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SolidWorks Flow Simulation

Instructor Guide

What is SolidWorks Flow Simulation?

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SolidWorks Flow Simulation is a fluid flow and heat transfer analysis software fully integrated in SolidWorks. SolidWorks Flow Simulation simulates the testing of your model's prototype in its working fluid environment. It helps you to answer the question: What are the fluid flow effects on the prototype and the prototype's effects on the fluid flow? SolidWorks Flow Simulation is used by students, designers, analysts, engineers, and other professionals to produce highly efficient designs and/or optimize their performance.

Design Cycle with SolidWorks Flow Simulation

Use SolidWorks to build the model. Use SolidWorks Flow Simulation to simulate the objects fluid environment and thermal effects. Based on results, modify the model and simulate until you are satisfied with the design. Manufacture the model.

SolidWorks

SolidWorks Flow Simulation

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Analyze

Satisfied? Yes Hardware

No

Benefits of Analysis
Design cycles are expensive and time-consuming. Analysis reduces the number of design cycles.
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Analysis reduces cost by testing your model using the computer instead of expensive field tests. SolidWorks Flow Simulation analysis shortens the object's way to the market. Analysis can help you optimize your designs by quickly simulating many concepts and scenarios before making a final decision.

The Finite Volume Method

Analytical solutions are only available for simple problems. They make many assumptions and fail to solve most practical problems.
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SolidWorks Flow Simulation solves time-dependent NavierStokes equations with the Finite Volume Method (FVM) on a rectangular (parallelepiped) computational mesh. FVM is a general approach for both simple and complex problems. This method is among preferred methods for fluid phenomena modeling.

Computational Domain
Computational domain is a rectangular prism where the calculation is performed. Computational domains boundary planes are orthogonal to the Cartesian coordinate systems axes. In case of an internal problem, the computational domain envelopes the fluid volume inside a model. If heat transfer in walls is considered, the model walls are also included. In case of an external analysis, the computational domain covers the model's surrounding space.

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Types of Boundary Conditions

Velocity, mass flow rate, volume flow rate, or pressure (static and total) boundary conditions are specified at models' inlets and outlets. Ambient fluid conditions are specified at far-field boundaries in case of external analysis. Fans at models' inlets and outlets, as well as inside the computational domain can be specified. Symmetry boundary conditions, as well as ideal wall can be specified if necessary.

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Types of Boundary Conditions

The following heat boundary conditions can be specified at the model walls in contact with fluid: Adiabatic wall Wall with specified Temperature Wall with specified Heat flux or Heat transfer rate Wall with specified Heat transfer coefficient Real wall with roughness Ideal wall (adiabatic frictionless wall) Moving wall (to simulate translation/rotation of a wall)

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Main Steps of Analysis

Define type of analysis, physical features, fluids and solid materials. Specify boundary conditions. Define goals of your analysis. Mesh the model. This is a series of automatic steps in which the code subdivides the model and computational domain into computational cells. Run the analysis. Check convergence if needed. Visualize the results.

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Physical Features taken into Account

Both steady-state and time-dependent problems can be solved. Time-dependent equations are solved by employing local time steps. Flows of incompressible and compressible viscous heatconducting multi-species liquids and non-Newtonian liquids can be calculated. Sub-, trans-, and supersonic compressible flows of viscous heatconducting multi-species gases can be calculated. Regions with different types of fluid in one model.

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Physical Features taken into Account

Heat conduction in solids and heat radiation between to and from solids can be calculated simultaneously. Heat sources can be specified at surfaces and in volumes. Gravitational effects can be taken into account. Porous media can be specified as a distributed drag. Surface-to-surface heat radiation and radiation to ambient. Global and local rotating reference frames.

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Physical Features taken into Account

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Water vapor condensation. Calculation of relative humidity. Heat sink simulation. Thermoelectric (Peltier) coolers. Cavitation in a water flow.

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Analysis Background

Time-dependent Reynolds-averaged 3D Navier-Stokes equations using the k-e turbulence model. Boundary layer modeling technology for valid laminar, turbulent or transitional boundary layers. Modeling of friction, heat transfer and flow separation. Heat conductivity equation in solid, surface-to-surface radiation heat transfer, conjugate solution of heat transfer phenomena in solid, fluid and ambient space.

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Advanced Numerical Technologies

Automatic meshing tools allows to create mesh for any arbitrary 3D model. Implicit solver with multigrid. Automatic tools for convergence analysis and stopping the calculation. Advanced technologies for result processing and 3D visualization. Automatic resolution of model and flow field peculiarities.

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Goals of Analysis

Calculation of flow field parameters (pressure, temperature, density, velocity, concentrations, etc.) at any point, surface or volume of computational domain. Calculation of temperature at every point in the model. Calculation of transient phenomena throughout the flow field. Calculation of forces and moments, aerodynamic coefficients. Calculation of shear stress distribution produced by the flow field.

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Goals of Analysis

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Calculation of mass and volume flow rates through your devices. Determination of pressure drops, hydraulic resistance. Calculation of heat flows, heat transfer coefficients. Calculation of particles trajectories in the flow field and parameters of particle interaction with the model.

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Meshing

Meshing subdivides the model and the fluid volume into many small pieces called cells. Smaller cells give more accurate results but require more computer resources. You must remesh the model after any change of geometry. Material and boundary condition parameters changes do not require remeshing. Automatic meshing system will create mesh in accordance with the specified minimum gap size, minimum wall thickness, result resolution level.

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Running Analysis

During analysis, the program iterates towards a solution. SolidWorks Flow Simulation provides advanced easy-to-use tools to analyze convergence, calculation results, or evolution of transient analysis results in time as well as tools to preview the results without stopping the analysis. SolidWorks Flow Simulation has a state-of-the-art, fast, accurate and stable solver. SolidWorks Flow Simulation has an automatic system for stopping the analysis when it meets predefined convergence criteria.

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Visualizing Results

SolidWorks Flow Simulation provides advanced easy-to use tools to visualize the results: Cut, 3D-Profile and Surface Plots (contours, isolines, vectors), Isosurfaces, XY plots, Flow and Particle Trajectories, Animation of Results. SolidWorks Flow Simulation provides advanced tools to process the results: Point, Surface and Volume Parameters, Plots of Goals, MS Word Report.

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