ANSYS FLUENT Getting Started Guide

ANSYS FLUENT Getting Started Guide
ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.0

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Table of Contents
Preface ......................................................................................................................................................... v
1. The Contents of This Manual ................................................................................................................ v
2. The Contents of the FLUENT Manuals ................................................................................................... v
3. Technical Support ............................................................................................................................... vi
1. Introduction to ANSYS FLUENT ............................................................................................................... 1
1.1. Program Capabilities ......................................................................................................................... 3
1.2. ANSYS FLUENT Documentation ......................................................................................................... 5
1.2.1. Accessing the ANSYS FLUENT Documentation .......................................................................... 5
1.2.1.1. Accessing the Documentation Files Using the ANSYS Help Viewer .................................... 5
1.2.1.2. Accessing the PDF Documentation Files in the Installation Area ........................................ 6
1.2.2. Viewing and Printing the PDF Documentation .......................................................................... 6
1.2.2.1. Navigating the PDF Files .................................................................................................. 6
1.2.2.2. Printing the PDF Files ....................................................................................................... 6
2. Basic Steps for CFD Analysis using ANSYS FLUENT ................................................................................ 7
2.1. Steps in Solving Your CFD Problem .................................................................................................... 7
2.2. Planning Your CFD Analysis ............................................................................................................... 7
3. Guide to a Successful Simulation Using ANSYS FLUENT ....................................................................... 11
Glossary of Terms ........................................................................................................................................ 13
Release 14.0 - SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. iii
iv of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Preface
This preface is divided into the following sections:
1.The Contents of This Manual
2.The Contents of the FLUENT Manuals
3.Technical Support
1. The Contents of This Manual

The ANSYS FLUENT Getting Started Guide highlights some of the features in ANSYS FLUENT and how
to get started using the software.
2. The Contents of the FLUENT Manuals

The manuals listed below form the FLUENT product documentation set. They include descriptions of
the procedures, commands, and theoretical details needed to use FLUENT products.
FLUENT Getting Started Guide contains general information about getting started with using
FLUENT.
FLUENT User's Guide contains detailed information about using FLUENT, including information
about the user interface, reading and writing files, defining boundary conditions, setting up
physical models, calculating a solution, and analyzing your results.
FLUENT in Workbench User's Guide contains information about getting started with and using
FLUENT within the Workbench environment.
FLUENT Theory Guide contains reference information for how the physical models are imple-
mented in FLUENT.
FLUENT UDF Manual contains information about writing and using user-defined functions
(UDFs).
FLUENT Tutorial Guide contains a number of example problems with detailed instructions,
commentary, and postprocessing of results.
FLUENT Text Command List contains a brief description of each of the commands in FLUENTs
text interface.
FLUENT Adjoint Solver Module Manual contains information about the background and usage
of FLUENT's Adjoint Solver Module that allows you to obtain detailed sensitivity data for the
performance of a fluid system.
FLUENT Battery Module Manual contains information about the background and usage of
FLUENT's Battery Module that allows you to analyze the behavior of electric batteries.
FLUENT Continuous Fiber Module Manual contains information about the background and usage
of FLUENT's Continuous Fiber Module that allows you to analyze the behavior of fiber flow,
fiber properties, and coupling between fibers and the surrounding fluid due to the strong inter-
action that exists between the fibers and the surrounding gas.
FLUENT Fuel Cell Modules Manual contains information about the background and the usage
of two separate add-on fuel cell models for FLUENT that allow you to model polymer electrolyte
membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), and electrolysis with FLUENT.
FLUENT Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) Module Manual contains information about the back-
ground and usage of FLUENT's Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) Module that allows you to analyze
the behavior of electrically conducting fluid flow under the influence of constant (DC) or oscil-
lating (AC) electromagnetic fields.
FLUENT Migration Manual contains information about transitioning from the previous release
of FLUENT, including details about new features, solution changes, and text command list
changes.
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Preface
FLUENT Population Balance Module Manual contains information about the background and
usage of FLUENT's Population Balance Module that allows you to analyze multiphase flows in-
volving size distributions where particle population (as well as momentum, mass, and energy)
require a balance equation.
Running FLUENT Under LSF contains information about the using FLUENT with Platform Com-
putings LSF software, a distributed computing resource management tool.
Running FLUENT Under PBS Professional contains information about the using FLUENT with
Altair PBS Professional, an open workload management tool for local and distributed environ-
ments.
Running FLUENT Under SGE contains information about the using FLUENT with Sun Grid Engine
(SGE) software, a distributed computing resource management tool.
3. Technical Support
If you encounter difficulties while using ANSYS FLUENT, please first refer to the section(s) of the
manual containing information on the commands you are trying to use or the type of problem you are
trying to solve. The product documentation is available from the online help, or from the ANSYS Cus-
tomer Portal (www.ansys.com/customerportal).
If you encounter an error, please write down the exact error message that appeared and note as much
information as you can about what you were doing in ANSYS FLUENT.
Technical Support for ANSYS, Inc. products is provided either by ANSYS, Inc. directly or by one of our
certified ANSYS Support Providers. Please check with the ANSYS Support Coordinator (ASC) at your
company to determine who provides support for your company, or go to www.ansys.com and select
About ANSYS> Contacts and Locations. The direct URL is: http://www1.ansys.com/customer/public/sup-
portlist.asp. Follow the on-screen instructions to obtain your support provider contact information. You
will need your customer number. If you don't know your customer number, contact the ASC at your
company.
If your support is provided by ANSYS, Inc. directly, Technical Support can be accessed quickly and effi-
ciently from the ANSYS Customer Portal, which is available from the ANSYS Website (www.ansys.com)
under Support> Technical Support where the Customer Portal is located. The direct URL is: ht-
tp://www.ansys.com/customerportal.
One of the many useful features of the Customer Portal is the Knowledge Resources Search, which can
be found on the Home page of the Customer Portal.
Systems and installation Knowledge Resources are easily accessible via the Customer Portal by using
the following keywords in the search box: Systems/Installation. These Knowledge Resources
provide solutions and guidance on how to resolve installation and licensing issues quickly.
NORTH AMERICA
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Technical Support
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Email: support@cadfem.de
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Preface
ANSYS Products (including FLUENT, CFX, ICEM-CFD)

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Chapter 1: Introduction to ANSYS FLUENT
ANSYS FLUENT is a state-of-the-art computer program for modeling fluid flow, heat transfer, and
chemical reactions in complex geometries.
ANSYS FLUENT is written in the C computer language and makes full use of the flexibility and power
offered by the language. Consequently, true dynamic memory allocation, efficient data structures, and
flexible solver control are all possible. In addition, ANSYS FLUENT uses a client/server architecture, which
enables it to run as separate simultaneous processes on client desktop workstations and powerful
compute servers. This architecture allows for efficient execution, interactive control, and complete
flexibility between different types of machines or operating systems.
ANSYS FLUENT provides complete mesh flexibility, including the ability to solve your flow problems
using unstructured meshes that can be generated about complex geometries with relative ease. Sup-
ported mesh types include 2D triangular/quadrilateral, 3D tetrahedral/hexahedral/pyramid/wedge/poly-
hedral, and mixed (hybrid) meshes. ANSYS FLUENT also enables you to refine or coarsen your mesh
based on the flow solution.
After a mesh has been read into ANSYS FLUENT, all remaining operations are performed within ANSYS
FLUENT. These include setting boundary conditions, defining fluid properties, executing the solution,
refining the mesh, and postprocessing and viewing the results.
The ANSYS FLUENT serial solver manages file input and output, data storage, and flow field calculations
using a single solver process on a single computer. ANSYS FLUENT also uses a utility called cortex
that manages ANSYS FLUENTs user interface and basic graphical functions. ANSYS FLUENTs parallel
solver enables you to compute a solution using multiple processes that may be executing on the same
computer, or on different computers in a network.
Parallel processing in ANSYS FLUENT involves an interaction between ANSYS FLUENT, a host process,
and a set of compute-node processes. ANSYS FLUENT interacts with the host process and the collection
of compute nodes using the cortex user interface utility.
Figure 1.1 (p. 2) and Figure 1.2 (p. 3) illustrate the serial and parallel ANSYS FLUENT architectures.
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 1
Figure 1.1 Serial ANSYS FLUENT Architecture
2 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Program Capabilities
Figure 1.2 Parallel ANSYS FLUENT Architecture
For more information about ANSYS FLUENTs parallel processing capabilities, message passing interfaces
(MPI), and so on, refer to "Parallel Processing" in the User's Guide.
All functions required to compute a solution and display the results are accessible in ANSYS FLU-
ENT through an interactive interface.
For more information, see the following sections:

1.1. Program Capabilities
1.2. ANSYS FLUENT Documentation
1.1. Program Capabilities

The ANSYS FLUENT solver has the following modeling capabilities:
2D planar, 2D axisymmetric, 2D axisymmetric with swirl (rotationally symmetric), and 3D flows

Quadrilateral, triangular, hexahedral (brick), tetrahedral, prism (wedge), pyramid, polyhedral, and mixed
element meshes
Steady-state or transient flows
Incompressible or compressible flows, including all speed regimes (low subsonic, transonic, supersonic,
and hypersonic flows)
Inviscid, laminar, and turbulent flows
Newtonian or non-Newtonian flows
Ideal or real gases
Heat transfer, including forced, natural, and mixed convection, conjugate (solid/fluid) heat transfer, and
radiation
Chemical species mixing and reaction, including homogeneous and heterogeneous combustion models
and surface deposition/reaction models
Free surface and multiphase models for gas-liquid, gas-solid, and liquid-solid flows
Lagrangian trajectory calculation for dispersed phase (particles/droplets/bubbles), including coupling
with continuous phase and spray modeling
Cavitation model
Phase change model for melting/solidification applications
Porous media with non-isotropic permeability, inertial resistance, solid heat conduction, and porous-
face pressure jump conditions
Lumped parameter models for fans, pumps, radiators, and heat exchangers
Acoustic models for predicting flow-induced noise
Inertial (stationary) or non-inertial (rotating or accelerating) reference frames
Multiple reference frame (MRF) and sliding mesh options for modeling multiple moving frames
Mixing-plane model for modeling rotor-stator interactions, torque converters, and similar turbomachinery
applications with options for mass conservation and swirl conservation
Dynamic mesh model for modeling domains with moving and deforming mesh
Volumetric sources of mass, momentum, heat, and chemical species
Material property database
Extensive customization capability via user-defined functions
Dynamic (two-way) coupling with GT-Power and WAVE
Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) module (documented separately)
Continuous fiber module (documented separately)
Fuel cell modules (documented separately)
Population balance module (documented separately)
ANSYS FLUENT is ideally suited for incompressible and compressible fluid-flow simulations in complex
geometries. ANSYS FLUENTs parallel solver enables you to compute solutions for cases with very large
meshes on multiple processors, either on the same computer or on different computers in a network.
ANSYS, Inc. also offers other solvers that address different flow regimes and incorporate alternative
ANSYS FLUENT Documentation
physical models. Additional CFD programs from ANSYS, Inc. include CFX, Airpak, ANSYS Icepak, and
ANSYS POLYFLOW.
1.2. ANSYS FLUENT Documentation

ANSYS FLUENT documentation is available through ANSYS FLUENTs online help system. The online
help system provides access to the ANSYS FLUENT documentation, using the ANSYS help viewer,
whether you are working in ANSYS FLUENT or not. Adobe Acrobat PDF versions of the documentation
are also provided. This section describes how to access the ANSYS FLUENT documentation outside of
ANSYS FLUENT. See the User's Guide for information about accessing the documentation through ANSYS
FLUENT.
To view the documentation, you can use the help viewer or the PDF files available from the installation
area.
1.2.1. Accessing the ANSYS FLUENT Documentation
1.2.2. Viewing and Printing the PDF Documentation
1.2.1. Accessing the ANSYS FLUENT Documentation

You can access the ANSYS FLUENT documentation through the ANSYS help viewer, or by opening the
PDF version from your ANSYS, Inc. installation area.
1.2.1.1. Accessing the Documentation Files Using the ANSYS Help Viewer
1.2.1.2. Accessing the PDF Documentation Files in the Installation Area
1.2.1.1. Accessing the Documentation Files Using the ANSYS Help Viewer
To start the ANSYS help viewer, go to the following location from the Windows Start menu:
Start > Program Files > ANSYS 14.0 > Help > ANSYS Help
The ANSYS help viewer provides access to documentation for most ANSYS products.
To navigate to the ANSYS FLUENT documentation, do the following:
1. Scroll down to FLUENT in the left-hand panel.

2. Expand the ANSYS FLUENT documentation set by clicking the icon next to FLUENT.
3. Click a document title to display the table of contents for the selected document.
4. To find specific information, you can do any of the following:
a. In the Contents tab, click an icon next to a title to expand the tree hierarchy, or click an item in
the tree hierarchy to display the corresponding information.
b. In the Search tab, enter a keyword or phrase and click Search.
Note
Search results can be sorted by clicking on the column title.
c. In the Index tab, type an index string.
Note
Index entries that partially match your typing will be displayed. You can continue
typing, or scroll through the list to find specific entries.
1.2.1.2. Accessing the PDF Documentation Files in the Installation Area

You can view the PDF documentation by opening the following folder/directory:
On Windows:
path\ANSYS Inc\v140\commonfiles\help\en-us\pdf\
where path is the directory in which you have installed ANSYS FLUENT (by default, the path is
C:\Program Files).
On Linux:
path/ansys_inc/v140/commonfiles/help/en-us/pdf/
where path is the directory in which you have installed ANSYS FLUENT.
This directory contains PDF versions of the ANSYS FLUENT documentation.
1.2.2. Viewing and Printing the PDF Documentation

The PDF documentation files are appropriate for viewing and printing with Adobe Acrobat Reader
(version 5.0 or higher), which is available for most Windows and Linux systems. These files are distin-
guished by a .pdf suffix in their file names.
1.2.2.1. Navigating the PDF Files
1.2.2.2. Printing the PDF Files
1.2.2.1. Navigating the PDF Files

For the purpose of easier online document navigation, the PDF files contain hyperlinks in the table of
contents and index. In addition, hyperlinks have been applied to all cross-references to chapters, sections,
figures, tables, bibliography, and index entries.
1.2.2.2. Printing the PDF Files

Adobe Acrobat PDF files are provided for printing all or part of the manuals. While you can also print
individual topics from the ANSYS help viewer, the PDF files are recommended when printing long sections
since the printout will have a higher quality.
Note that you can select the paper size to which you are printing in Adobe Acrobat Reader by selecting
the File/Print Setup... menu item and choosing the desired Paper size. If the page is too large to fit
on your paper size, you can reduce it by selecting the File/Print... menu item and choosing the Reduce
to Printer Margins option under Page Scaling.
Chapter 2: Basic Steps for CFD Analysis using ANSYS FLUENT
Before you begin your CFD analysis using ANSYS FLUENT, careful consideration of the following issues
will contribute significantly to the success of your modeling effort. Also, when you are planning a CFD
project, be sure to take advantage of the customer support available to all ANSYS FLUENT users.
For more information, see the following sections:

2.1. Steps in Solving Your CFD Problem
2.2. Planning Your CFD Analysis
2.1. Steps in Solving Your CFD Problem

Once you have determined the important features of the problem you want to solve, follow the basic
procedural steps shown below.
1. Define the modeling goals.

2. Create the model geometry and mesh.
3. Set up the solver and physical models.
4. Compute and monitor the solution.
5. Examine and save the results.
6. Consider revisions to the numerical or physical model parameters, if necessary.
Step 2 of the solution process requires a geometry modeler and mesh generator. You can use the
geometry and meshing capabilities within ANSYS Workbench, or a separate CAD system for geometry
modeling and mesh generation. Alternatively, you can use supported CAD packages to generate volume
meshes for import into ANSYS FLUENT (see the Users Guide). For more information on creating geometry
and generating meshes using each of these programs, refer to their respective manuals.
The details of the remaining steps are covered in the Users Guide.
2.2. Planning Your CFD Analysis

For each of the problem-solving steps, there are some questions that you need to consider:
Defining the Modeling Goals

What results are you looking for, and how will they be used?
What are your modeling options?
What physical models will need to be included in your analysis?
What simplifying assumptions do you have to make?
What simplifying assumptions can you make?
Do you require a unique modeling capability?
Could you utilize user-defined functions (written in C)?
What degree of accuracy is required?

How quickly do you need the results?
How will you isolate a piece of the complete physical system?
Where will the computational domain begin and end?
Do you have boundary condition information at these boundaries?
Can the boundary condition types accommodate that information?
Can you extend the domain to a point where reasonable data exists?
Can it be simplified or approximated as a 2D or axisymmetric problem?
Creating Your Model Geometry and Mesh
ANSYS FLUENT uses unstructured meshes in order to reduce the amount of time you spend gener-
ating meshes, to simplify the geometry modeling and mesh generation process, to enable modeling
of more complex geometries than you can handle with conventional, multi-block structured meshes,
and to enable you to adapt the mesh to resolve the flow-field features. ANSYS FLUENT can also
use body-fitted, block-structured meshes (for example, those used by ANSYS FLUENT 4 and many
other CFD solvers). ANSYS FLUENT is capable of handling triangular and quadrilateral elements (or
a combination of the two) in 2D, and tetrahedral, hexahedral, pyramid, wedge, and polyhedral
elements (or a combination of these) in 3D. This flexibility enables you to pick mesh topologies
that are best suited for your particular application, as described in the Users Guide.
You can adapt all types of meshes (except for polyhedral) in ANSYS FLUENT in order to resolve
large gradients in the flow field, but you must always generate the initial mesh (whatever the ele-
ment types used) outside of the solver, or one of the CAD systems for which mesh import filters
exist.
The following questions should be considered when you are generating a mesh:
Can you benefit from other ANSYS, Inc. products such as CFX, ANSYS Icepak, or Airpak?
Can you use a quad/hex mesh or should you use a tri/tet mesh or a hybrid mesh?
How complex is the geometry and flow?
Will you need a non-conformal interface?
What degree of mesh resolution is required in each region of the domain?
Is the resolution sufficient for the geometry?
Can you predict regions with high gradients?
Will you use adaption to add resolution?
Do you have sufficient computer memory?
How many cells are required?
How many models will be used?
Setting Up the Solver and Physical Models
For a given problem, you will need to:

Import and check the mesh.
Select the numerical solver (for example, density based, pressure based, unsteady, and so on).
Select appropriate physical models.
Planning Your CFD Analysis
Turbulence, combustion, multiphase, and so on.

Define material properties.
Fluid
Solid
Mixture
Prescribe operating conditions.
Prescribe boundary conditions at all boundary zones.
Provide an initial solution.
Set up solver controls.
Set up convergence monitors.
Initialize the flow field.
Computing and Monitoring Your Solution
The discretized conservation equations are solved iteratively.
A number of iterations are usually required to reach a converged solution.
Convergence is reached when:
Changes in solution variables from one iteration to the next are negligible.
Residuals provide a mechanism to help monitor this trend.
Overall property conservation is achieved.
The accuracy of a converged solution is dependent upon:
Appropriateness and accuracy of physical models.
Mesh resolution and independence.
Problem setup.
Examining and Saving Your Results
Examine the results to review the solution and extract useful data.
Visualization tools can be used to answer such questions as:
What is the overall flow pattern?
Is there separation?
Where do shocks, shear layers, and so on form?
Are key flow features being resolved?
Numerical reporting tools can be used to calculate the following quantitative results:
Forces and moments
Average heat transfer coefficients
Surface and volume integrated quantities
Flux balances
Revising Your Model
Once your solution is converged, the following questions should be considered when you are
analyzing the solution:
Are physical models appropriate?
Is flow turbulent?
Is flow unsteady?
Are there compressibility effects?
Are there 3D effects?
Are boundary conditions correct?
Is the computational domain large enough?
Are boundary conditions appropriate?
Are boundary values reasonable?
Is the mesh adequate?
Can the mesh be adapted to improve results?
Does the solution change significantly with adaption, or is the solution mesh independent?
Does boundary resolution need to be improved?
Chapter 3: Guide to a Successful Simulation Using ANSYS FLUENT
The following guidelines can help you make sure your CFD simulation is a success. Before logging a
technical support request, make sure you do the following:
1. Examine the quality of the mesh.
There are two basic things that you should do before you start a simulation:
Perform a mesh check to avoid problems due to incorrect mesh connectivity, and so on.
Look at maximum cell skewness (for example, using the Compute button in the Contours dialog
box). As a rule of thumb, the skewness should be below 0.98.
If there are mesh problems, you may have to re-mesh the problem.
2. Scale the mesh and check length units.
In ANSYS FLUENT, all physical dimensions are initially assumed to be in meters. You should scale
the mesh accordingly. Other quantities can also be scaled independently of other units used.
ANSYS FLUENT defaults to SI units.
3. Employ the appropriate physical models.
4. Set the energy under-relaxation factor between 0.95 and 1.
For problems with conjugate heat transfer, when the conductivity ratio is very high, smaller values
of the energy under-relaxation factor practically stall the convergence rate.
5. Use node-based gradients with unstructured tetrahedral meshes.
The node-based averaging scheme is known to be more accurate than the default cell-based
scheme for unstructured meshes, most notably for triangular and tetrahedral meshes.
6. Monitor convergence with residuals history.
Residual plots can show when the residual values have reached the specified tolerance. After the
simulation, note if your residuals have decreased by at least 3 orders of magnitude to at least

. For the pressure-based solver, the scaled energy residual must decrease to . Also,

the scaled species residual may need to decrease to to achieve species balance.
You can also monitor lift, drag, or moment forces as well as pertinent variables or functions (for
example, surface integrals) at a boundary or any defined surface.
7. Run the CFD simulation using second order discretization for better accuracy rather than a faster
solution.
A converged solution is not necessarily a correct one. You should use the second-order upwind
discretization scheme for final results.
8. Monitor values of solution variables to make sure that any changes in the solution variables from one
iteration to the next are negligible.
Chapter 3: Guide to a Successful Simulation Using ANSYS FLUENT
9. Verify that property conservation is satisfied.
After the simulation, note if overall property conservation has been achieved. In addition to
monitoring residual and variable histories, you should also check for overall heat and mass balances.
At a minimum, the net imbalance should be less than 1% of smallest flux through domain
boundary.
10. Check for mesh dependence.
You should ensure that the solution is mesh-independent and use mesh adaption to modify the
mesh or create additional meshes for the mesh-independence study.
11. Check to see that the solution makes sense based on engineering judgment.
If flow features do not seem reasonable, you should reconsider your physical models and
boundary conditions. Reconsider the choice of the boundary locations (or the domain). An inad-
equate choice of domain (especially the outlet boundary) can significantly impact solution accuracy.
You are encouraged to collaborate with your technical support engineer in order to develop a solution
process that ensures good results for your specific application. This type of collaboration is a good in-
vestment of time for both yourself and the ANSYS FLUENT support engineer.
Glossary of Terms
This glossary contains a listing of terms commonly used throughout the documentation.
adaption (p. 13)

case files (p. 13)
cell types (p. 13)
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) (p. 14)
console (p. 14)
convergence (p. 14)
cortex (p. 15)
data files (p. 15)
dialog boxes (p. 15)
discretization (p. 15)
GUI (p. 15)
mesh (p. 15)
models (p. 15)
node (p. 15)
postprocessing (p. 15)
residuals (p. 15)
skewness (p. 15)
solvers (p. 15)
terminal emulator (p. 15)
TUI (p. 15)
adaption A technique useful in improving overall mesh quality. The solution-

adaptive mesh refinement feature of ANSYS FLUENT allows you to
refine and/or coarsen your mesh based on geometric and numerical
solution data. In addition, ANSYS FLUENT provides tools for creating
and viewing adaption fields customized to particular applications.
case files Files that contain the mesh, boundary conditions, and solution
parameters for a problem. A case file also contains the information
about the user interface and graphics environment.
cell types The various shapes or units that constitute the base elements of a
mesh. ANSYS FLUENT can use meshes comprised of tetrahedral,
hexahedral, pyramid, wedge, or polyhedral cells (or a combination
of these).
Glossary of Terms
Figure 3 Cell Types
computational fluid dynam- The science of predicting fluid flow, heat transfer, mass transfer (as
ics (CFD) in perspiration or dissolution), phase change (as in freezing or boil-
ing), chemical reaction (e.g., combustion), mechanical movement
(e.g., fan rotation), stress or deformation of related solid structures
(such as a mast bending in the wind), and related phenomena by
solving the mathematical equations that govern these processes
using a numerical algorithm on a computer.
console The console is part of the ANSYS FLUENT application window that
allows for text command input and the display of information.
convergence The point at which the solution is no longer changing with each
successive iteration. Convergence criteria, along with a reduction in
residuals, also help in determining when a solution is complete.
Convergence criteria are pre-set conditions on the residuals that
indicate that a certain level of convergence has been achieved. If
the residuals for all problem variables fall below the convergence
criteria but are still in decline, the solution is still changing to a
greater or lesser degree. A better indicator occurs when the residuals
flatten in a traditional residual plot (of residual value vs. iteration).
This point, sometimes referred to as convergence at the level of
machine accuracy, takes time to reach, however, and may be beyond
your needs. For this reason, alternative tools such as reports of forces,
heat balances, or mass balances can be used instead.
cortex A utility that manages ANSYS FLUENTs user interface and basic
graphical functions.
data files Files that contain the values of the flow field in each grid element
and the convergence history (residuals) for that flow field.
dialog boxes The separate windows that are used like forms to perform input
tasks. Each dialog box is unique and employs various types of input
controls that make up the form.
discretization The act of replacing the differential equations that govern fluid flow
with a set of algebraic equations that are solved at distinct points.
GUI The graphical user interface, which consists of the main ANSYS
FLUENT application window, dialog boxes, graphics windows, etc.
mesh A collection of points representing the flow field, where the equa-
tions of fluid motion (and temperature, if relevant) are calculated.
models Numerical algorithms that approximate physical phenomenon (e.g.,

turbulence).
node The distinct points of a mesh (p. 15) at which the equations of fluid
motion are solved.
postprocessing The act of analyzing the numerical results of your CFD simulation
using reports, integrals, and graphical analysis tools such as contour
plots, animations, etc.
residuals The small imbalance that is created during the course of the iterative
solution algorithm. This imbalance in each cell is a small, non-zero
value that, under normal circumstances, decreases as the solution
progresses.
skewness The difference between the shape of the cell and the shape of an
equilateral cell of equivalent volume. Highly skewed cells can de-
crease accuracy and destabilize the solution.
solvers ANSYS FLUENT has two distinct solvers, based on numerical precision
(single-precision vs. double-precision). Within each of these categor-
ies, there are solver formulations: pressure based; density based ex-
plicit; and density based implicit.
terminal emulator See console (p. 14).
TUI The text user interface, which consists of textual commands that
can be entered into the terminal emulator.

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ANSYS FLUENT Getting Started Guide

ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.0

U.S. Government Rights

Published in the U.S.A.

1. The Contents of This Manual

2. The Contents of the FLUENT Manuals

ANSYS Mechanical Products

German language: 0800 181 8499

English language: 0800 181 1565

German language: +49 6151 3644 300

English language: +49 6151 3644 400

ANSYS Products (including FLUENT, CFX, ICEM-CFD)

SPAIN and PORTUGAL

Figure 1.1 Serial ANSYS FLUENT Architecture

Figure 1.2 Parallel ANSYS FLUENT Architecture

For more information, see the following sections:

1.1. Program Capabilities

2D planar, 2D axisymmetric, 2D axisymmetric with swirl (rotationally symmetric), and 3D flows

1.2. ANSYS FLUENT Documentation

1.2.1. Accessing the ANSYS FLUENT Documentation

To navigate to the ANSYS FLUENT documentation, do the following:

1. Scroll down to FLUENT in the left-hand panel.

Search results can be sorted by clicking on the column title.

c. In the Index tab, type an index string.

1.2.1.2. Accessing the PDF Documentation Files in the Installation Area

This directory contains PDF versions of the ANSYS FLUENT documentation.

1.2.2. Viewing and Printing the PDF Documentation

1.2.2.1. Navigating the PDF Files

1.2.2.2. Printing the PDF Files

For more information, see the following sections:

2.1. Steps in Solving Your CFD Problem

1. Define the modeling goals.

2.2. Planning Your CFD Analysis

Defining the Modeling Goals

What degree of accuracy is required?

For a given problem, you will need to:

Turbulence, combustion, multiphase, and so on.

1. Examine the quality of the mesh.

9. Verify that property conservation is satisfied.

adaption (p. 13)

adaption A technique useful in improving overall mesh quality. The solution-

Figure 3 Cell Types

models Numerical algorithms that approximate physical phenomenon (e.g.,

terminal emulator See console (p. 14).

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