURE 8.2.2-8 Example of performance curves for centrifugal compressor

8-8 FINE™
Boundary Conditions in the FINE™ GUI Boundary Conditions

In a design process, with a variation of the geometry, it is not always known in advance where in the
performance curve the computations are performed. Therefore it is not always possible to choose
the appropriate boundary condition at the outlet for the complete design process.
To overcome this problem this boundary condition allows to impose a relation between the mass
flow and the pressure at the outlet. It is no longer needed to choose between imposing pressure
when working around the chocking part and imposing mass flow when working close to the stall
limit.
The user has to impose a very simple characteristic line defined through 3 parameters: a target out-
let mass flow and a target outlet pressure (at point 2 in Figure 8.2.2-8) and the pressure at zero mass
flow (point 1 in Figure 8.2.2-8). For more detail on this boundary condition see section 8-5.2.

8-2.2.4 From Rotor/Stator


The outlet boundary condition From Rotor/Stator can only be used in the frame of the SubProject
module. This boundary condition is set automatically, no user intervention is required. For more
details, see Chapter 12.

8-2.3 Periodic Condition


One important feature of the IGG™ mesh generator concerns the automatic establishment of all
connecting and periodic boundary conditions. The corresponding information is transmitted to the
FINE™ interface, with the advantage that the user does not need to specify any input concerning
these boundary conditions.
Normally no user input is required on this page. The only periodic boundary condition cases for
which a user input is required are those in which some of the boundary conditions have to be
applied with a periodicity angle that differs from the global periodicity angle of the block.

FIGURE 8.2.3-9 Periodic boundary condition page.

In case some input is required this section explains how to define the periodic conditions using the
PERIODIC tab page.

FINE™ 8-9
Boundary Conditions Boundary Conditions in the FINE™ GUI

The type of periodicity connection between the patches (Matching or Non Matching) can be
entered. A connection is Matching if the numbers of mesh points along the connected patches are
identical, and if all the corresponding points along these patches coincide (PER type within
IGG™). The Non Matching connection (PERNM type within IGG™) requires the use of an inter-
polation process to establish the connection, whereas a matching one consists of a single communi-
cation of the flow variables. The interpolation used for non matching periodic boundaries consists
on a linear interpolation from the four nearest cells.
Some additional characteristics need to be given to fully determine the periodic boundary condi-
tion:
• For Cartesian (rectangular) problems, the user has to specify the translation vector defining the
periodicity. The positive translation vector goes from the current patch to the periodicity
patches.
• For cylindrical problems, the user has to specify the rotation angle in degrees. The rotation
angle is calculated from the connected patch to the current patch, according to the rule of the
right handed system.

8-2.4 Solid Wall Boundary Condition


The solid wall boundary condition page is customized essentially according to the type of calcula-
tion (inviscid or viscous).
For Euler cases (i.e. inviscid), no parameter is requested for the wall boundary conditions. For
Navier-Stokes cases, the box at the top of the page allows to set both velocity and thermal condi-
tions. The type of boundary conditions determines the way the velocity and thermal conditions are
defined for the solid boundary.

8-2.4.1 Cylindrical Boundary Condition

a) Area Defined Rotation Speed


The wall rotation velocity can be constant or area defined (see Figure 8.2.4-10). The area defined
option allows to attribute a specific rotation velocity to a rectangular zone in the meridional plane
independently of the grid structure.

FIGURE 8.2.4-10 Solid boundary conditions page in case of a cylindrical boundary condition

8-10 FINE™
Boundary Conditions in the FINE™ GUI Boundary Conditions

When the area defined option is selected, a small picture defining the parameters is displayed (the z
axis is the rotation axis, the r axis is the radial axis). The rotation velocity is set to ω 1 outside the
domain and to ω 2 inside the domain.

The specified range must be a valid range for the used geometry. For example, for an
axial machine the limits for rotation of the hub can be defined by setting the lower and
higher axial limit to appropriate values. In such a case it is important to set the radial lim-
its such that they include the full solid (hub) patch.

b) Thermal Condition
Three options are available for the thermal condition: constant Heat Flux (in W/m2), Adiabatic or
constant Temperature (isothermal). The imposed heat flux or temperature can be constant on the
patch or defined as a profile. Use the pull down menu to change Constant Value to for example
fct(space). Click on the profile button to launch the Profile Manager as described insection 8-2.1.3.

8-2.4.2 Cartesian Boundary Conditions


The user can define a translation or a rotation velocity vector. In the latter case, the coordinates of
the rotation centre are requested. The thermal conditions are similar to those for cylindrical flows.

8-2.4.3 Force and Torque


Below the box, a Compute force and torque option is provided that permits to include the selected
patches in the calculation of the global solid boundary characteristics.

The contribution of patches included in a full non-matching connection will not be


taken into account for the computation of the force and torque. Those patches will how-
ever appear as solid in the boundary condition page.
For a cylindrical project (as defined in Mesh/Properties) in an internal flow (the expert parameter
IINT set to 1 as by default):
— the axial thrust, i.e. the projection of the global force on the rotation axis,
— the torque, i.e. the couple exerted by the global force, calculated at (0,0,0).
These quantities are often calculated on the rotating walls. They are calculated from the pressure
and the velocity fields on the walls. The axial thrust is computed as:

∑ F ⋅ nz . (8-1)
S

The computed force is the one from fluid on solid. The force is considered as positive
when in the direction of the z-axis.

The projection of the torque along a given direction z , i.e. the couple exerted by the global force
along the rotation axis:

⎛ ⎞
⎜ ∑ r × F⎟ ⋅ z (8-2)
⎝ S ⎠

In all other cases the force and torque are computed as:
— the lift,
— the drag,

FINE™ 8-11
Boundary Conditions Boundary Conditions in the FINE™ GUI

— the moment calculated at (0,0,0) by default.


The direction of the forces and torque as well as the location of the point for the moment can be
determined with the expert parameters IDCLP, IDCDP, IDCMP and IXMP (see section 8-3).
When using an area defined rotation speed, the expert parameter TORRO can be used to compute
the force and torque on the complete patch, or on the rotating part only (see section 8-3).
Within EURANUS it is possible to calculate and to store the partial torque in the corresponding
".wall" file of the computation through the use of the expert parameter IFRCTO within FINE™
GUI.
The partial torque is the torque computed for each layer on the whole blade. When IFRCTO is set to
2 (1 or 3), the torque is defined on each J-direction (I-direction or K-direction) layer (i.e. when
using AutoGrid™ meshes, J-direction corresponds to the spanwise direction).

IFRCTO = 2

Total Torque and Force on Suction Side

Partial Torque and Force on Suction Side

• 56 = 56 sublayers in J-direction (spanwise)


• column 1: %span corresponding to the layer
• column 2: Fx on the sublayer
• column 3: Fy on the sublayer
• column 4: Fz on the sublayer

IFRCTO = 0

Total Torque and Force on Suction Side

FIGURE 8.2.4-11 File ".wall" when computing partial torque along the blade

Finally, the resulting ".wall" will contain, in addition of the global torque and force on the selected
blade, the partial torque for each layer along the J-direction of the blade as presented in
Figure 8.2.4-11.

The force and torque computed on the selected surface(s) and included in ".wall" file
are based on the full 360 degrees, so taking into account the periodicity when the blocks
concerned are presenting a periodicity.

8-12 FINE™
Boundary Conditions in the FINE™ GUI Boundary Conditions

8-2.4.4 Properties of Solid for Turbulence


In addition, if the standard k-ε model or the non-linear high-Reynolds k-ε model is used, the user
has to specify the type of wall ("Smooth" or "Rough") and the following constants: the von Kar-
man constant κ and the B constant. If the wall type is rough, the equivalent roughness height k0 and
the height of the zero displacement plane d0 are also required. A description of these constants is
provided in section 4-4.6.3. The application field of the ’law of the wall’ imposes restrictions on the
grid. The user is strongly advised to check the conformity of this grid with these conditions (see
section 4-4).

8-2.5 External Condition (Far-field)


The external boundary condition is provided to treat the far-field boundaries when dealing with
external flow computations (the expert parameter IINT=0). An example is given in Figure 8.2.5-12.
This type of boundary condition determines whether the flow is locally entering or leaving the flow
domain and uses the theory of the Riemann invariants to act consequently on the appropriate varia-
bles (see section 8-5.4). Depending on the chosen turbulence model, five or seven input boxes are
provided to specify the free-stream values of the variables to be used in the boundary condition for-
mulation.

FIGURE 8.2.5-12 External (far-field) boundary conditions page.

Use an external condition rather than an inlet condition for cases for which it is not
known if the flow enters or leaves the domain.

Condensable gases are not compatible with external boundary condition.

FINE™ 8-13
Boundary Conditions Expert Parameters

8-3 Expert Parameters


8-3.1 Imposing Velocity Angles of Relative Flow
In case of a stator calculation it may be convenient to impose the velocity angles of the relative flow
at the exit of the upstream rotor. In case of rotors, the user may also prefer to impose relative bound-
ary conditions. This procedure is only available when total conditions and flow angles are imposed.
In addition to that the extrapolation of Vz must be selected. Note also that both flow angles and
total conditions are then treated in the relative mode.
The following parameters have to be defined:
INLREL: allows to specify relative angles for the cylindrical inlet boundary conditions with
total quantities imposed (default value = 0)
= 1: inlet for a stator (extrapolation of the axial velocity only). The expert parameter
OMGINL has also to be specified,
= 2: inlet for a rotor.
ANGREL (for stator only): data use with the expert parameter INLREL (default = 1 0.05 0.05):
1st real: relaxation angle (in degrees),
2nd real: distance (%) from hub where the absolute flow angle is extrapolated,
3rd real: distance (%) from shroud where the absolute flow angle is extrapolated.

8-3.2 Extrapolation of Mass Flow at Inlet


IMASFL: expert parameter specially dedicated to radial inlets. The mass flow is extrapolated
instead of the velocity for the cylindrical inlet boundary conditions with imposed
total quantities:
= 0 (default): treatment inactive, the velocity is extrapolated,
= 1: option activated, extrapolation of the mass-flow.

8-3.3 Outlet Mass Flow Boundary Condition


RELAXP: is the under-relaxation for the outlet boundary condition where the mass flow is
imposed with the exit pressure adaptation (default value = 1.).
VELSCA: is the maximum value allowed for the velocity scaling (outlet boundary condition
with mass flow imposed by scaling velocity) (default value = 2.)

8-3.4 Torque and Force Calculation


IDCDP: if cylindrical project (as defined in Mesh/Properties) and IINT=1: direction (x,y,z)
of axial thrust,
in all other cases: direction (x,y,z) of drag.
IDCLP: direction (x,y,z) for lift (not used if cylindrical project and IINT=1),
IDCMP: direction (x,y,z) for moment,

8-14 FINE™
Best Practice for Imposing Boundary Conditions Boundary Conditions

IFRCTO: calculate and to store the partial torque in the corresponding ".wall" file. More
details in section 8-2.4.3, on page 11,
IXMP: coordinate (x,y,z) of the point around which the moment has to be calculated.
The coordinates are expressed in meters.
TORRO: = 0 (default): Compute force and torque on the complete patch
= 1: Compute force and torque only on the part of the patch which is defined trough an
area defined rotation.

8-3.5 Euler or Navier-Stokes Wall for Viscous Flow


If the flow type selected is laminar or turbulent Navier-Stokes, it is possible in Expert Mode to choose
between an Euler wall (zero normal velocity) and a Navier-Stokes wall (no-slip condition). Further
details on the numerical treatment of the walls are provided in section 8-5.3. Note that the default (active
in Standard Mode) is a Navier-Stokes wall.

8-3.6 Pressure Condition at Solid Wall


When the interface is in Expert Mode, two toggle buttons are provided to select the type of pressure con-
dition at the wall: extrapolated or computed from the normal momentum equation. The default (active in
Standard Mode) is the extrapolation of the pressure.

8-4 Best Practice for Imposing Boundary Conditions


The quality of the flow simulation depends primarily on the quality of the grid and the imposed boundary
conditions. In this section the most adapted boundary conditions are proposed according to the type of
studied flow.

In case a calculation is diverging, it is strongly recommended to check by post processing of


the solution (in CFView™), that the appropriate boundary conditions have been imposed.

8-4.1 Compressible Flows


For compressible flows it is recommended that the inlet boundary condition fixes the absolute total quan-
tities (pressure, temperature) and the flow angles and that the outlet boundary condition fixes the static
pressure (exit pressure). This exit pressure can be imposed as:
• a constant value along the exit,
• an average value at the exit,
• the pressure at mid-span for radial equilibrium (only for an axial outlet).
The static pressure at the exit of the domain is rarely constant. It is thus advised to impose the pressure as
an average value or as a initialization data for radial equilibrium.
Even if this value of pressure is known, for numerical reasons it is possible that the computed mass-flow
differs from the expected one. It is thus necessary to modify the exit pressure repeatedly until obtaining
the accurate mass-flow. This procedure can be numerically expensive especially if the calculations are
carried out on a fine grid.

FINE™ 8-15
Boundary Conditions Best Practice for Imposing Boundary Conditions

A solution to overcome this drawback is to impose the mass-flow at the outlet. This can be done in
two ways:
• Velocity Scaling: for a low subsonic outlet (Mach number lower than 0.4) this condition fixes
the mass-flow at a given control surface by scaling the vectors on this surface. This is not as
robust as to impose the exit pressure and is not recommended in case significant backflows are
detected along the exit. If this is the case, the next option is better suited.
• Pressure Adaptation: in this case, an automatic procedure introduces a variation of the
imposed exit pressure at each iteration of the calculation. The pressure is then iteratively
updated in order to reach at convergence the imposed mass-flow. This is not as robust as to
impose the exit pressure, but is more robust than the velocity scaling option.

8-4.2 Incompressible or Low Speed Flow


For compressible or low speed flows it is recommended to impose the mass-flow and the static tem-
perature at the inlet and a static pressure at the exit. This couple of inlet-outlet conditions has a sta-
bilizing effect on calculations and is also well adapted to provide initial solutions for multi-stage
calculations.

8-4.3 Special Parameters (for Turbomachinery)


In case of flow separation at the outlet of radial diffusers it is recommended to use the backflow
treatment option. This option can be activated by activating Backflow Control in the FINE™ GUI
on the Boundary Conditions page under the OUTLET tab page.
When end-walls in the inlet regions are strongly varying in radius (e.g. centripetal turbines as in
Figure 8.4.3-13) or in case of highly tangential inlet flow angles it is advised to use the IMASFL
expert parameter (in the list of expert parameters on the Control Variables page in Expert Mode).
This option is adapted when the inlet boundary conditions fixes the absolute total quantities (pres-
sure, temperature) and is only valid for non-preconditioned computations. When it is activated, the
mass-flow is extrapolated instead of the velocity.

Radial turbine

FIGURE 8.4.3-13 Example of case with strongly varying radius in the inlet1

1. Picture from D. Japikse, N.C. Balines, Introduction to Turbomachinery, Concept ETI Inc. and Oxford Uni-
versity Press, 1994.

8-16 FINE™
Theory Boundary Conditions

8-5 Theory
The boundary conditions are identified in EURANUS by a number (ITYPE) indicating the type of
boundary condition and an index (OPSEL) indicating the variant of the type of boundary condition.
In this section the type number and variant index of each described boundary condition is given.

8-5.1 Inlet Boundary Conditions


8-5.1.1 Cylindrical Inlet Boundary Conditions
This boundary condition is activated for the values of the parameter ITYPE = 124 (subsonic) and
ITYPE=23 (supersonic).

a) Static Quantities Imposed (Subsonic)


The complete absolute velocity vector followed by the static temperature on the boundary are spec-
ified. Several possibilities exist:
• the magnitude of the velocity and the flow angles α and γ are specified (OPSEL = 1):

V
α = atan -----θ-
Vz
(8-3)
V
γ = atan -----r
Vz

• the magnitude of the velocity and other flow angles δ and ε are specified (OPSEL = 5):

V
δ = acos ------r
Vm
(8-4)
V
ε = atan ------t
Vm

2 2
with V m the meridional velocity ( V m = V r + V z ). This option has been designed to allow
radial inlet with zero axial velocities,
• the cylindrical velocity components are specified (OPSEL = 7).

The static pressure is extrapolated from the interior by Eq. 8-13, which allows to calculate all the
primitive variables on the boundary.
For a turbulent calculation with the Spalart-Allmaras model, the turbulent viscosity has also to be
specified on the inlet boundary. When a k-ε, v2-f or k-ω turbulence model is selected, the boundary
values of k and ε have to be specified.
These conditions can also be used for incompressible flows.

FINE™ 8-17
Boundary Conditions Theory

b) Total Quantities Imposed (Subsonic)


Several variants are available based on the specification of flow angles or velocity components.
b.1) Absolute flow angles from axial direction:
The user specifies two flow angles (of the absolute flow) at the boundary, α and γ, which are
defined by Eq. 8-3 and given in radians.
The absolute total pressure and the absolute total temperature on the inlet boundary are also speci-
fied and imposed.
For turbulent models with additional equations, the corresponding quantities are also specified and
imposed.
Three variants are available depending on the value that is extrapolated.
• the module of the absolute velocity vector is obtained by extrapolation from the interior field,
cf. Eq. 8-15. (OPSEL=2)
• the axial velocity component is extrapolated (OPSEL = 3):

( Vz )0 = ( Vz )1 (8-5)

Note that it is assumed that the angular velocity vector is in the z-direction,

ω = ω ⋅ 1z , (8-6)

which makes this direction the axial one. Also note that, as a result of Eq. 8-6 the absolute and
relative axial velocity component are equal.
• the mass flow is extrapolated, assuming that the meridional component of the velocity is the
one contributing to the mass flow.

( Qm )0 = ( Qm )1 , (8-7)

with Q m = ρV m S . (8-8)

This boundary condition is specially dedicated to radial turbomachinery for which a problem of
mass flow conservation can arise. It is not interfaced but it can be used by selecting the previous
boundary condition (absolute flow angles with extrapolation of velocity) and setting the expert
parameter IMASFL to 1.

Inlet patches have to be grouped in one group to use the extrapolation of mass flow
boundary condition.
b.2) Relative flow angles from axial direction
For a stator calculation it may be convenient to impose the velocity angles of the relative flow at the
exit of the upstream rotor. In case of rotors the user may also prefer to impose relative boundary
conditions. This procedure is only available in case total conditions and flow angles are imposed. In
addition to that the extrapolation of Vz must be selected. Note also that both flow angles and total
conditions are then treated in the relative mode. This boundary condition is not directly available in
the Boundary Conditions page of the interface. It can be used by selecting the previous boundary
condition (absolute flow angles with extrapolation of the axial velocity component) and using the
expert parameter INLREL. In this case, relative flow angles, relative total pressure and relative total
temperature are specified in the interface instead of the absolute values. Set INLREL to 1 in the
case of stators. In the case of rotors (INLREL=2) the approach is exactly the same as the one used
when absolute conditions are imposed.

8-18 FINE™
Theory Boundary Conditions

The adopted approach consists of imposing boundary conditions, which are still defined in the
absolute frame of reference, but which vary from one iteration to the another in order to respect the
imposed relative value. This technique provides a robust algorithm with an under-relaxation of the
evolution of absolute conditions and a special treatment of the hub and shroud boundary layers.
Since the hub and shroud walls are usually not rotating, the relative flow angle tends to 90 degrees
in the boundary layer, which complicates the boundary condition treatment if the relative conditions
are imposed. The above approach (switch to the absolute frame of reference) allows computing the
absolute flow angles distribution through an extrapolation in the boundary layers. The under-relax-
ation factor as well as the percentage of the distance from the hub and the shroud where the angle is
extrapolated are specified in the expert parameter ANGREL.
The relation between the relative (β) and absolute (α) angles is the following:

ωr
tan α = tan β + ------ (8-9)
Vz

where ω is the speed of rotation of the upstream rotor specified in the expert parameter OMGINL
and r the radial position.
The update of the flow angle is followed by the update of the absolute total conditions according to:

( ωr ) ωrV
2
T 0 = T 0 – ------------- + ------------θ-
a r
2c p cp
a γ ⁄ (γ – 1)
. (8-10)
a r ⎛T ⎞
p0 = p 0 ⎜ ----0r-⎟
⎝ T 0⎠

The initial values of the absolute flow angle and total conditions are set to the value of
the relative ones, except for the initial solution for turbomachinery. In the initial solution
for turbomachinery, Eq. 8-9 and Eq. 8-10 are used to compute the initial absolute flow
angle and total conditions from the specified relative values.
b.3) Velocity direction
The user first specifies a direction (given under the form of a vector) that corresponds to the direc-
tion of the absolute velocity vector. Note that this vector does not have to be a unitary vector. The
r,θ,z components of the direction vector are given. E.g. if the user enters the direction (0,1,1) the
user imposes that the θ- and z-components of the absolute velocity vector at inlet are equal and that
the radial velocity is zero.
The absolute total pressure and the absolute total temperature on the inlet boundary are also speci-
fied. These values will be imposed.
The module of the absolute velocity vector is extrapolated from the interior field. Using subscript 0
for the boundary, and subscript 1 for the first internal cell:

V0 = V1 (8-11)

where V represents the absolute velocity. (OPSEL = 4).


The velocity vector on the boundary is found by scaling the velocity vector specified in the bound-
ary condition file such that the correct module is obtained.
For a turbulent calculation with the Spalart-Allmaras model, the turbulent viscosity has also to be
specified on the inlet boundary. When a k-ε, v2-f or k-ω turbulence model is selected, the boundary
values of k and ε have to be specified.

FINE™ 8-19
Boundary Conditions Theory

The mass flow can be extrapolated. This boundary condition is specially dedicated to radial tur-
bomachinery for which problem of mass flow conservation can arise. It is not interfaced but it can
be used by setting the expert parameter IMASFL to 1.

The inlet patches have to be grouped in one group to use the extrapolation of mass
flow boundary condition.
b.4) Tangential velocity and meridional angle
Imposing the tangential velocity at the inlet is useful for turbomachinery configurations with high
absolute tangential velocities. (OPSEL = 8)
The user specifies the direction of the radial and axial velocity, together with the magnitude of the
tangential velocity in [m/s]. The absolute total pressure and the absolute total temperature on the
inlet boundary are also specified. The application of the boundary condition can be described as fol-
lows:
• The meridional velocity is extrapolated from the interior of the computational domain
• The velocity magnitude is deduced from the input of the tangential velocity
• The static pressure and temperature are computed from the imposed total values
• The radial and axial velocities are imposed in the appropriate direction
• The velocity components in the Cartesian frame of reference are deduced
b.5) Flow angle and total conditions in upstream rotational frame
This type of boundary condition is especially useful when a computation is done on only part of a
machine. As an example, a 2.5 stage computation including relative conditions can mimic the
behavior of a full 3.5 stage machine. In such a case, relative conditions can be set as extracted from
the full machine computation at the exit of the first machine. (OPSEL = 9)
The user specifies the direction of the radial and axial velocity, together with the flow angle in [rad].
The relative total pressure and the relative total temperature on the inlet boundary are also speci-
fied. To compute the relative frame of reference, the users needs to input the upstream rotational
speed. The application of the boundary condition can be described as follows:
• The meridional velocity is extrapolated from the interior of the computational domain
• The relative and absolute tangential velocities are computed using the upstream rotational
speed
• The relative velocity magnitude is deduced
• The static pressure and temperature are deduced from the relative pressure and temperature
• The radial and axial velocities are imposed in the appropriate direction
• The velocity components in the Cartesian frame of reference are deduced

c) Mass Flow Imposed (Subsonic)


This boundary condition permits to impose the value of the mass flow through a specified control
surface. The control surface is defined by grouping several patches into the same group. In addition
to the mass flow the direction of the velocity vector and the static temperature are imposed
(ITYPE=28).
Two variants are available:
• the swirl can be imposed, as well as the direction of the velocity vector in the meridional plane
(Vr/Vm,Vθ,Vz/Vm) (OPSEL 1).
• the direction of the absolute velocity vector can be imposed (Vr /|V|, Vθ/|V|, Vz/|V|) (OPSEL
2).

8-20 FINE™
Theory Boundary Conditions

Two possibilities exist for the treatment of the static temperature:


• it can be imposed at a given fixed value,
• a relation can be imposed between the inlet static temperature and the averaged temperature
along a specified outlet. In this case the user specifies the patch name (or group name) of the
connected outlet and the difference of temperature between the inlet and outlet temperatures.
The difference of temperature is specified instead of the static temperature. If the specified
value is zero, the temperature at the inlet will be equal to the average outlet temperature,
whereas if the specified values is for instance 20, the temperature will be equal to the outlet
temperature + 20.
For turbulent models with additional equations, the corresponding quantities are also specified and
imposed on the inlet boundary.

d) Imposing the Complete Flow Conditions (Compressible, Supersonic)


d.1) Total quantities
Instead of specifying static pressure, static temperature and the three absolute velocity components,
one can also specify absolute total pressure, absolute total temperature, absolute Mach number and
two flow angles α, β defined as (ITYPE = 23, OPSEL = 1):

V
α = atan -----θ-
Vr
, (8-12)
V
β = acos -----z-
V
with the angles given in radians.
For a turbulent calculation with the Spalart-Allmaras model, the turbulent viscosity has also to be
specified on the inlet boundary. When a k-ε, v2-f or k-ω turbulence model is selected, the boundary
values of k and ε have to be specified.
d.2) Static quantities
The flow at inlet is completely specified, by giving the static pressure, static temperature and the
three absolute cylindrical velocity components (ITYPE = 23, OPSEL = 2).
For turbulent models with additional equations, the corresponding quantities are also specified and
imposed on the inlet boundary.

e) Total Enthalpy & Dryness Fraction Imposed (Subsonic - Condensable Gas)


In cases where the inlet thermodynamic state is located on the saturation curve or inside the bipha-
sic zone, traditional boundary conditions based on total temperature and total pressure are not suffi-
cient, as pressure and temperature become interdependent. An additional information is required,
which is the dryness fraction.
The boundary condition proposed under FINE™ GUI is based on the absolute total enthalpy and
the dryness fraction. The velocity direction is also specified, either by means of two flow angles
(from axial direction) or of velocity direction vectors.

It should be mentioned that the use of this boundary condition requires the presence of
the saturation table ("PSA.atab") of the fluid in the corresponding subfolder.

The boundary condition is based on the dryness fraction (X), whose value is bounded
between 0 and 1. The inlet thermodynamic must be either saturated or be located inside

FINE™ 8-21
Boundary Conditions Theory

the biphasic zone.

The validity of the condensable fluid model is limited to gases with small fraction of
liquid (X > 0.9) or reversely to liquids with small fraction of gas (X < 0.1).
The implementation of the boundary condition is based on extrapolation of the static pressure,
which permits to evaluate the saturated liquid and gas values of the density and enthalpy. The dry-
ness fraction permits to deduce the values of the local static enthalpy and density. The other bound-
ary conditions are then used to calculate the velocity vector.

f) Distributions of the flow variables for the non-linear harmonic method


This boundary condition, which can be used in combination with the non-linear harmonic method,
allows the user to impose a distribution profile of the five flow variables: pressure, density and the
r, θ and z components of the velocity (ITYPE = 324, OPSEL = 4).
The imposed profiles must be periodic over the azimuthal length and specified for a constant radius
or axial position. The extracted spatial harmonics are transformed into time harmonics in the frame
of the domain that is subject to the relative motion of the distortion.
In the domain subject to the distortion, there can be some other time harmonics that are not gener-
ated by the distortion itself, but by a downstream turbomachinery component. For these harmonics,
the non reflective inlet treatment is applied.
If a periodic circumferential profile is entered covering the full range [0,2π], the PERIODICITY
should be set to 1. If the profile is covering the range [0,2π/N], the PERIODICTY has to be set to
N. The profile is automatically rotating at the speed specified in RPM.
For a turbulent calculation with the Spalart-Allmaras model, the turbulent viscosity has also to be
specified on the inlet boundary.

8-5.1.2 Cartesian Inlet Boundary Conditions


This boundary condition is activated for the values of the parameter ITYPE = 24 (subsonic) or
ITYPE = 23 (supersonic).

a) Static Quantities Imposed with Extrapolation of the Static Pressure (Subsonic)


The complete absolute velocity vector followed by the static temperature on the boundary are spec-
ified (OPSEL = 1). For turbulent models with additional equations, the corresponding quantities are
specified also.
The static pressure is extrapolated from the interior. Using subscript 0 for the boundary, and sub-
script 1 for the first internal cell one has:

p0 = p1 , (8-13)

which allows to calculate all the primitive variables on the boundary.


These conditions can also be used for incompressible flows.

b) Total Quantities Imposed (Subsonic)


The user first specifies a direction (given under the form of a vector) that corresponds to the direc-
tion of the absolute velocity vector. Note that this vector does not have to be a unitary vector. The
x,y,z components of the direction vector are given. E.g., entering the direction (0,1,1) imposes that

8-22 FINE™
Theory Boundary Conditions

the y- and z-component of the absolute velocity vector at inlet should be equal. In other words, the
flow comes in at an angle of 45 degrees between z- and y-direction, whereas the angle between z-
and x-direction is 0 degrees.
The absolute total pressure and the absolute total temperature on the inlet boundary are also speci-
fied. These values will be imposed.Two variants are available depending on the value that is extrap-
olated:
• the absolute Mach number is extrapolated from the interior field (OPSEL = 2, only available
for compressible fluid):

M0 = M1 , (8-14)

• the module of the absolute velocity vector is extrapolated from the interior field.

V0 = V1 (8-15)

where V represents the absolute velocity. (OPSEL = 3).


For both variants, the velocity vector on the boundary is found by scaling the velocity vector speci-
fied in the boundary condition file such that the correct module is obtained.
For a turbulent calculation with the Spalart-Allmaras model, the turbulent viscosity has also to be
specified on the inlet boundary. When a k-ε, v2-f or k-ω turbulence model is selected, the boundary
values of k and ε have to be specified.

c) Mass flow, Direction of Absolute Velocity Vector and Static Temperature


Imposed (Subsonic)
This boundary condition permits to impose the value of the mass flow through a specified control
surface. The control surface is defined by grouping several patches into the same group. In addition
to the mass flow, the direction of the velocity vector and the static temperature are imposed
(ITYPE=28).
• the direction of the absolute velocity vector is imposed in the Cartesian coordinate system (Vx/
|V|,Vy/|V|,Vz/|V|) (OPSEL 3).
Two possibilities exist for the treatment of the static temperature:
• it can be imposed at a given fixed value,
• a relation can be imposed between the inlet static temperature and the averaged temperature
along a specified outlet. In this case the user specifies the patch name (or group name) of the
connected outlet and the difference of temperature between the inlet and outlet temperatures.
The difference of temperature is specified instead of the static temperature. If the specified
value is zero, the temperature at the inlet will be equal to the average outlet temperature,
whereas if the specified values is for instance 20, the temperature will be equal to the outlet
temperature + 20.
For turbulent models with additional equations, the corresponding quantities are also specified and
imposed on the inlet boundary.

d) Imposing the Complete Flow Conditions (Supersonic)


The flow at inlet is completely specified, by giving the static pressure, static temperature and the
three absolute Cartesian velocity components (ITYPE = 23, OPSEL = 0). This boundary condition
is only available for a compressible fluid.

FINE™ 8-23
Boundary Conditions Theory

For a turbulent calculation with the Spalart-Allmaras model, the turbulent viscosity has also to be
specified on the inlet boundary. When a k-ε, v2-f or k-ω turbulence model is selected, the boundary
values of k and ε have to be specified.

8-5.2 Outlet Boundary Conditions


8-5.2.1 Outlet Boundary Conditions for Subsonic Flow

a) Static Pressure Imposed


ITYPE = 25; OPSEL = 10.
The static pressure at the outlet boundary is specified. The remaining dependent variables on the
outlet boundary are obtained from the interior field through extrapolation.
The default extrapolation is a zero order extrapolation of the static temperature and the absolute
velocity.
Several options are available:
• order of extrapolation: zero or first order (in expert user mode),
• backflow treatment (see section 8-5.2.3): active or not.
The purpose of the treatment of backflow is to control the total temperature distribution along the
exit boundary. In case the flow partially re-enters the domain through the exit boundary, the total
temperature of the entering flow is controlled so that the entering and outgoing flow globally have
the same total temperature.

b) Averaged Static Pressure Imposed


ITYPE = 27; OPSEL = 40
In some cases, an uniform pressure can not be imposed on the whole outlet area. This boundary
condition allows imposing an averaged static pressure. The remaining dependent variables on the
outlet boundary are obtained from the interior field through extrapolation.
The pressure profile is obtained by extrapolation from the interior field and it is translated to ensure
that the computed averaged pressure on the outlet area is the target averaged pressure specified by
the user. This translated profile is then the imposed pressure profile.
The options described in the previous paragraph (section a) are still available.

The outlet patches have to be grouped in one group to use this boundary condition.

c) Static Pressure Imposed with Radial Equilibrium


ITYPE = 125

This boundary condition is only valid on surfaces with mesh lines at constant radius.

The static pressure in the outlet section is assumed to be uniform in the tangential direction and to
vary in radial direction according to:

2
∂p v θ
= ρ ⋅ ------- . (8-16)
∂r r

8-24 FINE™
Theory Boundary Conditions

The user specifies the static pressure at a specific radius, followed by that radius and the radial
direction. The radial direction is specified by using the block orientation (I-direction, J-direction or
K-direction).
The pressure distribution in the outlet section is then found by integrating Eq. 8-16 with pitchwise
averaged values of Vθ and r.
The other variables are extrapolated following the system of options exposed above. See “Static
Pressure Imposed” on page 24. The treatment of backflow is not implemented for this boundary
condition.

d) Mass Flow Imposed


ITYPE = 27

The outlet patches have to be grouped in one group to use this boundary condition.

d.1) Velocity Scaling


OPSEL = 20
This condition can be used for low speed subsonic outlet (Mach Number < 0.3). It fixes the mass
flow at a given control surface by scaling the velocity vectors on this surface. The other variables
are extrapolated following the system of options exposed above.
The scaling of the velocity vector is not totally free. The value of the scaling factor is constrained
between VELSCA and 1/VELSCA, where VELSCA is an expert parameter available in the Con-
trol Variables page in the Expert Mode.
Given that the pressure is also extrapolated with this condition, it is imperative that the inlet bound-
ary condition fixes the pressure through the total pressure.
Fixing the mass flow is not as robust as to impose the pressure and this is particularly sensitive with
full-multigrid. A pressure is thus requested as input and is imposed during the full-multigrid proc-
ess. Consequently, the mass flow computed at outlet is not exactly the target mass flow during the
computation on the coarse grids.
This option is not recommended in case significant backflow is detected along the exit. The next
option (exit pressure adaptation) is then better suited.
d.2) Pressure Adaptation
OPSEL = 30
This boundary conditions is an adaptation of the ’Static Pressure Imposed’ and ’Radial Equilib-
rium’ boundary conditions.
The only difference is that an automatic procedure is included that introduces a variation of the
imposed exit pressure at each iteration of the calculation. The pressure is iteratively updated in
order to reach at convergence the imposed mass flow. The successive pressure modifications are
calculated according to:

·
new old r gas T ref actual imposed
p = p + RELAXP -(Q
--------------------- –Q ) , (8-17)
2
L ref
where Lref and Tref are the characteristic length and reference temperature specified in the Flow
Model page. rgas (RGAS) and RELAXP are expert parameters defined in the Control Variables
page. The expert parameter RELAXP introduces an under-relaxation of the successive modifica-
tions of the exit pressure. The default value is 1.

FINE™ 8-25
Boundary Conditions Theory

The value of the exit pressure provided by the user is the initial one. In case the radial equilibrium is
used, the initial value of the exit pressure is imposed at midspan.
Contrary to the previous option fixing the mass flow through velocity scaling, it is only after con-
vergence of the procedure that the mass flow reaches the imposed value.

e) Characteristic Imposed
ITYPE = 29
This boundary condition has been implemented to increase the robustness in the frame of a design
process. It is not always suitable to impose the pressure at the exit because it can drive the machine
to stall when the changes in geometry affect its characteristic line.
The proposed solution is to impose a relation between the mass flow and the pressure at the outlet.
It is no longer needed to choose between imposing pressure when working around the chocking part
and imposing mass flow when working close to the stall limit.

The user has to impose a line defined through 3 parameters: a target outlet mass flow ( Qt ), a target

outlet pressure ( p Qt ) and the pressure at zero mass flow ( p Q0 ). See section 8-2.2 for a schematic
representation of this boundary condition.
The implementation follows three principles:
• The relation between mass flow and pressure is imposed from a function of the type:

F ( Q, p ) = 0 , (8-18)

with

( p Qt – p Q0 ) 2
F = p – p Q0 – --------------------------
2
-Q . (8-19)
Qt

(8-20)

A linearisation of the relation is applied to obtain:

∂F ∂F
F + ------- δQ + ------ δp = 0 , (8-21)
∂Q ∂p
where the δ are the variations of the mass flow and averaged exit pressure and where F and its
derivatives are computed from the old values of p and Q.
• The local outgoing characteristic variables are extrapolated.
• the relation between p 1 and p 0 is imposed as follows:

p 0 = p 1 + ∆p , (8-22)

with ∆p is constant over the whole outlet and with the subscripts 0 and 1 corresponding respec-
tively to the value in the first outer cell and in the first inner cell.

Combining these three principles and expressing Q and p in function of ∆p at the outlet, Eq. 8-21
can be written as a polynomial of second order in ∆p. The suitable root is chosen so that the
imposed pressure always respects the relation defined between the mass flow and the pressure dur-
ing the computation.

8-26 FINE™
Theory Boundary Conditions

8-5.2.2 Outlet Boundary Conditions for Supersonic Flow


ITYPE = 22
This condition is to be used in case of supersonic outflow and is only valid for compressible fluids.
The dependent variables at the outlet are extrapolated from the interior through first-order extrapo-
lation.
If no preconditioning is used, there is some checking on negative or small pressures: if the static
pressure is less than 1E-15 after extrapolation, it is put to 1E-15.

8-5.2.3 Treatment of Backflow at Outlet (Radial Diffuser)


The option for the treatment of backflow can be used by activating the corresponding option in the
FINE™ interface. This option has been initially implemented in order to ensure a proper treatment
of radial diffusers outlets in case of flow separations.
The treatment is based on the hypothesis that the absolute total temperature should be constant
throughout the outlet section. If the flow is re-entering the numerical domain through a part of the
outlet section, a hybrid boundary condition is applied in that region:
• the static pressure is imposed,
• the velocity vector is extrapolated,
• the absolute total temperature is imposed at a value equal to the averaged total temperature
along the outlet (the averaging is performed throughout the region where the flow leaves the
domain.
This treatment permits to avoid the introduction of an uncontrolled total temperature level in the
regions where the flow re-enters the domain, and in this way to better respect the physics of the
flow.
Limitations:
• only for compressible fluid,
• it is applied separately on each outlet patch when an uniform static pressure is imposed (it is
applied to a group of patches if ITYPE=27, i.e. averaged static pressure and mass flow
imposed).
• not available for the outlet boundary conditions where static pressure is imposed with radial
equilibrium.

8-5.3 Solid Wall Boundary Conditions


8-5.3.1 Euler Walls
ITYPE = 15, ITYPE = 16 (default).
For Euler walls the velocity has to be tangential to the wall.
To obtain the velocity vector on the wall, the velocity vector is first extrapolated from the interior
with zero or first order extrapolation according to the selected option in the FINE™ interface:

w∗ w = w 1
(8-23)
3 1
w∗ w = --- w 1 – --- w 2
2 2
with subscripts w,1,2 denoting respectively the wall, the first and the second inner cell.

FINE™ 8-27
Boundary Conditions Theory

The tangential part of the extrapolated velocity vector is:

= w∗ w – ( w∗ w ⋅ n )n ,
**
w w (8-24)

with n the normal to the wall. The velocity vector on the wall is finally found by a scaling process
such that its module equals:

ww = w1
3 1 . (8-25)
w w = --- ⋅ w 1 – --- ⋅ w 2
2 2

The wall density and pressure are obtained through extrapolation from the interior with zero order:
ρw = ρ1
pw = p1

or first order:

3 1
ρ w = --- ρ 1 – --- ρ 2
2 2
. (8-26)
3 1
pw = --- p 1 – --- p 2
2 2
Alternatively the pressure can be solved from the normal momentum equation (ITYPE=15):

n ⋅ ∇p = ρv ⋅ ⎛ v ⋅ ∇⎞ n , (8-27)
⎝ ⎠
which is written in a local curvilinear system as:

∂n ∂n ∂p ∂p ∂p
ρv wall ( v wall ⋅ S i ) ------ + ( v wall ⋅ S k ) ------ = S i ⋅ n ------ + S j ⋅ n ------ + S k ⋅ n ------ , (8-28)
∂ξ ∂ζ ∂ξ ∂η ∂ζ
where ξ, η, ζ represent the coordinates in the i, j and k directions, and where it is assumed that the

j-direction is directed away from the wall (not necessarily perpendicular to the wall). S i, j, k are the
surface vectors of the corresponding cell faces.
∂p
Eq. 8-28 is then solved for ------ , whereas zero-order extrapolation is used for the density.
∂η

8-5.3.2 Navier-Stokes Walls

a) Adiabatic Walls
The velocity vector on the wall vanishes. ITYPE = 11 or 13 are used for Cartesian boundary condi-
tion, 111 or 113 for cylindrical. If condition 111 or 113 is used, the angular velocity of the wall (in
the absolute frame of reference) has to be specified.
The velocity relative to the wall should be zero, leading to:

w = –( u s – uw ) , (8-29)

with subscripts s, w referring to respectively the system and the wall.

8-28 FINE™
Theory Boundary Conditions

A relation for the pressure is obtained by projection of the momentum equation onto the wall nor-
mal direction n . Written in the absolute frame of reference:

n ⋅ ∇p = – ρ n ⎛ V ⋅ ∇⎞ V + n ⋅ ⎛ ∇ ⋅ τ⎞ . (8-30)
⎝ ⎠ ⎝ ⎠
The normal pressure gradient can be written as a function of pressure derivatives along the coordi-
nate lines:

1 ∂p ∂p ∂p
n ⋅ ∇p = ------------ S j ⋅ S i + S j ⋅ S j + S j ⋅ S k , (8-31)
Sj Ω ∂ ζ ∂ η ∂ζ

where ξ, η, ζ represent the coordinates in the i, j and k directions, and where it is assumed that the

j-direction is directed away from the wall (not necessarily perpendicular to the wall). S i, j, k are the
surface vectors of the corresponding cell faces.
Combining Eq. 8-30 and Eq. 8-31 and considering that the velocity vanishes on the wall, yields:

∂p ∂p ∂p -------
Ωρ Ω
– - ⋅ n ⎛ V ⋅ ∇⎞ V + ------- n ⎛ ∇ ⋅ τ⎞
1
= – --------2- S j ⋅ S i + S j ⋅ S k (8-32)
∂η ∂ξ ∂ζ S ⎝ ⎠ ⎝ ⎠
Sj j Sj
COR 1 COR2 COR3
Two implementations of the adiabatic Navier-Stokes wall are available.
In the simplest one (ITYPE=13 or 113), only the terms COR1 and COR2 of the equation above are
taken into account in the evaluation of the pressure derivative. This corresponds to assume that the
normal pressure gradient equals zero. Taking into account that the velocity, appearing in the term
COR2, is the velocity on the wall, this term can be simplified to:

Ωρ 2
COR2 = --------2- ⋅ S j r ⋅ ω w (8-33)
Sj
Note that COR2 vanishes for a stator wall.
In the more complicated implementation (ITYPE=11 or 111) the complete normal momentum
equation is considered in the evaluation of the pressure derivative, i.e. the term COR3 is also
accounted for. Applying Gauss' theorem this term can be rewritten as:

S
COR3 = ----- Ω ⎛ ∇ ⋅ τ⎞ = ----- ⎛ ∇ ⋅ τ⎞ dΩ = ----- τdS ≈ -------j2-
∫ °∫ ∑
n n n
τi ⋅ Si . (8-34)
S ⎝ ⎠ S ⎝ ⎠
S S faces

Once ∂p/∂η is determined, the pressure on the wall is obtained as (assuming the direction points
inside the interior field, and with indices w,1 representing the wall and the first inner cell):

1 ∂p
p w = p 1 – --- ------ . (8-35)
2 ∂η
The temperature on the wall is obtained by expressing that the normal temperature gradient van-
ishes, or in terms of the derivatives along the coordinate lines, cf. Eq. 8-31:

∂T 1 ∂T ∂T
= – --------2- S j ⋅ S i + S j ⋅ S k . (8-36)
∂η ∂ξ ∂ζ
Sj

FINE™ 8-29
Boundary Conditions Theory

The wall temperature is then found using a similar equation as Eq. 8-35.
The density follows from pressure and temperature through the appropriate relation, depending on
the type of gas.

b) Isothermal Walls
The implementation of the isothermal wall boundary condition is very similar to the adiabatic
Navier-Stokes wall. The only difference is in the determination of the wall temperature, which is
fixed to the specified temperature in the current boundary condition. Again two versions are availa-
ble, depending on whether all the terms in the normal momentum equation are taken into account
when determining the wall pressure (ITYPE 12 ≡ 11; 14 ≡ 13; 112 ≡ 111; 114 ≡ 113).
For the cylindrical isothermal walls, #112 and #114, the angular velocity of the wall has to be spec-
ified. For all versions (#12,#112,#14,#114) the wall temperature is specified.
The pressure is determined as in the adiabatic condition and the density follows from pressure and
temperature through the appropriate relation, depending on the type of gas.

c) Wall with Imposed Heat Flux


The implementation of the wall with imposed heat flux boundary condition is very similar to the
previous ones. For this condition (ITYPE = 10 or 110) the temperature is determined from the
imposed heat flux (W/m2).
The pressure is determined as in the adiabatic condition and the density follows from pressure and
temperature through the appropriate relation, depending on the type of gas.

8-5.4 Far-field Boundary Condition


ITYPE = 21 uses Riemann invariants that are defined as:

± 2c
R n = Vn ± ----------- , (8-37)
γ–1
+
where R n are the Riemann variables associated with the direction n and c is the local speed of
sound.
+ +
For subsonic inflow, R n corresponds to a positive, incoming characteristic. R n is then obtained
from the free stream values:

+ 2c ∞
R n = V ∞ ⋅ n + ----------- , (8-38)
γ–1

where V ∞ is the free stream velocity, c ∞ the free stream speed of sound.

-
R n , on the other hand, corresponds to an outgoing characteristic and has to be estimated from
inside the computational domain by an appropriate extrapolation:

- 2c
R n = V i ⋅ n – ----------i- , (8-39)
γ–1
where subscript i refers to values from the interior. Linear extrapolation of the variables to the
external boundary will be used to obtain a sufficiently accurate solution:

8-30 FINE™
Theory Boundary Conditions

3 1
q i = --- q 1 – --- q 2 , (8-40)
2 2
where subscript 1 and 2 refer to the first two inner points.
The normal velocity and the local speed of sound can now be obtained on the boundary by adding
+ -
and subtracting both Riemann variables R n and R n :

+ -
Rn + Rn γ–1
-, c wall = ( R +n – R -n ) ----------- .
V w ⋅ n = ----------------- (8-41)
2 4
The entropy on the wall is set to the free stream entropy. All the flow variables can then be
obtained.
+
Corresponding formulas hold for a subsonic outflow with the difference that R n and the wall
entropy are obtained from interior values.
For supersonic flows, both Riemann variables and the entropy are obtained from free stream values
for inflow, interior values for outflow.
For computations with preconditioning, the same principle is used with modified invariants defined
as:

2
⎛ ⎞ 2⎛ ⎞ ⎛ vn ⎞ 2
2 2 2
± pg β β
- v n ⎜ 1 – ----- – α⎟ −
R n = v n – ----------- + n
v ⎜ 1 – - – α⎟ + 4 ⎜ 1 – ------
---- -⎟ β , (8-42)
2ρβ
2
⎝ c
2
⎠ ⎝ c
2
⎠ ⎝ c ⎠
2

where

p g = p – p ref
. (8-43)
β = β∗ U ref
2 2

The free stream variables of static pressure, static temperature and the three velocity components
are specified by the user in the boundary condition file.

When a k-ε, v2-f or k-ω turbulence model is selected, the values for k and ε on the boundary are set
to their free stream values (inflow) or extrapolated from the interior (outflow).

FINE™ 8-31
Boundary Conditions Theory

8-32 FINE™
CHAPTER 9: Numerical Model

9-1 Overview
To define numerical parameters of the computation, the Numerical Model page allows to define
several aspects of the computation:
• the CFL number,
• the multigrid parameters,
• preconditioning parameters (if applicable).
These parameters are described in the next section.

FIGURE 9.1.0-1 Numerical model interface

In expert user mode (Expert Mode) additional parameters are available as shown in Figure 9.1.0-2:
additional multigrid parameters and unsteady parameters. These interfaced expert parameters are
described in section 9-3. Also the non-interfaced expert parameters are described in this section.
More theoretical information on the available parameters related to the numerical model (spatial
and temporal discretizations) is provided in section 9-4.

FINE™ 9-1
Numerical Model Numerical Model in FINE™ GUI

FIGURE 9.1.0-2 Numerical Model page in expert mode

9-2 Numerical Model in FINE™ GUI


9-2.1 CFL Number
This box allows to tune the CFL (Courant-Friedrich-Levy) number to be employed in the compu-
tation. This number globally scales the time-step sizes used for the time-marching scheme of the
flow solver. A higher value of the CFL number results in a faster convergence, but will lead to
divergence if the stability limit is exceeded.

9-2.2 Multigrid Parameters


In the left part of the Numerical Model page, three boxes are visible. The first one is an informa-
tion box, named Grid levels: current/coarsest. It indicates for each of the i, j and k directions the
currently selected grid level and the number of the coarsest grid level available in the corresponding
direction. The second box of the Numerical Model page is an input box that allows to define the
Current grid level for each of the i, j and k directions.
• The coarsest grid level depends on the number of times the grid can be coarsened, along each of
the (i,j,k) directions. For example, if the grid has 17*33*33 points in the i, j, k directions, it has
respectively 16*32*32 cells. The i direction (16 cells) can thus be divided 4 times by 2, while
the others can be divided 5 times by 2. The following grid levels are then available:
000 17*33*33 (18,513 points)
111 9*17*17 (2,601 points)
222 5*9*9 (405 points)
333 3*5*5 (75 points)
444 2*3*3 (18 points)
455 2*2*2 (8 points)

9-2 FINE™
Numerical Model in FINE™ GUI Numerical Model

The coarsest grid level available is then 4 along i and 5 along j and k.
• The current grid level is the finest grid level (for each of the i, j and k directions) on which the
computation will take place. The selected levels should be in the range between 0 and the coars-
est grid level available for each of the i, j and k directions. Referring to the example given just
above, the user can do a first run on level 3 3 3 to validate the computational parameters and
then switch to level 1 1 1 or 0 0 0 for a finer solution. It gives a high flexibility to the system
since with one grid, the user can run simulations on several sub-meshes.

All combinations between the i, j and k grid levels, in the specified range, are possible
such as 2 3 1 or 0 3 2...etc. It is however not recommended to use such hybrid levels (e.g.
010 or 211) since it deforms the mesh in a preferential direction and thus possibly
increasing the aspect ratio. Consequently, the quality of the resulting mesh can be
decreased.

Press <Enter> after each modification to validate the new specified levels.

The use of multigrid is highly recommended in order to ensure fast convergence of the flow solver.
The mesh used to discretise the space can have multiple grid levels in each direction of the compu-
tational domain i, j and k. These levels are numbered from 0 (finest grid) to N (coarsest grid).

The grid level (N) available in one direction (I, J, or K) is the smallest grid among all
patches on that particular direction (I, J, or K).
The third box, named Number of Grid(s), permits to significantly accelerate the convergence to
steady state if several grid levels are available: the flow calculation is performed simultaneously on
all the grid levels. This technique is referred to as the multigrid strategy. This number should be
chosen as high as possible, and deduced from the information displayed on the available grid level
and the grid level on which the computation will be performed (Current Grid Level).
Finally, the option Coarse Grid Initialization enables, before calculating the flow on the mesh
contained in the IGG™ files, to perform a preliminary flow calculations on a coarser mesh auto-
matically created by the flow solver by coarsening the initial one. This provides a rapid estimation
of the flow. This technique is referred to Full Multigrid.

9-2.3 Preconditioning Parameters


This box allows to choose between the Hakimi or Merkle preconditioning methods. These parame-
ters are only available when an incompressible fluid is selected on the Fluid Model page or when
the Low Speed Flow (M<0.3) option is selected on the Flow Model page.

The Merkle preconditioning method is also available for flows at higher Mach num-
bers. The Low Speed Flow (M<0.3) option just has to be activated to activate the pre-
conditioning.
When using the Merkle preconditioner, no extra inputs are required. When choosing Hakimi pre-
conditioning, extra parameters have to be defined. Preconditioning is described in detail in section
4-4.8. Especially section 4-4.8.5 provides more information on the value to choose for β*, the refer-
ence velocity and the option to use Local velocity scaling.

FINE™ 9-3
Numerical Model Expert Parameters

9-3 Expert Parameters


9-3.1 Interfaced Expert Parameters
9-3.1.1 Multigrid Strategy
If the option Coarse Grid Initialization is activated, the computation starts on the coarsest grid
level and includes a finer grid level each time one of the two following criteria is satisfied:
• The maximum number of cycles to be performed on each grid level is reached. This parameter
is specified through the input box in the Full MultiGrid Parameters area as the Maximum
number of cycles per grid level.
• The residual on the current grid level has dropped a certain order of magnitude as indicated by
the Convergence criteria on each grid level in the Full MultiGrid Parameters area.

• An additional input box permits to select the number of sweeps to be performed on the coarse
grid levels through the input box Number of sweeps on successive grid levels. The amount of
sweeps is the amount of times the Runge-Kutta operator is applied (see section 9-4.4 for more
detail). In the default configuration of the solver called Linear progression, the number of
sweeps on each level equals the level number (2 sweeps on second level,...). It has been
observed in many cases that the convergence rate may be significantly improved by performing
a higher number of sweeps on the coarsest levels. Recommended sets of values are proposed in
the Sweeps area through the parameter Scheme definition: for instance (1,2,16) in case of 3
grid levels. However, it is should be noted that more sweeps have as a consequence more time
required for an iteration.

9-3.1.2 Spatial Discretization


Two types of spatial discretization are available:
• central scheme (default) and
• upwind scheme.

If an upwind discretization is chosen, an input box appears in a Spatial discretization parameters


area to specify the order of accuracy of the desired upwind scheme: first or second order. See sec-
tion 9-4 for more detail on those different schemes.

Condensable and preconditioned fluids are not compatible with the use of upwind
schemes for space discretization.

9-4 FINE™
Expert Parameters Numerical Model

9-3.1.3 Temporal Discretization


The temporal discretization scheme used for the computation is an explicit multi-stage Runge-Kutta
scheme. In the interface, the time stepping technique should be selected between Local time step-
ping (default) and Global time stepping. See section 9-4 for more detailed information on the tem-
poral discretization. In general the default scheme is recommended.

If the computation is an unsteady computation, unsteady parameters box appears. Please refer to
chapter section 4-2.1 for a description of those unsteady parameters.

9-3.2 Non-interfaced Expert Parameters


Additional parameters related to the numerical model are available in the list on the Control Varia-
bles page in Expert Mode.

9-3.2.1 Multigrid
IMGDIR: Indicates if coarsening will be applied in the specified I, J or K direction
(three values):
= 1 1 1 (default): coarsening applied in all directions
= 0 0 0 : no coarsening applied in all directions
= 1 1 0 : coarsening applied only on I and J directions
IPROLO: Indicates the order of the prolongation within the multigrid approach:
= 0: is piecewise constant prolongation,
= 1 (default): is linear prolongation (no damping if -1),
= 2 linear prolongation except at boundaries(-2).

When used with a preconditioned formulation, this damping option is somewhat use-
less and can be damaging. FINE™ therefore sets its to off when preconditioning is used.

When used with k-ε turbulence model and preconditioning, the linear prolongation
with damping is recommended.
IRESTR: Gives the order of the restriction operator of the multigrid.
= 0 (default): corresponds to linear restriction,
= 1: to quadratic restriction.
MGRSTR: Applies only for multigrid and fixes the type of multigrid cycle. MGRSTR=1: V-
cycle; MGRSTR=2: W-cycle; MGRSTR=3: F-cycle; MGRSTR=4: V-cycle in saw-
tooth; MGRSTR=5: W-cycle in sawtooth; MGRSTR=6: F-cycle in sawtooth.
Default: MGRSTR=1.
MGSIMP: Applies only for multigrid. If MGSIMP>1 a simplification will be used on coarser
levels. If MGSIMP=1 a more dissipative scheme is used on coarser meshes, i.e. first-
order upwind (if 2nd order upwind scheme is used) or central scheme with increased
4th order dissipation on solid walls (if central scheme is used). If MGSIMP=2, in
addition to the simplification for MGSIMP=1, viscous and source terms (of turbu-
lence) are neglected on coarser levels. No simplification for MGSIMP=0. Default:
MGSIMP=1

FINE™ 9-5
Numerical Model Expert Parameters

RSMPAR: Residual smoothing parameter σ*/σ. A value less or equal to zero means no residual
smoothing.
SMCOR: Only used in case of multigrid. SMCOR has the same meaning as RSMPAR but
applies to the interpolated multigrid corrections instead of the residuals. SMCOR
indicates whether interpolated corrections should be smoothed or not. The default
value for SMCOR is 0.

9-3.2.2 Spatial Discretization


IFACE: = 1(default): Cell face gradients are used for the viscous fluxes,
= 0: cell corner gradients.
IWAVVI: Only used if IFACE=0. If IWAVVI=0 the cell face gradients are obtained by arith-
metic averaging of the cell corner gradients. If IWAVVI=1 a weighted averaging is
used instead, taking the cell volumes into account.
IWAVCO: If IWAVCO=0 a variable averaging is performed. If IWAVCO=2 a flux averaging is
used instead.

a) Central Discretization
CDIDTE: Constant used in the exponential damping factor that is used in the numerical dissi-
pation for k and ε, both if central or upwind schemes are used. The default value for
CDIDTE is 100
EXPMAR: Exponent in the multi-dimensional scaling model of Martinelli of the dissipation
used in central schemes (see section 9-4.1.3). Default EXPMAR=0.5 i.e. multi-
dimensional scaling not used.
IARTV2: Defines whether the second order artificial dissipation switch should be based on
both pressure and temperature gradients (parameter IARTV2=1) or on pressure gra-
dients only (IARTV2=0). In the default configuration, only pressure gradients are
taken into account. Both pressure and temperature gradients (IARTV2=1) can only
be taken into account for compressible cases.

VIS2: Coefficient κ(2) for 2nd order dissipation in the central scheme (default VIS2=1.0).

VIS2KE: Used only for k-ε turbulence model. Coefficient κ(2) for 2nd order dissipation in the
central scheme, as applied to the k and ε equations. Default VIS2KE=1.0
VIS2SW: This parameter switches off all second order dissipation for incompressible fluids
(when set to the default: VIS2SW=1). Second order dissipation is intended for stabi-
lization of the shocks but there are no shocks in incompressible flows. Therefore the
default is to switch off all second order dissipation for incompressible fluids. Some-
times it may be stabilizing to use some second order dissipation. In that case set this
parameter to zero.

VIS4: Coefficient κ(4) for 4th order dissipation in the central scheme. Default VIS4=0.1

VIS4KE: Used only for k-ε turbulence model. Coefficient κ(4) for 4th order dissipation in the
central scheme, as applied to the k and ε equations. Default VIS4KE=0.1
VISNUL: Eliminates 2nd order dissipation fluxes along the physical boundaries (central
scheme). Default VISNUL=1. If VISNUL=0, the procedure is not applied.

9-6 FINE™
Expert Parameters Numerical Model

b) Upwind Discretization
ENTRFX: Entropy coefficients, see Eq. 9-2, on page 9-8 and Eq. 9-3, on page 9-9. The first
value is the entropy fix coefficient applied to the linear field, the second value is
applied to the non-linear field. ENTRFX<1. means a constant value, ENTRFX>1.
means scaled with the spectral radius through a factor ENTRFX-1.
IRATIO: Vector of two values, that indicate which effective ratio is to be used, see Eq. 9-
27, on page 9-13. The first value applies to the linear field, the second to the non-lin-
ear field.

IRATIO is only active for second-order upwind schemes.

IROEAV: = 1 indicates that Roe averages are to be used to calculate cell face data. See Eq. 9-
14, on page 9-11. If IROEAV=0 (default), arithmetic averaging will be used.

9-3.2.3 Time Discretization


IBOTH: used in combination with ISWV. The latter parameter indicates whether the dissipa-
tion terms are recalculated or not in the different Runge-Kutta stages. IBOTH=0
means that the dissipation term only contains the physical, viscous dissipation;
IBOTH=1 means that it also contains the artificial/upwind dissipation. The default
value = 2 means that the dissipation term contains only the artificial dissipation. The
physical dissipation is computed once per time step.
IRKCO: Runge-Kutta coefficients. One for each stage, the first one for the first stage, the sec-
ond one for the 2nd stage and so on.
The default values that are used when nothing is set in IRKCO are:
1st order upwind - Van Leer:
4stage .0833 .2069 .4265 1.
5stage .0533 .1263 .2375 .4414 1.
2nd order upwind - Van Leer:
4stage .1084 .2602 .5052 1.
5stage .0695 .1602 .2898 .5060 1.
central scheme - Jameson:
4stage .25 .3333 .5 1.
5 stage .25 .1666 .375 .5 1.
both central and upwind - Eliasson:
4stage .125 .306 .587 1.
5stage .0814 .191 .342 .574 1.

NSTAGE: number of stages for the explicit Runge-Kutta scheme. In practice, 4 or 5 stage
schemes are mostly used.
= 4 : ISWV = 1 1 0 ...(ISWV can be modified afterwards independently)
= 5 : ISWV = 1 0 1 0 1 0 ...(ISWV can be modified afterwards independently)
IRSMCH: specifies the type of residual/correction smoothing.
= 1: standard version, Eq. 9-58
= 2 (default in incompressible cases): Radespiel & Rossow, Eq. 9-59
= 3 (default in compressible cases): Zhu, time step dependent coefficients (Eq. 9-61)
= 4: Swanson & Turkel viscous
= 5: Vatsa, Eq. 9-63. On meshes without high aspect ratio.

FINE™ 9-7
Numerical Model Theory

ISWV: governs the recalculation of the dissipative residual in the different Runge-Kutta
stages. A value α between 0 and 1 is allowed. Zero means no recalculation of dissi-
pative residual (latest available value will be used); 1 means recalculation. For inter-
mediate values, a weighted averaging of the latest dissipation residual and of the
preceding one is applied with the weight α and (1-α) respectively. E.g. for a 5-stage
scheme: ISWV = 1 0 1 0 1, means that the dissipative residual is calculated in 1st,3rd
and 5th stage only. ISWV is used in combination with IBOTH.
RSMPAR: residual smoothing parameter σ*/σ. A value less or equal to zero means no residual
smoothing. Default value = 2.

9-4 Theory
9-4.1 Spatial Discretization
The discretization in space is based on a cell entered control volume approach. The general Navier
Stokes equation Eq. 9-1 is discretised as:

∂U
∫ Ω∂ t
dΩ +
∑ F ∆S + ∑ F ∆S = ∫ Q dΩ ,
I V (9-1)
faces faces Ω

where F I ∆S , F V ∆S are respectively the inviscid and viscous fluxes.

9-4.1.1 Viscous Fluxes


The viscous fluxes are determined in a purely central way. As they contain gradients, gradients
must be evaluated on the cell faces. This is done by applying Gauss' theorem:

∫ °∫
1 1
∇Φ = ---- ∇Φ dΩ = ---- ΦdS . (9-2)
Ω Ω
Two options exist:
1. IFACE = 0, the gradients are first calculated in cell corners. This is done by applying Eq. 9-2
using as control volume, the volume that has the cell centres that surround the cell corner of
interest as corner points, as depicted in Figure 9.4.1-3 (a) below for two dimensions. The cell
face gradient is then obtained by averaging the gradients in the 4 corners of the cell face. Arith-
metic averaging (input variable IWAVVI=0) or a more accurate weighted averaging may be
chosen (IWAVVI=1).
2. IFACE = 1 (Default), gradients are calculated directly on cell faces. Figure 9.4.1-3 (b) and (c)
illustrate the control volumes used to find the gradient on respectively the cell face i+1/2 and
j+1/2.
The option IFACE=1 is more robust and therefore preferred (default), although it is more expensive
as the total number of cell faces is approximately 3 times the number of cell corners.

9-8 FINE™
Theory Numerical Model

cell centre cell corner cell face j+1/2


cell face i+1/2

(a) (b) (c)

FIGURE 9.4.1-3 : Different control volumes used to calculate gradients in cell corners or cell
faces.

9-4.1.2 Inviscid Fluxes


The inviscid fluxes appearing in Eq. 9-1 are upwind based numerical fluxes, and therefore noted
with a * superscript.
The inviscid numerical flux is expressed as, Hirsch (1990):

* 1
( Fn ) i+1⁄2 = --- { ( Fn ) i + ( Fn ) i + 1 } – d i + 1 ⁄ 2 . (9-3)
2
The first term in the right-hand-side of Eq. 9-3 corresponds to a purely central evaluation of the
flux. The term d i + 1 ⁄ 2 represents a numerical dissipation term, that may be an artificial dissipation,
used in combination with central schemes, or the dissipation associated with upwind schemes.
In Eq. 9-3 an arithmetic averaging technique is used. Alternatively, instead of averaging the fluxes
in Eq. 9-3, a flux can be used, based on the averaged unknowns, i.e.

Ui + Ui + 1
= Fn ⎛ ------------------------⎞ – d i + 1 ⁄ 2 .
*
( Fn ) (9-4)
i+1/2
⎝ 2 ⎠
Theoretically, the formulation Eq. 9-3 is to be preferred, but, in combination with the central
scheme, the formulation of Eq. 9-4 (default) is sometimes more robust, especially for high speed
flows.
Both central schemes and upwind schemes are available within EURANUS.
Currently, the arithmetic averaging given by Eq. 9-3 and Eq. 9-4 (IWAVCO=2) are the only availa-
ble options.

9-4.1.3 Central Scheme


In the former case, a Jameson type dissipation is used with 2nd and 4th order derivatives of the con-
servative variables, Jameson (1981):

(2) (4) 3
di + 1 ⁄ 2 = ε i + 1 ⁄ 2 δU i + 1 ⁄ 2 + εi δ Ui + 1 . (9-5)

The scalar coefficients ε are given by:

FINE™ 9-9
Numerical Model Theory

(2) 1 (2) *
ε i+1⁄2 = --- κ λ max ( ν i – 1, ν i, ν i + 1, ν i + 2 )
2
. (9-6)
= max ⎛ 0, --- κ λ -ε i + 1 ⁄ 2⎞
(4) 1 (4) * (2)
ε i+1⁄2
⎝ 2 ⎠
(2) (4)
The coefficients κ , κ are user input, respectively VIS2,VIS4 in the non-interfaced parame-
ters.
(4)
The cell entered values of ε in Eq. 9-5 are obtained by arithmetic averaging of the cell face val-
ues of Eq. 9-6. The variables v i are sensors to activate the second-difference dissipation in regions
of strong gradients, such as shocks, and to deactivate it elsewhere. They are based on pressure and
temperature variations (depending on the value for the expert parameter IARTV2) and are defined
as:

⎧ p i + 1 – 2p i + p i – 1 T i + 1 – 2T i + T i – 1 ⎫
- , ------------------------------------------- ⎬
v i = max ⎨ ----------------------------------------- (9-7)
⎩ p i + 1 + 2p i + p i – 1 T i + 1 + 2T i + T i – 1 ⎭
for all equations except the k and ε equations. For liquids, only a pressure switch is used. For the k
and ε equations, v i is based on the pressure, on the turbulent kinetic energy and on the dissipation
rate:

⎧ p i + 1 – 2p i + p i – 1 k i + 1 – 2k i + k i – 1 ε i + 1 – 2ε i + ε i – 1 ⎫
- , ----------------------------------------- , ----------------------------------------- ⎬ .
v i = max ⎨ ----------------------------------------- (9-8)
⎩ p i + 1 + 2p i + p i – 1 k i + 1 + 2k i + k i – 1 ε i + 1 + 2ε i + ε i – 1 ⎭
*
λ in Eq. 9-6 is a measure of the inviscid fluxes and is commonly chosen as the spectral radius
multiplied with the cell face area:

* *
λ = λ i+1⁄2 = ( v∆S + c∆S ) i + 1 ⁄ 2 . (9-9)

On high aspect ratio meshes, the resulting dissipation in the streamwise direction may become very
low. Increasing it may improve the robustness and the convergence rate. According to Martinelli
(1987), the spectral radii in the other directions are also accounted for. Instead of Eq. 9-9 one uses:

* * * 1–σ * σ * 1–σ * σ
λ = max { λ i + 1 ⁄ 2, (λ i + 1 ⁄ 2) (λ j + 1 ⁄ 2) ,(λ i + 1 ⁄ 2) (λ k + 1 ⁄ 2) } (9-10)

The spectral radii in the other directions are defined similar as in Eq. 9-9, e.g. for the j-direction:

*
λ j+1⁄2 = ( v i + 1 ⁄ 2 ∆S j + 1 ⁄ 2 + c i + 1 ⁄ 2 ∆S j + 1 ⁄ 2 ) (9-11)

The cell face normal ∆S j + 1 ⁄ 2 is obtained by averaging the normals on the 4 cell faces in the j-
direction, belonging to the 2 cells that share the i+1/2 cell face.
The parameter σ is user input (EXPMAR). The default value is 0.5, i.e. Eq. 9-9 is used. In the cur-
rent version of EURANUS, the Martinelli approach is not yet implemented for the turbulence equa-
tions.
Note that if the k – ε turbulence model is chosen, the resulting equations for k and ε can be solved
(2) (4)
with the central scheme (IUPWTE=0). Separate coefficients κ , κ for the artificial dissipation
can be chosen, respectively VIS2KE and VIS4KE in the non-interfaced expert parameters. Both the

9-10 FINE™
Theory Numerical Model

2nd and 4th order dissipation are damped by multiplying them with the following exponential func-
tion:

+ 2 ⎛ V 2⎞
1 – exp ⎛ – ⎛ -----⎞ ⎞ exp ⎜ – -----3 ⎟
y
. (9-12)
⎝ ⎝ C⎠ ⎠ ⎝ S ⎠

The constant C corresponds to the input variable CDIDTE. The above expression means that the
damping is applied in the region where y+<CDIDTE, the default is CDIDTE=100; V is the cell vol-
ume and S the cell face area.

9-4.1.4 Upwind Schemes


In the upwind case, the dissipation term is:

1 l
d i + 1 ⁄ 2 = --- R i + 1 ⁄ 2 diag ( α i + 1 ⁄ 2 )δ i + 1 ⁄ 2 W , (9-13)
2
where δW represents the variation of the characteristic variables which is related to the conserva-
tive variables U or the primitive variables V through

–1 –1
δW = R δU = L δV . (9-14)

–1
The matrices R and R contain respectively the right and left eigenvectors of the Jacobian matrix.
l l
diag ( α i + 1 ⁄ 2 ) in Eq. 9-13 represents a diagonal matrix with α i + 1 ⁄ 2 the element in row and col-
umn l.
They are to be evaluated on the cell faces, and therefore require the knowledge of the primitive var-
iables on the cell face. These can be obtained either by arithmetic averaging of the primitive varia-
bles in the cell centres left and right of the cell face (input variable IROEAV=0) or by a Roe-type of
averaging (IROEAV=1). In the latter case the following formulas are used:

ρi + 1 ⁄ 2 = ρi ρi + 1
vi ρi + vi + 1 ρi + 1
v i + 1 ⁄ 2 = ---------------------------------------------
-
ρi + ρi + 1
(9-15)
Hi ρi + Hi + 1 ρi + 1
H i + 1 ⁄ 2 = ------------------------------------------------
-
ρi + ρi + 1
2
c i+1⁄2 = (γ – 1) H 2
i+1⁄2 – v i+1⁄2

Theoretically the Roe averages have to be used. However, in practice, arithmetic averages can be
used in most applications without any repercussion on accuracy or convergence. Arithmetic averag-
ing has the advantage that it is computationally less expensive.
Different upwind schemes result, depending on the expression for α. In EURANUS a TVD version
of the Flux Difference Splitting scheme (FDS TVD), Roe (1981), and Symmetric TVD (STVD),
Yee (1987), are available.
For both schemes α can be expressed as:

αi + 1 ⁄ 2 = λi + 1 ⁄ 2 [ 1 – Qi + 1 ⁄ 2 ] (9-16)

FINE™ 9-11
Numerical Model Theory

where λ i + 1 ⁄ 2 represents the eigenvalues of the Jacobian matrix and Q i + 1 ⁄ 2 is a limiter function,
ensuring monotonicity.
Both the FDS TVD and STVD scheme do not have a built-in entropy criterion, which would guar-
antee that the 2nd law of thermodynamics is satisfied. These schemes therefore may allow unphys-
ical solutions, such as expansion shocks.
In order to avoid unphysical solutions an entropy fix is used. The eigenvalue λ i + 1 ⁄ 2 in Eq. 9-16 is
)

replaced by λ i + 1 ⁄ 2 :

2 2
) λ i+1⁄2 + δ
λ i + 1 ⁄ 2 = ------------------------------ if λ i + 1 ⁄ 2 ≤ δ
2δ . (9-17)
= λ i + 1 ⁄ 2 if λ i + 1 ⁄ 2 > δ

Eq. 9-17 limits the minimum value of λ i + 1 ⁄ 2 to δ . In subsonic and transonic cases a small con-
stant value (<1.) for the entropy fix δ suffices (choose the input variable ENTRFX < 1.). For flow
simulations in high speed regime, it is advised to scale the entropy fix with the spectral radius, by
choosing the input variable ENTRFX > 1, e.g. ENTRFX=1.05 or 1.1. The scaling factor is then
ENTRFX-1., i.e.:

*
δ = ( ENTRFX – 1. ) λ i+1⁄2 . (9-18)

The latter choice also increases the robustness, at the expense of a slightly increased dissipation.
Two values for ENTRFX are to be specified. The first one applies to the linear field (the character-
istic variables that propagate with speed un ), the second value to the non-linear field (the charac-
teristic variables that propagate with speed un ± c ).
For first-order upwind schemes, the limiter vanishes and both FDS TVD and STVD reduce to the
same first-order accurate upwind scheme.
For second-order upwind schemes, the limiter is activated.
The limiter Q i + 1 ⁄ 2 acts on ratios r i + 1 ⁄ 2 of variations of the characteristic variables, defined as:

- δi – 1 ⁄ 2 W + δi + 3 ⁄ 2 W
-, r i + 1 ⁄ 2 = --------------------
r i + 1 ⁄ 2 = -------------------- - (9-19)
δi + 1 ⁄ 2 W δi + 1 ⁄ 2 W
For the FDS TVD scheme, Q is function of only one of the ratios, according to the sign of the
eigenvalue:

-
Q = Q ( ri + 1 ⁄ 2 ) λi + 1 ⁄ 2 > 0
(9-20)
+
Q = Q ( ri + 1 ⁄ 2 ) λi + 1 ⁄ 2 < 0
The following limiters are available:

Q ( r ) = minmod ( 1, r ) , (9-21)

2
r+r
Q ( r ) = -------------2- r>0
1+r (9-22)

= 0 r<0

9-12 FINE™
Theory Numerical Model

r+ r
Q ( r ) = -------------- , (9-23)
1+r

Q ( r ) = max [ 0, min (1,2r), min (2,r) ] , (9-24)

which represent respectively the Min Mod limiter (LIMITE=1), the Van Albada limiter (LIM-
ITE=2), the Van Leer limiter (LIMITE=3) and the Super Bee limiter (LIMITE=4). The function
minmod chooses the value with the minimum module.
In the STVD scheme, the check on the eigenvalue sign is avoided by choosing Q as a function of
- +
the two ratios r and r

- +
Q = Q ( r i + 1 ⁄ 2, r i + 1 ⁄ 2 ) . (9-25)

Since the 'classical' limiters such as Van Leer, Van Albada, Min Mod, Super Bee are defined as a
function of one ratio, Eq. 9-25 would exclude these limiters in a STVD context.
A new family of non-separable limiters, containing also smooth limiters, is proposed within EURA-
NUS, Lacor et al. (1993).
*
The classical limiter functions are applied to a so-called effective ratio r , which is an average of
- +
r and r :

- +
Q ( r , r ) = Q ( r* ) . (9-26)

The same functions Q as given in Eq. 9-21 to Eq. 9-24 can be chosen, where the ratio r is replaced
by the effective ratio r* (the same limiters as for the FDS scheme are used).
The following possible choices for the effective ratio are proposed:

+ - 2 - + 2 + -
+ - r (r ) + r (r ) 2r r -
- ≤ --------------- ≤ r + r ≤ .5 ( r + + r - ) ≤ max (r +,r -) .
min (r ,r ) ≤ -------------------------------------- (9-27)
+ 2 - 2 + -
(r ) + (r ) r +r
It can be shown that these new limiters guarantee monotonicity provided that:

r* ≥ 0 , (9-28)

which is easily achieved by switching the limiter off for negative r* .


The effective ratios in Eq. 9-27 are given in order of increasing magnitude. It can be shown that the
lower r* , the more diffusive the resulting limiter is. The choice of effective ratio is governed by the
input parameter IRATIO. IRATIO=1 corresponds to the smallest value in the list of Eq. 9-27, IRA-
TIO=2 to the 2nd smallest value, and so forth, with IRATIO=6 corresponding to the maximum
value.
For both the FDS and the STVD scheme, different limiters can be applied to the linear field (the
characteristic variables that propagate with speed un ) and to the non-linear field (the characteristic
variables that propagate with speed un ± c ). In addition, for the STVD scheme, a different specific
ratio can be chosen for both fields.
To this end, the input variables LIMITE (corresponding to the type of limiter selected in the
Numerical Model page) and IRATIO are vectors of length two. The first component determines
the choice of limiter, respectively the effective ratio for the linear field, the second component for
the non-linear field.

FINE™ 9-13
Numerical Model Theory

In general, robustness is increased by applying a more diffusive limiter. By applying this limiter
only to the non-linear field, and a compressive one to the linear field, a good compromise between
robustness and accuracy can be obtained.
The upwind dissipation can also be reformulated to let the limiter act on ratios of variations of the
primitive variables.
Combining Eq. 9-9 to Eq. 9-11 the limiter function can be moved outside the diagonal matrix and
put in front of the primitive variable variation:

1 1 –1
d i + 1 ⁄ 2 = --- R i + 1 ⁄ 2 diag ( λ i + 1 ⁄ 2 )L i + 1 ⁄ 2 [ 1 – Q i + 1 ⁄ 2 ]δ i + 1 ⁄ 2 V . (9-29)
2
The limiter function is the same as before and acts on ratios as in Eq. 9-19 or Eq. 9-27 where the
characteristic variable variations are replaced by primitive variable variations.
Eq. 9-29 can be simplified to

1
d i + 1 ⁄ 2 = --- An i + 1 ⁄ 2 ( 1 – Q i + 1 ⁄ 2 )δ i + 1 ⁄ 2 V . (9-30)
2

∂ ( Fn )
The Jacobian matrix in Eq. 9-30 is the Jacobian with respect to the primitive variables --------------- :
∂V

–1
An = RΛL . (9-31)

9-4.2 Multigrid Strategy


EURANUS uses multigrid for efficiency and fast convergence. The input variable given by the user
(Numerical Model page: Number of Grid(s)) denotes the number of grid levels to be used. The
coarser grids are automatically created within EURANUS by dropping nodes in each direction. If in
a certain direction, the grid can not be coarsened anymore (because of an odd number of cells)
before reaching the desired number of grid levels, EURANUS will create the missing grids by
coarsening only in the remaining directions.

Finest level : 000

Coarse level : 111

Coarse level : 2 2 2

Coarsest level : 3 3 3

MG Cycle

FIGURE 9.4.2-4 Scheme of the multigrid strategy

The multigrid method is based on the Full Approximation Storage (FAS) approach. V (input param-
eter MGRSTR = 1), W (MGRSTR = 2) and F-cycle (MGRSTR = 3) can be chosen by the user, or if
preferred their sawtooth variant (MGRSTR = 4, 5 or 6 for respectively V,W,F sawtooth). In the
sawtooth variant no smoothing (i.e. Runge-Kutta solver or implicit solver) will be applied in the
coarse-to-fine part of the cycle. As a result, the solution is only prolonged when passing from
coarse to fine.

9-14 FINE™
Theory Numerical Model

FIGURE 9.4.2-5 Scheme of the multigrid method

Consider a set of meshes denoted with an index l = 1,...,L with L being the finest level. The Navier-
Stokes problem on the finest level can be written as:

L
∂U
---------- + N L ( U L ) = 0 , (9-32)
∂t
L
where N L ( U ) is the spatial discretization of the Navier-Stokes operator on the finest mesh L . The
problem is then approximated on coarser levels l as:

l
∂U
--------- + N l ( U l ) = F l , (9-33)
∂t
with F l the forcing function, defined recursively as:

l
) + ˆI l + 1 [ F l + 1 – N l + 1 ( U ) ] ,
l l+1 l+1
Fl = Nl ( Il + 1 U (9-34)

l
where I l + 1 and ˆI l + 1 represent restriction operators of respectively the unknowns and the residu-
l

als. If the input variable IRESTR=0, they are defined as:

∑R ,
ˆI l R l + 1 = l+1
(9-35)
l+1

∑Ω U
l+1 l+1
l l+1
Il + 1 U = --------------------------------- , (9-36)

∑Ω
l+1

l+1
where R is defined as:

l+1 l+1
R = Fl + 1 – Nl + 1 ( U ) (9-37)

and Ω represents the cell volume. The summation in Eq. 9-35 and Eq. 9-36 is over the 8 fine cells
contained within a coarse cell.
If IRESTR=1 a more complicated quadratic restriction is used both for the residuals and the
unknowns.
After temporal discretization, Eq. 9-33 becomes:

FINE™ 9-15
Numerical Model Theory

l l(0)
S∆U + N l ( U ) = Fl . (9-38)

l(0)
U is the current solution on mesh l, around which the equations have been linearized (in an
implicit method) and which has to be smoothed. One has:

l(0) l l+1
U = Il + 1 U (9-39)

l l(0)
∆U is an update of U and is to be calculated.
S is the smoother. It is the operator that corresponds to the chosen time integration method.
In EURANUS, an explicit multi-stage Runge-Kutta time-marching scheme has been implemented,
see below.
l l
The linear problem Eq. 9-38 can be solved for ∆U . The updated solution U will be smoothed
(provided S is a good smoother) and can be restricted to the next coarser level, according to Eq. 9-
39 with l replaced by l-1.
Note that the number of smoothing sweeps (i.e. the number of times the Runge-Kutta operator is
applied) can be chosen by the user for each grid level (Numerical Model page in Expert Mode:
Scheme definition and Number of sweep on successive grid levels) as described in section 9-
3.1.1.
Once the solution on the coarsest mesh is smoothed, the coarse-to-fine sweep of the multigrid cycle
is initiated. The current solutions on finer grids are updated with the solution on the next coarser
level:

l l l l-1 l-1 l
U = U + Il-1 (U - Il U ) (9-40)

l
The operator Il-1 is a prolongation operator, which may be of zero- (i.e. piecewise constant, input
parameter IPROLO = 0) or first-order (IPROLO = 1).
In the basic V,W,F cycle (MGRSTR = 1,2,3 respectively) the new solution on the finer mesh is
l(0) l
smoothed before proceeding to the next finer level, by solving Eq. 9-35, with U = U . The
number of sweeps of the smoothing operator is user input (Numerical Model page in Expert
Mode: Scheme definition and Number of sweep on successive grid levels).
In the sawtooth type cycles (MGRSTR = 4, 5 or 6) the system of equations is not solved in the
coarse-to-fine part of the multigrid cycle.
The user also has the possibility to smooth the corrections after prolongation (2nd term in the right-
hand-side of Eq. 9-40) before adding them to the current finer grid solution, by applying the resid-
ual smoothing operator to the corrections. This is governed by the input parameter SMCOR which
has the same definition as RSMPAR, see below, and allows to calculate the smoothing parameter,
according to the chosen type of residual smoothing (parameter IRSMCH), see below.
In EURANUS, the computing cost of a multigrid cycle is significantly reduced by using simplify-
ing assumptions on coarser (i. e. all levels but the finest) grids (input parameter MGSIMP). If
MGSIMP = 1, a first-order accurate upwind scheme is used on coarser levels (if Upwind spatial
discretization scheme is selected in the Numerical Model page in Expert Mode), else a more dif-
fusive central scheme is used on coarser levels (if Central spatial discretization scheme is selected
in the Numerical Model page in Expert Mode). If MGSIMP = 2 in addition to the changes for
MGSIMP = 1 also viscous terms as well as source terms (of turbulence and chemistry) are omitted
on coarser levels.

9-16 FINE™
Theory Numerical Model

9-4.3 Full Multigrid Strategy


In order to create a good initial solution, a Full Multigrid Strategy is also available.
The structure of Full Multigrid can be well explained through Figure 9.4.3-6. One starts an iteration
method, such as a multi-stage Runge-Kutta explicit scheme, on the coarsest grid. The solution on
that level will not be interpolated to the next finer grid, until it converges to a certain accuracy level.
Then the solution on the finer grid is taken as the initial solution for further iterations on that grid
level. The process is recursively used until the finest grid is reached. The initial solution on the fin-
est grid is called the solution obtained by a Full Multigrid method.
It should be mentioned that there are two different kinds of prolongation in Full Multigrid. One is
the same as that used in the standard multigrid cycle, the other is the prolongation of solutions,
which replaces corrections in a standard multigrid prolongation. The latter could be different from
the former. Normally a zero-order prolongation is often used for the solution interpolation in a full
multigrid cycle.

Finest level : 000

Coarse level : 111

Coarse level : 2 2 2

Coarsest level : 3 3 3

FMG Cycle Prolongation of solution


Prolongation of correction

FIGURE 9.4.3-6 Scheme of the full multigrid strategy

Based upon numerical experiments, it has been found that it is very important to check the conver-
gence level of solutions on the coarser grid before switching to the next finer grid level. The reason
for this is, that if solutions do not converge on the coarser grid, it may cause divergence on the next
finer grid.
In addition, an initial solution on coarse grids is less sensitive to multigrid convergence than on the
finest grid. A large cell size makes solutions converge easily and fast. Hence it takes much less
computational time and risk of blowing up to get reasonable solutions on the finest grid, when com-
pared to the start directly on the finest grid. A full multigrid method can therefore improve the
robustness and efficiency of numerical iterations methods.

9-4.4 Time Discretization: Multistage Runge-Kutta


An explicit q-stage Runge-Kutta scheme for the equation

dU
= F(U ) (9-41)
dT
can be written:

FINE™ 9-17
Numerical Model Theory

1 n n
u = u + α 1 ∆tF ( u )
2 n 1
u = u + α 2 ∆tF ( u )
… (9-42)
q n q–1
u = u + ∆tF ( u )
n+1 q
u = u

The coefficients α i determine the stability area and the order of accuracy of the Runge-Kutta
scheme. They can be chosen in such a way that they suit the problem to be solved.
For inviscid calculations the local (i.e. for each cell) inviscid time step is calculated as:

⎛∆-----t⎞ = -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CFL
- . (9-43)
⎝ Ω⎠ I
wS i + wS j + wS k + c [ S i + S j + S k ]
CFL is the user specified CFL number (variable CFL on the Numerical Model page). The vectors
S are cell normals at the cell centre (obtained by averaging the normals on the cell faces) in respec-
tively i,j and k-direction. The module corresponds to the cell face area.
For viscous calculations one also calculates a local viscous time step in each cell.
If a viscous CFL number (expert parameter CFLVIS by default set at -1) is specified by the user in
the Control Variables page, i.e. the input variable CFLVIS > 0, the following formula is used for
the viscous time step:

⎛∆-----⎞ = ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ,
t CFLVISΩρ
(9-44)
⎝ Ω⎠ ν 2 2 2
8µ { S i + S j + S k + 2 [ S i S j + S i S k + S k S j ] }

with µ the local laminar viscosity (laminar simulation) or the sum of local laminar and turbulent
viscosity (turbulent simulation).
The actual local time step is then the minimum of both time steps:

⎛∆ ⎧ ∆t ∆t ⎫
-----⎞ = min ⎨ ⎛ -----⎞ ,⎛ -----⎞ ⎬ .
t
(9-45)
⎝ Ω⎠ ⎝ Ω⎠ I ⎝ Ω⎠ ν
⎩ ⎭
If the input variable CFLVIS < 0 (Default) the viscous CFL number, CFLVIS, is replaced by the
inviscid CFL number, CFL in Eq. 9-44. The actual local time step is then obtained by weighting the
inviscid and viscous time step according to a harmonic mean formula:

⎛∆ t ∆t
-----⎞ ⎛ -----⎞
∆ ⎝ Ω⎠ I⎝ Ω⎠ ν
⎛ -----⎞ = --------------------------------
t
(9-46)
⎝ Ω⎠
⎛∆ -----⎞ + ⎛ -----⎞
t ∆t
⎝ Ω⎠ I ⎝ Ω⎠ ν
If local time stepping is used i.e. each cell in the computation domain has its own time step given by
Eq. 9-43, for inviscid calculations and Eq. 9-45 or Eq. 9-46 (depending on CFLVIS) for viscous
calculations.
If global time stepping is used, i.e. in all cells the same time step is used, which is, for stability rea-
sons, the minimum of the local time steps. This option is only to be used for unsteady simulations
when the dual time stepping approach (default) is not selected. For steady simulations, it is recom-
mended always to choose local stepping, as it will increase the convergence rate.

9-18 FINE™
Theory Numerical Model

In practice, 4 or 5 stage Runge-Kutta schemes are mostly used. In EURANUS the following coeffi-
cients are default for 4 and 5 stage schemes:
For central schemes

α 1 = .125; α 2 = .306 ; α 3 = .587 ; α4 = 1.


α 1 = .0814 ; α 2 = .191 ; α3 = .342 ; α4 = .574 ; α5 = 1.
(9-47)

For first-order upwind schemes:

α 1 = .0833 ; α 2 = .2069 ; α 3 = .4265 ; α4 = 1. (9-48)

α 1 = .0533 ; α 2 = .1263 ; α 3 = .2375 ; α4 = .4414 ; α 5 = 1.


For second-order upwind schemes:

α 1 = .1084 ; α 2 = .2602 ; α 3 = .5052 ; α 4 = 1.


(9-49)
α 1 = .0695 ; α 2 = .1602 ; α 3 = .2898 ; α4 = .5060 ; α5 = 1.

The user has the possibility to provide the Runge-Kutta coefficients through the expert parameter
IRKCO. The first element of IRKCO corresponds to the first coefficient, the 2nd element to the sec-
ond, and so forth. A maximum of 10 coefficients (i.e. a 10-stage scheme) is foreseen. If all elements
of IRKCO are zero the default values are used as listed in section 9-3.2.3.
In Jameson (1985) the dissipative terms are calculated only once or a few times in a q-stage Runge-
Kutta scheme. This approach reduces the computational cost substantially.
The disadvantage is that the dissipative terms need to be stored separately. For the laminar Navier-
Stokes equations with 5 equations, 5 extra arrays are required to store the dissipative residuals from
the artificial dissipation.
The residual F ( U ) is split into a convective and a dissipative part:

F(U)=Q(U)-D(U)
(9-50)

The artificial (central or upwind) dissipation terms, cf. Eq. 9-2, are accounted for either in the con-
vective part (parameter IBOTH = 0) or in the dissipative part (parameter IBOTH = 1).
The expression for F in Eq. 9-42 at any stage m is then

F m= F(Um ) = Q(Um ) – D(U r) (9-51)

where m is the current stage and r is the latest stage at which the dissipative residuals have been
evaluated.
The recalculation of the dissipative residuals is governed by the (vector) variable ISWV. For a m-
stage Runge-Kutta scheme the m first elements of this vector are used, the first element correspond-
ing to the 1st stage, the 2nd element to the 2nd stage and so on. If the element of ISWV is 0 it means
that the dissipative residual should not be calculated at the corresponding stage, and the latest avail-
able dissipative residuals will be used; if it is 1, D will be calculated.
Note that for consistency reasons, the first value of ISWV should always be one.
For upwind schemes, in order to run at high CFL numbers, it is advised to recalculate the upwind
dissipation at every stage. The best strategy is to chose IBOTH = 0 (upwind dissipation put in con-
vective residuals, and hence calculated at each stage). ISWV monitors then only the recalculation of
the physical dissipation (i.e. Navier-Stokes terms) and a calculation on the first stage only is usually
enough (ISWV = 1 0...0).

FINE™ 9-19
Numerical Model Theory

Central schemes are usually less sensitive to the recalculation of the artificial dissipation, so that
IBOTH = 1 can be used. The recalculation of artificial dissipation is then also governed by ISWV.
However only one calculation (ISWV = 1 0...0) may not be enough; a better choice is for instance
recalculation once every 2 stages, e.g. ISWV = 1 0 1 0 1 for 5-stage Runge-Kutta.
For IBOTH = 2 (Default), the same strategy as for IBOTH = 1 is used but in addition the physical
viscous terms are evaluated only once per iteration.
For non-equilibrium real gas calculations (ITYGAS = 4 in corresponding ".run" file) the input vari-
able ISWS governs the recalculation of the source terms of the species equations. Apart from the
source terms, ISWS also governs the recalculation of the diagonal terms of the Jacobians of the
source terms (which are used in the point implicit procedure).
From Eq. 9-42 it can be seen that, after the update in the last stage, the residual is normally not re-
calculated any more. Strictly spoken however, within a multigrid approach, one should use in the
calculation of the forcing function for the coarser level, Eq. 9-34, the residual corresponding to the
latest solution. For single grid computations, re-calculation is never done.
Within multigrid, the Runge-Kutta operator can be applied more than once on each grid level, to
ensure a better smoothing. The parameter Number of sweeps on successive grid levels gives the
number of times the Runge-Kutta operator has to be applied to each grid level during the fine-to-
coarse - respectively the coarse-to-fine - part of the multigrid cycle. They can take different values
on each grid level.
Within the explicit Runge-Kutta approach, the source terms of the two-equation turbulence models
and of the chemistry equations (non-equilibrium real gas) are treated in a point implicit way.
For the k-ε equations the Jacobian of the negative part of the source term is diagonalized by assum-
ing that the turbulent viscosity is approximately constant. This leads to the following relations
between ρk and ρε :

µ t ρε
ρk = -----------
Cµ fµ
(9-52)
2
( ρk )
ρε = C µ f µ -------------
µt
For instance, for the Chien model, this results in the following diagonal terms of the Jacobian,
including the compressibility corrections of Sarkar and of Nichols:

-
∂S k Cµ µ C p1 ( γ – 1 )Mk
= – 2 ------ ρk ⎛ 1 + --- αM t ⎞ – 2 -------2- – 2 ---------------------------------
1 2
Pk , (9-53)
∂ ( ρk ) µt ⎝ 2 ⎠ ρy ρka
2

-
∂S ε 3 C µ ρε µ –0.5y+
= – --- C ε 2 f 2 ------------
- – 2 ----2 e . (9-54)
∂ ( ρε ) 2 µt y
Note that in the equations above the damping function f µ is not taken into account.

9-20 FINE™
Theory Numerical Model

9-4.5 Implicit residual smoothing


Implicit residual smoothing can be used in combination with Runge-Kutta to speed up the conver-
gence to steady state.
One stage in the explicit Runge-Kutta scheme Eq. 9-41 might be written:

m+1 n m n m
u = u + α m ∆tF ( u ) = u + α m R ( u ) (9-55)

The residual R may then be smoothed first, before applying the update of Eq. 9-55. The smoothing
may be obtained by applying a central type operator leading to a smoothed residual R˜ :

2 2 2
( I – ε i ∆ i ) ( I – ε j ∆ j ) ( I – ε k ∆ k )R̃ = R (9-56)

2
with the operator ∆ i

∆ i R˜ = R˜ i – 1 – 2R˜ i + R˜ i + 1
2
(9-57)

and similar for the operators in the directions j and k.


ε is a smoothing parameter on which the stability criterion is:

* 2
1 σ
ε > --- ----- –1 , (9-58)
4 σ
*
where σ , σ are the CFL numbers of the smoothed and unsmoothed Runge-Kutta scheme respec-
tively. The result of the residual smoothing is thus that one can run at higher CFL numbers: choose
*
σ /σ > 1 and by an adapted choice of ε, according to Eq. 9-58, the scheme remains stable. Though
*
theoretically Eq. 9-58 guarantees stability for any value of σ /σ , in practice this is not the case. A
* *
good practical value is σ /σ =2. The parameter σ /σ is user input (RSMPAR).

Different types of residual smoothing, corresponding to different definitions of ε are available.


Each one corresponds to a different value of the input parameter IRSMCH.
For IRSMCH = 1 the definition of Eq. 9-58 is used, with the restriction that ε should be positive.
For higher values of IRSMCH, the definition of ε also takes the mesh aspect ratio into account.
For IRSMCH = 2 one uses, after Radespiel & Rossow:

2
1 σ* 1 + max ( ( λ j * ⁄ λ i * ), ( λ k * ⁄ λ i * ) )
ε i = --- ------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- –1 , (9-59)
4 σ 1 + max ( λ j * ⁄ λ i *, λ k * ⁄ λ i * )

with the spectral radius (scaled with the cell face area), e.g.:

λ i * = [ ( un + c ) ⋅ S ] i . (9-60)

A similar definition as Eq. 9-59 holds for ε in the directions j and k.


For IRSMCH = 3, after Zhu, one has:

1 ∆t
ε i = --- λ i * ----- (9-61)
2 Ω

FINE™ 9-21
Numerical Model Theory

IRSMCH = 4 is after Swanson & Turkel for viscous flows. First Eq. 9-61 is applied. Denoting the
obtained value as ε*, the final value is:

1 10 ⋅ λ d
ε i = max [ε*,--- -------------------------------------] . (9-62)
4 λi * + λj * + λk *

Finally, for IRSMCH = 5, one has, after Martinelli & Vatsa:

2
1 σ* 1 + ( λ j * ⁄ λ i * ) + ( λ k * ⁄ λ i * )
ε i = --- ------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- –1 . (9-63)
4 σ 1 + λj * ⁄ λi * + λk * ⁄ λi *

9-22 FINE™
CHAPTER 10:Initial Solution

10-1 Overview
FINE™ provides the possibility to start a computation from an initial solution. The following initial
solution types are available:
• constant values,
• from file,
• for turbomachinery,
• from throughflow.
Each of these types is described in the next sections.
FINE™ allows to define a different initial solution type for each block or group of blocks. Such a
block dependent initial solution provides more flexibility in the restart of previously computed
solutions. The next section describes how to set up a block dependent solution.

10-2 Block Dependent Initial Solution


This procedure permits to initiate the calculation of some of the blocks with the results of a previ-
ous calculation, whereas the other blocks are started from a uniform flow. Another possibility is to
initiate one new calculation with the results of several previous calculations. This is for instance the
case if a multistage turbomachinery calculation is preceded by the calculation of the separate
stages.
The flow solver can start from files resulting from calculations performed on different grid levels.
Only the grid levels that are used in the multigrid cycle are considered here. For instance, a compu-
tation of a three-stage turbine can start from three solutions for each stage, each one on a different
grid level.
Furthermore, the full multigrid cycle is automatically removed when at least one file is provided on
the finest grid level.

FINE™ 10-1
Initial Solution Block Dependent Initial Solution

10-2.1 How to Define a Block Dependent Initial Solution


The Initial Solution page is divided in two parts. On the left, a tree displays the structure of the
groups of blocks. On the right, five thumbnails allow the user to choose the type of initial solution:
constant values, restart from a solution file, turbomachinery oriented, technological effect (AutoG-
rid™ effects) or restart from a throughflow file. At the bottom three buttons allow to modify the
group(s). It is possible to create new groups of blocks in the same way as for the groups of patches
on the boundary conditions page (see section 8-1). Different initial solutions can be assigned to
these groups of blocks. The Reset Turbo Groups button allows to retrieve the default grouping pro-
posed by AutoGrid™.
Two defaults are available depending on the mesh and the application type:
• The first one is dedicated to turbomachinery applications, meshed by AutoGrid™. The Tur-
bomachinery groups are automatically detected and proposed in the interface. These groups
are defined by the different rows (group named "ROWS") and the technological effects. The
static pressure has to be specified at the main inlet and at the rotor-stator interfaces. If the user
modifies the groups, clicking on the button Reset Turbo Groups can restore the default tur-
bomachinery grouping.
• The second default is general. All the blocks are grouped in one group named "MESH" and
constant values are selected. In the constant values page, the toggle option Cylindrical is set
on.

FIGURE 10.2.1-1 Initial Solution default settings when loading AutoGrid™ mesh

10-2.2 Examples for the use of Block Dependent Initial Solution


The block dependent initial solution is helpful in many industrial cases. The following are two sce-
narios in which this capability is very useful:
1. A solution has been calculated for a turbine including 10 stages. A new stage is added. Now the
turbine has 11 stages. The designer does not want to begin a computation from scratch for the
turbine with 11 stages. He can take advantage of the solution that has been found for the 10 first
stages. The new computation will contain one group with the 10 stages and one group with the
last stage. The first group will be assigned to a from file initial solution and the second group
can be assigned to another type of initial solution.

10-2 FINE™
Initial Solution Defined by Constant Values Initial Solution

2. A turbine includes 10 stages. Even with the turbomachinery-oriented initial solution, the code
does not succeed to converge properly. The designer could split the turbine in several parts and
calculate the solution for each of these parts. Then a global project is created. In the Initial
Solution page, a from file initial solution is assigned to each part of the project. The computa-
tion will have a far better chance to succeed.

10-3 Initial Solution Defined by Constant Values


When selecting constant values on the Initial Solutions page, the user can modify the physical
values used for the initial solution on the page. The physical values are uniformly used as initial
solution all over the selected group of blocks, except on the boundaries. The variables for which ini-
tial values need to be specified are the static pressure, the static temperature, the velocity compo-
nents and the turbulence-based variables k and ε, if a k-ε, k-ω or v2-f turbulence model is used.
Note that the velocity components specified by the user are the Cartesian (cylindrical) ones for a
Cartesian (cylindrical) case.
Flow Direction: the lower part of the page allows for a further control of the initial field. First, for
both Cartesian and cylindrical projects, the velocity direction can be fitted along the I, J or K mesh
lines. The reverse option determines whether the velocity vectors will point in the I (J or K) increas-
ing or decreasing direction. By default, no specific velocity direction is set and the input box is set
to None.
Velocity Fitting: for the cylindrical projects only, an option for the fitting method can be chosen.
2 2
The first option fits Vm, the meridional velocity (defined as V m = V r + V z ), and uses Vθ to set the
azimuthal absolute velocity. The second option fits W (default), the relative velocity, to the mesh
lines.
Pressure Field: for the cylindrical projects only, it is also possible to act on the initial pressure
field. To this end, two options are available: constant pressure field (default) and a radial equilib-
rium pressure gradient. In a rotational machinery for instance, a radial equilibrium pressure gradient
is often closer to the physics than a constant field. The radial equilibrium factor allows to adjust the
influence of the pressure gradient (its default value is 1.0).

10-4 Initial Solution from File


10-4.1 General Restart Procedure
To continue on the result of a previous computation the user must simply select the solution. Click-
ing on the Open Browser button will open a File Chooser window to select the ".run" (or ".cgns")
file of a computation.

To restart from a solution the computation definition file with extension ".run" is not
sufficient. It is required that the solution file with extension ".cgns" is present, which
contains all the saved and requested quantities.

FINE™ 10-3
Initial Solution Initial Solution from File

FIGURE 10.4.1-1Restarting from a file

The option Reset convergence history can be activated. When selecting this button the ".res" file,
which contains all the residuals from the previous computation, will be erased. The new residuals
will be calculated with respect to the first iteration of the new computation. If the from file solution
is already very close to the exact solution, the normalized residuals will decrease slowly. This is
because the starting state is already a good approximation of the solution.
When all the blocks are grouped in only one group, the user is able to unselect the option Reset
convergence history. In this case, the new residuals are appended to the ".res" file and are calcu-
lated with respect to the first iteration of the old computation.

If only one group of blocks exists the option Reset convergence history can be acti-
vated or deactivated. If several groups of blocks exist, the option is disabled and auto-
matically the convergence history is reset.
If the user wants to keep the convergence history, the ".run" file MUST belong to the active compu-
tation. The following steps are not compatible with the Reset convergence history option:
1. Compute a solution.
2. Create a new computation.
3. In this new computation, select a from file initial solution.
If the user de-activates the Reset convergence history option, it will be activated automatically.
If, for some reason, the user still wants to keep the convergence history in a new computation, the
only workaround is to copy all the files from the old computation directory to the new computation
directory and to rename them with the name of the new computation. Then the File Chooser will
point to a ".run" file belonging to the active computation and the convergence history will not be
reset.

The initialization of the flow computation from a solution file is currently limited to
".cgns" files.

As the initial pressure and temperature fields are block dependent, discontinuities in
these quantities can be present at block connections. The flow solver could have difficul-
ties to converge in such a case. Therefore boundary conditions should be carefully
checked in order to avoid any large discontinuities at block connections.

10-4 FINE™
Initial Solution for Turbomachinery Initial Solution

The flow solver can start from files resulting from calculations performed on different grid levels.
Only the grid levels that are used in the multigrid cycle are considered here. For instance, a compu-
tation of a three-stage turbine on 0/0/0 with 3 grid levels can start from three solutions for each
stage, each one on a different grid level (0/0/0, 1/1/1, and 2/2/2). Furthermore, the full multigrid
cycle is automatically removed by the flow solver when at least one file is provided on the finest
grid level.

10-4.2 Restart in Unsteady Computations


To allow a second order restart for unsteady computations it is necessary to set in the Control Var-
iables page Multiple Files in the Output Files. This parameter allows to have multiple output files:
for each saved time step also the solution of the previous time step is saved.
To perform a second order restart for an unsteady computation select in the Initial Solution page
from file. Using the File Chooser select the solution file with extension ".cgns" at a certain time
step "ti" ("_ti.cgns"). EURANUS will automatically find the solution of the previous time step if
present ("_ti-1.cgns"). If EURANUS can not find the solution of the previous time step a message
will appear in the Task Manager to indicate that a first order restart will be performed.

Before imposing the initial solution type, all the blocks need to be grouped and the
Reset convergence history option deactivated in order to allow a second order restart.
Otherwise only a first order restart will be applied automatically.

10-4.3 Expert Parameters for an Initial Solution from File


There is no current limitation to start a k-ε, k-ω or v2-f computation from a Baldwin-Lomax solu-
tion. In this case, the turbulent quantities are estimated from the friction velocity if the expert
parameter INIKE is set to 2 (default value) or from the turbulent viscosity field µt if INIKE = 1. In
the latter case, the turbulent viscosity is initialized or read from file depending on the value of the
expert parameter IMTFIL (default value IMTFIL = 0 to initialized µt or IMTFIL = 2 to read µt from
file).

10-5 Initial Solution for Turbomachinery


The initial solution for turbomachinery is dedicated to the cylindrical rotating machinery. This type
of initial solution respects the inlet and outlet boundary conditions and assumes a constant rothalpy
along axisymmetric stream surfaces. In addition, the velocity field is automatically aligned with the
blade passage.

The initial solution for turbomachinery is not available when imposing supersonic
inlet boundary condition.

10-5.1 Methodology
The initial solution for turbomachinery is computed on the 2D meridional view divided into differ-
ent parts named "meridional sectors". The control sections of the meridional mesh in AutoGrid™
that correspond to the inlets, outlets and rotor-stator interfaces define these meridional sectors as
showed in Figure 10.5.1-1.

FINE™ 10-5
Initial Solution Initial Solution for Turbomachinery

FIGURE 10.5.1-1 Additional data necessary for computing initial solution

The conservation of mass and rothalpy is applied on the streamlines of each meridional sector. Then
the initial solution computed in the meridional view is interpolated in the 3D mesh.
Such initial solution ’for turbomachinery’ can also be used for the blocks defining technological
effects. For example the axisymmetric elements such as seal leakages that are not included in the
general meridional view can be treated easily. If the cell centre is not located in the meridional view,
the pressure will be the pressure in the closest cell of the meridional mesh (idem for the tempera-
ture). The components of the velocity will be set to zero. This special treatment can be applied as
well to the blocks included in 3D effects located in the main passage (cooling holes, …). Selecting
the page techno effects uses this initial solution.

Modifying afterwards the AutoGrid™ mesh in IGG™ can lead to a mismanagement


of the blocks grouping. If some blocks are added, they are not included in the turboma-
chinery group, which is detected automatically by the interface. So they will not be taken
into account in the initial solution ’for turbomachinery’. If some blocks are removed or
renamed, the initial solution ’for turbomachinery’ will be stopped.

When using a mesh created by AutoGrid™ 4, the axisymmetric stream surfaces are
defined by the grid surfaces and the initial solution is applied on each block. For this the
grid topology, orientation (I,J,K) and the type of down- and upstream boundary condi-
tions are taken into account.

10-6 FINE™
Initial Solution for Turbomachinery Initial Solution

10-5.2 Grouping & Parameters

FIGURE 10.5.2-1 Example of Turbomachinery-oriented initial solution

The turbomachinery-oriented page displays two major panels: one for the inlet patches and one for
the Rotor/Stator interfaces (see Figure 10.5.2-1). On the left of each panel, a tree shows by default
the AutoGrid™ grouping. If no patch name has been given in IGG™, the default name will be a
concatenation of the name of the block, the index of the face and the index of the patch.
The Inlet Patches grouping displayed in this initial solution page is identical to the grouping cre-
ated under the INLET thumbnail of the Boundary Conditions page. Similarly, the Rotor/stator
Interface grouping displayed in the Initial Solution page is based on the ID given in the Rotor-
Stator thumbnail of the Rotating Machinery page. These groups of patches cannot be modified in
the Initial Solution page. If these groups of patches need to be edited, the user must go back to the
Boundary Conditions or Rotating Machinery pages.
An input dialog box is provided per group of patches in order to select the type of static pressure
specification: constant distribution or radial equilibrium. One or two input boxes are provided per
group of patches in order to define the static pressure value to be used and, if radial equilibrium is
chosen, the radius (in meters [m]) on which this radial equilibrium will be based.

Provided that a k-ε, k-ω or v2-f turbulence model is selected, a third panel is displayed that requires
the initial values for the turbulent kinetic energy (k) and the turbulent dissipation rate (epsilon). For
advice on the initial values to choose for k and epsilon see section 4-4.5.4.

An inlet patch has to be defined among the blocks for which a ’for turbomachinery’
initial solution has been chosen. If there is no inlet patch for the selected group of blocks,
a warning message is displayed in the FINE™ interface asking the user either to edit the
group or to change the type of initial solution.

FINE™ 10-7
Initial Solution Throughflow-oriented Initial Solution

10-5.3 Expert Parameters


Some indispensable data are not available in previous versions so that the new initial solution ’for
turbomachinery’ cannot be applied directly to old projects. Consequently the previous initial solu-
tion ’for turbomachinery’ is kept and applied again if the mesh file does not contain the necessary
data (meridional mesh with the location and the values of the metallic angles of the leading and
trailing edges in the ".bcs" file). The methodology used for the initial solution ’for turbomachin-
ery’ is controlled by the expert parameter INITRB. By default the value is set to 2 in order to use
the method for meshes created with AutoGrid™. If FINE™ detects that a mesh created with
AutoGrid™ 4 is loaded, the value is automatically set to 0. In this case the old methodology is used.

10-6 Throughflow-oriented Initial Solution


This type of initial solution, of interest in turbomachinery calculations, allows to get an initial field
on the basis of an axisymmetric throughflow solution. The initial solution is defined through an
external file created by the user. The file contains 2D data in the format described hereafter. The
solver will use this data to generate an initial throughflow-oriented solution.

There is no direct link between the throughflow module integrated in the FINE™
interface and the format currently available. Work is in progress to make the bridge
between both tools.
The solver will create a virtual mesh based on the hub and shroud definitions, forcing points on the
data points. Two additional stations will be created, at the inlet and outlet, respectively. The inlet
data are extrapolated from the first spanwise station while the outlet data come from the last station.
It is therefore recommended that the inlet and outlet boundaries of the mesh lie outside the meridi-
onal domain covered by the throughflow data.

The meridional velocity is based on the mesh direction.

10-6.1 File Format


The file will include three parts, that must be separated by a blank line:
• solution definition,
• hub definition,
• shroud definition,
Once it is created, the file is selected in the FINETM interface through a File Chooser click on the
Open Browser button in the Initial Solution/from throughflow page.

10-6.1.1 Solution Definition


The first part of the file contains the values of the flow variables throughout a meridional structured
mesh covering the entire machine. For each node of the meridional mesh, the (R,Z) coordinates are
specified together with the pressure, temperature and velocity components.
An axial case is taken as an example:
Throughflow Axial Stator #Comment line
RZ #Type of data (ZR or RZ are accessible)
43 #Number of spanwise and streamwise stations

10-8 FINE™
Throughflow-oriented Initial Solution Initial Solution

0.246 -0.025 150000 0 0 0


0.275 -0.025 150000 0 0 0 1st spanwise section close to inlet at Z=-0.025
0.29 -0.025 150000 0 0 0

0.246 -0.0 130000 0 0 0


0.275 -0.0 130000 0 0 0 2nd spanwise section at Z=-0.0
0.29 -0.0 130000 0 0 0

0.246 0.025 100000 0 0 0


0.275 0.025 100000 0 0 0 3rd spanwise section at Z=0.025
0.29 0.025 100000 0 0 0

0.246 0.05 90000 0 0 0


0.275 0.05 90000 0 0 0 4th spanwise section close to outlet at Z=0.05
0.29 0.05 90000 0 0 0

There are 4 spanwise stations in this example (Z=-0.025, Z=0.0, Z=0.025 and Z=0.05), each with 3
points in spanwise direction (R direction). The point order in a streamwise and spanwise station
goes respectively from hub to shroud and from inlet to outlet.
Each data line is made of the two (R,Z) coordinates (in m), the static pressure (in Pa), the static tem-
perature (in K), the meridional velocity and the tangential velocity (in m/s).

10-6.1.2 Hub Definition


The hub definition uses the same format as for AutoGrid™. The first line must be HUB. The sec-
ond line specifies the type of coordinate (ZR or RZ) and the third line the number of hub points.
The next lines correspond to the hub coordinates.
Taking again the example of the case above:
HUB
RZ #Type of data (ZR or RZ are accessible)
2 #Number of points on hub
0.245 -0.02 #Point coordinates (in m)
0.245 0.051

The hub is described in increasing Z coordinate from -0.02 to 0.051. The first column contains the
R coordinate for each of the two points on the hub.

FINE™ 10-9
Initial Solution Throughflow-oriented Initial Solution

10-6.1.3 Shroud Definition


The shroud definition is similar to the hub definition, except for the first line that will be replaced
by SHROUD and the points coordinates.
SHROUD
RZ #Type of data (ZR or RZ are accessible)
2 #Number of points on hub
0.3 -0.02 #Point coordinates (in m)
0.3 0.051

Meridional Average View


SHROUD

BLADE

3D View

1st spanwise 2nd spanwise 3rd spanwise 4th spanwise


section section section section

INLET OUTLET
HUB

FIGURE 10.6.1-4 Throughflow-oriented initial solution

10-10 FINE™
CHAPTER 11:Output

11-1 Overview
With the EURANUS flow solver in the FINE™ environment the user has the possibility to specify
the content of the output generated by the solver. The output does not only contain the flow varia-
bles for which the equations are solved (density, pressure, velocity components), but also other var-
iables such as temperature, total conditions, the Mach number, customized velocity projections,
etc...
Furthermore CFView™ allows to calculate derived quantities, which permits to limit the memory
size of the output and to avoid re-launching the flow solver in case one quantity of interest is not
available. With this functionality the user can find the compromise between an acceptable memory
size for the output and the ease of having all flow quantities of interest immediately available for
visualization.
In the next sections the way to control the output from the EURANUS flow solver is described in
more detail:
• field quantities: calculated at all the mesh nodes (see section 11-2.1),
• solid data: calculated along the solid wall boundaries (see section 11-2.1.5),
• customized averaged data:
— the evolution of some averaged quantities can be provided along the streamwise direction as
described in section 11-2.2,
— for turbomachinery applications, a pitchwise averaged output can be created for visualiza-
tion as described in section 11-2.3,
• global performance output (see section 11-2.5),
• additional output for the ANSYS code, a widely used finite element code for structural analy-
sis (see section 11-2.4.1).
The global performance output is written in an ASCII file with the extension ".mf". All other out-
puts, generated by the solver, are written in one single ".cgns" file, compatible with the CFView™
visualisation software. It is also possible to request for the output to be written in Plot3D format, as
described in section 11-2.6.

FINE™ 11-1
Output Output in FINE™

11-2 Output in FINE™


11-2.1 Computed Variables
Using the Outputs/Computed Variables page, the user can choose which physical variables have
to be included in the output generated by the flow solver EURANUS, see Figure 11.2.1-1 to
Figure 11.2.1-6. All the selected variables will then be automatically available when launching
CFView™ in order to visualize the results.

11-2.1.1 Thermodynamics

FIGURE 11.2.1-1 Thermodynamics computed variables page (for cylindrical projects)

Table 11-1 and Table 11-2 give the formulae used to calculate the thermodynamic quantities.

Cartesian and cylindrical cases


Quantity Incompressible Compressible
Static pressure P stat P stat
Total pressure 2 γ
V +k ----------
-
P tot = P stat + ρ --------------- T tot γ–1
2 P tot = P stat ⎛⎝ -----------⎞⎠
T stat
Static temperature P stat
T stat T stat = -------------
ρr gas

Total temperature 2 2
V +k V +k
T tot = T stat + --------------- T tot = T stat + ---------------
2C p 2C p

Density ρ ρ
Entropy T stat ( P stat ⁄ P stat inlet )
s = C p ln --------------------
- s = C v ln -----------------------------------------
-
T stat inlet γ
( ρ ⁄ ρ inlet )
Dynamic viscosity µ µ

TABLE 11-1 Thermodynamics quantities generated by EURANUS

11-2 FINE™
Output in FINE™ Output

Cylindrical cases only


Incompressible Compressible
Relative total pressure 2 γ -
----------
r W +k
P tot = P stat + ρ ---------------- r ⎛ T tot ⎞ γ – 1
r
2 P tot = P stat ⎜ -----------⎟
⎝ T stat⎠
Relative total temperature r W +k
2 2
T tot = T stat + ---------------- r W +k
2C p T tot = T stat + ----------------
2C p

Rothalpy P stat W 2 + k – ω 2 r 2 W +k–ω r


2 2 2
I = C p T stat + ----------- + ---------------------------------- I = C p T stat + ----------------------------------
ρ 2 2
ω is the angular rotation speed and r, the distance from the rotation axis
TABLE 11-2 Thermodynamic quantities generated by EURANUS in cylindrical cases

Furthermore five definitions of the pressure coefficient are available for internal flow (inlet and out-
let boundary conditions available): CP1, CP*1, CP2, CP*2, CP3:
2 ( P – Ptinlet )
— CP1 = -------------------------------
2
-,
ρ inlet U ref

Pt inlet – Pt
— CP∗ 1 = -------------------------
-,
Pt inlet
2(P – P inlet )
— CP2 = -----------------------------2- ,
ρ inlet W inlet

2 ( Pt – Pt )
— CP∗ 2 = ---------------------------------
inlet
2
-,
ρ inlet W inlet
2(P – P inlet )
— CP3 = -----------------------------
2
-.
ρU
where Xinlet corresponds to the mean value of the variable X on the inlet, and where Uref is defined
as:
• ω RLEN in cylindrical cases, with RLEN, the reference length given in the Flow Model page,
and ω, the rotational speed (defined block per block),
• UENTR (Cartesian case) to be specified in the expert parameters list of the Control Variables
page.

When the reference velocity Uref is set to 0, the value of CP1 and CP3 are undefined
and set to 0.
Finally, when a condensable fluid is selected in the Fluid Model page, new quantities at the bottom
of the page will appear. Those variables are defined using the thermodynamic tables defining the
condensable fluid (see section 3-2.3.4 for more details).
When the condensable fluid option is used, 6 flow variables are stored at all mesh cell centers
instead of 5 for a perfect gas or liquid. These variables are the following: density, velocity compo-
2
nents, static pressure and total energy ( ρE = ρ ⎛⎝ e + ------⎞⎠ ). The static and total enthalpy can easily be
V
2
derived using:

FINE™ 11-3
Output Output in FINE™

• static enthalpy h = ⎛⎝ e + --p-⎞⎠ .


ρ

2
• absolute total enthalpy Ha = ⎛⎝ h + V
------⎞ .
⎠ 2

2
• relative total enthalpy H r = ⎛⎝ h + ------
W -⎞
⎠. 2

The dryness fraction permits to evaluate the location of the local thermodynamic state with respect
to the saturation curve. For each value of the pressure an interpolation from the saturation table
("PSA.atab") permits to determine the saturated liquid (ρl) and gas (ρv) values of the density. The
dryness fraction is then computed by:

• dryness fraction X = (-------------------------


ρ – ρl )ρv-
.
( ρv – ρl )ρ

The generalised dryness fraction directly results from the above expression whereas the standard
dryness fraction is bounded in the [0,1] interval.

The presence of the saturation table ("PSA.atab") is required in order to calculate the
dryness fraction, although this table is not required by the solver itself (unless an inlet
boundary condition based on dryness fraction X is used).

11-2.1.2 Velocities

FIGURE 11.2.1-2 Velocities computed variables page (for cylindrical projects)

The velocity quantities that can be selected are described below.


Both for Cartesian and cylindrical cases:
• Absolute velocities: Vx, Vy, Vz, Vxyz, V.
• Velocity projections: Vi, Vj, Vk, |Vi|, |Vj|, |Vk|,Vis,Vjs,Vks.

Vi = ⎛⎝ V ⋅ Si⎞⎠ ⋅ Si with Si , surface vector of the i surface,

·
Vis = V – ⎛ V ⋅ Si⎞ ⋅ Si .
⎝ ⎠

• Absolute Mach Number, only for compressible fluids:

11-4 FINE™
Output in FINE™ Output

γP stat⎞
M abs = V ⁄ ⎛ -------------
- .
⎝ ρ ⎠

For cylindrical projects only:


• Absolute velocities in the rotating frame:|V|, Vr, Vθ, Vm:
Vr = Vx cos θ + Vy sin θ ,

Vθ = Vy cos θ – V x sin θ ,

2 2
Vm = Vr + Vz .

• Relative velocities: Wx, Wy, Wxyz, W, Wθ:

W= V – ω × r ,

Wθ = Wy cos θ – W x sin θ .

• Relative velocity projections: Wi, Wj, Wk, |Wi|, |Wj|, |Wk|, Wis, Wjs, Wks

Wi = ⎛⎝ W ⋅ Si⎞⎠ ⋅ Si with Si , surface vector and

·
Wis = W – ⎛ W ⋅ Si⎞ ⋅ Si .
⎝ ⎠

• Relative Mach Number:


γP stat⎞
M rel = W ⁄ ⎛⎝ -------------
- .
ρ ⎠

11-2.1.3 Vorticities

FIGURE 11.2.1-3 Vorticities computed variables page

The vorticity is calculated according to the following expression:

ζ= ∇ × V ,

where ∇ is the gradient operator. From the above expression, ζx, ζy, ζz, ζxyz, and ζ are available.

FINE™ 11-5
Output Output in FINE™

11-2.1.4 Residuals

FIGURE 11.2.1-4 Residuals computed variables page

The residuals are computed in FINE™/Turbo by a flux balance (the sum of the fluxes on all the faces
of each cell). The absolute value |RES| resulting from the flux balance is written as output for each
cell. The residuals for the following quantities can be selected:
• density ρ,
• energy E,
• velocity component Wx,
• velocity component Wy,
• velocity component Wz,
• turbulent kinetic energy k, for the k-ε, k-ω and v2-f turbulence models,
• turbulent energy dissipation rate ε, for the k-ε and v2-f turbulence models.

11-2.1.5 Solid Data

FIGURE 11.2.1-5 Solid data computed variables page

The solid wall data refer to quantities that are estimated at the solid boundaries:
• static pressure at walls (see section 11-2.1.1)
• static temperature at walls (see section 11-2.1.1)
τ
• normalized tangential component C f = ----------------
2
of the viscous stress at walls, where τ is the vis-
ρV ⁄ 2
cous stress, V is the reference velocity and ρ is the reference density defined in Flow Model
page.

• heat flux at walls in general qw = K ⋅ DT


-------- and for k-ε extended wall function q w = ρCpu τ T τ
Dn

where u τ and T τ are coming from page 4-42.

• relative velocity at walls (see section 11-2.1.2)

11-6 FINE™
Output in FINE™ Output

• viscous stress τ xyz at walls


• y+ (in first inner cell)
• heat transfer coefficient
qw
h = ------------------------------------ ,
( T wall – T bulk )
in which q w is the local heat flux, T wall the local temperature at the wall and T bulk the ref-
erence temperature for convection. T bulk is controlled by the expert parameter HTCDEF
(available in the expert parameters list of the Control Variables page):
HTCDEF = 1 (default): T bulk is equal to the averaged total temperature at the inlet.
= 2: T bulk is equal to the reference temperature.

11-2.1.6 Turbulence

FIGURE 11.2.1-6 Turbulence computed variables page.

The following quantities can be stored:


• y+ (3D field)

ρy wall u w
y + = ---------------------- ,
µ

• wall distance (i.e. closest distance to the wall: ywall),


• turbulent Viscosity (µt/µ),
• production of kinetic energy (Production),
• turbulent kinetic energy k, for the k-ε, k-ω and v2-f turbulence models,
• turbulent energy dissipation rate ε, for the k-ε and v2-f turbulence models,
• specific dissipation ω, for the k-ω turbulence models.

11-2.1.7 Harmonic
For the output specific for harmonic computations see section 4-3.1.

11-2.1.8 Throughflow
For the output specific for throughflow computations see Chapter 6.

FINE™ 11-7
Output Output in FINE™

11-2.2 Surface Averaged Variables


This option is customised for turbomachinery applications and displays in a Cartesian plot the evo-
lution of surface-averaged variables along the streamwise direction. The user has to select the
blocks along the streamwise direction. A surface averaging is performed on the grid surfaces per-
pendicular to the streamwise direction. The plot is created by a computation on each block.
The Surface Averaged Variables page is modified according to the type of project as defined in
the Mesh/Properties... menu. For a Cylindrical project the page is shown in Figure 11.2.2-7. In
this case the streamwise direction (by default K) is defined on the Rotating Machinery page of the
FINE™ interface. The blocks to be included in the averaging, can be selected from the list of blocks
by left-clicking on them. Selected blocks appear highlighted. This selection acts as a toggle where
clicking ones on a block name selects the block and clicking a second time deselects the block. To
select multiple blocks it is sufficient to left-click on each of them.
The variables available for averaging are listed on this page and a averaging method can be selected
for each variable independently. The turbulent quantities k and ε only appear for selection if a k-ε,
k-ω or v2-f turbulence model is selected.

FIGURE 11.2.2-7 Surface averaged variables page for a Cylindrical project

Since the integration is performed on mesh surfaces, some differences could appear.
For example, if the geometry contains a splitter, two curves will be generated in the Car-
tesian plot. A sum of these curves has to be performed to see the evolution of the quan-
tity in streamwise direction of one channel.

Since the surface averaging is performed on grid surfaces this option is only suitable

11-8 FINE™
Output in FINE™ Output

for HI-topology meshes, without a skin block.


For Cartesian projects as defined in the Mesh/Properties... menu the Surface Averaged Varia-
bles page is displayed as shown in Figure 11.2.2-8. In this case the streamwise direction needs to be
selected directly in this page by selecting to average on surfaces of constant index (in the example
of Figure 11.2.2-8 surfaces of constant K). The blocks to include in the averaging need to be
selected in the same way as for a cylindrical case as described before. Contrary to a cylindrical
project, in this case no relative quantities are available.

Like for a cylindrical project the surface averaged evolution of the quantities is shown
for each block separately.

FIGURE 11.2.2-8 Surface averaged variables page for a Cartesian projects

After selecting such averaged variables, they are available through the menu Quan-
tity/Plot Data within CFView™, which is automatically plotting the averaged variable
along the selected streamwise direction on each I, J or K constant surface.

11-2.3 Azimuthal Averaged Variables


The FINE™/Turbo environment provides the user with a specific turbomachinery output, i.e. the
two-dimensional meridional view of the circumferentially-averaged results. Note that this function-
ality is also available in CFView™.
Using the Azimuthal Averaged Variables page, the user can choose which physical variables have
to be included in the pitchwise-averaged output generated by the flow solver. This page is therefore
only accessible if the project is of the cylindrical type. The azimuthal averaging of the variables is
calculated at the end of the computation. The results will be displayed as a 2D case in CFView™.
The name of the file from which CFView™ can read which variables have been averaged in the azi-
muthal direction has the extension ".me.cfv".

FINE™ 11-9
Output Output in FINE™

The choice is left to the user to apply Mass or Area averaging, and to merge the averaging patches
into one patch or not. This last option (Merging of meridional patches) simplifies the meridional
view but the patches are merged in increasing order one after another, which is not suitable for all
mesh topologies.
If Surface of revolution mesh (Autogrid) option is activated, a specific algorithm will be applied
to enhance azimuthal averaging of the solution performed on revolution surfaces.
The "parameters area" is divided into five ’notebook pages’ which can be selected by clicking on
one of the five corresponding tabs: Thermodynamics, Velocities, Vorticities, Residuals and Tur-
bulence in the same way as for the control variables.
Figure 11.2.3-9 shows an example of the corresponding information page for thermodynamics vari-
ables. Other pages are similar to those described in section 11-2.1.
At the bottom of Figure 11.2.3-9 in Expert Mode the user can define the meridional patches for
azimuthal averaging. See section 11-3.1 for more detail on this possibility. By default meridional
averaging patches are set.

Automatic setting of the meridional averaging patches only works if no manual action
has been performed (like renaming of some patches).

FIGURE 11.2.3-9 The thermodynamics azimuthal averaged variables page

11-2.4 ANSYS
The FINE™/Turbo environment provides the user with a specific ANSYS output. The objective is
to export results of the CFD computation on solid surfaces (nodes and elements) into ANSYS as a
boundary condition for the finite element model. This approach is called FEM loading method for
loading the CFD results on a Finite Element Model. The transferred results on the interface fluid-

11-10 FINE™
Output in FINE™ Output

structure can be the pressure field for a structural analysis and the temperature field or the heat
fluxes for a thermal analysis in the structure.

The FEM approach needs to have the finite element mesh of ANSYS. If this mesh
does not exist before the CFD computation, it is impossible to create directly a file that
can be imported in ANSYS to apply the suitable boundary condition. Consequently the
best way to manage the interface between FINE™/Turbo and ANSYS can be a new post-
processing tool. The post-processing tool is needed with the specification of the ANSYS
mesh, the common surfaces where the data must be interpolated and the type of bound-
ary condition on each surface. The transfer will be carried out through the ANSYS file
saved with the command CDWRITE ("project_ANSYS.cdb") in ANSYS. This file will
be modified and read again in ANSYS to impose the CFD results as boundary conditions
(see Figure 11.2.4-10).

FIGURE 11.2.4-10Data transfer of CFD results into the ANSYS project

11-2.4.1 ANSYS Pre-Processing


Before completing the Outputs/ANSYS pages, the user must create the file "project_ANSYS.cdb"
with the command CDWRITE in ANSYS. Furthermore before the save in ANSYS, some opera-
tions are needed to allow the identification of the common surface between the fluid model and the
structural model. The ANSYS project must be completely defined with a special treatment for
the surface loads that will be replaced by the interpolated CFD results. On each common sur-
face, a coded constant value is specified. The default coded values are given in the Table 11-3 for
the different types of boundary condition. The value is incremented by one for each different sur-
face so that for example the pressure imposed on the first surface is set to 1000001 and it is set to
1000002 on the second,...

Boundary Condition Code


Pressure field 1000001
Temperature field 2000001
Heat transfer coefficient 3000001
Heat flux 4000001

FINE™ 11-11
Output Output in FINE™

TABLE 11-3 Default code for different type of boundary condition imposed from CFD
results

The coded value can be modified in order to avoid confusion with physical values.

Note that the surface must be relatively flat or smooth (without sharp angle) so that the
six surfaces define a cube. Moreover a surface closed on itself, like a cylinder or a blade
must be divided into two parts if the conservative interpolation type is required.

The heat transfer coefficient can be computed only for non-adiabatic solid patches.
The correct physical bulk temperature must be specified on the surfaces with convection.
It must be constant for each surface.

If the coded values have been prescribed by using the solid model, the solid model has
not to be saved in the original ".cdb" input file (see the options for achieve file).

Validation tests are performed with ANSYS release v8.0. Please refer to ANSYS user
manual for more details on the ".cdb" file format

11-2.4.2 Global Parameters


The user can complete the Outputs/ANSYS pages when the file "project_ANSYS.cdb" has been
created (refer to section 11-2.4.1 for more details).

FIGURE 11.2.4-11 General Parameters of ANSYS outputs

11-12 FINE™
Output in FINE™ Output

Firstly, the user needs to specify under the thumbnail Global Parameters in Boundary Conditions
(Figure 11.2.4-11 - (1)) the coded constant value used in the file "project_ANSYS.cdb". The default
coded values are given in the Table 11-3 for the different types of boundary condition. Furthermore,
the user has to specify the required units of the data for each type of boundary condition. The units
will be specified next to the coded value.
Then, the user needs to load the file "project_ANSYS.cdb" (Figure 11.2.4-11 - (2)) created in
ANSYS (refer to section 11-2.4.1 for more details) in Input File.
The data transfer between the CFD mesh and the structural mesh is possible if the common geome-
tries are matching. It is possible that this condition is not fulfilled and the causes can be diverse:
• Units: a first difference can come from the units of the meshes. Consequently the units used in
the ANSYS mesh must be specified in ANSYS Mesh Units. The conversion Factor will be
deduced automatically (Figure 11.2.4-11 - (3)).
• Reference system: the second cause of mismatching is the use of different coordinate systems
(Figure 11.2.4-11 - (3)). For example, the original geometry can be rotated for the CFD model
so that the axial direction corresponds to the Z axis. The necessary conversion of coordinates
will be done through the specification of the position of the coordinate center of the ANSYS
mesh in the coordinate system of the CFD mesh and the specification of the location of three
common points in both meshes in Reference System.

Note that these points cannot be located on a line or a plane including the zero point
(not linearly dependent). The coordinates are specified in their respective units.

The origin of the ANSYS mesh should be at (0,0,0).

Finally in Output File, the user specifies the new output file "project_CFD.cdb" (Figure 11.2.4-11
- (4)) containing the transferred CFD results on the solid boundaries coded in ANSYS (refer to sec-
tion 11-2.4.1 for more details).
In order to create the new output file, the user has to complete the page under the Surface Selection
thumbnail before clicking on the Create Output File button (Figure 11.2.4-11 - (5)).

11-2.4.3 Surface Selection


After completion of the page under Global Parameters tab page, the user has to complete the Sur-
face Selection page (refer to section 11-2.4.2 for more details) before creating the ANSYS output
file (Create Output File button).
When the ANSYS input file is read in Input File, the common surfaces on which the data must be
transferred are identified in the ANSYS mesh. The interface FINE™ lists each surface with the cor-
responding coded value (Figure 11.2.4-12 - (1)).
When reading the ANSYS input file for the first time, automatically a new file with the extension
".ANSYSgeom" is created in the active computation directory. This file contains the geometry of
the related ANSYS surfaces and allows accelerating the next operations.
By clicking on Selected Surface Properties button (Figure 11.2.4-12 - (2)), a new window
(Figure 11.2.4-13) allows the user to specify the solid patches from which the data will be interpo-
lated. Following interpolation parameters can also be defined: interpolation type (Interp Type) and
the allowed maximal distance (Max Dist).
Two different interpolation types (Interp Type) are proposed: a conservative and a non-conserva-
tive. The suitable interpolation scheme is dependent on the type of boundary conditions. The spatial
field of pressure or temperature can be interpolated from cell faces to nodes whereas a conservative
transfer of the heat fluxes can be preferred.

FINE™ 11-13
Output Output in FINE™

Note that in the non-conservative approach, the local normal of the fluid mesh is used
for the projection of the ANSYS surface on the corresponding IGG™ solid patches.
Whereas an averaged local normal of the ANSYS mesh is used for the projection in the
conservative approach. If the geometry of the common surfaces does not match exactly
between the IGG™ mesh and the ANSYS mesh (e.g. if the fillet is not modeled in the
fluid mesh), the result depends on the way to define the surfaces in ANSYS, the selection
of the IGG™ solid patches from which the interpolation is performed and the choice of
the interpolation type. A slight discontinuity can appear in the interpolated field. In case
the fillet is not modeled, the different ways to project the ANSYS surface on the IGG™
solid patches imply that the conservative approach can fail if the ANSYS surfaces are
not approximately divided in the fillet where its normal intersects the edge separating the
IGG™ solid patches (blade and hub or shroud).

(1) (3)
(4)

(2)

FIGURE 11.2.4-12 Surface Selection of ANSYS outputs

The CFD results are read from the ".cgns" file of the active computation. The non-
conservative approach needs to save the solid data on the IGG™ solid patches. For the
conservative approach, only the solid data Heat Flux is required for the computation of
the heat transfer coefficient.
An allowed maximal distance (Max Dist) can be used to control the interpolation process by ensur-
ing that it is performed in the nearest element of the selected solid CFD patches.

The maximum distance of the ANSYS output on the surface selection page, is always
expressed in meters (independent from the mesh units or project preferences)

11-14 FINE™
Output in FINE™ Output

FIGURE 11.2.4-13 Add solid patches to ANSYS surface

Then, the user specifies the solid CFD patches in the list of Solid Patches by <Ctrl> or <Shift> and
left-click. To add or remove solid patches linked to the highlighted ANSYS surface, the buttons
Add Selection and Remove Selected are used respectively. When the solid patches are well selected,
the window has to be closed (Close) and the patches will appear in the list Selected Solid Patches
and Groups (Figure 11.2.4-12 - (3)).
A visualization of the active ANSYS surface and of the selected solid patches can help the user in
the selection process after opening the mesh through the menu Mesh/View On/Off or Mesh/
Tearoff graphics (only available on UNIX). Moreover, the visualization allows checking that the
surfaces (ANSYS and IGG™ solid patches) are matching. A modification of the ANSYS mesh unit
or reference system is directly taken into account in the visualization when the user refreshes the
view by clicking again on any ANSYS surface.

To ensure a complete data transfer, the selected IGG™ solid patches have to com-
pletely overlap the ANSYS surface.

The area of the selected IGG™ solid patches can be larger than the area of the ANSYS
surface.
Since the IGG™ solid patches defining a periodic structure can be divided (Figure 11.2.4-14), a
periodic shift can be required to match the common ANSYS surface. This shift must be specified
for each solid patch, highlighted in Selected Solid Patches and Groups list, in Periodicity by acti-
vating Rotation and Translation (Figure 11.2.4-12 - (4)). The rotation and translation shifts are
respectively specified in degrees and IGG™ mesh units.

FINE™ 11-15
Output Output in FINE™

FIGURE 11.2.4-14 Mesh differences IGG™ vs. ANSYS

Moreover one ANSYS surface can be covered by a group of solid patches and by the same group
which is rotated (or translated). Consequently, a duplication of the periodic solid patches is possible
by activating Duplicate patch(es) after applying a Rotation and Translation to the highlighted
solid patch (Figure 11.2.4-12 - (4)).

FIGURE 11.2.4-15 Duplicate Option Utility

Finally, the new output file can be created by clicking on the Create Output File button
(Figure 11.2.4-11 - (5)).

11-16 FINE™
Output in FINE™ Output

11-2.4.4 Import Results in ANSYS


The new output file "project_CFD.cdb" (Figure 11.2.4-11 - (4)) containing the transferred CFD
results on the solid boundaries coded in ANSYS is now available. When reading this file in ANSYS
with the command CDREAD, following rules need to be respected:
• Only the FE model (file ".cdb") has to be imported.
• If the coded values have been prescribed by using the solid model, the solid model has not to
be saved in the original ".cdb" input file (see the options for achieve file). If the solid model is
saved, conflicting values are set on the fluid-structure boundaries and the initial coded values
will be kept. Moreover these artificial boundary conditions have to be removed in the ANSYS
project before importing the modified archive file with the suitable boundary conditions. If
they are not removed, the coded values will replace the transferred values.

11-2.5 Global Performance Output


The main results for global performance are summed up in a file with extension ".mf". Inlet and
outlet averaged quantities, pressure ratios and efficiency are computed and stored in this file. The
user can select which and what kind of information is stored using expert parameters as described in
section 11-3.2. In this section the default content of the global performance output is described.

11-2.5.1 Solid Boundary Characteristics


This part of the file gives the characteristics of the quantities that are estimated at the solid bounda-

ries. Those quantities are computed from the global force F = F pressure + F viscous exerted by the
flow at a given point. This force can be estimated from the pressure and velocity fields at each
point. The calculated quantities for an internal configuration are:

• Axial thrust, i.e. the projection of the global force on the rotation axis: ∑ F ⋅ nz .
S

• The projection of the torque along a given direction z , i.e. the couple exerted by the global
⎛ ⎞
force ⎜ ∑ r × F⎟ ⋅ z along direction z . This direction is given through the expert parameter
⎝ S

IDCMP, the default value of which is (0,0,1).


For external flow configurations the expert parameter IINT must be set to 0 and the output file will
contain the quantities as described in section 11-3.2 instead of the axial thrust and the torque

FINE™ 11-17
Output Output in FINE™

11-2.5.2 Global Performance

EFFDEF Compressors p t2 >p t1 Turbines p t2 <p t1


1 γ–1 T t2
-----------
p t2 T t2
ln ⎛ ------⎞ ln ⎛ -------⎞
γ 1 – ------ -
⎛ p-----t2-⎞ T
⎝ p t1⎠
–1
R ⎝ p t1⎠ η = -----------------------------
t1 c ⎝ T t1⎠
η is = ----------------------------- η pol = ---- ⋅ ------------------ is γ–1
----------- η pol = ----p ⋅ -----------------
-
T t2 cp ⎛ T t2⎞ p γ R ⎛ p t2⎞
------- – 1 ln ------- ⎛ t2 ⎞ ln ------
T t1 ⎝ T t1⎠ 1 – ------
⎝p ⎠ ⎝ p t1⎠
t1

2 γ–1 T t2
-----------
p2 T t2
ln ⎛ ------⎞ ln ⎛ -------⎞
p2 ⎞ γ 1 – -------
⎛ ----- - T t1
⎝ p t1⎠
–1
R ⎝ p t1⎠ η = ----------------------------- cp ⎝ T t1⎠
η is = ----------------------------- η pol = ---- ⋅ ------------------ is γ–1
----------- η pol = ---- ⋅ ------------------
cp T t2 R p2
ln ⎛⎝ -------⎞⎠ p2 ⎞ γ ln ⎛⎝ ------⎞⎠
T t2 ⎛
------- – 1 1 – ------
T t1 T t1 ⎝p ⎠ t1
p t1
3 γ–1 T
-----------
p 1 – ----2- T
ln ⎛ ----2-⎞ ln ⎛ ----2-⎞
γ
⎛ p----2-⎞ T1
⎝ p 1⎠
–1
R ⎝ p 1⎠ η = --------------------------- - cp ⎝ T 1⎠
η is = ---------------------------
- η pol = ---- ⋅ ----------------
- is γ----------
– 1- η pol = ---- ⋅ -----------------
cp T R p
ln ⎛ -----⎞ ln ⎛ ----2-⎞
T2 p γ
1 – ⎛ -----⎞
2 2
----- – 1 ⎝ T 1⎠ ⎝ p 1⎠
T1 ⎝p ⎠ 1

TABLE 11-4 Isentropic and polytropic efficiency definitions for perfect gases
Global performance data, available in the ".mf" file, are calculated using the results at the inlet and
outlet boundaries of the computational domain. The ".mf" file also provides global averages at each
rotor/stator interface. If the project does not involve any of these boundaries or interfaces, the ".mf"
file is empty.
For turbomachinery cases, the output includes the efficiency. Several definitions are available,
selected through the expert parameter EFFDEF (default: 1). For projects with a rotor, the expres-
sions proposed in Table 11-4 are used (index 1 and 2 refer to the inlet and outlet sections respec-
tively).
The same definitions can be applied to the real gas when the specific heat law is defined by Cp and
γ evolving with the temperature, but with γ instead of γ.

Compressors p t2 >p t1 Turbines p t2 <p t1


is h t, 01 – h t, 02
h t, 02 – h t, 01 η is = --------------------------
-
η is = --------------------------
- is
h t, 02 – h t, 01 h t, 02 – h t, 01

TABLE 11-5 Isentropic efficiency definition for real gases with ct r

The definitions in Table 11-5 correspond to real gases when the specific heat law is defined by a
constant r and Cp or γ evolving with the temperature. The value of h 02 is obtained from the temper-
is

2is C 2is
r-
∫1 ∫1
is
ature T 02 by using the isentropic relation: -----p- dT 0 = ----- dP .
T0 P0 0

11-18 FINE™
Output in FINE™ Output

EFFDEF Pumps p t2 >p t1 Turbines p t2 <p t1


1 ∆p t m· ρω ⋅ Torque
η = ------------------------------
- η = ------------------------------
-
ρω ⋅ Torque ∆p t m·
2
∆pm· ρω ⋅ Torque
η = ------------------------------- η = ------------------------------
-
ρω ⋅ Torque ∆pm·
3 ∆p t m· ρCp∆T t
η = -------------------
- η = -------------------
-
ρCp∆T t ∆p t m·

TABLE 11-6 Efficiency definitions for liquids (incompressible flows)

Expressions involving the Torque in Table 11-6 are computed only if the user activates the option
Compute force and torque in the Boundary Conditions page devoted to solid surfaces.
For non rotating projects (pure stator), the following expression is used to define the efficiency:

p t2 – p 2
η = -----------------
- (11-1)
p t1 – p 2
Finally, relative and absolute flow angles are derived from the averaged velocity components:

vθ ⎞ w
α = arc tan ⎛ ------ β = arc tan ⎛ ------θ ⎞ cylindrical (11-2)
⎝ V m⎠ ⎝ V m⎠

v w
α = arc tan ⎛ ----y⎞ β = arc tan ⎛ ------y⎞ Cartesian (11-3)
⎝ v x⎠ ⎝ w x⎠

The power cannot be computed for a counter-rotating turbomachine (i.e. two rotors
presenting the same rotation speed amplitude but not the same direction of rotation).
A row-by-row and/or stage-by-stage analysis can be performed by using the expert parameter
RBRSBS. The additional performances stored in the *.mf file are: the mass flow in and out, the
static and total pressure ratio, the static and total temperature ratio and the isentropic and polytropic
efficiency (see section 11-3.2).

11-2.6 Plot3D Formatted Output


On the Computed Variables page it is possible to select Plot3D output to be created according to
the file format described in Appendix B. The user may select between an ASCII format or Fortran
unformatted format.

When selecting the Unformatted file (binary) option, use the corresponding option
in CFView™ to open the file: click on the File Format... button in the menu File/Open
Plot3D Project... and select Unformatted. Do not select Binary format. In CFView™
the user needs to select also low endian or big endian formats. On PC platforms (Win-
dows and LINUX) select binary low endian and on all other platforms select binary big
endian (more details in CFView™ User Manual).

FINE™ 11-19
Output Expert Parameters

When using the Non-Linear Harmonic method, the plot3d output is limited to the grid
file and the independent quantities (static pressure, static temperature, velocity and tur-
bulent data). All other quantities can be derived from this output.

11-3 Expert Parameters


11-3.1 Azimuthal Averaged Variables
In expert mode the user may specify on the bottom of the Azimuthal Averaged Variables page the
Averaging patches of the 3D mesh used to define the mesh surface that will be projected onto the
meridional plane in order to support the azimuthal averaged variables. A default selection is auto-
matically presented for AutoGrid™ meshes. Four input boxes are provided to enter the number of
patches, the index of the patch being defined, the block number and six indices to define the patch.
For instance, the six indices: 1 1 1 65 1 129, define a patch of a given block corresponding to a face
I = 1 and for J =1 to 65 and K=1 to 129.
The same system is used to define blade patches that will simply be projected in the meridional
plane to visualize the variables on the blade pressure side or suction side.

The indices must be defined on the finest mesh.

MERMAR: Safety margin for azimuthal averaged CFView™ solution. The mesh is shrunk
with a factor of 1 - MERMAR.
1st entry = axial safety margin
2nd entry = radial safety margin

The purpose of these two margins is to avoid points near the boundaries for which the azimuthal
averaging can not be performed. In general the azimuthal averaging is performed by taking a point
on the defined patch and to average the values for points in azimuthal direction starting from this
point. If there is not a sufficient amount of points in azimuthal direction the average is not com-
puted for that point and therefore the value for this point is not represented in CFView™. To avoid
such ’blank’ points near the edges of the patches it may be necessary to take a certain margin from
the edges of the patches.

The default values for the safety margins are appropriate for meshes on surfaces of revolution. If
the mesh is not a mesh on surfaces of revolution, higher margins may be required. See section 11-
4.3 for more detailed information on the methods available for azimuthal averaging and the use of
these margins.

Use of the 3rd and 4th entry is not supported.

11-20 FINE™
Expert Parameters Output

11-3.2 Global Performance Output


To influence the type of output written in the file with extension ".mf" the following expert param-
eters can be used:
EFFDEF: Efficiency definition for projects with at least one rotating block:
= 1 (default): total to total,
= 2: total to static,
= 3: static to static.
OUTTYP:Select the type of output:
= 1 (default): torque and drag,
= 2: heat flux and energy,
IINT: Type of flow:
= 0: external flow,
= 1: internal flow.
For external cases the following output is written in the global performance output file:
• Drag coefficient, i.e. normalized projection of the global force in a chosen direction:
∑ F ⋅ n1 ⁄ ( 0.5ρref Uref Sref )
2
.
S

• Lift coefficient, i.e. normalized projection of the global force in a chosen direction, generally

∑ F ⋅ n2 ⁄ ( 0.5ρref Uref Sref )


2
perpendicular to that used for the Drag coefficient: .
S
• Momentum, i.e. normalized projection of the torque in a chosen direction (default 0, 0, 1):
⎛⎛ ⎞ ⎞
⎜ ⎜ ∑ r × F⎟ ⋅ n 3⎟ ⁄ ( 0.5ρ ref U ref S ref C ref )
2
.
⎝⎝ S ⎠ ⎠

In the above equations, S is the surface of the selected patch(es), ρ ref and U ref are user defined ref-
erence density and velocity (see the Flow Model page). S ref is a surface of reference for which the
default value SREF is set to 1 m2 and C ref is a length of reference for which the default value
CREF is set to 1. n 1, n 2, n 3 are normalized vectors used for the Drag, Lift and Momentum coeffi-
cient and defined through the expert parameters IDCDP, IDCLP and IDCMP. Their default value is
(0., 0., 1.). r is the distance from the reference point IXMP (default value: 0., 0., 0.). n z is the nor-
malized vector directed along the rotation axis. The parameters mentioned here can be changed in
the Control Variables page in Expert Mode.

IWRIT: Add some additional output on all block faces such as mass flow through these faces:
= 0 (default): deactivated,
= 1: mass flow through rotor/stator interfaces,
= 3: summarizes the mass flow through different boundary types (SOL, ROT, INL,...),
= 4: mass flow through all block faces.

FINE™ 11-21
Output Theory

RBRSBS: Analyze the performances of every single element (row) and/or stage of a multi-stage
machine. The additional output is available in the ".mf" file.
= 0 (default): no extra analysis
= 1: row-by-row analysis
= 2: stage-by-stage analysis (stage = stator + rotor)
= 3: row-by-row and stage-by-stage analysis (stage = stator + rotor)
= -2: stage-by-stage analysis (stage = rotor + stator)
= -3: row-by-row and stage-by-stage analysis (stage = rotor + stator)
SREF: Reference area to non-dimensionalize the lift, drag and momentum, to get respectively
the lift coefficient, drag coefficient, moment coefficient. The default SREF=1.
CREF: Reference chord to non-dimensionalize the calculated moment, to get the moment coef-
ficient.
IDCDP: This parameter gives the direction (i.e. 3 values) on which the body force has to be pro-
jected to give the axial thrust or the drag component. E.g. 1,0,0 means that the drag is
the x-component of the body force.
IDCLP: For flows around bodies this parameter gives the direction (i.e. 3 values) on which the
body force has to be projected to give the lift component. E.g. 1,0,0 means that the lift is
the x-component of the body force. For internal (IINT=1) cylindrical cases this parame-
ter is not used.
IDCMP: This parameter gives the direction (i.e. 3 values) on which the moment vector on the
body has to be projected to give the moment. E.g. 1,0,0 means that the moment is the x-
component of the moment vector.
IXMP: Specifies the x,y,z coordinate of the point around which the moment has to be calcu-
lated. The coordinates are expressed in meters.

11-4 Theory
11-4.1 Computed Variables
The flow solution is stored in the ".cgns" file and will be used for the 3D CFView™ output.
CFView™ requires a cell-vertex representation of the flow solution, i.e. the flow variables need to
be provided at the mesh nodes. Since EURANUS considers the flow variables at cell centres, an
interpolation process is performed by the flow solver in order to compute the flow variables at the
mesh nodes.
The required interpolation of the flow solution is done by arithmetic averaging. If u represents one
of the primitive variables ρ, w x, w y, w z, p and u the interpolated value,

∑u ,
1
u = --- i (11-4)
8
i=1

where the summation is over the eight surrounding original locations of the respective variable. The
basic flow variables are calculated at the mesh nodes using the above procedure. Derived quantities
( v r, p t, H, s, ... ) are computed from this consistent representation of solution and geometry. By
contrast, if a quantity involves the surface normals, these are first calculated on the cell faces of the

11-22 FINE™
Theory Output

original mesh and then averaged to the required location. Other exceptions are quantities involving
gradients or which are provided by the code:

• The Cartesian components of ∇ × W are computed in the cell corners,

∇ × V = ∇ × W + 2ω system (11-5)

• If a cylindrical component is requested, transformation to cylindrical coordinates is done at the


cell corners, as is the calculation of ∇ × W . Only then are the requested component, the vec-
tor or its magnitude interpolated to the desired mesh.
• Some of the variables used in the turbulence models are provided by the code in the cell cor-
+
ners and treated in the same way as the coordinates (wall distance, y , µ t ).

If a k-ε, k-ω or v2-f turbulence model is selected, k and ε are additional variables treated in the same
way as the primitive variables. The residuals are also provided by the code in the cell centres and
therefore treated in the same way as the primitive variables, with the difference that they are only
defined in the interior and thus copied to the dummy cells as described above.
The above described arithmetic averaging process used to construct the CFView™ solution is first
order accurate, which has an important consequence if the user wants to extract quantitative global
quantities:

In case of high flow gradients the calculation within CFView™ of the average (sur-
face integral) of a given quantity throughout an I, J or K=constant surface of the mesh or
a cutting plane will be performed with an error with respect to the flow solution calcu-
lated by the flow solver.

11-4.2 Surface Averaged Variables


The procedure generates a multi-column file with indices, coordinates and the streamwise evolution
of the requested variables, averaged on mesh surfaces normal to the streamwise direction. This file
can be processed for plotting versus the index, the coordinates x , r or z and the meridional dis-
tance.
Mass or area averaging can be requested for each variable individually.

FIGURE 11.4.2-16 Stencil for 1D averaged flow. The numbers are the relative weight of each
cell in the contribution of the central cell to the surface average.

The weight coefficients are computed on the cell face centres (index F ), since this is the natural
location of the required surface normals, yielding:

FINE™ 11-23
Output Theory


1
m· F = --- q corner (11-6)
4
four corners

The surface average is then calculated as


1
q = --------------------------------------- wF qF , (11-7)

∑ w F cell face centres


cell face centres

where w F = m· F or A F . The stencil shown in Figure 11.4.2-16 illustrates that the contributions
from the cell face centre at a boundary, contain some influence from the lateral dummy cells
(weight 1/4).

11-4.3 Azimuthal Averaged Variables


Exact azimuthal averaging for general configurations requires a mechanism that is independent of
the computational grid. First a meridional mesh must be defined to support the azimuthal averaged
solution. Secondly, the latter must be extracted from the 3D computational mesh. The 2D mesh is
provided by the meridional projection of any suitable contiguous set of sub-surfaces contained in
the volumetric mesh. The domains and indices defining these sub-surfaces are provided in the input
file. Choosing sub-surfaces of the actual 3D mesh ensures that the resolution of the meridional
mesh is commensurate with the accuracy of the numerical solution.
Starting from each point ( r, z ) of the meridional mesh, the solution is defined by the primitive var-
iables ρ, w r, w θ, w z, p averaged along a circular arc passing through that point,


1
u = -------------- wu dθ (11-8)


w dθ

where u denotes the azimuthal-average of the generic variable u and where

⎧ ρV m for mass averaging


w = ⎨ (11-9)
⎩ 1 for area averaging

2 2
Vm = v r + v z is the meridional velocity. Either mass or area averaging can be requested. The
same type of averaging will be used for all the primitive variables.
The integrals in Eq. 11-8 are approximated by trapezoidal sums. Practically, the r, z -constant line
along which the integration proceeds may be composed of k fragments of n ( j ) data points,
j = 1, ...,k , so that Eq. 11-8 is evaluated as:

k n(j)

u = ∑ ∑a u ij ij (11-10)

j = 1i = 1

with

11-24 FINE™
Theory Output

n(j)
Σ i = 1 b ij
a ij = b ij ------------------------------
k n ( j)
- (11-11)
Σ j = 1 Σ i = 1 b ij
and

⎧ 2w i θ 2 – θ 1 i = 1

bi = ⎨ wi θi + 1 – θi – 1 i = 2, ..., n-1 (11-12)

⎩ 2w i θ n – θ n – 1 i = n

All requested variables are derived, if possible, from the azimuthal averaged primitive variables.
Those variables that can not be computed from the azimuthal averaged primitive variables are com-
puted first. The fact that they are computed by the same routines that are used for generating 3D
CFView™ output ensures consistency. The suction and pressure side of the blades can be superim-
posed on the azimuthal averaged view.
For meshes that do not lie on surfaces of revolution the accuracy of the averaged solution is
decreased close to curved boundaries (see Figure 11.4.3-17). Although all boundary grid points lie
on the same surface of revolution, the straight line segments forming the cell edges do not. The
r, z -constant ray associated with point 1 will therefore miss some cell faces or pick values from the
inside instead of boundary values. In the worst case it will not encounter any cell faces at all. Strong
curvature and cells with high aspect ratio increase the inaccuracy.
This problem has been addressed in two ways. First, meridional grid points encountering fewer than
two cell faces are set to zero (a message printed to the screen indicates for how many points this
was necessary). Secondly, the possibility is provided to shrink the meridional mesh by a small
amount to avoid the outermost regions of the volumetric mesh as shown in Figure 11.4.3-18. Inde-
pendent shrink factors k can be specified in the streamwise and spanwise directions using the
expert parameter MERMAR, see section 11-3.1. Figure 11.4.3-18 illustrates the global effect. Each
mesh line is shrank individually by uniformly contracting towards its centre. The grid points
thereby slide along the segments of the original line (dashed line in Figure 11.4.3-18).

2 2

1 1
a) b)
FIGURE 11.4.3-17Azimuthalaveraging along circular arcs at curved boundary (light lines =
meridional mesh supporting the azimuthal-averaged solution, heavy lines = an arbitrary
cell face of the computational mesh), situation (a) before shrinking and (b) after shrinking.

FINE™ 11-25
Output Theory

h
kh/2

FIGURE 11.4.3-18: Shrinking of the meridional mesh, schematic illustration of (a) the global
effect and (b) the modification applied to each mesh line (dashed line and circles = original
line, solid line and squares = shrank line, C = centre point of the original line)

11-4.4 Global Performance Output


The surface integrals are approximated by rectangular sums: for any vector quantity Q and scalar
quantity q ,

∫ Q dS = ∑ QB SB ∫ qd S = ∑ qB SB (11-13)
surface1/2 cell faces surface1/ 2 cell faces

The index B indicates a boundary cell face centre value, obtained by averaging the coordinates
( r = x, y, z ) of the four corners:

∑r
1
r B = --- i (11-14)
4
i=1

and the solution ( U = ρ, w x, w y, w z, p ) in the first inner (index 1) and first outer cell (index 0):

1
U B = --- [ U 0 + U 1 ] . (11-15)
2
All variables, except flow angles, are first computed locally from this consistent representation of
solution and geometry and then summed, multiplied by the appropriate weight factor

11-26 FINE™
Theory Output

m· B = ( ρWS ) B or A B = S B . Averages are calculated for the following variables:

VS
w x, w y, w z, w r, w t, v x, v y, v z, v r, v t, W , V , -------, p, ρ, p t, rel, p t, abs, p t, rot, T t, rel, T t, abs, T t, rot .
S

Static pressure is area averaged, all other variables are mass averaged. Explicitly, q representing
any of the enumerated scalars (other than p ) and q its average:

∑ ∑
1 1
q = ---·- m· B q B p = --- AB pB . (11-16)
m A
cell faces cell faces

The mass flow m· is obtained from Eq. 11-13 with Q = ρW , the area A with q = 1 . The values
of p t, rel, p t, abs, T t, rel, T t, abs are also computed from p, ρ and the averaged velocity components
to be compared with the directly averaged values.

FINE™ 11-27
Output Theory

11-28 FINE™
CHAPTER 12:SubProject
Management

12-1 Overview
The FINE™ environment allows the partial treatment of multistage turbomachinery projects. Tur-
bomachinery applications can be naturally decomposed into several domains, e.g. rotor, stator...
This natural decomposition can also be performed in FINE™, by means of a so-called SubProject.
After performing a first computation on the full turbomachine (Main Project), the user can create
SubProjects, containing only part of the machine. This allows a fast and easy optimization of the
geometry of each row. Afterwards, the results obtained on part of the machine can be merged
together again with the full turbomachine.
The access to the SubProject module requires a special license feature. Contact the NUMECA sales
or support team ([email protected]) for more information about how to obtain a license.
The next sections will describe the way to set-up and control the SubProjects in more detail.

12-2 Set-up of SubProjects in FINE™


12-2.1 Grid Requirements
The SubProject module is available for projects of which the mesh has been created with IGG™ or
AutoGrid™. Following requirements have to be respected when generating the mesh:
• All rotor-stator interfaces have to be defined in the absolute way. This can be defined in the
rotor-stator properties dialog box in AutoGrid™.
• The final mesh has to be saved in the _mesh directory of the main project.

FINE™ 12-1
SubProject Management Set-up of SubProjects in FINE™

12-2.2 Create SubProjects


Once the mesh of the main project has been created, the main project has to be set-up in FINE™
GUI. After creating the project and when the mesh is loaded for the first time, the user has to acti-
vate Use Grid Configuration in the Grid Units and Project Configuration dialog box, see
figure 12.2.2-1. When the mesh is loaded, the Grid Configuration subpad will appear in the inter-
face, see figure 12.2.2-2.

FIGURE 12.2.2-1 Use Grid Configuration

Left-Click

FIGURE 12.2.2-2 Grid Configuration Subpad in FINE™ GUI

Before creating a SubProject, the main project has to be executed first. The final solution of the
main project will be used as the initial solution for the SubProjects. Therefore the main project
should be run until satisfactory convergence is reached.

In the main project, all rotor-stator interfaces have to be defined as Full Non Match-
ing Mixing Plane. The type of several rotor-stator interfaces can be changed simultane-
ously by selecting one rotor-stator interface, hold the <Shift> button and left-click on the
desired type of rotor-stator interface, see figure 12.2.2-3. All settings, such as the ID
Number, will be kept.

12-2 FINE™
Set-up of SubProjects in FINE™ SubProject Management

<Shift> - Left-Click

FIGURE 12.2.2-3 Rotor-Stator Interface Settings

After completion of the main project, a SubProject can be created in the following way:
• Go to the Grid Configuration subpad.
• Right-click on Main Project and select Duplicate. A new SubProject is created.

Right-Click

FIGURE 12.2.2-4 Create SubProject

• By left-clicking and holding the <Ctrl> button, several rows of the newly created SubProject
can be selected.
• Right-click allows to delete the selected rows from the SubProject, see figure 12.2.2-5.

FINE™ 12-3
SubProject Management Set-up of SubProjects in FINE™

Right-Click

FIGURE 12.2.2-5 Delete Rows from SubProject

The settings for the SubProject are copied from the main project and adjusted if necessary.
• Boundary Conditions: Settings for in- and outlet are automatically changed if necessary. A
special boundary condition From Rotor/Stator has been created. This will transfer the quanti-
ties from the rotor-stator of the main project as in- and/or outlet condition.

The From Rotor/Stator boundary condition is only available for SubProjects and is
set by FINE™ GUI automatically. These settings should not be modified by the user.
• Initial Solution: The initial solution is set automatically to From File. The solution of the main
project will be used as an initial solution.
• Control Variables: The settings are identical to the main project.

Settings that are changed manually by the user when a SubProject is selected, e.g.
number of iterations, will be transferred to the main project.

FIGURE 12.2.2-6 Boundary Conditions for SubProject

The SubProject can be executed in the same way as the main project. The computation will con-
tinue until the maximum number of iterations is reached or the convergence criteria is satisfied.

12-4 FINE™
Set-up of SubProjects in FINE™ SubProject Management

12-2.3 Modify & Merge SubProjects


The SubProject module allows the user to change the geometry of the subproject. A computation
can be done on the changed geometry, before inserting it back in the main project.

12-2.3.1 Modify Geometry


The geometry can be modified in following way:
• Select the SubProject which contains the row of which the geometry needs to be changed
• Switch to AutoGrid™ by using the Modules menu.

If the mesh of the subproject has not been created yet, a warning message will appear
informing the user that the mesh of the main project will be loaded.

• Before being able to modify the geometry of the SubProject, the mesh of the SubProject has to
be saved separately. More information on this subject, can be found in the Grid Configura-
tion section of the AutoGrid™ user manual.

Only the geometry of the subproject can be modified. The topology of the mesh and
the number of grid points have to be kept equal to the main project.
• After generating and saving the mesh of the SubProject, switch back to FINE™ GUI by using
the Modules menu. AutoGrid™ automatically saves the mesh of the SubProject in a separate
folder in the _mesh directory. More details can be found in section 12-2.4.
• The mesh of the SubProject will be automatically linked to the computation.
The computation of the modified SubProject can be launched in the exact same way as the main
project.

12-2.3.2 Merge SubProjects


When the computation of the SubProject is finished successfully, the modified geometry can be
transferred to the main project. This is done by means of a merge process. The rows of which the
geometry was modified in the SubProject, will replace those rows in the main project. Following
procedure has to be followed:
• Select the main project from the Grid Configuration subpad and switch to AutoGrid™.
• Execute the Merge process in AutoGrid™, more information can be found in the Grid Con-
figuration section of the AutoGrid™ user manual. When the merge process is completed,
switch back to FINE™ GUI. AutoGrid™ automatically saves the mesh of the merged project
in a separate folder in the _mesh directory. More details can be found in section 12-2.4.
• The merged project is now available from the Grid Configuration subpad in FINE™.

FINE™ 12-5
SubProject Management Set-up of SubProjects in FINE™

FIGURE 12.2.3-7 Merged Project in Grid Configuration Subpad

The merged project will behave in the same way as a SubProject. The computation settings are trans-
ferred from the main project, and adapted automatically if necessary.

12-2.4 File Structure


The files generated by the SubProject module are stored in following way (figure 12.2.4-8):
• The mesh of the main project is stored in the _mesh directory, located in the project directory.
• The computations of the main project are stored in the project directory, with name
<project_name>_<computation_name>
• The mesh of a SubProject is stored in a separate folder in the _mesh directory, with name
<project_name>_<subproject_name>
• The results of the computations of a SubProject are stored separately for every SubProject in the
project directory. The name of the directory is equal to <subproject_name>. In every SubProject
directory, the results of each computation are saved seperately.

FIGURE 12.2.4-8 SubProject File Structure

12-6 FINE™
CHAPTER 13:Blade to Blade Module

13-1 Overview
This chapter describes the quasi-three-dimensional Blade-to-Blade Module for turbomachinery cas-
cade analysis. The module is fully automatic and can be used (and acquired) independently from
the other NUMECA tools.
Furthermore, an additional module is associated with the present one, called FINE™/Design2D,
which permits to redesign the blades for an improved pressure distribution on the blade surfaces
and is presented in Chapter 14.
The module assumes that the flow in the turbomachinery cascade remains on an axisymmetric
streamsurface, whose shape and thickness can either be provided by the user, or automatically con-
structed by the module (using the given hub and shroud walls).
The geometrical input data required from the user can be:
1. The streamsurface and the blade section on this last surface or,
2. The whole three-dimensional blade shape and the hub and shroud walls.
The module comprises a fully automatic mesh generator (which is able to treat any type of meridi-
onal configuration) and a customised version of NUMECA’s turbulent Navier-Stokes flow solver.
In the next section the interface is described in detail including advice for use of the Blade-to-Blade
Module. The theoretical background for the mesh generator and the flow solver is described in sec-
tion 13-4. Finally, the Blade-to-Blade Module requires geometrical data files and generates output,
which are detailed in section 13-5.

The Design 2D module can not be used with:

• other turbulence models than Baldwin Lomax turbulence model,


• upwind scheme,
• real gas,
• unsteady computations,
• azimuthal averaged output.

FINE™ 13-1
Blade to Blade Module Blade-to-Blade in the FINE™ GUI

13-2 Blade-to-Blade in the FINE™ GUI


The Blade-to-Blade Module is proposed under the FINE™/Design 2D interface through the menu
Modules/Design 2D., which permits a very rapid, easy and interactive use of the solver. All the
parameters can be selected interactively through this user interface, which automatically creates the
input files and permits to launch the solver.
A monitoring tool, called the MonitorTurbo, can be launched to verify the convergence and results
during and after the computation. It permits to observe the evolution of the convergence history, of
the pressure distribution along the blade surface, and of the blade geometry.
The results can be analysed with the NUMECA CFView™ post-processing software, whose con-
nection with the Blade-to-Blade Module is automatically provided.
The geometrical data are specified in ASCII input files, whereas the definition of the flow solver
parameters and of the boundary conditions are specified via the interface.
This section describes the creation of the solver input files using the interactive menus included in
the FINE™/Design2D interface. Further details concerning the input and output files are provided
in section 13-5.

13-2.1 Start New or Open existing Blade-to-Blade Computation


When starting the interface a Project Selection window allows to Create a New Project... or to
Open an Existing Project.... To create a new Blade-to-Blade project:
1. click on the button Create a New Project....
2. Browse to the directory in which the new project directory needs to be created and enter a name
for the project.
3. Close the Grid File Selection window since no grid file is associated to a Design 2D project.
4. Switch to the Blade-to-Blade module through the menu Modules/Design 2D.

When an existing Blade-to-Blade project should be opened click on the button Open an Existing
Project... in the Project Selection window and select the project in the File Chooser window. The
most recently used projects can also be selected from the list of recent projects. If the selected
project was saved in the Design 2D module, the FINE™ interface is automatically switched to this
module showing the interface as in Figure 13.2.1-1.

It is not possible to have Blade-to-Blade and three-dimensional computations in one


project. A project is either a Blade-to-Blade project or a FINE™/Turbo project. The type
of the project is determined by the module in which it is saved.
The FINE™/Design 2D interface is the same as the FINE™/Turbo interface and contains a menu
bar, an icon bar, a computations definition and a parameters area. The menu bar is the same in both
modules, except for the Modules menu that allows to switch to the other available modules. The
icon bar in the Design 2D module contains only the icons applicable for a 2D computation. The list
of parameters pages on the left of the interface is updated according to a 2D computation. Most of
the pages are the same as in a FINE™/Turbo project. The only differences are in:
• the Flow Model page: the Design 2D module can not be used in Unsteady,
• the Boundary Conditions page as described in section 13-2.3,
• the Blade-to-blade Data pages as described in section 13-2.2,
• the Initial Solution page as described in section 13-2.5.

13-2 FINE™
Blade-to-Blade in the FINE™ GUI Blade to Blade Module

FIGURE 13.2.1-1 Design 2D in the FINE™ GUI

13-2.2 Blade-to-Blade Data


Three specific menus appear in the Blade-to-blade Data pages:
• Blade Geometry, see section 13-2.2.1,
• Mesh Generation Parameters,
• Inverse Design: parameters that are only used in 2D design but not in blade-to-blade analysis.
Inverse design is described in Chapter 14.
The blade geometry and the axisymmetric streamsurface (or hub and shroud walls) are specified
under the form of a series of data points given in ASCII files, whose structure is described in sec-
tion 13-5.
All geometrical data has to be given in the same length unit (which can be chosen arbitrarily). The
chosen length unit is defined under the Blade geometry thumbnail on the Blade Geometry page.

13-2.2.1 Blade Geometry Definition


Three types of geometrical input data are possible:
- 2D type: This first option is valid only for purely axial cases, in which the stream surface is a cyl-
inder (constant radius). The blade geometry is then given on the cascade plane (cylinder
developed to generate the cascade).
- Q3D type (quasi 3-dimensional): The axisymmetric stream surface is given (including its thick-
ness), and the blade geometry is specified on the given surface.
- 3D type (from hub to shroud): The whole 3D blade geometry is given under the form of a series of
blade sections (minimum 2, ordered from the hub to the shroud). The hub and the
shroud walls are also specified. The stream surface can either be specified by the user
(the lower and the upper axisymmetric surfaces have to be specified), or can be automat-
ically constructed by the solver (geometrical division). In the latter case, the user only
has to specify the spanwise position of the stream surface and its relative thickness.

FINE™ 13-3
Blade to Blade Module Blade-to-Blade in the FINE™ GUI

- 3D type (from .geomTurbo file): The whole 3D blade geometry is given under the form of a
geometry turbo file containing the hub, shroud and blade definition (more details in
AutoGrid™ User Manual). The stream surface can either be specified by the user (the
lower and the upper axisymmetric surfaces have to be specified), or can be automati-
cally constructed by the solver (geometrical division). In the latter case, the user only
has to specify the spanwise position of the stream surface and its relative thickness.

a) Streamsurface Data
Figure 13.2.2-2 shows the "parameter area" for entering Stream surface data. The following
stream surface data files have to be specified, depending on the type of input data:
• 2D or Q3D types: stream surface definition file name,
• 3D case: hub and shroud file names or .geomTurbo file name.
When the 3D type of input data is selected additional parameters have to be defined:
• - Geometrical division or streamtube provided by the user.
• - If geometrical division: spanwise position between 0 (hub) and 1 (shroud).
• - If streamtube provided: lower and upper surfaces file names (2 lines).

2D&Q3D:

3D:

FIGURE 13.2.2-2 Streamsurface parameters area

In both cases the module automatically calculates the intersection of the 3D blade with the consid-
ered stream surface.

13-4 FINE™
Blade-to-Blade in the FINE™ GUI Blade to Blade Module

In a 3D case with geometrical division, the streamtube height defines the thickness of the stream-
tube (the recommended value is 1%).

In a 2D, Q3D or 3D case with streamtube provided, the blockage ratio permits to scale the stream-
tube thickness distribution.

For all types of input data the number of points along meridional stream surfaces has to be speci-
fied. This input data is the number of points that the module will generate along the streamsurface
in order to obtain an accurate calculation of the meridional coordinate (default: 300).

b) Blade Geometry Data


Selecting the Blade geometry thumbnail allows to define the characteristics of the blades and the
files where the data is stored:
• Blade geometry file names.
— 2D or Q3D: suction and pressure side file names,
— 3D case (from hub to shroud): number of spanwise section and for each section, suction and
pressure sides file names.
— 3D case (from .geomTurbo file): the whole 3D blade geometry is given under the form of a
geometry turbo file (more details in AutoGrid™ User Manual).
• Blunt leading edge: if active, indicates that the leading edge is blunt.
• Blunt trailing edge: if active, indicates that the trailing edge is blunt.
• Splitter blades:
— If the option is selected, the blade geometry input file names have to be given for the splitter
blades. In a 3D case (from hub to shroud), the number of spanwise sections should be identi-
cal for the main and splitter blades, and is not repeated here.
• Length unit: The user can define the geometrical data in any length unit, and simply has to
define by means of this scale the ratio between the meters and the chosen unit length (if the
input is in millimetres, the ratio must be 0.001). All the geometrical data must be given in the
same unit length chosen by the user.
• Number of blades or pitch distance. In a 2D input type, this input is the pitch distance (in the
unit length chosen by the user), whereas in a Q3D or 3D case (from hub to shroud), it must be
the number of blades (Figure 13.2.2-3).

3D

FIGURE 13.2.2-3 Blade geometry information page for 3D cases (from hub to shroud)

FINE™ 13-5
Blade to Blade Module Blade-to-Blade in the FINE™ GUI

c) Blade Data Edition


Selecting the Blade data edition thumbnail permits to edit the position of the leading and/or trail-
ing edge among the data points provided by the user in the input files (see Figure 13.2.2-4).
For both leading and trailing edges the user has to specify if the leading or trailing edge is on the
suction side or pressure side, and to give also its position (starting from the initial position). There-
fore a value of 1 will not modify the edge position.
In a 2D or Q3D case this operation is performed on the data points provided by the user, whereas in
a 3D case it is performed on the blade points resulting from the 3D interpolation process. In any
case the data points can be visualised by plotting the "projectname.b2b.geoini" file using the Moni-
torTurbo. The way to visualise the data points in order to decide whether the position of the edges is
acceptable is to launch the analysis module and to visualise the ".geoini" file.

FIGURE 13.2.2-4 Blade data edition thumbnail

13-2.2.2 Mesh Generation Parameters Page


The different parameters in the Mesh Generation Parameters page (as shown in Figure 13.2.2-5)
do not necessarily have to be modified by the user. They have been set to default values, which
have shown to be efficient in many cases.
The available Mesh generation parameters are:
• H(periodic)- or I(non periodic) -type mesh: The user defines if the upstream and/or the
downstream region should be inclined (non periodic, which permits to improve the orthogo-
nality of the mesh cells to the flow) or not.
• Generation mode: fully automatic or semi-automatic:
— In the fully automatic mode, the user only has to specify the number of points along the suc-
tion side. The number of points in the other segments are then calculated in order to ensure
the smoothness of the mesh (the number of cells in each patch is always a multiple of 8, so
that 4 multigrid levels are available for the solver).
— In the semi-automatic mode, the user decides to specify the inclination angles of the
upstream/downstream boundaries (radians), as well as the number of cells in each of the seg-
ments of the mesh. The number of input data depends on the number of segments, which can
be 3 if the upstream/downstream boundaries are not inclined, 4 if one of them is inclined,
and 5 if both are inclined. The number of cells in each segment should be chosen so that they
are always a multiple of 8 (four multigrid levels are available for the flow solver). In a case
with splitters the number of segments is 4 or 5 (if the downstream periodic boundaries are
non periodic), and the numbers of cells should be specified for both blade passages.

13-6 FINE™
Blade-to-Blade in the FINE™ GUI Blade to Blade Module

FIGURE 13.2.2-5 Mesh generation parameters

• Number of points in the pitchwise direction: The number of cells should better be a multiple
of 8, so that four multigrid levels are available.
• Periodic boundaries type: the user defines if the periodic lines should be straight or curved.
In the default configuration the periodic lines are curved.
• Five thumbnails give access to parameters to influence the mesh quality and points distribution
as described in the next paragraphs.

a) Inlet
The inlet location of the mesh is imposed on the hub and the shroud. The position is specified in
meridional coordinates (Z, R) or in streamwise coordinate (S).

b) Outlet
The outlet location of the mesh is imposed on the hub and the shroud. The position is specified in
meridional coordinates (Z, R) or in streamwise coordinate (S).

c) Clustering
The clustering coefficient in streamwise direction can be imposed from 0.0 to 1.0. A value of 1.0
gives a uniform distribution, whereas a 0.0 value concentrates all the points at the edges.
The second input defines if an Euler (no clustering in pitchwise direction) or a Navier-Stokes mesh
(with clustering to capture the boundary layer) should be generated. For a Navier-Stokes mesh the
following parameters should be specified:
• Size of the first mesh cell in the pitchwise direction (in meters).
• Number of constantly spaced cells in the pitchwise direction.

FINE™ 13-7
Blade to Blade Module Blade-to-Blade in the FINE™ GUI

• Constant or decreasing clustering from the blade edges to the inflow/outflow boundaries.

d) Smoothing
An elliptic smoother can be used in order to improve the quality of the mesh. In case the smoothing
is selected, the user has to specify if the smoothing should be performed with or without the control
of the clustering along the walls, and the number of smoothing steps (sweeps) to be performed (see
Figure 12.2.2-6).

FIGURE 13.2.2-6 Smoothing page of the Mesh Generation Parameters page

e) Local Pre-Smoothing
A local pre-smoothing can be performed in the leading and trailing edge regions, which can be
appropriate in cases of thick rounded leading and/or trailing edges (Figure 12.2.2-7).

FIGURE 13.2.2-7 Local pre-smoothing page of the Mesh generation parameters page

13-2.2.3 Inverse Design Menu


This menu concerns the inverse design module. The parameters included in this menu do not have
to be specified when performing a flow analysis. A description on the Inverse Design module is
provided in Chapter 14.

13-2.3 Boundary Conditions


The Boundary Conditions page allows to define the boundary conditions at the inlet and the out-
let as well as the rotational speed.
The Rotational speed must be given in RPM (revolutions per minute, positive if oriented in the θ-
direction, see Figure 13.5.1-12 on page 15)

13-2.3.1 Inlet Boundary Conditions


Eight inlet boundary conditions are available:
• Direction of absolute velocity (radians) + absolute total conditions (Pa, K).
• Direction of relative velocity (radians) + relative total conditions (Pa, K).
• Absolute Vθ velocity component (m/s) + absolute total conditions (Pa, K).

13-8 FINE™
Blade-to-Blade in the FINE™ GUI Blade to Blade Module

• Relative Wθ velocity component (m/s) + relative total conditions (Pa, K).


• Mass flow (kg/s) + direction of absolute velocity (radians) + static temperature (K).
• Mass flow (kg/s) + direction of relative velocity (radians) + static temperature (K).
• Mass flow (kg/s) + absolute Vθ velocity component (m/s) + static temperature (K).
• Mass flow (kg/s) + relative Wθ velocity component (m/s) + static temperature (K).
Selecting one of these options activates a submenu in which the user can set the inlet values. An
example corresponding to Direction of absolute velocity + absolute total conditions option is
shown in figure 12.2.3-8.

FIGURE 13.2.3-8 Inlet boundary conditions information page

Both zero and first order extrapolation techniques are available, and can be selected in the Expert
Mode (the default technique is the zero-order one).

13-2.3.2 Outlet Boundary Conditions


Three outlet boundary conditions are available at the outlet (Figure 12.2.3-9):
• exit static pressure imposed (Pa),
• mass flow imposed (kg/s) (+ exit static pressure required to initiate the calculation),
• supersonic exit (exit static pressure required to initiate the calculation).

FIGURE 13.2.3-9 Outlet boundary conditions information page

FINE™ 13-9
Blade to Blade Module Blade-to-Blade in the FINE™ GUI

Both zero and first order extrapolation techniques are available, and can be selected in the Expert
Mode (the default technique is the zero-order one).

It should be mentioned that the inverse design method is more stable when the mass
flow is explicitly imposed as a boundary condition. Therefore it is recommended to
impose the mass flow during the analysis also. The recommended strategies are therefore
the one imposing the mass flow at the inlet and the pressure at the outlet, or the one
imposing the total conditions at the inlet and the mass flow at the outlet.

13-2.4 Numerical Model


In general the default values for the Numerical Model parameters are appropriate.
In the blade-to-blade module it is not possible to perform the calculations on a coarser mesh level
as it is the case with 3D projects.

13-2.5 Initial Solution Menu


A turbomachinery-oriented initial solution construction strategy is automatically used, which
requires an approximation of the inlet static pressure to be provided by the user or an Initial solu-
tion file provided by the user (Figure 12.2.5-10)

FIGURE 13.2.5-10 Initial solution page

13-2.6 Output Parameters


This menu permits to select the different flow variables to be included in the output. The module
automatically creates the outputs for a 3D and a 2D (in the m,θ plane) CFView™ project. Further
comments about this menu are provided in section 13-5.2.

13-2.7 Control Variables Page


On the Control Variables page the user defines if a flow analysis or an inverse design should be
performed (Figure 12.2.7-11).
All other parameters on this page are the same as for a FINE™/Turbo computation as described in
Chapter 16.

13-10 FINE™
Expert Parameters Blade to Blade Module

FIGURE 13.2.7-11 Run type page of the information area

13-2.8 Launch Blade-to-Blade Flow Analysis


Once the ".run" has been correctly created through the menu File/Save Run Files, a flow analysis
can be started, by selecting Start in the Solver menu.
A restart from a previous calculation is also possible by selecting Start in the Solver menu and
selecting an initial solution file in the page Initial Solution. As calculations on coarser grid levels
are not possible, a restart can never be performed with the full-multigrid option.

13-3 Expert Parameters


A series of expert parameters can be specified in Expert Mode on the Control Variables page.:
ITFRZ: the number of iterations after which the turbulent viscosity field is frozen. It is recom-
mended to use this option (ITFRZ=200 for instance) in order to eliminate the spurious
residual oscillations due to the turbulent quantities fluctuations.
IATFRZ: this switch is related to the previous one. It should usually be set to 1 (default value).
However in the case of a restart and if the turbulent viscosity field has been frozen in the
previous calculation, this switch should be to 2, so that the previous turbulent viscosity field
is read from the previous calculation and kept unchanged.

In the case the initial solution has been obtained with a frozen turbulent viscosity field
(using the ITFRZ expert parameter), the parameter IATFRZ should be set to 2 in order to
read the turbulent viscosity field from a file and to keep this field unchanged.

13-4 Theory
The main characteristics of the mesh generation tool and of the blade-to-blade flow solver are pro-
vided in this section.

13-4.1 Mesh Generator


The mesh generator is a fully automatic tool customised for blade-to-blade applications, generating
H(periodic)- or I(non periodic)-type grids (see the AutoGrid™ User Manual) starting from a mini-
mum amount of information from the user.
Contrary to many quasi-3D methods that solve the flow equations on a 2D mesh constructed on the
axisymmetric streamsurface, the mesh generated here is a 3D-mesh with only 1 cell in the spanwise
direction. This approach permits to use a 3D flow solver without major adaptation. Another advan-

FINE™ 13-11
Blade to Blade Module Theory

tage is that the effects of the eventual streamtube thickness variations are then implicitly taken into
account, and do no longer have to be introduced under the form of additional source terms in the
equations.
The main characteristics of the generator are the following ones:
• can be applied to any type of meridional configuration (axial, radial and mixed flow machines,
return channels...),
• treatment of blunt leading and trailing edges,
• splitters can be modelled,
• generation of H- and I-type (H non periodic) meshes,
• possibility to have an inclined mesh (non periodic) in both upstream and downstream regions,
or only in the upstream or downstream region,
• general mesh generation process, which allows to consider the real leading and trailing edges
of the blade as the edges of the mesh, whereas in a classical H-mesh generator the edges (the
points where the upstream/downstream boundaries intersect with the blade) are respectively
the points located at the minimum and maximum x-position.,
• fully automatic tool: the only information required from the user is the number of points along
the suction side and along the pitchwise direction. The number of points in the different seg-
ments of the mesh as well as the inclination angles of the upstream and downstream regions
are calculated automatically.

13-4.2 Flow Solver


The flow solver included in the blade-to-blade module is a customised version of the EURANUS
flow solver, with restricted functionalities in order to optimize the efficiency. The module can be
applied to compressible and incompressible flows.
The space discretization of the governing flow equations is based on a cell-centered control volume
approach. To compute the various fluxes, a central scheme has been adopted, using Jameson type
dissipation with 2nd and 4th order derivatives of the conservative variables. Turbulence of the flow
is accounted for by means of the Baldwin-Lomax model.
The system of flow equations is solved explicitly using the 4-stage Runge-Kutta method. To accel-
erate the flow solver convergence, various strategies are used:
• multigrid approach (V-cycle),
• full multigrid strategy, to initiate the resolution process,
• local time stepping,
• implicit residual smoothing.
A turbomachinery-oriented initial solution is automatically constructed to provide a fast and robust
calculation.
A particular boundary condition is applied along the upper and lower sides of the axisymmetric
streamtube, in order to force the flow to follow the streamsurface. For this purpose a spanwise pres-
sure gradient is computed according to:

2 2
∂p V Vm
------ = ρ -----θ- cos δ – ρ ------
-, (13-1)
∂n r Rc
where n is the spanwise direction, Vm and Vθ are respectively the meridional and tangential compo-
nents of the absolute velocity, and δ and Rc are respectively the slope and the curvature radius of
the meridional trace of the streamsurface.

13-12 FINE™
File Formats Blade to Blade Module

A procedure is applied to the numerical scheme in order to force the flow to be aligned to the
streamsurface. This procedure eliminates the momentum residual in the direction normal to the
streamsurface. In case of multigrid the same procedure is applied to the flow solution after restric-
tion and prolongation of the solution.

13-5 File Formats


13-5.1 Input Files
The input files required for running a blade-to-blade study can be split into 3 categories:
• The geometrical input files, defining the blade geometry.
• The solver input file (".run"), where the solver parameters and the fluid and flow conditions
are defined.
• The inverse design input files that allow to define an inverse problem.
The geometrical input files have to be created by the user, and are compatible with the AutoGrid™
input file formats.
The solver and inverse design input files are automatically created by the FINE™/Design 2D envi-
ronment, the user has to set the parameters and flow conditions in the FINE™ interface. The next
section describes the geometrical input files.

13-5.1.1 Geometrical Input Files


The blade geometry and the axisymmetric streamsurface (or hub and shroud walls) are specified
under the form of a series of data points given in ASCII files.
Three types of geometrical input data are possible:
• 2D type: This first option is valid only for purely axial cases, in which the streamsurface is a
cylinder (constant radius). The blade geometry is then given on the cascade plane (cylinder
developed to generate the cascade).
• Q3D type: The axisymmetric streamsurface is given (including its thickness), and the blade
geometry is specified on the given surface.
• 3D type (from hub to shroud): The whole 3D blade geometry is given under the form of a
series of blade sections (minimum 2, ordered from the hub to the shroud). The hub and the
shroud walls are also specified. The streamsurface can either be specified by the user (the
lower and the upper axisymmetric surfaces have to be specified), or can be automatically con-
structed by the solver (geometrical division). In the latter case, the user only has to specify the
spanwise position of the streamsurface and its relative thickness.
• 3D type (from .geomTurbo file): The whole 3D blade geometry is given under the form of a
geometry turbo file containing the hub, shroud and blade definition (more details in AutoG-
rid™ User Manual). The stream surface can either be specified by the user (the lower and the
upper axisymmetric surfaces have to be specified), or can be automatically constructed by the
solver (geometrical division). In the latter case, the user only has to specify the spanwise posi-
tion of the stream surface and its relative thickness.
All geometrical data has to be given in the same length unit (which can be chosen arbitrarily).

FINE™ 13-13
Blade to Blade Module File Formats

a) Streamsurface Data
For the 2D and Q3D types, one ASCII file defining the surface and its thickness is required. For the
3D type (form hub to shroud), 2 files are required to define the hub and shroud walls separately and
for the 3D type (from .geomTurbo), 1 file is required to define the hub, shroud and the blade. In
case the user wants to specify the streamsurface, 2 additional files are required to define the lower
and upper axisymmetric surfaces of the streamtube.
The structure of the streamsurface data file is the following:
— line 1: title of the input file
— line 2: coordinate system:
ZRB (for 2D and Q3D types)
ZR, RZ or XYZ (for 3D type)
— line 3: number of data points N
— lines 4 to 3+N: data points in 2 or 3 columns (ordered from the inlet to the outlet)
— line 4+N: character line (facultative)
— line 5+N: Zin, Zout, Rin, Rout, specifying the inlet/outlet positions of the mesh (facultative).
(X,Y,Z) are the Cartesian coordinates (Z being the axial coordinate along the axis of rotation), R is
the radius, and B is the streamtube thickness.
The inlet/outlet positions of the mesh can either be specified:
• in the above streamsurface data file(s) (lines 4+N and 5+N)
• through the FINE™ interface through the thumbnails Inlet and Outlet in the Mesh Genera-
tion Parameters page.
In both cases the inlet/outlet positions along a given surface are specified by four real data, i.e. Zin,
Zout, Rin, Rout. No extrapolation is allowed, which implies that these positions should be located
inside the meridional curve formed by the data points.
In a 2D or Q3D case, one single meridional position is required for both inlet and outlet boundaries,
which are applied to the given streamsurface. These positions are either specified in the streamsur-
face data file or through the 4 first real data contained in the expert parameter B2BLIM.
In a 3D case, two positions should be specified for the inlet/outlet positions. They are applied along
the hub and shroud walls (geometrical creation of the streamtube), or along the upper/lower sur-
faces of the streamtube (streamtube specified by the user). These positions can be given in the 2
corresponding input files, or through the thumbnails Inlet and Outlet in the Mesh Generation
Parameters page.

b) Blade Geometry Data


The blade geometry is specified by a series of sections (1 for 2D and Q3D cases, minimum 2 for a
3D case) or by a ".geomTurbo" file. When the blade is defined by sections, each section comprises
2 input files, respectively for the suction and the pressure sides.
The structure of the blade geometry data file is the following:
— line 1: title of the input file
— line 2: coordinate system:
ZTR, ZTHR, RTZ, RTHZ, YXZ, ZXY or XYZ
— line 3: number of data points N
— lines 4 to 3+N: data points in 2 or 3 columns (ordered from the leading to the trailing edge)

13-14 FINE™
File Formats Blade to Blade Module

(X,Y,Z) are the Cartesian coordinates (Z being the axial coordinate along the axis of rotation), R is
the radius, TH is the circumferential position (in radians) and T is the circumferential coordinate
multiplied by the radius (Rθ).

θ
W

β>0

α<0

V RPM (<0)
z
FIGURE 13.5.1-12 Coordinate system and reference for flow angles and speed of rotation

In a 2D case, if the ZTR coordinate system is used, the radius does not have to be specified in the
blade geometry input file. The number of columns can be 2 or 3, the third column being not read by
the solver (the radius is automatically set to the value given in the streamsurface data input file).

The suction side is by convention located above the pressure side in the θ-direction
Figure 12.5.1-12. It does not necessarily have to be the physical suction side.

13-5.2 Output Files


Several output files are generated by the blade-to-blade module:

13-5.2.1 Geometry Files

a) ’project_computationname.geoini’ and ’project_computationname.geo’


These files contain the blade shape in the (m,θ) plane. The ".geoini" file contains the initial blade
shape as given in the input files (or resulting from the 3D interpolation process in a 3D case),
whereas the ".geo" file contains the blade discretization points used in the computation.
These files can be read and plotted by the NUMECA MonitorTurbo (Blade profile menu).

b) ’project_computationname.merdat’, ’project_computationname.mer.ori’ and


’project_computationname.mer’
These files contain respectively the hub and shroud walls and the streamtube projection onto the
meridional plane. The ".merdat" file contains the hub and shroud walls (3D case only), whereas the
".mer" and ".mer.ori" files contain the streamtube.
These files can be read and plotted by the NUMECA MonitorTurbo (Blade profile menu).

FINE™ 13-15
Blade to Blade Module File Formats

c) ’project_computationname.ps.ori’ & ’project_computationname.ss.ori’


These files contain respectively the pressure side and the suction side of the blade.

d) ’project_computationname.split.ps.ori’ & ’project_computationname.split.ss.ori’


(if splitter blades)
These files contain respectively the pressure side and the suction side of the splitter blade.

13-5.2.2 Quantity Files

a) ’project_computationname.cgns’
This file contains the results of the calculation, i.e. the five flow variables (density, x-y-z components
of the relative velocity and the static pressure) at all the mesh cell centers (including the dummy cells
generated by the boundary conditions). It also contains all output variables to be displayed by
CFView™.

b) ’project_computationname.mf’
This file is a summary file containing the averaged flow quantities at the inlet and the outlet bounda-
ries.

c) ’project_computationname.mfedge’
This file is a summary file containing the averaged flow quantities at the leading and trailing edge
planes.

d) ’project_computationname.2d.cfv’ & ’project_computationname.3d.cfv’


The blade-to-blade module automatically creates all the files required by the NUMECA CFView™
post-processing tool. Two projects are created, the first one being named ".3d.cfv", allowing a 3D vis-
ualization of the case, the second one being named ".2d.cfv", allowing a 2D visualization in the (m,θ)
plane.

e) ’project_computationname.velini’ & ’project_computationname.vel’


These files contain the isentropic Mach number and the pressure coefficient distributions along the
blade surfaces. The two quantities are plotted along the curvilinear abscissae measured along the blade
surface (non-dimensionalized by the blade chord).
The isentropic Mach number is calculated (for compressible flows only) using the inlet relative total
temperature and pressure, which are not necessarily imposed (depending on the choice of the inlet
boundary condition). In case the total conditions are not imposed, the values are the ones resulting
from the calculation (average along the inlet boundary).

γ–1
⎛ p ----------
γ
- ⎞
----------- ⎜ ⎛ ----0-⎞ – 1⎟ ,
2
Mis = (13-2)
γ – 1⎜⎝ p ⎠ ⎟
⎝ ⎠
where p is the local static pressure, and p0 is the local relative total pressure calculated assuming a con-
stant rothalpy and a constant entropy in the field.
The pressure coefficient is defined by:

13-16 FINE™
File Formats Blade to Blade Module

p – p exit
Cp = ------------------
-, (13-3)
p exit
where pexit is the exit static pressure, and p is the local static pressure.
These files can be read and plotted by the NUMECA MonitorTurbo (Loading diagram menu). The
".velini" file contains the initial distributions, whereas the ".vel" contains the actual ones, and is
iteratively updated during the resolution process.

f) ’project_computationname.split.velini’ & ’project_computationname.split.vel’


(if splitter blades)
These files contain the isentropic Mach number and the pressure coefficient distributions along the
splitter blades. These files can be read and plotted by the NUMECA MonitorTurbo (Loading dia-
gram menu).

g) The ’project_computationname.loadini’ & ’project_computationname.load’


Provided that the parameter ISQUEL specified in the ".run" file is different from 0, these files are
automatically generated, and contain the distributions of the suction-to-pressure side Mach number
and pressure coefficient difference and average. These distributions can be superimposed to the
suction and pressure side distributions.
These files can be read and plotted by the NUMECA MonitorTurbo provided with the FINE™ user
interface (Loading diagram menu). The ".loadini" file contains the initial distributions, whereas
the ".load" contains the actual ones, and is iteratively updated during the resolution process.

h) ’project_computationname.split.loadini’ &
’project_computationname.split.load’ (if splitter blades)
These files contain the same results as the ".load" and ".loadini" files along the splitter blades.
These files can be read and plotted by the NUMECA MonitorTurbo provided with the FINE™ user
interface (Loading diagram menu).

13-5.2.3 Numerical Control Files

a) ’project_computationname.log’ & project_computationname.std’


These files contain all the informations written by the solver during its execution. When the solver
fails for any accidental reason, the explanation can usually be found in these files.

b) ’project_computationname.res’
This file contains the evolution of the mean and maximum residuals and of the inlet and outlet mass
flows. This file can be read and plotted by the NUMECA MonitorTurbo (Convergence history
menu).

FINE™ 13-17
Blade to Blade Module File Formats

13-18 FINE™
CHAPTER 14:Design 2D Module

14-1 Overview
This chapter describes the new quasi-three-dimensional FINE™/Design 2D Module for turboma-
chinery cascade inverse design. This module is associated with the FINE™/Design 2D Blade-to-
Blade module presented in Chapter 13. In addition to the mesh generator and the flow solver, the
FINE™/Design 2D module includes one of the latest inverse methods for the redesign of the blades
with improved performance. Such a method permits to redesign the blade shape for a target pres-
sure distribution along the blade surfaces. The use of the design method requires a license for blade-
to-blade simulation.
The FINE™/Design 2D module can be used (and acquired) independently from the other
NUMECA tools.
Both analysis and design modules are based on the assumption that the flow in the turbomachinery
cascade remains on an axisymmetric streamsurface. The geometrical inputs required from the user
to perform an inverse design are not different from the ones required to perform an analysis (as
described in Chapter 13).
For more information about the Blade-to-Blade method, see the description provided in the
Chapter 13. In the next section the interface is described in detail including advice for use of the
inverse design method. The theoretical background for the inverse method is described in section
14-3. Finally, the Design 2D Module requires geometrical data files and generates output as
detailed in section 14-4.

FINE™ 14-1
Design 2D Module Inverse Design in the FINE™ GUI

14-2 Inverse Design in the FINE™ GUI


The Blade Design module is proposed under the new NUMECA FINE™/Design 2D environment
presented in Chapter 13, which permits a very rapid, easy and interactive use of the solvers. All the
parameters can be selected interactively by means of this user interface, which automatically cre-
ates the input files and permits to launch the analysis and inverse solvers.
A graphical control software, called MonitorTurbo, is provided. It permits to observe the evolution
of the convergence history, of the pressure distribution along the blade surface, and of the blade
geometry (case of an inverse design). It also permits to create the target pressure distribution inter-
actively.
The results can be analysed with the NUMECA CFView™ post-processing software, whose con-
nection with the blade-to-blade module is automatically provided.
The geometrical data are specified in ASCII input files, whereas the definition of the flow solver
parameters and of the boundary conditions are specified via the interface.
This section describes the creation of the inverse design input files using the interactive menus pro-
vided in FINE™/Design 2D. Further details concerning the input and output files are provided in
section 14-4.
The next sections provide information concerning:
• the starting of a new or an existing blade-to-blade project.
• the creation of the solver input files required for an Inverse Design.
• the launching of a blade-to-blade Inverse Design.

14-2.1 Start New or Open Existing Design 2D Project


To start the FINE™/Design 2D module from the FINE™ interface select the menu item Modules/
Design 2D.
When launching the FINE™ interface a Project Selection window allows to Create a New Project...
or to Open an Existing Project.... To create a new Blade-to-Blade project:
1. Click on the button Create a New Project....
2. Browse to the directory in which the new project directory needs to be created and enter a name
for the project.
3. Close the Grid File Selection window since no grid file is associated to a Design 2D project.
4. Switch to the Design 2D module through the menu Modules/Design 2D.

When an existing Design 2D project should be opened click on the button Open an Existing
Project... in the Project Selection window and select the project in the File Chooser window. The
most recently used projects can also be selected from the list of recent projects. If the selected
project was saved in the Design 2D module, the FINE™ interface is automatically switched to this
module showing the interface as in Figure 13.2.1-1.

It is not possible to have Design 2D and three-dimensional computations in one


project. A project is either a FINE™/Design 2D project or a FINE™/Turbo project. The
type of the project is determined by the module in which it is saved.
The interface in the Design 2D module is described in Chapter 13. The only difference with a
blade-to-blade analysis computation is the use of the Inverse Design page. This page is described
in more detail in the next sections.

14-2 FINE™
Inverse Design in the FINE™ GUI Design 2D Module

14-2.2 Creation of Inverse Design Input Files


An inverse design calculation should always start from the converged flow analysis of the initial
geometry.
Once a converged flow solution for the blade-to-blade analysis has been obtained, the user can pro-
ceed with a modification of the blade using the inverse method. For this purpose the two input files
"project_computationname.req" and "project_computationname.run" have to be prepared, in addi-
tion to the files required for the analysis ("project_computationname.run" and the geometrical input
files).

14-2.2.1 Recommendations
It is often useful to save the results obtained after the analysis computation. Therefore it is recom-
mended to perform the inverse design in a new computation. With the analysis computation
selected in the Computations area on the top left of the FINE™ interface click on the New button.
A new computation is created with the same parameters as the initial computation. The Rename
button may be used to rename the new computation.

analysis

inverse design

FIGURE 14.2.2-2 Computations area

The expert integer parameter IATFRZ is usually set to 2 during the inverse design procedure in
order to freeze the computation of the turbulent viscosity. The consequence of this is to drastically
reduce the computational time per inverse design iteration.

14-2.2.3 Input File ’project_computationname.req’


The "project_computationname.req" file has exactly the same format as the ".vel" or ".load" output
files automatically generated by the blade-to-blade analysis module. The most appropriate way to
generate this file is to modify the "projectname.b2b.vel" or "projectname.b2b.load" file resulting
from the flow analysis of the initial geometry, using the MonitorTurbo.
In order to create a target with the MonitorTurbo, the following operations should be made:
1. Start the MonitorTurbo.
2. Select the Loading diagram menu.
3. Open the "project_computationname.vel" or "project_computationname.load" file.
4. Choose between the Mis or Cp distributions (in case the inlet total conditions are not imposed
as boundary conditions, the inverse problem has to be formulated in terms of Cp). The defini-
tion of Mis and Cp are provided in Eq. 14-1 and Eq. 14-2 presented in section 14-4.
5. Activate the Markers to distinguish the discretization points.
6. Activate the Edit a curve button.
7. Choose the suction or the pressure side curve, by placing the cursor on the corresponding leg-
end, and typing <s> to select. The activated curve changes color.

FINE™ 14-3
Design 2D Module Inverse Design in the FINE™ GUI

8. Modify the curve using the middle button of the mouse:


a. Choose the left point where the modification will start (click on the middle button).
b. Choose the right point where the modification will end (click on the middle button).
c. Choose control points between the left and the right points (click on the middle button).
d. Displace the control points.
— Select the control point by placing the cursor on the point.
— Press <Ctrl> on the keyboard, and displace the point vertically.
The exact position of the point can be specified by pressing the right button of the mouse.
e. Save the new curve by clicking on the Save button, and giving the name of the new curve, or
cancel the modifications by clicking on the Cancel button.

At any moment, a zoom of the curves can be obtained by defining a new rectangular
window, using the left button of the mouse. The previous unzoomed view can be
retrieved by pressing the right button of the mouse.

14-2.2.4 Input File ’project_computationname.run’


The "project_computationname.run" input file is created via the Inverse design page included in
the FINE™/Design 2D interface (Figure 14.2.2-1).
One of the three possible inverse formulations should be chosen:
• Pressure and suction side distributions or classical formulation: both suction and pressure sides
of the blade are modified for an imposed pressure distribution along the whole blade contour.
If this formulation is used the profile closure constraint has to be activated.
• Suction side distribution or mixed formulation: only the suction side is modified for a pre-
scribed suction side pressure distribution. The profile closure conditions should also be acti-
vated, so that the pressure side follows the suction side modifications.
• Blade loading or loading formulation: the camber line of the blade is modified for a prescribed
loading (suction-to-pressure side pressure difference) distribution from the leading to the trail-
ing edge. The blade thickness distribution is maintained constant and therefore the profile clo-
sure condition does not need to be used.
The target of the inverse design computation may either be constructed in terms of isentropic Mach
number (Mis) or pressure coefficient (Cp) (see Eq. 14-1 and Eq. 14-2 in section 14-4). The isentro-
pic Mach (Mis) number formulation is limited to compressible flows.
Control of the leading and trailing edges is provided. The inverse method permits to maintain some
parts of the blade unchanged, such as the leading and trailing edge regions. The number of frozen
points along the suction and the pressure sides should be specified for each edge by the user. The
default value is 1. However in many cases it is recommended to freeze the leading edge region
where no modification is imposed. At the trailing edge it is highly recommended to freeze the
regions where a flow separation appears in the analysis of the initial blade.
Two relaxation factors are available:
• The first relaxation factor (default value = 1.0) permits to consider an intermediate target
between the one present in the ".req" file and the initial distribution present in the ".vel" file.
This factor is not often used.
• The second relaxation factor (default value = 0.05) permits to under-relax the geometry modi-
fications. The range of variation of this factor is from 0.01 to 0.1. Higher values than 0.1 are
not recommended for reasons of stability, whereas lower values than 0.01 usually mean that
the inverse problem can not be treated.

14-4 FINE™
Inverse Design in the FINE™ GUI Design 2D Module

The following geometry constraints are available:


• the profile closure constraint should always be used, unless:
— the blade thickness is automatically controlled ("loading" formulation).
— the trailing edge of the blade is blunt, and the trailing edge thickness does not need to be
maintained.
• Constant stagger angle is not often used.
• Constant blade chord: this constraint permits to maintain the blade chord (measured on the
transformed m-θ plane). This constraint should not be used together with the constant radius
option, as the two constraints are contradictory.
• Constant radius: this option is recommended for radial machines, as it permits to guarantee an
unchanged meridional position of the leading and trailing edges. The points are displaced
along the circumferential direction. This option is not recommended for large rounded leading
edges.
• Reference point: the fixed reference point can be either the leading edge (by default) or the
trailing edge (if the corresponding button is selected).

FIGURE 14.2.2-1 Inverse design page

Finally, the number of iterations performed for the inverse design calculation.

14-2.3 Initial Solution Menu


An inverse design calculation should always start from the converged flow analysis of the initial
geometry.
Once a converged flow solution for the blade-to-blade analysis has been obtained, the user can pro-
ceed with a modification of the blade using the inverse method. (Figure 14.2.3-2)

FINE™ 14-5
Design 2D Module Inverse Design in the FINE™ GUI

FIGURE 14.2.3-2 Initial solution page

14-2.4 Launch or Restart Inverse Design Calculation


Once the ".req" and ".run" input files have been correctly created, an inverse design can be started,
by selecting the Inverse design option in the Run Mode parameter included in the Control Varia-
bles page, and by selecting Start in the Solver menu.

FIGURE 14.2.4-3 Run type page of the information area

Exactly as in the case of the restart of a flow analysis the user has to specify the name
of the initial solution file. It is recommended to save the results of the flow analysis
under a different name, so that several inverse design calculations can be performed suc-
cessively, starting from the same initial solution.

An interrupted inverse design calculation can be "restarted". For this purpose the user
should set the expert parameter INVMOD to 1 instead of 0. This implies that in addition
to the correct flow solution file, the actual blade geometry will be read by the solver and
considered as the initial one.

14-2.5 Expert Parameters


14-2.5.1 Using a Parametrised Target Distribution
Using a parametrised target distribution is possible through the two expert parameters IADAPT and
RADAPT, that can be accessed via the Control Variables page. The Expert Mode must be acti-
vated in the top right corner of the interface.
The integer variable IADAPT contains 6 values:
• Type of parametrisation
— 0: parametrised distribution is not used
— 1: suction side (or loading) distribution is parametrised
— 2: pressure side distribution is parametrised.

14-6 FINE™
Theory Design 2D Module

• Number of iterations after which the adaptation process will start.


• Index of starting (left) point of the parametrised target. The user specifies the position with
respect to the leading edge (typically about 10 points).
• Index of the ending (right) point of the parametrised target. The user specifies its position with
respect to the trailing edge (typically about 10 points).
• Turning angle is imposed value (0) or the change of swirl RVθ between inlet and outlet (1).
• Imposed turning or swirl is taken from the analysis solution (0) or set by the user (1).

The real variable RADAPT contains 4 values:


• Reduced curvilinear position of the free parameter between 0. (left point) and 1.0 (right point
(default: 0.5).
• Relaxation factor governing the amplitude of successive updates of the parameter (default:
0.25)
• Range of variation of the free parameter (in isentropic Mach number or pressure coefficient,
depending on previous choice of the user) (default: 0.2).
• User imposed value of the turning angle (in degrees) or swirl RVθ (m2/s) (used if the last inte-
ger of IADAPT is set to 1).
INVMOD: set this parameter from 0 to 1 to allow the restart of an inverse design computation.

14-2.5.2 Splitter Blades Design


Centrifugal compressors with splitters can be redesigned with FINE™/Design 2D. It is possible to
modify either the main blades or the splitter blades. The choice is made through the expert variable
INVSPL (accessed in the Control Variables page in Expert Mode):
• INVSPL= 1: main blades are modified
• INVSPL= 2: splitter blades are modified
The target should be constructed from the "project_computationname.vel" or
"project_computationname.load" files if the main blades are modified, or from the
"project_computationname.split.vel" or "project_computationname.split.load" files if the splitter
blades are modified.

14-3 Theory
The purpose of an inverse method is to redesign the blade shape in order to obtain a prescribed
pressure distribution along the blade surfaces. This provides a detailed control of the boundary
layer behaviour, by limiting the amount of diffusion and by eliminating the eventual spurious accel-
eration and deceleration detected along the initial blade profile. Such a method also offers an indi-
rect control of the secondary losses, as a control of the blade loading distribution can be obtained.
The inverse design method adopted in FINE™/Design 2D consists of modifying iteratively the
blade geometry, until a target pressure distribution is reached on the blade surfaces. The geometry
modification algorithm is based on the permeable wall concept. Each iteration of the process is
composed of 2 separate steps, respectively related to the geometry and to the flow field updates.
Both viscous and inviscid problems can be treated with this approach.
Three formulations of the inverse problem are possible:

FINE™ 14-7
Design 2D Module File Formats

• the classical formulation, in which both suction and pressure sides are redesigned in order to
obtain a pressure distribution prescribed along the whole blade surface.
• the mixed formulation, in which the suction side is redesigned in order to obtain a pressure dis-
tribution specified along the suction side only. This formulation is for instance interesting for
rotor blades on which strict mechanical constraints are imposed. In those cases the classical
inverse formulation may be less efficient because the blade thickness is a result of the calcula-
tion, and it is often difficult and time consuming to find an appropriate target leading to a blade
with an acceptable thickness distribution.
• the loading formulation, in which the distribution of blade loading (pressure-to-suction side
pressure difference) from the leading to the trailing edge is prescribed, and in which the cam-
ber line of the blade is redesigned (the blade thickness distribution being kept unchanged).
This approach is interesting especially for radial machines. This is due to the fact that in radial
machines, the average velocity level in the blade channel is mainly controlled by the shape of
the hub and shroud endwalls, and therefore a modification of the blade shape mainly influ-
ences the loading distribution. The "loading" formulation is therefore more appropriate and
efficient for radial machines. However no general rule can be set, and improvements can be
reached in many cases using the second formulation.
Several geometrical constraints and options have been implemented, to increase the flexibility of
the method:
• Control of the leading and trailing edges: several points can be kept unchanged in the leading/
trailing edge regions.
• Constant blade chord.
• Specification of the fixed reference point (leading or trailing edge).
• Inverse problem formulated in terms of isentropic Mach number or of pressure coefficient.
• Constant meridional position of leading and trailing edges (recommended for radial
machines): with this option, the points are displaced along the circumferential direction, which
guarantees that their meridional position is unchanged.
An important advantage of the present method is the possibility to control the outlet flow angle or
swirl. A major drawback of most inverse methods is the lack of control of the turning angle or work
exchange in the cascade. The user does not have the guarantee that the specified target pressure dis-
tribution will lead to an unchanged turning angle. This implies that several iterations are sometimes
required before finding the target leading to an acceptable design.
FINE™/Design 2D offers a unique solution to that problem, allowing the control of the turning
angle or of the change of swirl from inlet to outlet. A degree of freedom is introduced in the target
pressure distribution, that is automatically modified in order to respect the outlet flow angle con-
straint. A part of the target pressure distribution is defined using a fourth order polynomial curve.
The parameter defines the vertical position of a point of this polynomial curve. A smooth transition
is ensured between the fixed part of the target and variable one. The parameter is iteratively and
automatically adjusted in order to respect the outlet flow angle or the outlet swirl RVθ.

14-4 File Formats


14-4.1 Input Files
The input files required to run a blade-to-blade study can be split into 3 categories:

14-8 FINE™
File Formats Design 2D Module

• The geometrical input files, defining the blade geometry.


• The solver input files, which define the solver parameters and the fluid and flow conditions.
• The inverse design input files, which permit to define an inverse problem.
The geometrical and solver input files have been described in Chapter 13. The inverse design input files
can be interactively created with the FINE™ environment, and are described in this section.

14-4.1.1 Inverse Design Input Files


In order to perform an inverse design problem, 2 additional input files are required:
— The "project_computationname.req" file, which defines the target pressure distribution. This file
can be interactively created using the MonitorTurbo.
— The "project_computationname.run" file, which specifies the parameters for the inverse design
(automatically written by the user interface when saving the ".run" file).
It should be mentioned that an inverse design always starts from a converged analysis of the initial geome-
try. The target pressure distribution can be generated by modifying the pressure distribution resulting from
the analysis of the initial geometry.

14-4.2 Output Files


Several output files are generated by the blade-to-blade module, which have been described in Chapter 12.
The inverse design method produces additional output files which are presented in this section.

14-4.2.1 Geometry Files

a) ’project_computationname.geoini’ & ’project_computationname.geo’


These files contain the blade shape in the (m,θ) plane. The ".geoini" file contains the initial blade shape,
whereas the ".geo" file contains the actual one.
These files can be read and plotted with the NUMECA MonitorTurbo (Blade profile). In the case of an
inverse design the visualization of the two files permits to compare the initial and the new geometry.

b) ’project_computationname.split.geoini’ & ’projectname_computationname.split.geo’


(if splitter blades)
These files contain the splitter blade shape in the (m,θ) plane. The ".geoini" file contains the initial blade
shape, whereas the ".geo" file contains the actual one.
These files can be read and plotted with the NUMECA MonitorTurbo (Blade profile). In the case of an
inverse design the visualization of the two files permits to compare the initial and the new geometry.

c) ’projectname_computationname.ss.ori’ ,’projectname_computationname.ps.ori’ &


’projectname_computationname.mer.ori’
These three files are automatically generated at the beginning of the solver execution, and contain respec-
tively the suction side, the pressure side and the axisymmetric streamsurface on which the calculation is
performed. These files are especially interesting in a 3D input type, with which this blade section results
from the 3D interpolation procedure between the 3D blade and the streamsurface. These files have the
same format as the blade geometry and streamsurface data input files.
The coordinate system for the blade data is always XYZ, which makes these files compatible with IGG™
or AutoGrid™. The coordinate system for the streamsurface is always ZRB (B is the streamtube thick-
ness).

FINE™ 14-9
Design 2D Module File Formats

The coordinates are given in the same unit length chosen by the user for the input data.

d) ’project_computationname.ss.new’ & ’project_computationname.ps.new’


After an inverse design stage, these two files are automatically generated, and contain the new suc-
tion and pressure sides. These files have the same format as the blade geometry data input files.
The coordinate system is always XYZ, which makes them compatible with IGG™ or AutoGrid™.
The coordinates are given in the same length unit chosen by the user in the input.
In the default configuration of the solver the points included in these files are the mesh points along
the blade walls. The number of points can be different and controlled by the user through the expert
parameter NPTB2B. If this parameter is set to a value N different from 0, the number of points
describing both suction and pressure sides will be N.

14-4.2.2 Quantities Files

a) ’project_computationname.velini’ & ’project_computationname.vel’


These files contain the isentropic Mach number and the pressure coefficient distributions along the
blade surfaces. The two quantities are plotted along the curvilinear coordinate measured along the
blade surface (non-dimensionalized by the blade chord). The ".velini" file contains the initial distri-
bution, whereas the ".vel" file contains the actual one.
The isentropic Mach number is calculated using the inlet relative total temperature and pressure,
which are not necessarily imposed (depending on the choice of the inlet boundary condition). In
case the total conditions are not imposed, the values are the ones resulting from the calculation
(average along the inlet boundary).
The isentropic Mach number is defined by:

γ–1
⎛ p ----------
γ
- ⎞
Mis =
2 ⎜ ⎛ 0⎞
----------- ----- – 1⎟
γ – 1⎜⎝ p ⎠ ⎟ (14-1)
⎝ ⎠

where p is the local static pressure, and p0 is the local relative total pressure calculated assuming a
constant rothalpy and a constant entropy in the field.
The pressure coefficient is defined by:

p – p exit
Cp = ------------------
- (14-2)
p exit

where pexit is the exit static pressure and p is the local static pressure.

These files can be read and plotted by the NUMECA MonitorTurbo (Loading dia-
gram). In the case of an inverse design the visualization of the two files permits to com-
pare the initial and the new pressure distributions.

b) ’project_computationname.loadini’ & ’projectname_computationname.load’


Provided that the parameter ISQUEL specified in the ".run" file is different from 0, these files are
automatically generated and contain the distributions of the suction-to-pressure side Mach number
and pressure coefficient difference and average. These distributions are useful when the ’loading’

14-10 FINE™
File Formats Design 2D Module

formulation of the inverse design method is selected. The ".loadini" file contains the initial distribu-
tion, whereas the ".load" file contains the actual one.

These files can be read and plotted by the NUMECA MonitorTurbo (Loading diagram).
In the case of an inverse design the visualization of the two files permits to compare the ini-
tial and the new distributions.

c) ’project_computationname.split.loadini’ & ’project_computationname.split.load’


(if splitter blades)
Provided that the parameter ISQUEL specified in the ".run" file is different from 0, these files are auto-
matically generated and contain the same quantities as the ".load" and ".loadini" files calculated along
the splitter blades (Loading diagram).

d) ’project_computationname.tarini’ & ’project_computationname.tar’


The inverse solver automatically generates these two output files, which contain respectively the initial
and actual target pressure (or loading) distributions.

These files can be read and plotted by the NUMECA MonitorTurbo (Loading diagram).
The comparison of the ".tarini" and ".velini" (or ".loadini") permits to observe the inverse
problem to be solved, whereas the comparison of the ".tar" and ".vel" (or ".load") files per-
mits to verify the correct convergence of the inverse design.

FINE™ 14-11
Design 2D Module File Formats

14-12 FINE™
CHAPTER 15:The Task Manager

15-1 Overview
Using the Solver menu in FINE™/Turbo, computations can be started, suspended or killed. For
basic task management these menu items are sufficient.
The Task Manager provides more advanced features for the management of (multiple) tasks. It
allows to manage tasks on different machines on a network, to define parallel computations or to
delay tasks to a given date and time.
Before using the Task Manager for the first time it is important to read the next section first. This
section provides important information for getting started with the Task Manager. Read this section
carefully to fully benefit of the capabilities of the Task Manager.
From FINE™/Turbo the Task Manager can be accessed through the Modules/Task Manager menu
item. The interface as shown in Figure 15.3.1-1 will appear.
In section 15-3 the Task Manager interface is described in detail including a description of all capa-
bilities. The current limitations of the Task Manager are listed in section section 15-6.

To manage tasks through the use of scripts is also possible and has the benefit that it is not neces-
sary to stay logged in on the machine on which the tasks are launched. See section 15-5 for more
detail on the scripts to use to launch NUMECA software.

15-2 Getting Started


15-2.1 PVM Daemons
The Task Manager is based on the PVM library. It allows FINE™ to control processes and commu-
nication between processes on all the machines available by the user. PVM works with a virtual
machine managed through a pvm daemon. In this section the way PVM daemons are working and
its limitations under Windows are described.

FINE™ 15-1
The Task Manager Getting Started

15-2.1.1 What PVM Daemons Do


If a user starts the FINE™ interface on a given computer where no PVM daemon is running,
FINE™ will start the process pvmd on this machine that becomes the virtual machine server for the
user. When adding a host in the Task Manager (on the Hosts definition page) a pvmd is started on
the remote computer that is added to the virtual machine. If after that the user logs on the second
computer and starts the FINE™ interface this second computer belongs also to the virtual machine
whose server is the first pvmd started.
If after that the user logs on a third computer on which no pvmd is running and starts the FINE™
interface, FINE™ will start a pvmd that becomes the server of a new virtual machine. When trying
to add a host belonging the first virtual machine (containing the two first computers), a warning
message will be shown that it is not possible to connect to the virtual machine because a pvmd is
already running.
If the user wants to have the three computers in the same virtual machine, one of the virtual
machines must be shut down (on the Hosts definition page) and add the corresponding computers
from the second one.

15-2.1.2 Limitation under Windows


On windows only one pvmd can run and hence, only one single user can connect to the virtual
machine. If an other user wants to use the NUMECA software on the PC as server (FINE™) or as
client (EuranusTurbo), the first one needs to shut down the pvm daemons on this machine. To shut
down go to the Hosts definition page and click on Shutdown button. This will close the interface
and it will remove all the pvm daemons on the machine. Remove the files pvml.<userID> and
pvmd.<userID> from the directory defined by the PVM_TMP (by default C:\tmp).

15-2.2 Multiple FINE™ Sessions


During a FINE™ session all the tasks defined by the user are stored in the tasks file in the
NUMECA tmp directory. This is the .numeca/tmp directory in the home directory of the user. On
UNIX the home directory corresponds to the HOME environment variable. This is also true on
Windows if this variable is defined and, if it is not the case, it is set to the concatenation of HOME-
DRIVE and HOMEPATH environment variables.
When FINE™ is started more than once at the same time, a warning indicates to the user that
FINE™ is already running and can enter in conflicts with the other FINE™ sessions. The user can
define tasks in both interfaces but the task definitions saved when exiting FINE™ will be overwrit-
ten by the other sessions. Therefore, it is not advised to open multiple FINE™ sessions when the
Task Manager is used.

15-2.3 Machine Connections


The Task Manager allows the user to control processes on all the machines connected to the net-
work. The rsh command is used by the PVM library to access the machines. Before using the
Task Manager, the following actions must be done:
1. On Windows platforms the Numeca RSH Daemon has to be started. The user is referred to the
installation note for more details.
2. Modify the .rhosts file in the home directory (on UNIX) or the rhosts.txt file in C:\WINDOWS
(on Windows) by introducing all the machines which can be used by the Task Manager. i.e.: if
the machines machine1 and machine2 will be used by the users tasks, the file must be modified
as follows:

15-2 FINE™
Getting Started The Task Manager

line1: machine1 <login1>


line2: machine2 <login2>
where machine1 and machine2 are the host names.
login1 and login2 are optional. They must be set if the login on remote host is different from
the login on the local host.
The rhosts file needs to be ended by a blank line.
The file permission must be set to ’rw’ (on UNIX: chmod 600 ~/.rhosts).

3. Test the rsh command on the desired machine: an external check that the .rhosts file is set cor-
rectly is to enter the following command line:
% rsh remote_host ls <Enter> when the remote host is UNIX or rsh remote_host dir
<Enter> when the remote host is on Windows.
where remote_host is the name of the machine to connect to. If the login on the remote host
is not the same, ensure that the .rhosts file contains the line:
remote_host local_login
and in this case the command line is:
% rsh remote_host -l local_login ls when the remote host is UNIX or rsh remote_host -l
local_login dir <Enter> when the remote host is on Windows.
If the rhosts file is set up correctly, a listing of the files is shown on the remote host.

On Windows, the rsh.exe executable is located in


<NUMECA_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY>/fine#/bin/

Due to a limitation of the PVM library, FINE™ can not be connected to a machine
where FINE™ has already been started. When PVM tries to establish the connection, it
detects that a server FINE™ is already running and/or pvm daemons are still running and
finally refuses the connection with a warning. To solve this problem, the PVM daemons
must be stopped on the machine on which FINE™ must be connected:
1. Log on the machine where the connection must be established.
2. Start FINE™ and open the Task Manager through Modules/Task Manager and use the
button Shutdown of the page Hosts definition. The button Shutdown can be used to
switch off all the PVM daemons of all the machines connected to FINE™. This action
will stop all the daemons on all the machines connected, kill all the tasks and finally exit
FINE™.
3. On UNIX: remove all the /tmp/pvmd.<userID> and /tmp/pvml.<userID> files. On Win-
dows these files should be removed from the directory defined by PVM_TMP (by default
this directory is C:\tmp).
4. Repeat this operation for all the machines on which the problems appear.

The script cleanpvmd located in <NUMECA_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY>/fine#/


COMMON/, provided with the NUMECA software, will automatically perform steps 2
and 3 on all machines listed in the .rhosts file. This script is only available for UNIX
platforms.
5. If PVM still has a problem to get the connection, it will print an error message either to
the screen, or in the log file /tmp/pvml.<userID> (on UNIX) or in the directory defined by
the environment variable PVM_TMP (by default C:\tmp) in the log file called:
pvml.<userID>. Please send this log file to NUMECA support team (sup-
[email protected]).

FINE™ 15-3
The Task Manager Getting Started

All these operations apply to the users daemons and users files. Multiple users can use
the Task Manager simultaneously. No interaction appears between PVM daemons and
PVM log files of different users.

On Windows, when the user stops the pvmd on a remote host (using Remove Host but-
ton on the Hosts definition page) and immediately tries to restart it (using the Add
Host... button), a message will appear stating that it is not possible to connect. This prob-
lem does not occur in general since there is no need to remove a host and add it immedi-
ately after. When it occurs the only solution is to wait until the host is available again
(after 5 to 10 minutes). More details are available in the installation note.

From time to time, when a user tries to connect on a remote host, an error message can
appear very briefly: "Can not connect to RSH Port!!!" This may happen on Windows
connecting to a host, disconnecting, and trying to reconnect again to the same host. There
is a socket release time parameter which keeps the connection for some time.

15-2.4 Remote Copy Features on UNIX/LINUX


All the tasks defined by the user are associated with files used or created by the NUMECA’s soft-
ware. When the files are not visible from the machine on which the task must be launched (i.e. the
files are on the local disk of the host where FINE™ is running), the user can use the remote copy
feature proposed in the Task Manager. All the files needed by the tasks will be transferred into a
directory (specified by the user) of the remote machine and at the end all the created or modified
files are transferred back to the host machine from which the task has been launched. By default,
the available remote directories are "/tmp". The user can also specify any other directory, as long as
it is visible from the remote host and has writing permissions. This feature uses the rcp UNIX com-
mand. Before using the remote copy feature, it is advised to first check if the rcp command works
correctly between the machines:
— First try the rsh command (see section 15-2.3).
— Type the command: touch test;rcp -p -r test destination_machine:/tmp/test. If no error is
returned by the system, the remote copy works between the local host and the
destination_machine. Errors may appear if the .cshrc file contains an stty command. In order
to be able to use the remote copy feature, remove all the stty commands from the .cshrc file.
— If the login on the local host is different from the login on the remote host, type the com-
mand: touch test;rcp -p -r test remote_login@destination_machine:/tmp/test.

15-2.5 Remote Copy Features on Windows


As files located on the local disk are not visible from a UNIX machine, this feature is proposed to
be able to launch tasks on remote UNIX platforms. The principle is the same as the one described in
the previous section: local files are copied in the remote directory specified by the user, then the
task starts. When it terminates, all results files are transferred in the original directory. This feature
uses the rcp.exe Windows command. Before using the remote copy feature, it is advised to first
check if this command works properly:
— First try the rsh.exe command (see section 15-2.3).

15-4 FINE™
The Task Manager Interface The Task Manager

— Create a file test, then type the command: rcp -b test destination_machine:/tmp/test. If no
error is returned by the system, the remote copy works between the local host and the
destination_machine. Errors may appear if the .cshrc file contains an stty command. In order
to be able to use the remote copy feature, remove all the stty commands from the .cshrc file.
— If the login on Windows is different from the login on the remote host, type the command:
rcp -b test destination_machine.remote_login:/tmp/test

rcp.exe is provided with FINE™ and is located in the same directory as rsh.exe.

15-3 The Task Manager Interface


15-3.1 Hosts Definition
On the Hosts definition page hosts in the virtual machine, the operating system of the machine and
their connection status are visualized. For an explanation of the virtual machine see section 15-
2.1.1. If the connection is not OK, it means that the corresponding computer is not in the virtual
machine anymore. This may occur for example if the computer has been rebooted.

FIGURE 15.3.1-1Hosts definition page

15-3.1.1 Add Host


When the user clicks on the Add Host... button, the interface asks for a host name and a login name.
The login name is optional. It is needed only if the login of the user on the local and remote host are
different.

FIGURE 15.3.1-2 Add a Host

FINE™ 15-5
The Task Manager The Task Manager Interface

When the user accepts (Accept), the host name appears in the host list, with type of operating sys-
tem and its connection status. At this point, the host is in the virtual machine, and is ready to receive
a task.

If the connection can not be established, check for more detail in section 15-2.1, sec-
tion 15-2.3 and section 15-2.4.

It is impossible to add a host on Fedora 3 operating systems.

15-3.1.2 Remove Host


When the user clicks on the Remove Host button, the selected host is removed from the list, and is
not in the virtual machine anymore. This operation is not allowed when a task is running on the
host, to be removed, or when the selected host is the local one.

15-3.1.3 Shutdown
When the user clicks on the Shutdown button, all hosts in the virtual machine are removed. FINE™
exits and the virtual machine halts. All running tasks are killed. This option is useful when the user
wants to change the machine on which FINE™ is running. See section 15-2.1.1 for more detail on
virtual machines and when to change this.

15-3.2 Tasks Definition


A task is a collection of subtasks, where a subtask is one of the programs with its arguments (".run"
file for EURANUS and Design3D, template ".trb", geometry ".geomTurbo" and mesh ".igg" files
for AutoGrid™ and macro file ".py" and ".run" file for CFView™). The different subtasks of a
given task can be run simultaneously if the output of one subtask is not needed by other ones (for
example: several CFView™ subtasks with different macro ".py" files or several EURANUS sub-
tasks with different ".run" files started on different computer). If the output of one subtask is needed
by other ones, they must be run sequentially. For example: AutoGrid™ generates the mesh that is
used for starting an EURANUS computation whose output is used for starting CFView™.

15-3.2.1 Task List


In this section, the user can visualize the defined tasks and their status. To create a task, just click on
New Task button. The defaults task name can be modified by clicking on Rename Task button. The
selected task can be removed by clicking on Remove Task button.
Once a task is created and defined (see following section), it can be started or stopped just by click-
ing respectively on the Start, or Stop button.
A task can be delayed: click on Delay button and enter the date and time for the moment the task
needs to be launched in the dialog box. The delayed task can be disabled using the button Cancel.

15-6 FINE™
The Task Manager Interface The Task Manager

When the user validates the data, a little watch in the task list indicates that the task is scheduled:

FIGURE 15.3.2-3 Task List with Delay window to start a task at a later moment

When exiting FINE™, all the delayed tasks are automatically started and stay in sleep
mode until their starting dates are reached. When starting FINE™ again, all the message
windows, related to the delayed tasks which are still in sleep mode, are killed and the
Task Manager gets back the control of these tasks.

15-3.2.2 Task Definition


In this section the subtasks of the selected task are listed. A subtask is defined by its type (euranus-
Turbo, AutoGrid™, CFView™ or Design3D), its status and the host on which they are launched.
To add a subtask click on the New button in Task Definition area. Select the executable name
(EURANUS, AutoGrid™, CFView™ or Design3D) and the host on which the process should be
started, from the two available lists. The host name list contains the hosts that are in the virtual
machine. They are set in the Host definition page.

15-3.2.3 Subtask Arguments

a) Definition of Input & Output


Once a subtask is created, input and/or output files must be defined in the Subtask Arguments &
characteristics section:
— The flow solver EURANUS and Design3D requires one argument file: the name of the
".run" file. This files is created using the menu File/Save Run Files in the FINE™/Turbo
GUI.

— The mesh generation system AutoGrid™ requires three files as arguments: the ".trb" file, the
".geomTurbo" file and as output the grid file ".igg" (see the AutoGrid™ User Manual for
more details)

When working on a remote host, the process still requires a valid display. On Win-

FINE™ 15-7
The Task Manager The Task Manager Interface

dows platforms, it is not possible to transfer the display, therefore the mesh generation
has to be executed locally. On Linux platforms, the command <xhost +> has to be exe-
cuted on the local machine.

— The flow visualization system CFView™ requires two files: the ".run" file and a macro file
".py" (see CFView™ User Manual for more details)

When working on a remote host, the process still requires a valid display. On Win-
dows platforms, it is not possible to transfer the display, therefore the mesh generation
has to be executed locally. On Linux platforms, the command <xhost +> has to be exe-
cuted on the local machine.
The run file is automatically opened by CFView™ before starting the macro. The macro file
may open other ".run" files to perform flow comparisons (see CFView™ User Manual for
more information about the macro ".py" file).

b) Simultaneous or Sequential Mode


Moreover, a process can be executed simultaneously with the other subtasks (by selecting Run
Simultaneously with Previous Subtask) or sequentially (by selecting Run After Previous Sub-
task). In sequential mode, the process waits until the previous subtask is finished before starting the
next one. This is only available for AutoGrid™, Design3D and EURANUS subtasks. Only a certain
amount of tasks can be performed at the same time depending on the available licenses. The sub-
tasks related to postprocessing with CFView™ are always executed in sequential mode.

c) Remote Copy
The Remote copy to option allows the user to specify that the files are not visible from the remote
machine and must be transferred. This is only available for AutoGrid™, Design3D and EURA-
NUS.

15-8 FINE™
The Task Manager Interface The Task Manager

d) Parallel Computations
d.1) MPI system
The flow solver, euranusTurbo, has an integrated multiprocessor machine concept. The option Par-
allel Computation can be activated to specify that the parallel version of the flow solver has to be
used for this computation.

The button Flow solver parallel settings gives access to the dialog box used to set up a parallel
computation.
When the dialog box is opened, the block list displays all the blocks of the mesh. The user can
define new processes on all the available machines. Additionally, the load balancing can be defined
manually or automatically (by using the Automatic Load Balancing button).

The parallel processing can only be used on multiprocessor machine (shared memory
mode) or on machines with the same operating systems (homogenous distributed mem-
ory mode)
See section 15-4 for more detailed information on parallel computations.

Processes list with the


load balancing of the cells

Buttons used to remove


or add new processes
on the specified machine

List of the block in the


associated mesh
Default block distribution
Button used to link the
selected block with a
process

FIGURE 15.3.2-4Parallel settings - load balancing

FINE™ 15-9
The Task Manager The Task Manager Interface

d.2) SGE system


Within the Task Manager, the parallel process can also be set-up using the SGE (Sun Grid Engine)
batch system. This system includes the possibility to add a SGE type host and to define arguments
needed to launch the computation within the Task Manager.
Host Definition
In the page Hosts definition the user needs to add the host. When adding the host, automatic
checks are performed:
1. it will detect if the "sge_qmaster" or "sge_execd" is running on the platform. If not, it means that
the platform does not have SGE capabilities or the platform is not the SGE master processor.
2. it will detect all parallel environments defined in SGE.
3. it will detect all parallel environments, that the user is allowed to use. If no parallel environment
could be accessed by the user, his login should be added to the user list by the SGE administra-
tor.
When all checks are successful, the SGE capability of the added host is activated and the user can
see if the host added is a SGE platform within the Task Manager GUI (Figure 15.3.1-1).
Task Definition
If the user selects a SGE platform when launching an EURANUS task in parallel, the Task Defini-
tion page gives access to the MPI or SGE system (Figure 15.3.2-5).
When the SGE system is used, the number of processors and the SGE environment have to be spec-
ified. Depending on the number of processor, an automatic load balancing is performed to update
the block distribution by default and the process needs only to be started by the user.
If the user wants to change the distribution of the blocks, the Automatic Load Balancing option
has to be switched off. Then the user can access the block distribution through the Flow solver par-
allel settings button (see Figure 15.3.2-4).

The user can change the block distribution but not the process host names since the
SGE system only asks for a number of processors.

FIGURE 15.3.2-5Tasks Definition - SGE/PBS inputs

Process Management
Once the process is starting, the ".run" file is modified automatically, depending on the number of
processors used. A script file (".sge") is also created at the same time as the ".p4pg" file, when using
MPI system.

The name of the SGE job is limited to 8 characters and the following format is thus
chosen "comp#000" where 000 stands for any number depending of the number of SGE
jobs already running under the same environment.

15-10 FINE™
The Task Manager Interface The Task Manager

Because EURANUS has not been launched using the PVM daemon, there is no communication
with the Task Manager. To test if a computation is running, the "qstat" command with the job-ID
number of the SGE job is used.
To suspend the SGE job, the user can use the Suspend function of the Task Manager. It will create
automatically a ".stop" file in the running computation directory that will enable EURANUS to sus-
pend after saving the solution at the next iteration or after the full multigrid initialization.
To kill the SGE job, the user can use the Kill function. The Task Manager will then use the SGE’s
function "qdel" to kill the computation without saving the solution.

To kill EURANUS properly, the SGE’s "execd parameters" variable should be set to
"NOTIFY_KILL=TERM" and the "notify time" variable of nodes should be set to a suf-
ficient value to allow EURANUS to exit properly. We advise the user to ask the SGE
administrator to check these variables.
d.3) PBS system
Within the Task Manager, the parallel process can also be set-up using the Portable Batch System
(PBS). This system includes the possibility to add a PBS type host and to define the arguments
needed to launch the computation within the Task Manager.
Host Definition
In the page Hosts definition the user needs to add the host. When adding the host, automatic
checks are performed:
1. it will detect if the process "pbs_mom" is running on the platform. If not, it means that the plat-
form does not have PBS capabilities.
2. it will detect all defined PBS environments.
When all checks are successful, the PBS capability of the added host is activated and the user can
see if the host added is a PBS platform within the Task Manager GUI (Figure 15.3.1-1).
Task Definition
If the user selects a PBS platform when launching an EURANUS task in parallel, the Task Defini-
tion page gives access to the MPI or PBS system (Figure 15.3.2-5).
When the PBS system is used, the number of processors and the PBS environment have to be spec-
ified. Depending on the number of processor, an automatic load balancing is performed to update
the block distribution by default and the process needs only to be started by the user.
If the user wants to change the distribution of the blocks, the Automatic Load Balancing option
has to be switched off. Then the user can access the block distribution through the Flow solver par-
allel settings button (see Figure 15.3.2-4).
The user can change the block distribution but not the process host names since the PBS system
only asks for a number of processors.
Process Management
Once the process is starting, the ".run" file is modified automatically, depending on the number of
processors used. A script file (".pbs") is also created at the same time as the ".p4pg" file, when
using MPI system.

The name of the PBS job is limited to 8 characters and the following format is thus
chosen "comp#000" where 000 stands for any number depending of the number of SGE
jobs already running under the same environment.

FINE™ 15-11
The Task Manager The Task Manager Interface

Because EURANUS has not been launched using the PVM daemon, there is no communication
with the Task Manager. To test if a computation is running, the "qstat" command with the job-ID
number of the PBS job is used.
To suspend the PBS job, the user can use the Suspend function of the Task Manager. It will create
automatically a ".stop" file in the running computation directory that will enable EURANUS to sus-
pend after saving the solution at the next iteration or after the full multigrid initialization.
To kill the PBS job, the user can use the Kill function. The Task Manager will then use the PBS’s
function "qdel" to kill the computation without saving the solution.

To kill EURANUS properly, the PBS variable "kill_delay" should be set to a suffi-
ciently high value to allow EURANUS to exit properly (e.g. 120 seconds). In general,
this variable should be set to a value higher than the time required for 1 iteration. We
advise the user to ask the PBS administrator to check this variable.

e) Message Window
When a task is started, a Task Manager process is launched to take care about the task management:
process communication, automatic launching of the sequential and parallel subtasks. A message
window linked to the Task Manager is opened. In this window the user can follow the evolution of
the status of all the subtasks of the current task. In case the flow solver is launched, the iterations
are also displayed in this window as shown in Figure 15.3.2-6.
At the bottom of the Task Manager window a Refresh Rate can be chosen. This rate determines how
frequently the Task Manager window is updated. A higher refresh rate will update the information
in the window more frequently but will use more of the available CPU.

FIGURE 15.3.2-6Task Manager information window

If the user quits FINE™, all the message windows will stay open and the tasks will
continue. Closing a message window will immediately kill all the subtasks of the corre-
sponding task.

15-12 FINE™
Parallel Computations The Task Manager

15-4 Parallel Computations


15-4.1 Introduction
Parallel computations can be defined through the FINE™ interface as described in section 15-3.2.3.
Parallel processing relies on the distribution of independent tasks among several processors using
communication protocols to transfer data from one processor to another whenever this is necessary.
This induces of course an acceleration of the computation itself but it also offers the possibility to
perform large computations, that would not fit on a single processor.
The present parallel processing relies on the block structure of the flow solver EURANUS. Each
process is assigned a given number of blocks. As a consequence, the number of processors cannot
exceed the number of blocks. Boundary data are exchanged between processors each time an
update of the flow solution is required.
The parallel version uses MPI (Message Passing Interface) libraries. MPI was chosen among other
tools such as PVM or Open MP for its high communication performances (high bandwidth, low
latencies). Although Open MP has better performance on shared memory configurations, i.e. on a
given computer with single global memory and several processors, it is not designed for distributed
memory configurations (several computers with their own memory).
The parallel version is implemented for UNIX, LINUX and Windows platforms (see Installation
Notes for more details on the way to establish connections between platforms).
The present MPI implementation is based on a host/node approach. One host process is dedicated to
input/output management. The host reads the mesh and input files, sends the data to the computa-
tion processes (the nodes), receives the computation results from the nodes and writes the output
files. Figure 15.4.1-7 shows the task distribution on a 4 processor (1 host + 3 nodes) configuration.
Note that the host/node implementation will be replaced progressively as parallel MPI input/output
functionalities are now available.
The host is defined in Task Definition area while the nodes are defined automatically when using
the SGE/PBS system or through the Flow Solver-Parallel settings window (Figure 15.3.2-4) when
using the MPI system.

Input data reading writing Output data


base Host base

Node 1 Node 2 Node 3


boundary conditions boundary conditions

FIGURE 15.4.1-7Tasks in a parallel computation

15-4.2 Modules Implemented in the Parallel Version


Most of the flow solver functionalities are already available in the parallel version, for example:

FINE™ 15-13
The Task Manager Parallel Computations

• All turbomachine boundary conditions (including Phase-lagged). These include rotor/stator


interfaces, non matching boundaries and the fully conservative non matching boundary treat-
ment (FNMB),
• Non-Linear Harmonic method,
• Turbomachinery initial solution,
• Baldwin-Lomax, Spalart-Allmaras ,k-ε, v2-f and k-ω turbulence models,
• Perfect and real gases,
• Incompressible and condensable fluids,
• Preconditioning,
• Transition module,
• Cooling/bleed holes,
• Outputs including pitchwise averaged output. No solid data nor surface averaged outputs are
available yet.

The fluid-particle interaction, blade to blade and inverse design modules are not avail-
able for parallel computations.

15-4.3 Management of Inter-Block Communication


The block structure of the solver allows to distribute blocks across processors or computers (in case
of a cluster). Each processor will handle an integer number of blocks. The treatment of the bound-
ary condition will be replaced by a message passing between the processors or remote computers.
Communication optimization
The parallel version of the flow solver is optimized in order to minimize duplicated data as well as
the number and the volume of exchanged messages. A significant improvement of the code per-
formance was obtained by grouping small messages into larger buffers: the information contained
in small messages is usually shared by a large number of blocks, leading to frequent messages of
that type. This is the case for block edges data that are exchanged several times during each itera-
tion. Significant latency times are induced by these communication processes and message group-
ing highly reduces the number of such messages.
Large message limitation
Very large messages are usually exchanged during initialization and at the end of the computation
between the nodes and the host. These also need to be avoided as they can cause important memory
needs and eventually lead to system failure. Messages are split into buffers of maximum size
MXBFSZ (see section 15-4.4) in order to avoid excessive MPI memory requests.

15-4.4 How to Run a Parallel Computation


Configuring a parallel run using the FINE™ interface is described in section 15-3.2.3. The user
selects the number of nodes, making sure it is smaller than the number of blocks. A balanced distri-
bution of the blocks among the various processes is automatically performed by the FINE™ inter-
face but the user can also define its own load balancing, i.e. process distribution.
Memory allocation
Memory allocation is performed as follows:
• The integer data structure is duplicated for all processes. Since the integer data structure size is
about a tenth of the real data structure, this does not lead to high memory overload when the
number of processes is less than 10.

15-14 FINE™
Parallel Computations The Task Manager

• The real memory allocation is performed for each process. It should be set to the minimal
amount of memory necessary to hold the data structure on the process that has most grid
points. When the load is well balanced, the real memory overload is due to face and edge data
structures. These data need indeed to be duplicated when two processors are involved in the
same block connection.
The total memory need Mtotal for a parallel computation involving n ( n ≥ 2 ) processors can be esti-
mated as:
n
M total = M real ⋅ 1, 2 ⋅ ------------ + M integer ⋅ n
n–1

where Mreal and Minteger are the real and integer memory needed for the same computation in
sequential mode.
From a practical point of view, the user does not specify the total memory needed but the integer
real M
- ⋅ 1, 2 for the real mem-
and real memory required per processor. This can be estimated as --------------
n
ory and Minteger for the integer memory.

When doing a parallel calculation, the estimated real memory displayed by FINE™ on
the Control Variables page, shall not be followed but the formula shown above will be
respected.
The following table states the total memory needed for a parallel computation using respectively 4
and 6 and 8 processors. The values of Mreal and Minteger are set to 10 Mb and 1 Mb respectively.
The equivalent memory request on a single processor is thus 11Mb.

n Mtotal (Mb) Parallel overhead (Mb)


4 20 9
6 20.4 9.4
8 21.7 10.7
TABLE 15-1 Parallel memory request
In the present implementation, the presence of the host processor increases the global memory
request. It also reduces the overall speed-up of the computation as it is mainly dedicated to I/O
management and no computation is affected to it. Future versions of EURANUS will optimize this
aspect by removing gradually the need of a host processor.
Message size limitation
During initialization and final steps, large messages are usually exchanged between the nodes and
the host process. In order to avoid any system failure, messages are split into buffers of maximum
size. This size is set to 100000 by default but the user can eventually tune this value through the
expert parameter MXBFSZ.

15-4.5 Troubleshooting
If the computation is interrupted for an unknown reason, more detailed information is provided in
the ".std" and ".log" computation files. These files contain all relevant information, including MPI
error messages and can be sent to the NUMECA support team ([email protected]).

FINE™ 15-15
The Task Manager Task Management in Batch

15-4.6 Limitations
• The distributed memory mode is restricted to homogeneous (i.e. with the same operating system)
clusters.
• The number of processors should not exceed the number of blocks.

15-5 Task Management in Batch


This section provides the necessary information to launch NUMECA software from a shell, without
using the IGG™, AutoGrid™, FINE™ or CFView™ interfaces.
Every time the ".run" file of a FINE™ computation is saved, a script file is automatically created. On
UNIX systems, the name of this file has the extension ".batch". On Windows the extension is ".bat".
Such files contain text lines with the commands to launch the software with the appropriate command
arguments. To launch a task from a shell simply execute the automatically generated file by typing its
name in a shell.
In the next sections the available commands to launch NUMECA software are described in more detail.

The capability to launch in batch is currently not supported for EURANUS in parallel mode
on PC.

15-5.1 Launch IGG™ in Batch


15-5.1.1 How to Launch IGG™ on UNIX
To launch IGG™ without use of the interface the commands to perform must be written in a macro script
file. To create such a file:
1. Create a script file ".py". For more details on the commands that can be included in such a script file
see the IGG™ manual.
2. Launch the macro script in a shell by typing:
"igg <script_path>/script.py -batch -niversion <version>"
The command line to start the grid generator IGG™ contains its name, the full path of the script ".py"
file (<script_path>) to launch and the IGG™ release (<version>) that will be used. The "-batch" option
avoids the display of the IGG™ graphical user interface.

When launched in batch, IGG™ does not open the graphical user interface but an access to
the display of the machine on which the process is launched, is still required.

15-5.1.2 How to Launch IGG™ on Windows


1. Create script file ".py". For more detailed information on the commands to include in a macro script
see the IGG™ manual.
2. Launch the macro script ".py" by typing in a DOS-shell:
"<IGG_path>\igg.exe -script <script_path>\script.py -batch"
The command line to start the grid generator IGG™ contains the full path name of the igg.exe executable
(<IGG_path>) and the full path of the script ".py" file (<script_path>) to launch. The "-script" & "-

15-16 FINE™
Task Management in Batch The Task Manager

batch" options respectively permit to launch the script and to avoid to display the IGG™ graphical
user interface. The igg.exe executable can be found in: "<NUMECA_install_dir>\Fine#\bin\"

When launched in batch, IGG™ does not open the graphical user interface but an
access to the display of the machine on which the process is launched, is still required.
Remarks:
• The full path of the executable (igg.exe) has to be specified.
• The full path of the script has to be specified.
• There can be a segmentation fault at exit (due to an uncontrollable "opengl" problem). It is
possible to avoid this message, by adding the option "-driver msw".

15-5.2 Launch AutoGrid™ in Batch


15-5.2.1 How to Launch AutoGrid™ 4 on UNIX
1. Create a template and geometry file (".trb" and ".geomTurbo") using the AutoGrid™ 4 inter-
face.
2. Start AutoGrid™ to create a mesh from these files by typing in a shell:
"igg -batch -autoGrid <path>/test.trb <path>/test.geomTurbo \\
<path>/test.igg -niversion <version>"
The command line to start the grid generator AutoGrid™ 4 contains its name, the full path of the
template and geometry file (<path>), the full path of the mesh that will be saved and the IGG™
version that will be used. The "-batch" option avoids the display of the IGG™ graphical user inter-
face.

When launched in batch, IGG™ does not open the graphical user interface but an
access to the display of the machine on which the process is launched, is still required.

15-5.2.2 How to Launch AutoGrid™ on UNIX


1. Create a template and geometry files (".trb" and ".geomTurbo") using the AutoGrid™ interface.
2. Start AutoGrid™ to create a mesh from these files by typing in a shell:
"igg -batch -autogrid5 -trb <path>/test.trb -geomTurbo <path>/test.geomTurbo \\
-mesh <path>/test.igg -niversion <version>"
The command line to start the grid generator AutoGrid™ contains its name, the full path of the tem-
plate and geometry file (<path>), the full path of the mesh that will be saved and the IGG™ ver-
sion that will be used. The "-batch" option avoids the display of the IGG™ graphical user interface.

When launched in batch, IGG™ does not open the graphical user interface but an
access to the display of the machine on which the process is launched, is still required.

15-5.2.3 How to Launch AutoGrid™ 4 on Windows


1. Create a template and geometry files (".trb" and ".geomTurbo") using the AutoGrid™ 4 inter-
face.
2. Start AutoGrid™ 4 to create a mesh from these files by typing in a DOS-shell:
"<IGG_path>\igg.exe -batch -autoGrid <path>\template.trb \\
<path>\template.geomTurbo <path>\mesh.igg"
The command line to start the grid generator AutoGrid™ 4 contains the full path of the igg.exe exe-
cutable (<IGG_path>), the full path of the template and geometry file (<path>) and the full path of

FINE™ 15-17
The Task Manager Task Management in Batch

the mesh that will be saved. The "-batch" option avoids the display of the IGG™ graphical user interface.
The igg.exe executable can be found in: "<NUMECA_install_dir>\Fine#\bin\"

When launched in batch, IGG™ does not open the graphical user interface but an access to the
display of the machine on which the process is launched, is still required.

15-5.2.4 How to Launch AutoGrid™ on Windows


1. Create a template and geometry files (".trb" and ".geomTurbo") using the AutoGrid™ interface.
2. Start AutoGrid™ to create a mesh from these files by typing in a DOS-shell:
"<IGG_path>\igg.exe -batch -autogrid5 -trb <path>\template.trb \\
-geomTurbo <path>/template.geomTurbo -mesh <path>/mesh.igg"
The command line to start the grid generator AutoGrid™ contains the full path of the igg.exe executable
(<IGG_path>), the full path of the template and geometry file (<path>) and the full path of the mesh that
will be saved. The "-batch" option avoids the display of the IGG™ graphical user interface. The igg.exe
executable can be found in: "<NUMECA_install_dir>\Fine#\bin\"

When launched in batch, IGG™ does not open the graphical user interface but an access to the
display of the machine on which the process is launched, is still required.

15-5.3 Launch FINE™ in Batch


The user has the possibility to set-up a computation, without opening the FINE™ interface, through the
finebatch program. In batch mode, FINE™ will create a computation file (.run) from an existing project
(.iec) and mesh (.igg) file. This method can be used to set-up sequential or parallel computations.

If the geometry or mesh topology has been changed, it is strongly advised to use FINE™
interface to set-up the computation. When a new/modified mesh is linked with an existing
project file, an automatic merge will be performed. This merge will reset the physical parameters
to their default values for the modified parts of the mesh. If for example blocks have been added,
the rotation speed, solid conductivity and initial solution of these blocks will be set to the default
values.

The user must have read/write permissions in the project directory.

PBS is currently not available through the finebatch program.

15-5.3.1 How to Launch FINE™ on UNIX

a) Create a ".run" file


To link a new mesh to an existing project and create the corresponding ".run" file, the finebatch program
can be launched with following command:
"fine -niversion <version> -batch <project_path>/project.iec <mesh_path>/mesh.igg \\
<output_path>/output.run <computation_index>"
or
"fine<version> -batch <project_path>/project.iec <mesh_path>/mesh.igg \\
<output_path>/output.run <computation_index>"
In the command line, the version of FINE™ (<version>) needs to be specified, together with the -batch
option. The -batch option requires following arguments:

15-18 FINE™
Task Management in Batch The Task Manager

• Full path of the input project file (.iec)


• Full path of the input mesh file (.igg)
• Full path of the output computation file (.run)
• Index of the computation in the project file. This is an optional argument, if no value is specified the
first computation will be used.

b) Set-up a parallel computation using MPI


To set-up a parallel computation using MPI, the finebatch program can be launched with following com-
mand:
"fine -niversion <version> -batch -parallel <project_path>/computation/computation.run \\
<nr_of_machines> <machine_name> <nr_of_processors> -print"
or
"fine<version> -batch -parallel <project_path>/computation/computation.run \\
<nr_of_machines> <machine_name> <nr_of_processors> -print"
In the command line, the version of FINE™ (<version>) needs to be specified, together with the -batch and
the -parallel option. The -print option is used to print the output to the screen. The -batch -parallel option
require following arguments:
• Full path of the input computation file (.run)
• Number of machines to be used for the parallel computation
• Machine name and the number of processors to use on that machine. If <nr_of_machines> = N, the
machine name and the number of processors have to be repeated N times. e.g. Parallel computation
using 2 machines and 3 processors on each machine:
"fine82_1 -batch -parallel /user/computation/computation.run 2 machine_1 3 machine_2 3"
By default, the distribution of blocks per processor is performed automatically. This automatic distribution
can be modified by adding "-interactive" to the command line. An automatic distribution will then be pro-
posed, which can be modified by the user.
The output of the program contains 3 files:
• Modified computation file (.run)
• Script file to launch the computation, see section 15-5.5.1 for more details
• Host definition file (.p4pg), see section 15-5.5.1 for more details

c) Set-up a parallel computation using SGE


To set-up a parallel computation using the SGE system, the finebatch program can be launched with follow-
ing command:
"fine -niversion <version> -batch -sge <project_path>/computation/computation.run \\
<sge_environment> <nr_of_processors> -print"
or
"fine <version> -batch -sge <project_path>/computation/computation.run \\
<sge_environment> <nr_of_processors> -print"
In the command line, the version of FINE™ (<version>) needs to be specified, together with the -batch and
the -sge option. The -print option is used to print the output to the screen. The -batch -parallel option require
following arguments:
• Full path of the input computation file (.run)
• SGE environment to be used for the parallel computation

FINE™ 15-19
The Task Manager Task Management in Batch

• Number of processors to be used for the parallel computation


The distribution of blocks per processor is performed automatically.
The output of the program contains 2 files:
• Modified computation file (.run)
• SGE script file (.sge) to launch the computation, see section 15-5.5.3 for more details

15-5.3.2 How to Launch FINE™ on Windows

a) Set-up a sequential computation


To link a new mesh to an existing project and create the corresponding ".run" file, the finebatch program
can be launched with following command:
"<finebatch_path>\finebatch.exe <project_path>/project.iec <mesh_path>/mesh.igg \\
<output_path>/output.run <computation_index>"
The command line to start the finebatch program contains the full path of the finebatch.exe executable
(<finebatch_path>), and following arguments:
• Full path of the input project file (.iec)
• Full path of the input mesh file (.igg)
• Full path of the output computation file (.run)
• Index of the computation in the project file. This is an optional argument, if no value is specified the
first computation will be used.
The finebatch.exe executable can be found in: "<NUMECA_install_dir>\Fine#\bin\"

It is not possible to set-up parallel computations on Windows with the finebatch program.

15-5.4 Launch EURANUS in Sequential Mode in Batch


15-5.4.1 How to Launch EURANUS in Sequential mode on UNIX
1. Create a script file (for example, with the name "batch.sh"). Such a script file (e.g. "batch.sh") must be
created with permission for execution, to launch a series of computations. An example of a "batch.sh"
file for a series of sequential computations on UNIX:

#! /bin/csh
euranusTurbo <project_path>/computation_1/computation_1.run -niversion <version> -seq
euranusTurbo <project_path>/computation_2/computation_2.run -niversion <version> -seq
or
#! /bin/csh
euranusTurbo<version> <project_path>/computation_1/computation_1.run -seq
euranusTurbo<version> <project_path>/computation_2/computation_2.run -seq

The script is started in a C-shell, which is obtained by the first line: "#! /bin/csh". The command line,
to start the flow solver EURANUS, contains its name, the full path of the ".run" file to launch
(<project_path>), the FINE™ release that will be used (<version>) and the sequential mode selec-
tion.
2. Set Permission for execution for the script file "batch.sh" by typing the command:
"chmod 755 batch.sh".

15-20 FINE™
Task Management in Batch The Task Manager

3. Create an input file (".run") for each computation. To create those files through the FINE™
interface, click on the File/Save Run Files menu in order to save the ".run" file of the activated
computation, after opening the corresponding project.
4. Launch the script "batch.sh" by typing: "./batch.sh".

When saving the ".run" file of the computation (File/Save Run Files), a script
"computation_name.batch" is automatically created in the corresponding computation
subfolder. This script enables the user to launch the same computation in batch.

15-5.4.2 How to Launch EURANUS in Sequential under Windows


1. Create script file ".bat". An example of ".bat" file for a series of sequential computations on
Windows:

<euranus_path>\euranus.exe <project_path>\computation_1\computation_1.run -seq


<euranus_path>\euranus.exe <project_path>\computation_2\computation_2.run -seq
<euranus_path>\euranus.exe <project_path>\computation_3\computation_3.run -seq

The command line, to start the flow solver EURANUS, contains the full path of the euranus.exe
executable (<euranus_path>), the full path of the ".run" file to launch (<project_path>) and the
sequential mode selection. The euranus.exe executable can be found in:
"<NUMECA_install_dir>\Fine#\bin\"
2. Set permission for execution of the ".bat" file.
3. Create an input file (".run") for each computation. To create those files through the FINE™
interface, click on the File/Save Run Files menu in order to save the ".run" file of the activated
computation, after opening the corresponding project.
4. Launch the script ".bat" by typing the script file name: "batch.bat" in a shell or double click on
the ".bat" file from the Windows Explorer.

When saving the ".run" file of the computation (File/Save Run Files), a script
"computation_name.bat" is automatically created in the corresponding computation sub-
folder. This script enables the user to launch the same computation in batch.

15-5.5 Launch EURANUS in Parallel Mode in Batch


15-5.5.1 How to Launch EURANUS in Parallel using MPI on UNIX
1. Create a script file "batch.sh" with permission for execution. An example of a "batch.sh" file for
a parallel computation on UNIX:

#! /bin/csh
euranusTurbo_parallel<version> <project_path>/computation/computation.run \\
-p4pg <project_path>/computation/computation.p4pg

The script is started in a C-shell, which is obtained by the first line: "#! /bin/csh". The command
line, to start the flow solver EURANUS in parallel, contains the name and the release to use
(<version>), the full path of the ".run" file to launch (<project_path>) and the full path of the
file ".p4pg" containing the definition of the machines that will be used to launch the computa-
tion in parallel.

The name of the executable is different from the one for sequential computations.

FINE™ 15-21
The Task Manager Task Management in Batch

2. Create hosts definition file ".p4pg". A file needs to be created to define the hosts (e.g. "computa-
tion.p4pg"). This file specifies the machine information regarding the various processes. An example of
a "hosts.p4pg" file:
Example 1:
hostname1 4 euranusTurbo<version> (master host on hostname1 and 4 processes on hostname1)
hostname2 2 euranusTurbo<version> (2 processes on hostname2)
Example 2:
hostname1 0 euranusTurbo<version> (master host on hostname1 and 0 processes on hostname1)
hostname2 2 euranusTurbo<version> (2 processes on hostname2)
For each machine, a line must be added consisting of the machine name (the machine hostname), the
number of processes to run on the machine, the name of the executable and the FINE™ release:
"hostname <nr_processes> euranusTurbo<version>"
If additional machines are to be used, subsequent lines are required for each one. If the number of proces-
sors is set to 0 for the first machine (first line of the ".p4pg" file), only the master host process will run on
that machine while the nodes will run on the next machines declared in the following lines.

The first machine (hostname) specified in the ".p4pg" file has to be the one, on which the script
will be launched.

The total number of processes defined in the ".p4pg" file should be equal to the number of
nodes running.
3. Set permission for execution "batch.sh" by using the command: "chmod 755 batch.sh"
The input file ".run" to launch the computation has to be created. The parallel settings of the computational
file (".run") are managed by the Task Manager. Therefore before launching the parallel computation script,
the following steps must be performed through the FINE™ interface:
4. Create computational file (".run") by activating the corresponding computation and clicking on the File/
Save Run Files menu in the interface.
5. To set the final parallel settings:
— create a task in the Task Manager,
— define the parallel settings of EURANUS subtask (parallel computation),
— launch the task through the Task Manager by clicking on Start,
— kill the task when EURANUS flow solver starts by clicking on Kill.
These operations are mandatory in order to have all the parallel settings correctly imposed in the compu-
tation file (".run"). They can also be performed in batch, with the finebatch command, see section 15-
5.3.1.
6. Launch the script "batch.sh" by typing the script file name: "./batch.sh".

When saving the ".run" file of the computation (File/Save Run Files) and launching the com-
putation in parallel as explained in step 5 through the Task Manager (Modules/Task Manager)
and killed it just afterwards, a script ".batch" and a ".p4pg" file are automatically created in the
corresponding computation subfolder. These files enable the user to launch the same parallel com-
putation in batch.

15-5.5.2 How to Launch EURANUS in Parallel using MPI on Windows


1. Create a script file "batch.bat" with permission for execution. An example of a "batch.bat" file for a par-
allel computation on Windows:

15-22 FINE™
Task Management in Batch The Task Manager

"<mpirun_path>\mpirun.exe <project_path>\computation\computation.p4pg \\
<project_path>\computation\computation.run"

The command line, to start the flow solver EURANUS in parallel, contains the full path to the script
that enables parallel computations (mpirun.exe), the full path of the ".run" file to launch
(<project_path>) and the full path of the ".p4pg" file containing the definition of the machines that
will be used to launch the computation in parallel. The mpirun.exe executable can be found in:
"<NUMECA_install_dir>\Fine#\bin\"
2. Create hosts definition file ".p4pg". A file needs to be created to define the hosts (e.g. "computa-
tion.p4pg"). This file specifies the machine information regarding the various processes. An example
of a "hosts.p4pg" file:
Example 1:
hostname1 5 <euranus_path>\euranus.exe (master host on hostname1 and 4 processes on hostname1)
hostname2 2 <euranus_path>\euranus.exe (2 processes on hostname2)
Example 2:
hostname1 1 <euranus_path>\euranus.exe (master host on hostname1 and 0 processes on hostname1)
hostname2 2 <euranus_path>\euranus.exe (2 processes on hostname2)
For each machine, a line must be added consisting of the machine name (the machine hostname), the
number of processes to run on the machine and the full path of the euranus executable:
"hostname <nr_processes> <euranus_path>\euranus.exe"
The euranus.exe executable can be found in: "<NUMECA_install_dir>\Fine#\bin\"
If additional machines are to be used, subsequent lines are required for each one. If the number of
processors is set to 1 for the first machine (first line of the ".p4pg" file), only the master host process
will run on that machine while the nodes will run on the next machines declared in the following lines.

The first machine (hostname) specified in the ".p4pg" file has to be the one, on which the
script will be launched.

The total number of processes defined in the ".p4pg" file should be equal to the number of
nodes running.
3. Set permission for execution "batch.bat"
The input file ".run" to launch the computation has to be created. The parallel settings of the computa-
tional file (".run") are managed by the Task Manager. Therefore before launching the parallel computa-
tion script, the following steps must be performed through the FINE™ interface:
4. Create computational file (".run") by activating the corresponding computation and clicking on the
File/Save Run Files menu in the interface.
5. To set the final parallel settings:
— create a task in the Task Manager,
— define the parallel settings of EURANUS subtask (parallel computation),
— launch the task through the Task Manager by clicking on Start,
— kill the task when EURANUS flow solver starts by clicking on Kill.
These operations are mandatory in order to have all the parallel settings correctly imposed in the com-
putation file (".run").
6. Launch the script ".bat" by typing the script file name: "batch.bat" in a DOS-shell or double click on
the ".bat" file from the Windows Explorer.

FINE™ 15-23
The Task Manager Task Management in Batch

When saving the ".run" file of the computation (File/Save Run Files) and launching the
computation in parallel as explained in step 5 through the Task Manager (Modules/Task
Manager) and killed it just afterwards, a new script ".bat" and a file ".p4pg" are created in
the corresponding computation subfolder that enable the user to launch the same computa-
tion in batch and in parallel.

15-5.5.3 How to Launch EURANUS in Parallel using SGE on UNIX


1. Create a script file "batch.sge" with permission for execution. An example of a "batch.sge" file for
a parallel computation on UNIX:
#! /bin/csh
#$ -S /bin/sh
#$ -o /home/sgeuser/parallel/parallel_computation_1/parallel_computation_1.std -j y
#$ -N comp001
#$ -pe numecampi 3
#$ -notify
P4_GLOBMEMSIZE=15000000
Export P4_GLOBMEMSIZE
NI_VERSIONS_DIR=/usr/numeca
export NI_VERSIONS_DIR
MPIR_HOME=$NI_VERSIONS_DIR/fine82_1/_mpi
export MPIR_HOME
PATH=${PATH}:$NI_VERSIONS_DIR/bin
export PATH
$MPIR_HOME/bin/mpirun -np $NSLOTS -machinefile $TMPDIR/machines \\
$NI_VERSIONS_DIR/bin/euranusTurbo82_1 \\
/home/sgeuser/parallel/parallel_computation_1/parallel_computation_1.run
where:
#$ -S /bin/sh requires Bourne shell to be used by SGE for job submission and hence, only the .profile
file of the user is executed if exists on each computation host. There is nothing specific to Numeca
software that must be written . the .profile file.
#$ -o /home/sgeuser/parallel/parallel_computation_1/parallel_computation_1.std -j y tells the
SGE system that the standard output has to be redirected in the ".std" in the computation directory, the
option "-j y" indicates that the standard error is also redirected into the same file.
#$ -N comp001 is the name of the job given to SGE and that will be seen when monitoring the job
with the graphical monitoring utility qmon (Job Control button ) or with the qstat SGE command.
SGE has a limitation of 8 characters for the job name.
#$ -pe numecampi 3 requests 3 slots (processors) to the SGE system for executing the job using the
numecampi parallel environment. This must correspond to NTASK +1 where NTASK is the number
of computation processes in the ".run" file, the "+1" being the host process that manages inputs/out-
puts.
#$ -notify gives a delay between the send of the SIGKILL signal and SIGUSR2 signal. The delay is
defined in the SGE interface.

P4_GLOBMEMSIZE=15000000
Export P4_GLOBMEMSIZE
NI_VERSIONS_DIR=/usr/numeca
export NI_VERSIONS_DIR
MPIR_HOME=$NI_VERSIONS_DIR/fine82_1/_mpi

15-24 FINE™
Task Management in Batch The Task Manager

export MPIR_HOME
PATH=${PATH}:$NI_VERSIONS_DIR/bin
export PATH
are the environment variables indicating respectively the NUMECA software installation directory
and the mpi directory that are used in the following command:
$MPIR_HOME/bin/mpirun -np $NSLOTS -machinefile $TMPDIR/machines \\
$NI_VERSIONS_DIR/bin/euranusTurbo82_1 \\
/home/sgeuser/parallel/parallel_computation_1/parallel_computation_1.run
$NSLOTS is the number of slots (processors) that have been allocated by SGE for the job,
$TMPDIR is generated by SGE for providing the machines file used by the mpirun script.
$NI_VERSIONS_DIR/bin/euranusTurbo is a symbolic link to the numeca_start startup script for
all Numeca softwares and 82_1 is the version of the code that will be used and requires that it is
installed in <NUMECA_RELEASE_PATH>/fine82_1.
/home/sgeuser/parallel/parallel_computation_1/parallel_computation_1.run is the argument to
the euranusTurbo executable.

For sequential runs, the line "#$ -pe numecampi 3" must be "#$ -pe numecampi 1"
and the final command must be: $NI_VERSIONS_DIR/bin/euranusTurbo82_1 \\
/home/sgeuser/parallel/parallel_computation_1/parallel_computation_1.run -seq

Create input file ".run" to launch the computation. The parallel settings of the computational file
(".run") are managed by the Task Manager. Therefore before launching the parallel computation
script, the following steps must be performed through the FINE™ interface:
2. Create computational file (".run") by activating the corresponding computation and clicking on
the File/Save Run Files menu in the interface.
3. To set the final parallel settings:
— create a task in the Task Manager,
— define the parallel settings of EURANUS subtask (parallel computation),
— launch the task through the Task Manager by clicking on Start,
— kill the task when EURANUS flow solver starts by clicking on Kill.
These operations are mandatory in order to have all the parallel settings correctly imposed in the
computation file (".run"). They can also be performed in batch, with the finebatch command,
see section 15-5.3.1.
4. Launch the script "batch.sge" by typing the script file name: "./batch.sge".

When saving the ".run" file of the computation (File/Save Run Files) and launching
the computation in parallel as explained in step 3 through the Task Manager (Modules/
Task Manager) and killed it just afterwards, a new script ".sge" is created in the corre-
sponding computation subfolder that enables the user to launch the same computation in
batch and in parallel.

15-5.5.4 How to Launch EURANUS in Parallel using PBS on UNIX


1. Create a script file "batch.pbs" with permission for execution. An example of a "batch.pbs" file
for a parallel computation on UNIX:
#!/bin/sh
#PBS -o /home/pbsuser/parallel/parallel_computation_1/parallel_computation_1.std -j oe

FINE™ 15-25
The Task Manager Task Management in Batch

#PBS -N comp#001
#PBS -r n
#PBS -q workq -lselect=3:ncpus=1
NPROCS=`wc -l < $PBS_NODEFILE`
MPICH_PROCESS_GROUP=no
export MPICH_PROCESS_GROUP
P4_GLOBMEMSIZE=15000000
export P4_GLOBMEMSIZE
NI_VERSIONS_DIR=/usr/numeca
export NI_VERSIONS_DIR
MPIR_HOME=$NI_VERSIONS_DIR/fine82_1/_mpi
export MPIR_HOME
PATH=${PATH}:$NI_VERSIONS_DIR/bin
export PATH
$MPIR_HOME/bin/mpirun -v -machinefile $PBS_NODEFILE -np $NPROCS \\
$NI_VERSIONS_DIR/bin/euranusTurbo82_1 \\
/home/pbsuser/parallel/parallel_computation_1/parallel_computation_1.run
where:
All lines beginning with #PBS are PBS commands.
#! /bin/sh requires Bourne shell to be used by PBS for job submission and hence, only the .profile
file of the user is executed if exists on each computation host. There is nothing specific to Numeca
software that must be written . the .profile file.
#PBS -o /home/sgeuser/parallel/parallel_computation_1/parallel_computation_1.std -j oe tells
the PBS system that the standard output has to be redirected in the ".std" in the computation direc-
tory, the option "-j oe" indicates that the standard error is also redirected into the same file.
#PBS -N comp#001 is the name of the job given to PBS and that will be seen when monitoring the
job with qstat PBS command. PBS has a limitation of 8 characters for the job name.
#PBS -r n specifies that the job is not rerunnable. That means that the job cannot be stopped and
put back again in the waiting queue.
#PBS -q workq -lselect=3:ncpus=1 requests 3 slots (processors) to the PBS system for executing
the job using the workq queue. This must correspond to NTASK +1 where NTASK is the number of
computation processes in the ".run" file, the "+1" being the host process that manages inputs/out-
puts.
NPROCS=`wc -l < $PBS_NODEFILE` The NPROCS variable contains the total number of proc-
essors allocated for the computation and will be used by the mpirun executable.
MPICH_PROCESS_GROUP=no
export MPICH_PROCESS_GROUP
P4_GLOBMEMSIZE=15000000
export P4_GLOBMEMSIZE
NI_VERSIONS_DIR=/usr/numeca
export NI_VERSIONS_DIR
MPIR_HOME=$NI_VERSIONS_DIR/fine82_1/_mpi
export MPIR_HOME
PATH=${PATH}:$NI_VERSIONS_DIR/bin
export PATH
are the environment variables indicating respectively the Numeca software installation directory
and the mpi directory that are used in the following command:

15-26 FINE™
Task Management in Batch The Task Manager

$MPIR_HOME/bin/mpirun -v -machinefile $PBS_NODEFILE -np $NPROCS \\


$NI_VERSIONS_DIR/bin/euranusTurbo82_1 \\
/home/pbsuser/parallel\parallel_computation_1/parallel_computation_1.run
$PBS_NODEFILE is generated by PBS for providing the machines file used by the mpirun script.
$NI_VERSIONS_DIR/bin/euranusTurbo is a symbolic link to the numeca_start startup script for
all Numeca softwares and 82_1 is the version of the code that will be used and requires that it is
installed in <NUMECA_RELEASE_PATH>/fine82_1.
/home/pbsuser/parallel/parallel_computation_1/parallel_computation_1.run is the argument
to the euranusTurbo executable.

15-5.6 Launch CFView™ in Batch


15-5.6.1 How to Launch CFView™ on UNIX
1. Create a macro file ".py". For more details see the CFView™ for more detailed information on
the format of a macro file and the commands that can be included in a macro file.
2. Launch the macro ".py" by typing:
"cfview -macro <macro_path>/macro.py -batch -niversion <version>"
The command line to start CFView™ contains its name, the full path of the macro ".py" file
(<macro_path>) to launch and the CFView™ release that will be used (<version>). The "-batch"
option avoids the display of the CFView™ graphical user interface.

When launched in batch, CFView™ does not open the graphical user interface but an
access to the display of the machine on which the process is launched, is still required.

15-5.6.2 How to Launch CFView™ on Windows


1. Create a macro file ".py". For more details see the CFView™ for more detailed information on
the format of a macro file and the commands that can be included in a macro file.
2. Launch the macro ".py" by typing:
"<cfview_path>\cfview.exe -macro <macro_path>\macro.py -batch"
The command line to start CFView™ contains the full path name of the cfview.exe executable
(<cfview_path>) and the full path of the macro ".py" file (<macrp_path>) to launch. The "-macro"
& "-batch" options respectively permit to launch the macro and to avoid to display the CFView™
graphical user interface. The cfview.exe executable can be found in:
"<NUMECA_install_dir>\Fine#\bin\"

When launched in batch, CFView™ does not open the graphical user interface but an
access to the display of the machine on which the process is launched, is still required.

15-5.6.3 Command Line Arguments


The command cfview may be followed by a set of command line arguments. Those command line
arguments allow to override some system defaults (used driver, display, double-buffering and
update abort options) or to specify files to be loaded immediately (project, macro, defaults settings,
macro module). The supported command line arguments are:
-help prints a summary of the command line arguments,
-version prints the CFView™ version number,
-date prints the CFView™ version date,

FINE™ 15-27
The Task Manager Limitations

-defaults <file name> starts CFView™ with the default settings from the specified file,
-project <file name> starts CFView™ and opens immediately the specified project,
-macro <file name> starts CFView™ and execute the specified macro script,
-macromodule <file name> starts CFView™ and load the specified macro module,
-display <display name> starts CFView™ on the specified display device,
-doublebuffering on (off) activates (disables) double buffering,
-updateabort on (off) activates (disable) update aborting (see the CFView™ manual for more
detail on this option),
-driver <driver name> starts CFView™ with the specified graphics accelerator,
-reversevideo on (off) starts CFView™ with black (white) background color (see the CFView™
manual for more detail on this option),
-facedisplacement <n> starts CFView™ with the specified face displacement (see the CFView™
manual for more detail on this option),
-loaddata all (none, ask) when opening a project the quantities fields are loaded in the computed
memory (are not loaded, a specific dialog box is raised where the user choose the field variables to
be loaded). The defaults is to load all field quantities. (see the CFView™ manual for a description
of the data management facility and of the associated dialog box),
-nob2b on: starts CFView™ and allows to avoid the hub and shroud projections process when
loading a turbomachinery solution file,
-batch on (off) starts CFView™ without graphical user interface. This mode can be used in combi-
nation with the -macro command line option in order to perform the execution of a macro script
without user interaction,
-hoops_relinquish_memory off this option disables the hoops garbage collection feature that is
activated when CFView™ is idle during a long period of time.

15-6 Limitations
The task manager have some limitations due to the current PVM and MPI libraries:
• The remote copy works only if there is enough disk space on the remote machine. Currently, no
check is performed to identify the available disk space and the flow solver crashes with "undi-
fined reason".
• Parallel computation with distributed memory are only available on homogenous UNIX/Win-
dows platforms.
• When a user launches FINE™ on different machines, the connection between these machines is
not allowed as described in section 15-2.1.1.

15-28 FINE™
CHAPTER 16:Computation Steering
&
Monitoring

16-1 Overview
This chapter describes the Computation Steering pages and the additional tool MonitorTurbo.
First section 16-2 describes the Computation Steering/Control Variables page. Furthermore this
chapter is completely dedicated to the monitoring tools available in FINE™ to monitor the global
solution during and after a computation:
• Computation Steering/Convergence History and Task Manager/Convergence History, see
section 16-3.
• MonitorTurbo, see section 16-4.
In section 16-5 advice is provided on how to use the monitoring tools in analysing the progress of a
computation.

16-2 Control Variables


The Computation Steering/Control Variables page allows to define some global parameters for
the selected computation:
• the Maximum Number Of Iterations on the finest grid level (i.e. not including the iterations
performed during the coarse grid initialization process).
• the Convergence Criteria corresponding to the (negative) number of orders of magnitude the
norm of the residuals must decrease before stopping the calculation. If this criterion is not
reached the calculation proceeds until the maximum number of iterations is performed.
• the frequency for saving output (Save Solution Every): every x iterations the solver saves the
flow solution and creates the output files to be read in CFView™ (where x is the number of
iterations defined in the FINE™ interface).
• when the option Minimum output is selected the full solution is only saved at the last itera-
tion.
• the Memory Requirements for the computation. By default an estimate is given for the
required memory. Depending on the parameters defining the computation, additional memory
may be needed. For example, more memory is required when full non-matching connections

FINE™ 16-1
Computation Steering & Monitoring Convergence History

or a k-ε turbulence model is used. Also the amount of selected output may require more mem-
ory. To allocate more memory for the computation activate the option Set the requested
memory. This will allow to define the amount of memory in Mb used for reals and integers.

For unsteady computations the Control Variables page is updated to give access to
additional parameters as described in section 4-2.1 and section 4-2.3.
In expert mode, this page contains two lists of expert parameters. Only the expert parameters that
are described in the manual are supported. Use of the other parameters is not recommended. For a
summary of all supported expert parameters see Appendix C.

16-3 Convergence History


The Computation Steering/Convergence History or Task Manager/Convergence History page
allows the user to define quantities to be followed during the convergence process of the flow
solver EURANUS. This page is divided in 5 areas as shown in Figure 16.3.0-1:
1. The steering files selection (Select Computations) and the curves export (Export Curves To
File...) options, are only available through the Task Manager/Convergence History page.
2. The available variables (Available Variables).
3. The parameters (Parameters type).
4. The selected variables (Selected Variables).
5. The graphics view (Convergence History).

(2) (3) (4)

(1)

(5)

FIGURE 16.3.0-1 The five areas of the Convergence History page

16-2 FINE™
Convergence History Computation Steering & Monitoring

When the flow solver EURANUS is invoked, a communication is automatically established with
FINE™ allowing the user to follow the selected quantities. Two representations of the quantities are
currently available: the convergence curves displayed in the area 5 and the quantity value at the last
iteration in the area 4. All these data are stored in files with extension ".steering" and ".steer-
ing.binary". These files are created and managed automatically by FINE™

If the communication between the flow solver and FINE™ is interrupted (i.e.: net-
work problem), parts of the convergence curves can be lost.

16-3.1 Steering Files Selection & Curves Export


Different modes exist for the selection of the current steering results stored in the steering files:
1. When a project is opened, the active computation steering file is automatically selected and
appears in the Add or select computations window (a) appearing when clicking on Select Com-
putations button. Each time a new computation is selected, the associated steering file is auto-
matically loaded and becomes the active one.

(a)
(b)

(c) (d)

FIGURE 16.3.1-2 Steering files selection area

2. All the steering files already loaded can be selected by <Ctrl>-left click and <Shift>-left click in
the list of available computations.
3. The file can also be loaded manually using the Add Computation button (c). A file chooser
prompts the user to select the file.
4. The Remove Computation button (d), allows the user to remove the selected computation from
the memory (the file is not removed from the disk and remains available for selection).
5. Additionally, when a task is started, the steering file of the active computation is automatically
loaded and becomes available in the list of computations (b).
The Export Curves To File... button enables the user to save all the curves plotted in the Graphics
View in an ASCII file ".cvh".

16-3.2 Available Quantities Selection


The available quantities selected by default are linked to the type of computation. For example,
when launching a turbomachinery computation, the global residual, the inlet and outlet mass flow,
the efficiency, the pressure ratio, the axial thrust and the Torque are computed during the conver-
gence process. The Available Quantities list (b) allows the user to select and add (c) new quantities
to the computed list, see Figure 16.3.2-3.

FINE™ 16-3
Computation Steering & Monitoring Convergence History

.
(a)

(b)

(c)

FIGURE 16.3.2-3 Available quantities selection area

All the quantities can be added before or during the computation.

When a quantity has been added, it appears in the selection list and becomes the selected quantity. If
the flow solver is running, the value and the convergence curve of the new quantities is displayed
after a few seconds. The convergence curve begins at the iteration corresponding to the moment
when the new quantity has been added in the Selected Variables list.
When a quantity is added for selection it appears in the selection list with a number behind the
name. This number is only added to avoid to have two times the same variable name in the list. This
is especially necessary when, for example, the static pressure is monitored at two different points in
the domain.

16-3.3 New Quantity Parameters Definition


When a new quantity has been added, it becomes available for selection in the Selected Variables
list (area 4 in Figure 16.3.0-1). The user can select the way the flow solver computes the quantity
through the parameter type area (area 2 in Figure 16.3.0-1). Several types of parameters can be cho-
sen through the parameter type list box ((a) in Figure 16.3.3-4).
The available types of parameters that can be defined to computed the selected quantities:
1. global: the computed variable is averaged over all the domain.
2. local 3d grid point: the user specify the grid point indices (I,J,K) and the block index (block id)
where the quantity must be computed.
(a)

FIGURE 16.3.3-4 Parameter type definition

Care should be taken when using the steering of a parameter on a local 3d grid point. It
should be carried out in the following way:
— select the parameter (relative velocity u, static pressure...).
— add it for selection. It becomes available for the selected variables.

16-4 FINE™
Convergence History Computation Steering & Monitoring

— set the block id and the I,J,K indices of the grid point on which the evolution
of the selected parameter will be visualized.

All modifications (I,J,K indices...) can also be performed (and modified) during the
computation.

16-3.4 Quantity Selection Area


When a quantity has been added, it becomes available for selection in the Selected Variables list.
The list is divided in 3 columns as shown in Figure 16.3.4-5: the variable name (a) which can be
changed using the button rename (d), the quantity value (b) which displays the last computed value
and the units (c) of the variable. The button remove (e) is used to remove the first selected variable.

FIGURE 16.3.4-5 Selected variables area

When a quantity is not yet computed, the value indicated is undefined.

Selecting a quantity will show its history in the graphics view as described in the next paragraph. To
select multiple quantities click on them (with the left mouse button) in the list while holding the
<Ctrl> or <Shift> key. To select quantities that are next to each other in the list simply click on the
first one and keep the mouse button pressed while moving to the last variable.

16-3.5 Definition of Global Residual


The residuals are computed by EURANUS as a flux balance (the sum of the fluxes on all the faces
of each cell):

RES = ∑ fluxes . (16-1)

The root mean square of the residuals is computed with the following formula:

RMS RES = log ⎛ RMS ⎛ -----------------------------⎞ ⎞ ,


RES
(16-2)
⎝ ⎝ cellvolume⎠ ⎠

and the maximum of the residuals in the same way:

MAX RES = log MAX ⎛ -----------------------------⎞ ,


RES
(16-3)
⎝ cellvolume⎠

with log the logarithm to the base ten.

FINE™ 16-5
Computation Steering & Monitoring Convergence History

On the Computation Steering/Convergence History or Task Manager/Convergence History


page, the global root mean square of the residuals normalized by its value at the first iteration is
shown. These values are stored in the files with extension ".steering" and ".steering.binary".

When working with harmonic method, a global residual called ’global residual har-
monics’ will be available in addition of the ’global residual’. This last variable is linked
to the time averaged solution while the ’global residual harmonics’ is linked to the time
fluctuations.
Additionally the global residuals are shown in numerical values in the Task Manager window (3rd
column). The RMS value listed in the Task Manager window is the global root mean square nor-
malized by its value at the first iteration: RMSRES-(RMSRES)it=1. The maximum value (4th col-
umn) is the maximum residual at a certain iteration normalized by the RMS residual at the first
iteration: MAXRES-(RMSRES)it=1.

FIGURE 16.3.5-6 Task Manager window

16-3.6 The Graphics View

(a)

(b)

FIGURE 16.3.6-7 Graphics view area in Computation Steering/Convergence History page

16-6 FINE™
MonitorTurbo Computation Steering & Monitoring

The convergence history of the selected curves are displayed inside the graphics view.
In the Computation Steering/Convergence History page, the color of the curves is different (up
to 8 selected quantities). The automatic chosen curves colors are also used for the displayed value
(a). Additionally, the error between the two first selected quantities is also indicated (b). This is
especially important for checking the difference between the mass flow at inlet and outlet
(Figure 16.3.6-7).
In the Task Manager/Convergence History page, the color of the curves is the same (but with dif-
ferent markers) if related to the same computation. The color is different for each curve if related to
different computations (up to 9 selected quantities controlled by the user if necessary - File/Prefer-
ences menu, see section 2-3.1.6).

FIGURE 16.3.6-8Graphics view area in Task Manager/Convergence History page

16-4 MonitorTurbo
16-4.1 Introduction
The MonitorTurbo can be launched independently from FINE™ in order to facilitate the batch
mode control. It is a separate graphic control window in which the user can visually monitor:
• the convergence history of one or several computations (Convergence history),
• the blade loading distribution (Loading diagram available with FINE™/Design 2D only),
• the blade profile (Blade profile available with FINE™/Design 2D only).

FINE™ 16-7
Computation Steering & Monitoring MonitorTurbo

The two last displays are only available under the FINE™/Design 2D environments, as described in
Chapter 13 and Chapter 14. This section only describes the functionalities of the convergence his-
tory display.
On UNIX and LINUX platforms type: monitorTurbo -niversion <version> -print <Enter>

When multiple versions of FINE™ are installed the installation note should be con-
sulted for advice on how to start FINE™ in a multi-version environment.
On Windows click on the Monitor icon in Start/Programs/NUMECA software/fine#. Alterna-
tively FINE™ can be launched from a dos shell by typing:
<NUMECA_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY>\fine#\bin\monitor <Enter>

FINE™ allows multi-process analyses. Therefore, the convergence histories of multiple (running)
projects can be visualized at the same time. It is also possible to compare the convergence history
associated with different computational parameters for the same project.
The monitored variables are displayed as a x-y graph in the upper part of the window (a). The x-
axis represents the number of multigrid cycles or work units (see section 16-4.3.4 and section B-
4.3) achieved by the flow solver. The y-axis is a logarithmic axis representing the power of ten of
the residual values. The user can choose the residual of any of the equations solved and some global
parameters using the buttons visible in the lower right part of the graphic control window (b) as
shown in Figure 16.4.1-9.

FIGURE 16.4.1-9 The monitorTurbo window

16-8 FINE™
MonitorTurbo Computation Steering & Monitoring

The lower part of the graphic control window contains four boxes. The small box (c) located on the
left side contains a Print button (which allows to save the current graph as a postscript file) and a
Quit button (which allows to close the MonitorTurbo window). The three other boxes are described
in the next sections.

The convergence history of a computation using the v2-f turbulence model, cannot be
loaded in the MonitorTurbo application.

16-4.2 The Residual File Box


Three buttons are provided in this box to Add, Remove or Activate residual files through a file
chooser. The residual files describe the iteration process of previous or current computations. For
internal flow, they contain the history of the axial thrust, mass flow, torque, efficiency, pressure
ratio (lift, drag and momentum coefficients for external flow), the residuals of five (seven or six if
respectively the k-ε, k-ω or the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model is used) physical variables and
the harmonic variables (density, Vx, Vy, Vz, pressure).
The activation of a part of the residual files ".res" has the effect of deactivating the other loaded
residual files. When a residual file is deactivated, its associated convergence history is not dis-
played. The selective activation of residual files allows thus to display only the convergence histo-
ries of some of the loaded residual files ".res".
The input boxes File and Block, visible just below the three buttons Add, Remove and Activate,
allow to select for which file and block the choice of the monitored variables performed in the
Quantities to display menu should be applied.

16-4.3 Quantities to Display


16-4.3.1 Residuals
Buttons are provided to select the type of residuals: rms or maximum as shown in Figure 16.4.1-9
on the right. The residuals relative to all transport equations of the problem are available: these are
the continuity, the momentum, the energy, and eventually the turbulent kinetic energy k and the tur-
bulent dissipation ε (if the turbulent computation is using a k-ε or v2-f model, e.g. not for Baldwin
Lomax), and the turbulent kinematic viscosity nu (if the Spalart-Allmaras model is used) or the
blade force for a throughflow application.
While the Computation Steering/Convergence history or Task Manager/Convergence History
page displays only the global residual, the MonitorTurbo gives the RMS and maximum values per
block. Computation of the RMSRES and MAXRES values is done according to Eq. 16-1 to Eq. 16-3.
The values shown in the MonitorTurbo for the RMS are normalized by the value of RMSRES at the
first iteration: RMSRES-(RMSRES)it=1. The values shown for the maximum residuals are normal-
ized by the maximum residual at the first iteration: MAXRES-(MAXRES)it=1.

Since the RMS and maximum residuals are normalized differently it may occur that
the RMS value shown in the MonitorTurbo is higher than the maximum residual.

16-4.3.2 Global Quantities


Several buttons are provided to visualize the additional global quantities available under the envi-
ronment FINE™/Turbo:
• Internal flow problems (expert parameter IINT=1): The axial thrust, the (inlet and outlet) mass
flows, torque, pressure ratio, and efficiency.

FINE™ 16-9
Computation Steering & Monitoring MonitorTurbo

• External flow problems (expert parameter IINT=0): The drag, the lift and the momentum coeffi-
cients. The user has to specify the axis that has to be taken into account for these global quanti-
ties as described in section 11-3.
If several computations are performed at the same time, the curves associated with the different
projects are drawn in different colors. The buttons of the present box act only on the curves of the
file and block selected through the File and Block menu.

16-4.3.3 Harmonic Quantities

FIGURE 16.4.3-10 The monitorTurbo window - Harmonic quantities

Several buttons are provided to visualize the real and imaginary part of the harmonic quantities
available in the FINE™/Turbo environment: Density, Vx, Vy, Vz and Pressure.
If several computations are performed at the same time, the curves associated with the different
projects are drawn in different colors. The buttons of the present box act only on the curves of the
file and block selected through the File and Block menu.
The option Show curve allows to plot the curve in the MonitorTurbo window.

16-4.3.4 Display Options


The Legend option is used to display which files are currently activated. In addition, if the mass
flow button is activated, the relative errors between the inlet and the outlet are indicated.
The Work Unit option is provided to set the type of unit used on the horizontal axis in the Monitor-
Turbo window: multigrid cycles or work units. If the Cycles option is chosen (the Work Unit
option will be deactivated), the abscissa will show the number of iterations. The Work Unit option
will adapt the values on the horizontal axis with respect to the grid levels (if 3 grid levels are used,
one iteration on 222 and 111 is taking respectively 1/64s and 1/8s considering that one iteration on
000 is taking 1s.

16-10 FINE™
Best Practice for Computation Monitoring Computation Steering & Monitoring

The Update now button updates the graph for the active residual file and the selected block.
The Auto update option can be switched on to follow the iteration processes automatically. It is
however a rather time-consuming option and this button is not active by default.

16-4.3.5 Zooming Option


This option allows to interactively zoom in and out:
1. In the drawing window, press the left mouse button to initiate a zooming operation,
2. Then drag the mouse to the left or to the right to zoom in, the zooming window number is dis-
played on the screen,
3. Click again on the left button when finished,
4. To zoom out, click on the right button of the mouse.

16-5 Best Practice for Computation Monitoring


16-5.1 Introduction
Several tools are available in the FINE™/Turbo package to follow the evolution of a calculation:
• the Convergence History page available in FINE™/Turbo and in the Task Manager module,
which allows to follow the evolution of a calculation easily and to globally compare the evolu-
tion of multiple computations.
• Another useful tool is the MonitorTurbo to compare per equation and per block, the evolution
of multiple computations.
• CFView™ to enter even into more detail.
Each of them has its own specific features, but they are very complementary. This section describes
how to use those tools to monitor a computation. For a detailed description on the use of CFView™
see the CFView™ User Manual.
When a computation has just been launched for the first time, and initialization steps have been
properly passed, the solver writes a first solution file. In fact it is not yet a solution but only the
result of the initialization. Still this first output is interesting to check if all boundaries conditions
have been set correctly. Especially think to have a look at the rotating elements of the machine, the
profiles of velocities at inlet and at outlet. This operation aims to detect a user mistake, which could
cause a loss of time, like for example, a forgotten patch. To check this first output use CFView™.
To check the rotating part of the machine, select the rotating walls (hub or shroud for rotating walls)
using the menu item Geometry/Select Surfaces and select for the quantity the velocity. Using the
Representation menu the velocity will be displayed on the selected patches and this will be the
rotation speed everywhere.

16-5.2 Convergence History


The global residual on the Convergence History page allows to see quickly whether or not the
computation is iterating properly. The residuals should go down first on the coarser grid levels of
the Full Multigrid strategy as shown in Figure 16.5.2-11. See Chapter 9 for more details on Full
Multigrid. When going to a finer grid level the global residual increases suddenly to decrease
immediately after. When the computation reaches the finest grid, the curve of the global residual

FINE™ 16-11
Computation Steering & Monitoring Best Practice for Computation Monitoring

should normally decrease gradually. In general a fall of 3 orders with a stabilization of this curve is
considered as a good convergence. But it is important to check if other global quantities like mass
flow, efficiency, pressure ratio are also stabilized and to compare the differences between massflow
at inlet and outlet (in general a difference of less than 5% is acceptable).

FIGURE 16.5.2-11 Example of convergence history for global residuals

16-5.3 MonitorTurbo
The MonitorTurbo follows the same quantities as the Convergence History, but its main interest is
to offer the possibility to follow the convergence block by block. Thus, one can localize problems
and, if necessary, modify the mesh in the region associated to the block, or change a boundary con-
dition.
Finally, coming back to the Task Manager, it is possible to get a deeper control, locally, by adding
control points (local 3d grid point). These points allow to track in important parts of the domain,
the speed, the pressure and turbulent quantities, which sometimes could be a requested information.
In the case of steady computations, the values associated to these points should converge to a con-
stant value.
One additional advice is to use CFView™ during the computation with intermediate and non-con-
verged solutions. When having convergence problems for example CFView™ may be used to look
for the zones were the residuals have too high values compared to other regions or an incorrect tur-
bulence field. To know in which block(s) the residuals start to increase first in case of divergence
problem, the MonitorTurbo may already give a first indication. Combining the information from
the MonitorTurbo and CFView™ allows to find the cause of convergence problems in the computa-
tions.

16-12 FINE™
Best Practice for Computation Monitoring Computation Steering & Monitoring

16-5.4 Analysis of Residuals


In some cases it may occur that the MonitorTurbo shows high RMS and maximum values of the
residuals in a certain block while CFView™ shows high residuals in a different block. This differ-
ence between the two tools is caused by the different ways of representing the residuals. In
CFView™ the absolute values of the residuals resulting from the flux balance are directly plotted
for each cell. In CFView™ the residuals are not scaled with the cell volumes and no normalization
with values at the first iteration is applied. This explains why some high maximum residuals in
scaled mode can be invisible in CFView™ because they occur in small cells. Also the fact that the
residuals are computed on the cell centers in the solver and shown in CFView™ on the cell corners
may lead to some, minor, interpolation differences.

FINE™ 16-13
Computation Steering & Monitoring Best Practice for Computation Monitoring

16-14 FINE™
APPENDIX A:Governing Equations

A-1 Overview
The flow solver integrated into the FINE™ user environment is named EURANUS ("EURopean
Aerodynamic NUmerical Simulator"). EURANUS is a multipurpose code for 2D and 3D flows in
complex geometries, using the latest numerical developments in CFD. A structured mesh is
required and complex geometries can be easily handled through a flexible multiblock meshing pro-
cedure.
This appendix describes the basic governing equations solved in EURANUS. For more detailed
information on the different aspects like turbulence, fluid modeling, multi grid strategy etc., see the
related chapters in this manual.

A-2 Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Equations


A-2.1 General Navier-Stokes Equations
The general Navier-Stokes equations written in a Cartesian frame can be expressed as:


U + ∇F I + ∇F V = Q , (A-1)
∂t

where U is the vector of the conservative variables:

ρ
U = ρv , (A-2)

ρE

F I and F V are respectively the inviscid and viscous flux vectors:

FINE™ A-1
Governing Equations Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Equations

ρv i 0
ρv 1 v i + pδ 1i τ i1
F li = ρv 2 v i + pδ 2i and – F vi = τ i2 , (A-3)

ρv 3 v i + pδ 3i τ i2
( ρE + p )v i q i + v j τ ij

where the stress and the heat flux components are given by:

∂w̃ ∂w̃
τ ij = ( µ + µ t ) --------i + --------j – 2
--- ( ∇w )δ ij (A-4)
∂x j ∂x i 3

∂ ˜
and q i = ( κ + κ t ) T. (A-5)
∂ xi

Q contains the source terms:

0
Q = ρf e , (A-6)

Wf

with f e expressing the effects of external forces and W f the work performed by those external

forces: W f = ρf e ⋅ v . Other source terms are possible, like gravity, depending on the chosen func-
tionalities.

A-2.2 Time Averaging of Quantities


The Navier-Stokes equations are averaged in time. The density and the pressure are time averaged
related to the instantenous value through:

q = q + q' (A-7)

where where q is the time averaged value and q' the fluctuating part and

q' = 0 (A-8)

The energy, velocity components and temperature are density weighted averages defined as:

ρq
q̃ = ------ (A-9)
ρ

A-2.3 Treatment of Turbulence in the Equations


Except for the non-linear k-ε turbulence model, a first-order closure model based on Boussinesq's
assumption, is used:

∂w i ∂w j 2 2
– ρw i ″w j ″ = µ t + – --- ( ∇w̃ )δ ij – --- ρkδ ij (A-10)
∂ xj ∂ xi 3 3

A-2 FINE™
Formulation in Rotating Frame for the Absolute Velocity Governing Equations

with w i the xi component of the relative velocity. In this equation k is the turbulent kinetic energy
and is defined as:

1
k = --- ρw i ″w i ″ ⁄ ρ . (A-11)
2
In contrast to the laminar case, both the static pressure and the total energy contain contributions
from the turbulent kinetic energy k and are defined as:

2
p* = p + --- ρk , (A-12)
3

1
E˜ = ẽ + --- w̃ i w̃ i + k (A-13)
2
Note that Eq. A-13 does not contain a term in the angular velocity. This term is accounted for in the
source term, and assuming stationary flow, corresponds to the last term of Eq. A-15.

A-2.4 Formulation in Rotating Frame for the Relative Velocity


The resulting time averaged Navier-Stokes equations for the relative velocities in the rotating frame
of reference become:

ρ ρw̃ i 0
ρw̃ 1 p*δ 1i + ρw̃ i w̃ 1 τ i1
U = ρw̃ 2 F Ii = p*δ 2i + ρw̃ i w̃ 2 – F vi = τ i2 (A-14)

ρw̃ 3 p*δ 3i + ρw̃ i w̃ 3 τ i3


q i + w̃ j τ ij
ρẼ ( ρẼ + p* )w̃ i

where the shorthand notation , i, in the Fvi expression, is used to denote derivatives with respect to
x i . The source term vector Q contains contributions of Coriolis and centrifugal forces and is given
by:

0
Q = ( – ρ ) [ 2ω × w + ( ω × ( ω × r ) ) ] (A-15)

2 2
ρw∇ ( 0.5ω r )
with ω the angular velocity of the relative frame of reference.

A-3 Formulation in Rotating Frame for the


Absolute Velocity
Although the governing equations for rotating systems are usually formulated in the relative system
and solved for the relative velocity components, the formulation retained for ship propeller applica-
tions or ventilators are often expressed in the relative frame of reference for the absolute velocity

FINE™ A-3
Governing Equations Formulation in Rotating Frame for the Absolute Velocity

components. This formulation is different from the one generally used to solve internal turboma-
chinery problems, where the equations are solved for the relative velocity. The two formulations
should lead to the same flow solution. However, experience shows that the solution can be differ-
ent, especially in the far field region. For propeller problems, the formulation based on relative
velocities has the disadvantage that the far field relative velocity can reach high values. This
induces an excess of artificial dissipation leading to a non physical rotational flow in the far field
region, this dissipation being based on the computed variables.

This formulation is controlled by the expert parameter IVELSY=0.

This formulation is valid only if all boundary conditions are uniform in the azimuthal
direction. If the flow field boundary conditions are not uniform in the azimuthal direc-
tion, the boundary conditions expressed in this formulation must be unsteady. In this
case, the formulation for the relative velocity is suggested.
Except for the non-linear k-ε turbulence model, first-order closure, based on Boussinesq's assump-
tion, is used for the Reynolds stress:

∂ṽ i ∂ṽ j 2 2
– ρv i ″v j ″ = µ t + – --- ( ∇ṽ )δ ij – --- ρkδ ij (A-16)
∂ xi ∂ xi 3 3

with v i the xi component of the absolute velocity. The flux vectors are decomposed into Cartesian
components:

F I = f I1 1 x + f I2 1 y + f I3 1 z
(A-17)
F v = f v1 1 x + f v2 1 y + f v3 1 z

and

ρ ρw̃ i 0
ρṽ 1 p*δ 1i + ρw̃ i ṽ 1 τ i1
U = ρṽ 2 F Ii = p*δ 2i + ρw̃ i ṽ 2 – F vi = τ i2 (A-18)

ρṽ 3 p*δ 3i + ρw̃ i ṽ 3 τ i3


q i + ṽ j τ ij
ρẼ ρẼw̃ i + p*ṽ i

where the shorthand notation, i, in the Fvi expression, is used to denote derivatives with respect to
x i . The velocity w i is the xi component of the relative velocity. This formulation involves thus both
the absolute and the relative velocity components.
The source term vector Q is given by:

0
Q = –ρ ( ω × v ) , (A-19)

with ω the angular velocity of the relative frame of reference. Other source terms are possible, like
gravity, depending on the chosen functionalities.

A-4 FINE™
Formulation in Rotating Frame for the Absolute Velocity Governing Equations

The averaged Navier-Stokes equations are obtained by the Favre averaging as described in section
A-2.2.
In contrast to the laminar case, both the static pressure and the total energy contain contributions
from the turbulent kinetic energy k and are defined as:

2
p* = p + --- ρk , (A-20)
3

1
E˜ = ẽ + --- w̃ i w̃ i + k . (A-21)
2
The stress and the heat flux components are given by:

∂ṽ ∂ṽ
τ ij = ( µ + µ t ) -------i + -------j – 2
--- ( ∇v )δ ij (A-22)
∂x j ∂x i 3

and q i = ( κ + κ t ) ∂ T˜ , (A-23)
∂ xi

FINE™ A-5
Governing Equations Formulation in Rotating Frame for the Absolute Velocity

A-6 FINE™
APPENDIX B:File Formats

B-1 Overview
This Appendix describes the files used by FINE™ and the flow solver EURANUS. It is divided in
two parts. The first one gives the file format information needed to use FINE™, while the second
one describes the format of the files used and produced by EURANUS. As FINE™ is intended to
handle the file treatment for the user, knowing the exact format of all the files used in a simulation
process is not required. This appendix is therefore written for advanced users only.
In the following description, it is assumed that all the files are related to a generic project called
'project'. The chapter is divided in five sections:
• files produced by IGG™,
• files produced and used by FINE™,
• files produced and used by the flow solver EURANUS,
• files used as data profile,
• resource files used to control the layout and which contain default values and reference infor-
mation.
To simplify the notations, it is assumed that the related mesh has a topology of one block.

B-2 Files Produced by IGG™


This section describes the files produced by the grid generator IGG™ and used by FINE™:
• the identification file "project.igg",
• the binary file "project.cgns",
• the boundary conditions file "project.bcs",
• the geometry file "project.geom",
• the configuration file "project.config".

FINE™ B-1
File Formats Files Produced by FINE™

B-2.1 The Identification File: ’project.igg’


This file contains all the mesh geometric and topologic information. It is used by FINE™ to iden-
tify the mesh topology. A complete description of this file is given in the IGG™ User Manual.

B-2.2 The Binary File: ’project.cgns’


When the mesh is created and saved in IGG™, the binary file "project.cgns" containing the grid
point coordinates is created. Later on, the solver will store the wall distances used for the different
turbulence models in the same file.

B-2.3 The Geometry File: ’project.geom’


When the mesh is created and saved in IGG™, the geometry file "project.geom" containing the
whole geometry (curves, surfaces and Cartesian points) is created.

B-2.4 The Boundary Condition File: ’project.bcs’


As described in Chapter 8, the settings of the boundary condition type have to be set inside IGG™
while the physical boundary condition parameters are set in FINE™. The settings of IGG™ are
stored in the file "project.bcs". This files is used by FINE™ to initialize the boundary condition
types for each patch. They are updated each time the boundary condition type is changed inside
IGG™.

B-2.5 The Configuration File: ’project.config’


This file contains all the mesh patches and boundary conditions. It is used by FINE™ for the Sub-
Project management. It is also used to automatically create groups to set-up the boundary condi-
tions. A description of this file is given in the IGG™ User Manual.

B-3 Files Produced by FINE™


This section describes the files produced and used by FINE™ (or used by the flow solver EURA-
NUS launched from FINE™). Please note that FINE™ acts as a file manager between different
software systems. Therefore, it is important that the read, write and execute permissions are set
properly for all the files and directories used by FINE™.

Manual modification of these files is not supported since it may corrupt the file or pro-
vide incorrect results. Such a modification should only be done on explicit advice of
NUMECA support team ([email protected]).

B-3.1 The Project File: ’project.iec’


This file contains all the information related to the project. It is used by FINE™ to save and recover
all the user settings. This file is subdivided into several blocks. Each block contains data and/or
other blocks. The beginning of the blocks is identified by the key word NI_BEGIN and by a name
and the end of the block is identified by the key word NI_END and by the name of the block.

B-2 FINE™
Files Produced by the Flow Solver EURANUS File Formats

a) File Header
The file always has the following header containing the version number and the project type:
NUMECA_PROJECT_FILE VERSION 8.2
PROJECT_TYPE STRUCTURED
After the header, 3 new lines are used to store the name of the files linked to the project:
GRID_FILE /usr/_turnkey_tutorials/_rotor37/rotor37/_mesh/rotor37.igg
TRB_FILE /usr/_turnkey_tutorials/_rotor37/rotor37/rotor37.trb
GEOMETRY_FILE /usr/_turnkey_tutorials/_rotor37/rotor37.geomTurbo
These are respectively the mesh, the template and the geometry files. The template and the geometry
files are not used by FINE™/Turbo and are only there for backward compatibility reasons.

b) The Computation Block


The project file contains the settings of all the computations defined by the user. Each computation
block is identified by the following keywords:
NI_BEGIN computation
...
NI_END computation
The computation block contains the following subblocks:
• The Solver Parameters Section block containing all the parameters of the solver EURANUS.
• The Initial Solution & Boundary Condition Section block containing the initial solution and
the boundary conditions.
• The Blade-to-Blade Parameters Section block containing all the parameters of the blade-to-
blade module.
• The Grid Parameters Section block containing the topology of the mesh.
• The Fluid Properties Section block containing the fluid properties.

B-3.2 The Computation File: ’project_computationName.run’


When the solver is started, FINE™ creates a new directory using the name of the active computation.
A computational file (".run" extension) containing the settings of the active computation is saved into
this new directory. This file is used as input by the flow solver EURANUS and by the flow visualiza-
tion system CFView™.

The menu File/Save Run Files enables to save the ".run" file without starting the solver
EURANUS.

B-4 Files Produced by the Flow Solver EURANUS


This section describes the files produced and used by the flow solver EURANUS. The flow solver uses
most of the files described above and produces the following files:

FINE™ B-3
File Formats Files Produced by the Flow Solver EURANUS

B-4.1 The Binary Solution File: ’project_computationName.cgns’


This binary file contains the flow solution. It is used to restart the solver and also by CFView™ to visualize
the flow field. The data structure is the following:
1. For block i = 1 to n:
The primitive flow variables: density, velocity components, pressure. These are computed at cell centers
and are used for restart. Depending on the type of computation, temperature or turbulent quantities such as
k, ε, ω or µt are also stored.
2. For block i = 1 to n:
The grid point coordinates and the 3D output flow variables as selected by the user through FINE™ (see
Chapter 11). This data will be read by CFView™. Flow quantities are interpolated at mesh nodes by the
flow solver as required by CFView™ (see section 11-4 for mathematical details).
If the user selected solid data output, azimuthal averaged output or surface averaged output (see
Chapter 11), the corresponding mesh coordinates and computed quantities are added to the corresponding
".cgns" file.

B-4.2 The Global Solution File: ’project_computationName.mf’


This ASCII file contains averaged quantities over the inlet, outlet and rotor-stator sections. It is generated
only if both inlet and outlet boundary conditions are present (section 11-2.5).

B-4.3 The Residual File: ’project_computationName.res’


This file contains the residual values for all blocks for each iteration of a computation as described in sec-
tion 16-4.3.1. It is continuously updated during the computation. It is used by the MonitorTurbo to visual-
ize the convergence history.
The format of this file is the following:
• line 1: Version line.
• line 2: Number of blocks.
• line 3: 3D or 2D.
• line 4: NO-K-EPS or K-EPS or SPL-ALM.
• line 5: Number of chemistry species (not used, for backward compatibility only).
• line 6: STEADY or UNSTEADY.
• line 7: TURBO (not used, for backward compatibility reasons only).
• For iteration i=1 to itmax
Iteration number, Total iteration number (for unsteady computations only), Work unit, CPU time,
Physical time (for unsteady computations only), Lift, Drag, Torque, Qmax, Tmax, Mass flow in
and out.
For block j = 1 to n:
First the maximum and then the RMS residual is given for the density ρ, the 3 momentum com-
ponents (ρvx, ρvy, ρvz), the energy e, the turbulent variables k, ε and υ.
Where:
Iteration number = the number of iterations. For unsteady computations it includes the number of itera-
tions performed in stationary mode to initialize the unsteady computation.
Total iteration number = the total number of iterations including the dual-time step sub-iterations and the
initial stationary iterations.

B-4 FINE™
Files Produced by the Flow Solver EURANUS File Formats

Work unit: for single grid computations, one work unit is equal to one iteration, while in multigrid,
the work unit corresponds to the computing effort of the multigrid run to the single grid run. For 3D
cases it is computed as follow: WU = 1 + n2(1/2)3 + n3(1/2)6 +...

While for 2D: WU = 1 + n2(1/2)2 + n3(1/2)4 +...

where nx is the number of iteration done on the xth multigrid level

RMS is the root mean square of the residual, defined by


Σ 2
R es
--------------------- (see section 16-4.3).
n
Physical time = the physical time step.
Lift, Drag and Torque are scalar values corresponding respectively to the projection of the force
vector along a lift direction (IDCLP), a drag direction (IDCDP) and a torque direction (IDCMP).
These directions are controlled by the real expert parameters "IDCLP", "IDCDP", "IDCMP" in
FINE™ (on the Computation Steering/Control Variables page in Expert Mode) as described in
section 11-2.5.1 and section 11-3.2.
For internal flows (expert parameter IINT=1):
• Qmax = efficiency between inlet and outlet,
• Tmax = total pressure ratio between inlet and outlet.

For external flows (expert parameter IINT=0):


• Qmax = maximum heat flux on surface = k*Grad T*n,
• Tmax = maximum static temperature.

Mass flow in/out = total mass flow for both inlet and outlet boundaries. When no inlet or outlet is
present in the computation, the corresponding mass flow is set to zero.

Finally, the ".res" file is given with the CPU time included. For sequential computation, the CPU
time is the total CPU time at each iteration which includes the CPU time of previous iterations. For
parallel computations the wall clock time will be given instead of the CPU time.

B-4.4 The LOG File: ’project_computationName.log’


This ASCII file contains all the information related to the current computation. It contains a sum-
mary of the computation variable as well as warnings and error messages. If the flow solver
encounters a problem, the latter is described in the ".log" file. This file is for support purposes only.
When a problem appears please send this file together with a detailed problem description to
NUMECA support team at [email protected].

B-4.5 The STD file: ’project_computationName.std’


This ASCII file contains all the information related to the current computation. It contains the
whole content of the Task Manager window as well as warnings and error messages. If the flow
solver encounters a problem, the latter is described in the ".std" file. This file is for support pur-
poses only. When a problem appears please send this file together with a detailed problem descrip-
tion to NUMECA support team at [email protected].

FINE™ B-5
File Formats Files Produced by the Flow Solver EURANUS

B-4.6 The Wall File: ’project_computationName.wall’


This self-explained ASCII file gives information about forces and torques on the patches for which
the Compute force and torque option is activated on the Boundary Conditions page in the Solid
thumbnail (see section 8-2.4).

B-4.7 The AQSI File: ’project_computationName.aqsi’


This ASCII temporary file is created and read by the code to ensure a smooth restart in the presence
of quasi-steady rotor-stator interfaces.

B-4.8 The ADF File: ’project.adf’


This file contains the FNMB data and is saved in mesh directory. This file is created once and read
afterwards by the code to ensure a faster start-up of following computations. The creation/reading
of this file can be controlled trough the expert parameter IFNMFI.

B-4.9 The Plot3D Files


The Plot3D output module of EURANUS creates 4 files.
• The "project_computationName.g" file contains the grid data.
• The "project_computationName.q" file contains the conservative variables.
• The "project_computationName.f" file contains additional variables.
• The "project_computationName.name" file contains the names of the additional variables.

The first 3 files can be written in ASCII or binary format, the binary format being the Fortran unfor-
matted format. The ".name" file is always written in ASCII.

When the Unformatted file (binary) FORTRAN format is selected in FINE™: the
user has to make sure that the file format is also correctly defined in CFView™. When
opening the Plot3D project in CFView™ through the menu File/Open Plot3D Project...,
click on the File Format... button and select Unformatted. Do not select Binary as it
corresponds to binary files generated by C programs. Once this is done, the user also
needs to check the binary low endian or binary big endian format on the same page.
On PC platforms (Windows or LINUX) make sure to use binary low endian format
whereas binary big endian is mandatory on all other platforms.
1. The "project_computationName.g" file format:
• Line1: number of blocks,
• Line2: the 3 dimensions of each block,
• for each block, the coordinates of the mesh points.

2. The "project_computationName.q" file format:


• Line1: number of blocks,
• Line2: the 3 dimensions of each block,
• for each block:
the free stream mach number, the flow angle, the Reynolds number and the time,
the 5 conservative unknowns: density, the 3 momentum components and energy.

B-6 FINE™
Files Used as Data Profile File Formats

3. The "project_computationName.f" file format:


• Line1: number of blocks,
• Line2: for each block, the 3 dimensions and the number of additional variables selected by the
user,
• for each block: the additional flow variables.

4. The "project_computationName.name" file format:


This file contains the names of the additional variables stored in the ".f" file, one name per line. If
the quantity is a vector, it will be written on 3 different lines like in the following example:
Velocity-X
Velocity-Y
Velocity-Z

B-4.10 The Meridional File: ’project_computationName.me.cfv’


This ASCII file contains data required for the visualization of the meridional averaged output under
CFView™. It is created whenever the user specifies variables in the Outputs/Azimuthal Averaged
Variables page of the FINE™ interface.

B-5 Files Used as Data Profile


This section describes the files created by the user and used as input data for the boundary condi-
tions and for the fluid model. Once these files are read by the interface, they are imported in the
".iec" file described in section B-3. The flow solver does not read these files, it retrieves the profiles
from the computation definition file with extension ".run". Profiles may also be specified by enter-
ing the coordinates directly into the profile viewer, as described in section 2-7.

The imported values will be interpreted in the current project units. These values
would change (in the database) if the user changes the corresponding units. Therefore all
values will be converted for the flow solver EURANUS in SI system units (in radians for
the angles).
The values for 1D profiles should be given in increasing order of the x-coordinate. For example,
when entering a profile of temperature as a function of R, FINE™ checks whether the two first
points are in increasing order. If this is not the case, the profile will be inverted automatically in
order to ensure compatibility with the flow solver. The next time the Profile Manager ( ) is
opened, the profile will be shown in increasing order, contrary to what was initially entered.
For 2D profiles there is no such constraint except for profiles as a function of r-θ (see section 4-
2.3.2).

FINE™ B-7
File Formats Files Used as Data Profile

B-5.1 Boundary Conditions Data


When defining the inlet (or outlet) boundary condition parameters, the user has the option of speci-
fying one or several input files containing each a data profile. These profiles are used to compute by
interpolation the corresponding physical variables at the inlet (or outlet).
The file containing the profile must be created by the user and its name must possess the ".p" exten-
sion. The values of the physical variable stored in this file can come from any source: experiments,
previous computations, etc.
The format used to create this file contains:
• Line 1: Two strings defining the name of the coordinate axes.
• Line 2: Type of interpolation and number of points of the profile curve.
The types are: 0 for data given at each cell centre
1,2,3,4 and 5 for 1D interpolation respectively along x, y, z, r and θ.
51 for 2D interpolation along x and y.
52 for 2D interpolation along x and z.
53 for 2D interpolation along y and z.
54 for 2D interpolation along r and θ.
55 for 2D interpolation along r and z.
56 for 2D interpolation along θ and z.

The theta angle is defined as θ = arctg (y/x). The θ profile should cover the patch
geometry, so it may take negative values. For unsteady calculations with profile rotation
the θ profile must be given form 0 to 2π (see section 4-2.3.2).

For time dependant profiles the interpolation type is 100.

If profiles are extracted from CFView™, the data are on the cell corners and the type 0
cannot be used. The file in such case should contain the values of the quantity without
the coordinates of the cell centers.
• The next lines contain the coordinate(s) of each point with the associated physical value.

If profiles are extracted from CFView™, the user don't need to specify the coordinates
but need to impose the value in a certain order:
If K=cst surface: I=1 J=1, I=2 J=1,..., I=n J=1, I=1 J=2, I=2 J=2,...,I=n J=2,...
If J=cst surface: K=1 I=1, K=2 I=1,..., K=n I=1, K=1 I=2, K=2 I=2, ...,K=n I=2,...
If I=cst surface: J=1 K=1, J=2 K=1,...,J=n K=1, J=1 K=2,...J=n K=2,...

Example 1:
r pressure
45
0.5 101000
0.6 102000
0.6 103000
0.7 102000
0.8 101000

B-8 FINE™
Files Used as Data Profile File Formats

This example is related to the interpolation of the pressure along the radius. There are 5 point coor-
dinates in the file. This is a space profile.
FINE™ uses the same file formats to import space, time, and space and time profiles. Thus if there
is only one profile in the file, it will be interpreted as a space profile, if a second profile exists,
FINE™ will recognize it as a time profile. Following is an example of a space and time profile:

Example 2:
R Pt
46
.3 95600.13
.251765 98913.46
.248412 100909.6
.24445 101527.6
.240182 101740.4
.23622 101811.4

100 10
.216713 101811.4
.210922 101872.1
.205435 101872.1
.199644 101872.1
.195682 101872.1
.191414 101872.1
.187452 101872.1
.18349 101740.4
.179222 99946.98
.1 99946.98

The two profiles are separated by an empty line. The interpolation type in time is specified as 100.
If this file is imported with the profile viewer invoked as fct(space) - only the first part will be
taken into account. If fct(time) is specified - only the second part will be read by the flow solver.
Both profiles will be imported if fct(space-time) is specified for the variable type.
If there are less coordinates supplied than the number of points specified, FINE™ will put zero for
the missing coordinates.

B-5.2 Fluid Properties


Fluid properties like Cp or Gamma or the viscosity can be input in the solver as constant but can
also be input as variables in function of the temperature.
The format used is the following:
• Line 1: Two strings: "T" and the name of quantity considered ("P" and "Density" for baro-
tropic law).
• Line 2: Contains two integers:
— the first number is the type of interpolation: 11 for Temperature and 12 for Pressure (baro-
tropic profiles only),
— the second one defines the number of points on the profile curve.
• The next lines list the data of each point: temperature and the fluid property.

FINE™ B-9
File Formats Resource Files

Example 1:
T Mu
11 5
270 6e-5
275 3e-5
280 2e-5
290 1.5e-5
300 0.9e-5

It is recommended to cover the whole temperature range of the considered problem.

The format for the Cp and Gamma profiles is slightly different because the two profiles are speci-
fied in the same file (with extension ".heat_capacity"). It is as shown in the example below:
Example 2:
T Cp
11 4
295 1004.9
298 1005.3
301 1010.8
318 1011.0

11 3
296 1.31
298 1.34
303 1.36

The first set of points is for the Cp profile, the second is for the Gamma profile as functions of the
temperature.

B-6 Resource Files


All the resource files are located in the same directory, which is ~/COMMON under UNIX and
~\bin under Windows. It is not possible to start FINE™ if any of these files is missing.

B-6.1 Boundary Conditions Resource File: ’euranus_bc.def’


This file contains the default values for all parameters of the available boundary conditions. The
same file is also used to create the graphical layout of the page Boundary Conditions in FINE™.
FINE™ only reads from this file so this file is not modified while using FINE™.

B-6.2 Fluids Database File: ’euranus.flb’


This file contains all the data relative to the fluids created by the users in the page Configuration/
Fluid Model. This file is overwritten each time a user quits FINE™ after modifying the fluids data-
base (add, remove, or modify a fluid). All the users should have read and write permissions for this
file. It is not recommended to modify this file manually.

B-10 FINE™
Resource Files File Formats

B-6.3 Units Systems Resource File: ’euranus.uni’


This file contains the conversion factors for all physical quantities used in FINE™ for all possible
combinations between existing systems of units. To add a new units system the user should add the
corresponding conversion factors following the existing format shown in the extract below:
...
# new units can be added by respecting the format
# for UNITS NAMES AND CONVERSION FACTORS
# NOTE: VALUE_UNITS_NAME value should NOT begin with capital letter !
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------

# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
# these are the names of the systems
# used to change all the quantities at the same time

DEFAULT_SYSTEM SI
DEFAULT_SYSTEM Default
DEFAULT_SYSTEM American 1
DEFAULT_SYSTEM American 2
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------

# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
# this is the system that will be taken as default
# when creating a new project

NEW_PROJECT_DEFAULT_SYSTEM Default

# -----------------------------------------------------------------------

# --------------------- UNITS NAMES AND CONVERSION FACTORS ---------------

NI_BEGIN UNITS_RECORD
NUMBER_OF_SYSTEMS 4
VALUE_UNITS_NAME length
UNITS_NAME 1 [m]
CONV_FACTOR 1 2 1.
CONV_FACTOR 1 3 3.280839895
CONV_FACTOR 1 4 39.37007874
UNITS_NAME 2 [m]
CONV_FACTOR 2 1 1.
CONV_FACTOR 2 3 3.280839895
CONV_FACTOR 2 4 39.37007874

FINE™ B-11
File Formats Resource Files

UNITS_NAME 3 [ft]
CONV_FACTOR 3 1 0.3048
CONV_FACTOR 3 2 0.3048
CONV_FACTOR 3 4 12.
UNITS_NAME 4 [in]
CONV_FACTOR 4 1 0.0254
CONV_FACTOR 4 2 0.0254
CONV_FACTOR 4 3 0.08333333333
NI_END UNITS_RECORD

NI_BEGIN UNITS_RECORD
NUMBER_OF_SYSTEMS 4
VALUE_UNITS_NAME mass
UNITS_NAME 1 [kg]
CONV_FACTOR 1 2 1.
CONV_FACTOR 1 3 0.06852176586
CONV_FACTOR 1 4 0.005710147155
UNITS_NAME 2 [kg]
CONV_FACTOR 2 1 1.
CONV_FACTOR 2 3 0.06852176586
CONV_FACTOR 2 4 0.005710147155
UNITS_NAME 3 [lbf s2/ft]
CONV_FACTOR 3 1 14.59390294
CONV_FACTOR 3 2 14.59390294
CONV_FACTOR 3 4 0.08333333333
UNITS_NAME 4 [lbf s2/in]
CONV_FACTOR 4 1 175.1268352
CONV_FACTOR 4 2 175.1268352
CONV_FACTOR 4 3 12.
NI_END UNITS_RECORD
......

If, for example, a new system is added on the fifth position, the user should supply the factors to
convert the physical quantities from all the existing systems (1, 2, 3, and 4) to the fifth, and back
from the fifth to all the others as shown below:
NI_BEGIN UNITS_RECORD
NUMBER_OF_SYSTEMS 5
VALUE_UNITS_NAME length
UNITS_NAME 1 [m]
CONV_FACTOR 1 2 1.
CONV_FACTOR 1 3 3.280839895
CONV_FACTOR 1 4 39.37007874
CONV_FACTOR 1 5 new_factor_value_from_1_to_5

B-12 FINE™
Resource Files File Formats

UNITS_NAME 2 [m]
CONV_FACTOR 2 1 1.
CONV_FACTOR 2 3 3.280839895
CONV_FACTOR 2 4 39.37007874
CONV_FACTOR 2 5 new_factor_value_from_2_to_5
UNITS_NAME 3 [ft]
CONV_FACTOR 3 1 0.3048
CONV_FACTOR 3 2 0.3048
CONV_FACTOR 3 4 12.
CONV_FACTOR 3 5 new_factor_value_from_3_to_5
UNITS_NAME 4 [in]
CONV_FACTOR 4 1 0.0254
CONV_FACTOR 4 2 0.0254
CONV_FACTOR 4 3 0.08333333333
CONV_FACTOR 4 5 new_factor_value_from_4_to_5
UNITS_NAME 5 [new_units_name]
CONV_FACTOR 5 1 new_factor_value_from_5_to_1
CONV_FACTOR 5 2 new_factor_value_from_5_to_2
CONV_FACTOR 5 3 new_factor_value_from_5_to_3
CONV_FACTOR 5 4 new_factor_value_from_5_to_4
NI_END UNITS_RECORD

The default units system can be changed by modifying the line


NEW_PROJECT_DEFAULT_SYSTEM Default
with the name of the desired system.

The first (SI) and the second (default) systems are identical except for the rotational
speed units (RPM vs. radian).

FINE™ B-13
File Formats Resource Files

B-14 FINE™
APPENDIX C:List of Expert
Parameters

C-1 Overview
On the Control Variables page under Expert Mode a list of non-interfaced expert parameters is
available. As stated in the interface these parameters should not be used unless explicitly stated in
this manual. This chapter contains a list of all non-interfaced expert parameters that are described in
this manual. For each parameter a reference is given to the corresponding section. If more informa-
tion is desired on another parameters please contact NUMECA support at [email protected].

C-2 List of Integer Expert Parameters


CLASID: class of particles for CFView™ output section 7-2.4
COOLFL: select cooling/bleed through external file and version section 7-4.3
EFFDEF: efficiency definition section 11-3.2
HTCDEF: definition of heat transfer coefficient section 11-2.1
I2DLAG: simplification of Lagrangian module section 7-2.4
IADAPT: parametrised target distribution section 14-2.5
IARTV2: type of computing of VIS2 section 9-3.2
IATFRZ: mutligrid parameter for Baldwin Lomax section 4-4.4
IBOTH: time discretization section 9-3.2
IBOUND: reflection treatment of particles on solid wall section 7-2.2
ICYOUT: solution overwritten every NOFROT timesteps section 4-2.2
IDISTN: wall distance algorithm section 4-4.4
IFACE: spatial discretization section 9-3.2
IFNMB: transform PERNM boundaries in FNMB section 4-2.2
IFNMFI: reading/writing full non-matching data from file section 5-4.3
IFRCTO: activate partial torque output section 8-2.4
IFRSFI: reading/writing FNMB rotor-stator data from file section 5-4.3
IINT: internal or external flow section 11-3.2
IKELED: activation of LED scalar scheme for k-ε section 4-4.4
IKENC: non-conservative approach for k-ε section 4-4.4
IMASFL: mass flow extrapolation at inlet instead of velocity section 8-3.2
IMGDIR: coarsening direction section 9-3.2
IMTFIL: initial solution for k-ε section 10-4.3

FINE™ C-1
List of Expert Parameters List of Integer Expert Parameters

INEWKE: definition of high Reynolds k-ε model section 4-4.4


INIKE: initial solution for k-ε section 10-4.3
INITRA: transition initialisation section 7-5.3
INITRB: initial solution for turbomachinery section 10-5.3
INLREL: relative angles for the cylindrical inlet section 8-3.1
INTERI: type of intermittency distribution section 7-5.3
INTERL: type of location used for forced transition section 7-5.3
INVMOD: restart of inverse design section 14-2.5
INVSPL: inverse design of splitter blades section 14-2.5
IOPTKE: optimized implementation for k-ε section 4-4.4
IPROLO: multigrid prolongation order section 9-3.2
IRATIO: spatial upwind discretization section 9-3.2
IRESTR: multigrid restriction order section 9-3.2
IROEAV: upwind discretization section 9-3.2
IRSMCH: residual smoothing section 9-3.2
IRSNEW: rotor-stator interaction section 5-4
IRSVFL: viscous fluxes treatment at R/S interface section 5-4.4
ISQUEL: blade-to-blade module section 13-5.2
ISWS: source terms section 9-4.4
ITFRZ: freezing of turbulent viscosity section 4-4.4
ITHVZM: definition of flow angle in throughflow section 6-4
ITRWKI: wake induced transition through AGS model section 7-5.3
IUPWTE: upwind discretization for turbulence equations section 4-4.4
IVELSY: relative frame of reference section A-3
IWAVCO: spatial discretization averaging section 9-3.2
IWAVVI: spatial discretization section 9-3.2
IWRIT: writing of global performance data section 11-3.2
IYAP: Yap’s modification for turbulent length scale section 4-4.4
KEGRID: switch from Baldwin-Lomax to k-ε model section 4-4.4
KOUTPT: particles trajectories output section 7-2.4
LIPROD: linear production term section 4-4.4
LMAX: maximum number of segments in Lagrangian module section 7-2.4
LOCCOR: local enthalpy correction section 5-5.4.3
MAXNBS: maximum number of injection sectors section 7-4.3
MGRSTR: multigrid strategy section 9-3.2
MGSIMP: multigrid strategy section 9-3.2
MXBFSZ: maximum buffer size section 15-4.4
NDTREC: harmonic method solution section 4-3.2
NPERBC: inlet/outlet signal periodicity section 4-2.2
NPLOUT: phase lagged method visualization section 4-2.2
NPTB2B: inverse design method section 14-4.2
NQSTDY: update rotor-stator boundary condition section 5-4.1
NREPCH: harmonic method visualization section 4-3.2
NREPET: calculation of the wall distance section 4-4.4
NSTAGE: number of stages for the explicit Runge-Kutta scheme section 9-3.2
NSUBM: number of subdomains in calculation of wall distance section 4-4.4
NTUPTC: number of patches in calculation of wall distance section 4-4.4
OUTTYP: select type of output section 11-3.2
PREROT: unsteady computation section 4-2.4
THNINI: throughflow under-relaxation section 6-4.1
TORRO: area defined computation of force and torque section 8-3.4
VIS2SW: second order dissipation for incompressible fluid section 9-3.2
VISNUL: central discretization section 9-3.2
ZMNMX: indication of injector positions in cooling/bleed section 7-4.3

C-2 FINE™
List of Float Expert Parameters List of Expert Parameters

C-3 List of Float Expert Parameters


ALPHAP: preconditioning parameter section 4-4.8
ANGREL: relative angles for the inlet boundary conditions section 8-3.1
C1F: constant for v2-f model section 4-4.4
C2F: constant for v2-f model section 4-4.4
C3: constant for k-ε model section 4-4.4
CDIDTE: central discretization section 9-3.2
CE1: constant for k-ε model section 4-4.4
CE2: constant for k-ε model section 4-4.4
CE2V2F: constant for v2-f model section 4-4.4
CET: constant for v2-f model section 4-4.4
CFLVIS: viscous CFL number section 9-4.4
CL: constant for v2-f model section 4-4.4
CMU: constant for k-ε model section 4-4.4
CMU: constant for v2-f model section 4-4.4
COOLRT: reduction of mass flow in cooling holes section 7-4.3
CREF: reference chord for non-dimensionalizing section 11-3.2
DDIMAX: tolerance factor for Lagrangian module section 7-2.4
DIAMR: diameter ratio for Lagrangian module section 7-2.4
EKCLIP: clipping value for turbulent kinetic energy section 4-4.4
ENTRFX: upwind discretization section 9-3.2
EPCLIP: clipping value for turbulent kinetic dissipation section 4-4.4
EPS: minimum value for reals section 4-4.6
EXPMAR: central discretization section 9-3.2
FTRAST: forbid transition before FTRAST*chord with AGS model section 7-5.3
FTURBT: proportion close to the trailing edge that is fully turbulent section 7-5.3
IDCDP: direction of drag or axial thrust section 11-3.2
IDCLP: direction of lift section 11-3.2
IDCMP: direction of moment or torque section 11-3.2
IREFPT: reference altitude in gravity force section 4-4.7
IRKCO: Runge-Kutta coefficients section 9-3.2
ISWV: Runge-Kutta dissipative residuals section 9-3.2
IXMP: definition of point for moment or torque section 11-3.2
LTMAX: maximum turbulent length scale section 4-4.4
MAVREM: control of multigrid correction for k and ε section 4-4.4
MAVRES: update control of k and ε section 4-4.4
MERMAR: azimuthal averaged output section 11-3.1
MUCLIP: clipping value for Mut/Mu section 4-4.4
NUTFRE: initial value of turbulent viscosity for Spalart Allmaras section 4-4.4
OMGINL: rotating boundary condition section 8-3.1
PRCLIP: turbulence parameter section 4-4.4
PRSCON: throughflow initial solution for turbomachinery section 6-2.5
PRT: turbulent Prandtl number section 3-2.9
RADAPT: parametrised target distribution section 14-2.5
RELAXP: under-relaxation for mass flow imposed at outlet section 8-3.3
RELPHL: relaxation factor for Phase-Lagged section 4-2.2
RESFRZ: freeze turbulent viscosity field section 4-4.4
RGAS: outlet boundary condition - pressure adaptation section 8-5.2
RQSTDY: mixing plane under-relaxation section 5-4.1
RSMPAR: residual smoothing parameter section 9-3.2

FINE™ C-3
List of Expert Parameters List of Float Expert Parameters

RTOL: maximum angle for normals in calculation wall distance section 4-4.4
SIGE: constant for k-ε and v2-f model section 4-4.4
SIGK: constant for k-ε and v2-f model section 4-4.4
SMCOR: residual smoothing section 9-3.2
SREF: reference surface to non-dimensionalize coefficients section 11-3
TEDAMP: damping for k-ε model section 4-4.4
THFREL: throughflow under-relaxation section 6-4
UENTR: thermodynamic output variables section 11-2.1
VELSCA: maximum value allowed for velocity scaling section 8-3
VIS2: central discretization section 9-3.2
VIS2KE: central discretization section 9-3.2
VIS4: central discretization section 9-3.2
VIS4KE: central discretization section 9-3.2

C-4 FINE™
APPENDIX D:Characteristics of
Thermodynamic Tables

D-1 Overview
As described in section section 3-2.3.4, the Condensable Fluid module aims at modelling the real
thermodynamic properties of a given fluid by means of interpolation of the variables from dedi-
cated tables.
The approach that has been adopted in EURANUS consists of using a series of thermodynamic
tables, one table being required each time a thermodynamic variable must be deduced from two
other ones. This implies the creation of many tables as input, but presents the advantage that no
iterative inversion of the tables is done in the solver, with as a consequence a very small addi-
tional CPU time.
Information related to
• the range of variation of admissible values for thermodynamic variables
• the discretization of the grid
• the nature of the interpolation algorithm selected
• the relative mean error (mean and maximum) on thermodynamic variables
• the size of the table

is discussed here below for the by default available thermodynamic tables.

D-2 Main Characteristics for Water (Steam)


Water (steam) tables come in the form of 11 tables, described as follows:
TER: interpolates static temperature as a function of internal energy and density
PER: interpolates static pressure as a function of internal energy and density
DPT: interpolates density as a function of static pressure and temperature
EPT: interpolates internal energy as a function of pressure and static temperature
SHP: interpolates entropy as a function of total enthalpy/total pressure or relative
enthalpy/relative pressure

FINE™ D-1
Characteristics of Thermodynamic Tables Main Characteristics for Water (Steam)

PHS: interpolates static or total pressure as a function of entropy and static or total
enthalpy
RHS: interpolates static pressure over density as a function of entropy and enthalpy
HSP: interpolates static or total enthalpy as a function of entropy and static or total
pressure
MER: interpolates dynamic viscosity as a function of internal energy and density
KER: interpolates thermal conductivity as a function of internal energy and density
PSA: defines the saturation line

Tables Variables Minimum Maximum


TER / PER Energy [J/kg] 500,000 4,000,000
Density [kg/m3] 0.001 1,020
Pressure [bar] 0.0003 26,600
Temperature [K] 237 1,630

DPT / EPT Pressure [bar] 0.002 24,000


Temperature [K] 250 1,350
Density [kg/m3] 0.00032 1,432
Energy [J/Kg] -187,568 4,212,000
Enthalpy [J/kg] -99,726 5,500,000

SHP Enthalpy [J/kg] 1,500,000 4,500,000


Pressure [bar] 0.002 24,000
Entropy [J/kg/K] -1,582 12,733

PHS / RHS Enthalpy [J/kg] 1,850,000 4,500,000


Entropy [J/kg/K] 2,000 10,500
Pressure [bar] 0.00021 46,700

HSP Enthalpy [J/kg] -1,655 50,000,000


Entropy [J/kg/K] 0 13,000
Pressure [bar] 0.002 24,000

MER / KER Energy [J/Kg] 500,000 4,000,000


Density [kg/m ] 3 0.001 500
Viscosity [Pa.s] 0.0000085 0.00013
Conductivity [W/m/K] 0.015 0.58

TABLE 1. Admissible range of variations for thermodynamic variables

D-2 FINE™
Main Characteristics for R134a Characteristics of Thermodynamic Tables

Table 1 on page 2 lists the range of admissible variations for the thermodynamic variables, in the
different tables proposed. Ranges have been extended from the default tables proposed up to
FINE™ /Turbo 6.2-7, especially at low pressures (< 1000 Pa). Significant improvements, both in
terms of robustness and accuracy, are expected in that area.

Tables Grid Interpolation Error Error Max- Size


RMS [%] imum [%] [Mb]
PER 71 x 71 bi-cubic (double table) 0.02 80.7 3.2
TER 71 x 71 bi-cubic (double table) 0.014 1.7 3.2
DPT 101 x 101 bi-cubic (single table) - < 0.1 3.3
EPT 101 x 101 bi-cubic (single table) - < 0.1 3.3
SHP 41 x 41 bi-cubic (single table) 0.0015 0.008 0.5
PHS 81 x 81 bi-cubic (single table) 0.005 5.8 2.1
RHS 81 x 81 bi-cubic (double table) 0.026 9.7 4.2
HSP 81 x 81 bi-cubic (single table) 0.0003 0.01 2.1
MER 41 x 61 bi-cubic (double table) 0.126 8.7 1.6
KER 41 x 61 bi-cubic (double table) 2.02 27.2 1.6
PSA 120 cubic - - 0.1

TABLE 2. Main characteristics of water (steam) thermodynamic tables

Both RMS (root mean square) and maximum errors should be interpreted as relative errors. RMS
error does not exceed 2%, while in most tables it is ranging from 0.0001% to 0.1%. Maximum rela-
tive errors are located nearby the saturation line, where the interpolation naturally degrades despite
the use of bi-cubic interpolations and double table strategy.
Tables DPT and EPT have been tuned so as to guarantee maximum accuracy in the vapor phase (<
0.1% at maximum). However, run performed in the liquid phase are consequently prohibited since
they would lead to large relative errors (> 100%) in that area. A dedicated set covering DPT and
EPT tables balancing maximum relative errors both on vapor and liquid phases can however be
obtained upon request. Please take direct contact at "[email protected]" for any question on this
purpose.

D-3 Main Characteristics for R134a


The tables for the refrigerant R134a come in the form of 9 tables, described as follows:
TER: interpolates static temperature as a function of internal energy and density
PER: interpolates static pressure as a function of internal energy and density
DPT: interpolates density as a function of static pressure and temperature
EPT: interpolates internal energy as a function of pressure and static temperature
SHP: interpolates entropy as a function of total enthalpy/total pressure or relative
enthalpy/relative pressure
PHS: interpolates static or total pressure as a function of entropy and static or total

FINE™ D-3
Characteristics of Thermodynamic Tables Main Characteristics for R134a

enthalpy
RHS: interpolates static pressure over density as a function of entropy and enthalpy
HSP: interpolates static or total enthalpy as a function of entropy and static or total
pressure
PSA: defines the saturation line

Tables Variables Minimum Maximum


TER / PER Energy [J/kg] 170,000 520,000
Density [kg/m3] 0.14 1450
Pressure [bar] 0.075 3,850
Temperature [K] 176 590

DPT / EPT Pressure [bars] 0.05 500


Temperature [K] 180 430
Density [kg/m3] 0.14 1,620
Energy [J/Kg] 75,000 515,000

SHP Enthalpy [J/kg] 170,000 550,000


Pressure [bar] 0.05 500
Entropy [J/kg/K] 744 2,538

PHS / RHS Enthalpy [J/kg] 272,000 550,000


Entropy [J/kg/K] 1,000 2,100
Pressure [bar] 0.00028 5,400

HSP Enthalpy [J/kg] 125,000 1,030,000


Entropy [J/kg/K] 700 2,500
Pressure [bar] 0.05 500

TABLE 3. Admissible range of variations for thermodynamic variables

Table 3 on page 4 lists the range of admissible variations for the thermodynamic variables, in the
different tables proposed.

D-4 FINE™
Main Characteristics for R134a Characteristics of Thermodynamic Tables

Tables Grid Interpolation Error Error Max- Size


RMS [%] imum [%] [Mb]
PER 71 x 71 bi-cubic (double table) 0.0125 64.16 3.2
TER 71 x 71 bi-cubic (double table) 0.0022 0.15 3.2
DPT 101 x 101 bi-linear (single table) 18.9 99.99 0.9
EPT 101 x 101 bi-linear (single table) 8.28 > 100 0.9
SHP 41 x 41 bi-cubic (single table) 0.00027 0.008 0.5
PHS 81 x 81 bi-cubic (single table) 0.0081 > 100 2.1
RHS 81 x 81 bi-cubic (double table) 0.273 > 100 4.2
HSP 81 x 81 bi-cubic (single table) 0.00009 0.0079 2.1
PSA 120 cubic - - 0.1

TABLE 4. Main characteristics of the R134a thermodynamic tables

Both RMS (root mean square) and maximum errors should be interpreted as relative errors. Maxi-
mum relative errors are located nearby the saturation line, where the interpolation naturally
degrades despite the use of bi-cubic interpolations and double table strategy.

FINE™ D-5
Characteristics of Thermodynamic Tables Main Characteristics for R134a

D-6 FINE™
Index

INDEX
Numerics Block
1D Non Reflecting 5-21 Conjugate Heat Transfer 7-12
Throughflow 6-2–6-3
A Boundary Conditions 8-1
Abu-Grannam-Shaw Model 7-42 Blade To Blade 13-8
Add Fluid 3-3 Compute Force and Torque 8-11
ANSYS
Condensable fluid 8-21
Fillet 11-14
External 8-13
Outputs 11-10
Full Non Matching 8-1
Visualization 11-15
Group 8-2
AutoBlade 2-4, 2-11
Lagrangian Module 7-4–7-6
AutoGrid 1-2, 2-4, 2-6, 2-11
Passive Tracers 4-56
Batch 15-17
Periodic 8-9
Axial Thrust 8-11, 11-17
Rotor/Stator 5-17–5-19
Azimuthal Averaged Output 11-9
Throughflow 6-7–6-8
B Turbulence 4-23
Background Color 1-7 Unsteady 4-2, 4-7, 4-12
Barotropic Liquid, see Fluid, Barotropic Liquid Boussinesq 4-57
Batch BPF 4-16
AutoGrid 15-17
CFView™ 15-27 C
FINE™ 15-18 CFD
IGG™ 15-16 Governing equations A-1
Benedict-Webb-Rubin 3-15 Introduction 1-1
Blade To Blade 13-1 CFL Number 7-12, 9-2, 9-18
Boundary Conditions 13-8 CFView™ 1-3, 2-11
File Formats 13-13–13-17 Batch 15-27
Flow Solver 13-12 CGNS B-4
Characteristic Values, see Reference Values
Geometrical Data 13-3
Condensable Fluid
Initial Solution 13-10, 14-5 Saturation 3-16
Input Files 13-13–13-15 Condensable fluid
Inverse Design 13-8 Boundary conditions 8-21
Mesh Generator 13-6, 13-11 Outputs 11-3
New Project 13-2 Condensable Fluid, see Fluid, Condensable
Numerical Model 13-10 Conductivity 3-4–3-6
Open Project 13-2 Laminar 3-10
Output Files 13-15–13-17 Turbulent 3-11
Stream Surface Data 13-4 Turbulent, Condensable Fluid 3-17
Theory 13-11 Config
Bleed Flow Grid Configuration 2-15
Theory 7-32, 7-33 Conjugate Heat Transfer 7-11–7-15
Bleed flow Block Types 7-12
Data file 7-34 CFL Number 7-12
Flow Parameters 7-29 Theory 7-13–7-15
Outputs 7-31 Thermal Connections 7-12
Positioning 7-18 Control Variables 16-1
Visualization 7-31 Unsteady 4-4
Wizard 7-16 Convention 1-5

FINE™ i
Index

INDEX
Convergence History 10-4, 16-2 EURANUS 1-3
Cooling Flow Expert Mode 2-14
Theory 7-32, 7-33 Expert Parameters C-1
Cooling flow 7-15 External Boundary Condition 8-13
Bleed flow 7-15
Data file 7-34 F
Flow Parameters 7-29 File
Limitations 2-9
Outputs 7-31
Management 1-3
Positioning 7-18
Menu 2-5
Visualization 7-31
Names 2-9
Wizard 7-16
Create New 2-12
Grid File 2-4 Open 2-12
Project 2-2, 2-5 Save 2-12
Run File 2-7 Save Run File 2-12
File Format 6-9, B-1
D Fillet 11-14
Delete Fluid 3-8 Finebatch 15-18
Design 2D 2-11, 14-1 Flow Model 4-1
Formulation 14-4, 14-7 Fluid
Input Files 14-3, 14-8 Add 3-3
Mach Number 14-4, 14-10 Barotropic Liquid 3-13
New Project 14-2 Condensable 3-6, 3-14–3-17
Output Files 14-9 Delete 3-8
Start 14-6 Edit 3-9
Theory 14-7–14-8 Incompressible 5-18
Design 3D 1-2, 2-4, 2-11 Interface 3-2
Discretization Liquid 3-6, 3-13
Central Scheme 9-9–9-11 List 3-2
Limiters 9-12 Models 3-1–3-17
Spatial 9-4, 9-8–9-14 Perfect Gas 3-4, 3-11
Temporal 9-5 Real Gas 3-4, 3-12
Time 9-17–9-22 Fluid-Particle Interaction. See Lagrangian Module.
Upwind Scheme 9-11–9-14 Force 8-11
Drag 8-11 Blade 6-13
Drag Coefficient 11-21 Friction 6-14
Driver 1-6 Forced Transition 7-39, 7-41
Dryness Fraction 3-16 Formula Editor 3-7
Duplicate Active Project 2-7 Frequency 4-16
Full Non Matching 5-20, 8-1
E
Fully Laminar 7-41
Edit Fluid 3-9
Fully Turbulent 7-41
Efficiency 11-18
Enthalpy 3-12, 3-16, 3-17 G
Entropy 3-15 Gas Constant 3-5
Euler 4-22 Gauss Theorem 9-8
2D 6-1 Global Layout 2-8
Equations 6-13 Global Performance 11-17, B-4

ii FINE™
Index

INDEX
Graphics 1-6 L
Graphics Area 2-18 Lagrangian Module
Boundary Conditions 7-4–7-6
Gravity 3-6, 4-50
Grid Global Strategy 7-3
Configuration 2-15 Interaction With Turbulence 7-10
Create Grid File 2-4 Outputs 7-6
Grid Generation 1-2–1-4 Particle Traces 7-7
Units 2-4, 2-10 Theory 7-8–7-11
Group Laminar 4-22
Block Rotation 5-2 Layout 2-8
Boundary Conditions 8-2 License 1-8
Rotor/Stator 5-3 Lift 8-11
Lift Coefficient 11-21
H
Light Bulb 1-5
Hand Symbol 1-5
Limitations 2-9
Harmo2Time 2-12, 4-18 Limiter
Harmonic 4-16, 5-14 Lacor 9-13
Reconstruction in Time 4-17 Minmod 9-13
Harmonic Global Residual 16-6 Superbee 9-13
Host Definition 15-5 Van Albada 9-13
Hybrid Analysis 6-3 Van Leer 9-13
Liquid, see Fluid, Liquid
I
Local Conservative Coupling 5-17–5-18
Icon Bar 2-12
Loss Coefficient 6-6
IGG™ 1-3, 2-4, 2-6, 2-11
Low Speed Flow 4-50
Batch 15-16
Incompressible M
Fluid Model, see Fluid, Incompressible Mach Number
Local Conservative Coupling 5-18 Absolute 11-4
Initial Solution 10-1–10-10 Condensable Fluid 3-17
Blade To Blade 13-10, 14-5 Isentropic 14-4, 14-10
Block Dependent 10-1–10-3 Relative 11-5
Coarse Grid 9-3 Mathematical Model 4-22
Constant Values 10-3 Menu
From File 10-3–10-5 File 2-5
Full Multigrid Strategy 9-17 Menu Bar 2-5
Initial Grouping 10-6 Mesh 2-9
Reset Convergence History 10-4 Modules 2-11
Throughflow 6-8–6-9, 10-8–10-10 Solver 2-10
Turbomachinery 10-5–10-7 Merge
Turbulence 4-23 Merge Mesh Topology 2-12
Unsteady 10-5 Patch For Azimuthal View 11-10
Initialization Merkle 4-50
Full Multigrid Strategy 10-1 Mesh 1-2–1-4
Unsteady 4-5 Information 2-17
Installation 1-6 Properties 2-10
Interface 1-7 Selection 2-12
General Description of FINE™ Interface 2-1–2-21 Toggles 2-17
View 2-9, 2-18–2-21

FINE™ iii
Index

INDEX
View Area 2-16, 2-17 Vorticity 11-5
Modules 2-11
P
Moment 8-11
Paasive Tracers
Momentum 11-21
Schmidt Number 4-56
Monitor
Pair of Scissors 1-5
Convergence History 16-11
Parallel Computation 15-9, 15-14, 15-21
Display 16-10
MPI 15-21
Harmonic 16-10
PBS 15-25
Quantities 16-3
SGE 15-24
Residual File Box 16-9
Parameters Area 2-2
Solution 16-1–16-12
Particles 7-1
Steering File 16-3
Passive Tracers 4-55
Zoom 16-11
Initial Solution 4-56
MonitorTurbo 16-7
mass fractions 4-56
MPI 15-21
PBS 15-25
MSW Driver 1-6
Perfect Gas, see Fluid, Perfect Gas
Multigrid 9-2
Performance 11-17, B-4
Full 9-17
Periodic Boundaries 6-7, 8-9
Prolongation 9-17
Phase Lagged 4-3, 4-13
Strategy 9-4, 9-14–9-17
Plot3D 11-19, B-6
N Post Processing 1-3–1-4
New Project 2-5 Prandtl Number 3-11
Non Reflecting 1D 5-21 Preconditioning 4-50
Numerical Model 9-1 Hakimi 4-51
Blade To Blade 13-10 Merkle 4-50
Parameters 4-54, 9-3
O Preferences 2-7
Open Profile Manager 2-21, 3-3–3-8
Project 2-4, 2-6
File Formats B-7
OPENGL Driver 1-6 Project
Outputs 11-1–11-27 Configuration 2-4
.mf File 11-17, 11-21 Create 2-2
3D Quantity 11-2–11-7, 11-22 Duplicate 2-7
ANSYS 11-10 Management 1-3
Azimuthal Averaged 11-9, 11-20, 11-24–11-26 New 2-5
Condensable Fluid 3-17, 11-3 Open 2-4, 2-6
Efficiency 11-18 Save 2-7
Global Performance 11-17 Save As 2-7
Lagrangian Module 7-6 Units 2-8
Particle Traces 7-7 Properties
Plot3D 11-19 Fluid 3-1
Residuals 11-6 Mesh 2-10
Solid Data 11-6 PVM
Surface Averaged 11-9, 11-23 Daemons 15-1–15-5
Theory 11-22–11-27 Q
Turbulence 11-7 Quit 2-9
Velocity 11-4

iv FINE™
Index

INDEX
R Smooth Wall 4-43
R134a D-3 Solid Data 11-6
Real Gas, see Fluid, Real Gas Solver
Reconstruction in Time 4-17, 4-18 Menu 2-10
Reference Restart 2-11
Density 3-10, 4-57
Save 2-11
Length 4-57
Start 2-10
Pressure 3-6, 4-54
Stop 2-11
Reference Values 4-57
Suspend 2-11
Temperature 3-6, 3-10, 4-54
Specific Heat 3-11–3-14, 3-17
Velocity 4-54, 4-57
Standard Mode 2-14
Residual 11-6, 16-5, B-4 Stator
Implicit Smoothing 9-21 Rotor/Stator Interface. See Rotor/Stator.
Radespiel & Rossow 9-21 Steady
Vasta 9-22 Rotor/Stator 5-6–5-8, 5-9–5-10, 5-17–5-21, 5-25
Restart SubProject 12-1
Design 2D 14-6 Create 12-2
Unsteady 4-5 File Structure 12-6
Restart Flow solver 2-11 Grid Requirements 12-1
Reynolds Number 4-57 Merge 12-5
Rotate View 2-20 Modify 12-5
Rotation Surface Averaged Output 11-8
Blocks 5-2–5-3 Sutherland Law 3-10
Rotor/Stator
1D Non Reflecting 5-21 T
Domain Scaling 5-10–5-12, 5-23–5-25 Task Definition 15-6
FNMB Mixing Plane Coupling 5-19–5-21 Taskmanager 15-1–15-28
Frozen Rotor 5-9–5-10, 5-25 Add Host 15-5
Initial Solution 10-7 Delay 15-6
Interface 5-3–5-5 Host Definition 15-5
Local Conservative Coupling 5-17–5-18 Limitations 15-28
Mixing Plane Coupling 5-6–5-8, 5-17–5-21 Parallel Computation 15-9
Phase Lagged 5-12 PVM 15-1–15-5
Pitchwise Rows Coupling 5-19 Remove Host 15-6
Steady 5-6–5-8, 5-9–5-10, 5-17–5-21, 5-25 Scripts 15-16–15-28
Theory 5-16–5-25 Shutdown 15-6
Unsteady 5-10–5-12, 5-23–5-25 Subtask 15-7–15-12
Rough Wall 4-43 Task Definition 15-6–15-12
Run File 1-3, 2-7 Tear-off Graphics 2-9
Runge-Kutta Temperature
Scheme 9-17 Reference 3-10
Sutherland 3-10
S
Thermal Connections 7-12
Save
Thermodynamic Tables 3-15, D-1
Project 2-7
Throat Control 6-3
Schmidt Number 4-56
Throughflow
Second Order Restart 4-5
Analysis Mode 6-3
SGE 15-24
Blade Force 6-13
SI System 2-8
Blade Geometry 6-3–6-5

FINE™ v
Index

INDEX
Block Type 6-2 Create 4-6
Boundary Conditions 6-7–6-8 Harmonic 4-16, 5-14
Expert Parameters 6-12 Initial Solution 10-5
File Format 6-9 Initialization 4-7
Flow Angle/Tangential Velocity 6-5–6-6 Phase Lagged 4-3
Friction Force 6-14 Rotor/Stator 5-10–5-12, 5-23–5-25
Global Parameters 6-2 Rotor/Stator Phase Lagged 5-12
Hybrid Analysis 6-3 Second Order in Time 4-5
Initial Solution 6-8–6-9, 10-8–10-10 Turbomachinery 4-13
Loss Coefficient 6-6 User Mode 2-14
Mesh 6-6
V
Model 6-1–6-15
Vander Waals 3-15
Periodic Boundaries 6-7
Velocity
Theory 6-12–6-15
Absolute 11-4, 11-5
Throat Control 6-3
Friction 4-29
Time Configuration 4-2
Local Scaling 4-55
Time Step
Projections 11-4
Global 9-5
Reference 4-57
Local 9-5
Relative 11-5
Physical 4-15
Relative Projections 11-5
Torque 8-11, 11-17
View Area 2-16, 2-17
Tracers 4-55
View Manipulation 2-18
Transition Model 7-38
View On/Off 2-9, 2-16
Abu-Grannam-Shaw Model 7-42
Viscosity
Forced Transition 7-39, 7-41
Inviscid Flux 9-9
Fully Laminar 7-41
Laminar 3-10
Fully Turbulent 7-41
Turbulent 3-11, 4-46
Turbulence
Viscous Flux 9-8
Boundary Conditions 4-23
Vorticity 11-5
Initial Solution 4-23
Output 11-7 W
Turbulence Models Wall
Baldwin-Lomax 4-36 Rough 4-43
k-epsilon 4-31, 4-39 Smooth 4-43
k-omega 4-34, 4-49 Water (Steam) D-1
Non Linear k-epsilon 4-41 Work Unit B-5
Spalart-Allmaras 4-31, 4-37
v2-f 4-33, 4-47 X
TVD 9-12 X11 Driver 1-6

U Z
Units Zoom In/Out/Region 2-20
Grid 2-4, 2-10
Project 2-8
Unload Mesh 2-10
Unsteady 4-2
Boundary Conditions 4-2, 4-7, 4-12
Control Variables 4-4

vi FINE™

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