Learning Goals:

In this exercise, you will 

 Develop the numerical solution to a 2D channel flow problem in ANSYS Fluent

 Gain fundamental insights into computational fluid dynamics by connecting the

ANSYS steps to concepts covered in CFD analysis.

Problem Specification
Consider 2D, incompressible, steady flow in a vertical channel at a Reynolds number of
100. This channel flow is shown schematically in the figure below. The figure is not
drawn to scale. NEGLECT GRAVITY for the sake of simplicity. 

Channel length l and width w are 10 m and 1 m, respectively, as shown in the figure.
Assume thickness = 1 m in the z-direction. The velocity is constant at the inlet, in the y-
direction and equal to 1 m/s. The Reynolds number is defined as
where v̄  is the average velocity at any cross-section. Take ρ = 1 kg/m3 and adjust μ to
get the desired Reynolds number. The absolute pressure at the outlet is 1 atm.

Note that the cross-section is a square of 1m by 1m. Contrast this to the laminar pipe
flow considered earlier where the cross-section was circular. When the cross-section is
square or rectangular, this type of a flow is referred to as a channel flow. When the
cross-section is circular, the corresponding terminology is pipe or tube flow. 

You need to solve the 2D form of the governing equations using ANSYS Fluent to
obtain the velocity and pressure distribution in the xy plane. Since we are assuming the
flow is 2D, the mathematical model to be solved is 2D and there is no variation of
velocity and pressure in the z-direction.  In ANSYS Fluent, model only the right half of
the 2D domain using symmetry. You need to follow a similar workflow to the laminar
pipe flow exercise. Please refer to it, as necessary. We will guide you through key
aspects of the solution process as you answer the questions in the following pages. 

Pre-Analysis
Governing Equations in Differential Form

The 2D continuity and momentum equations for this problem are given below in
Cartesian coordinates.

∂u ∂ v
+ =0
∂z ∂ y

( ) ( )
2 2
∂u ∂ u −∂ p ∂u ∂u
ρ u +v = +μ +
∂z ∂y ∂z 2
∂x ∂ y
2

( ) ( )
2 2
∂v ∂ v −∂ p ∂ v ∂ v
ρ u +v = +μ +
∂z ∂y ∂y ∂ x2 ∂ y2

The variables u and v are the velocity components in x and y directions, respectively.
Note that the governing equations are written in a Cartesian rather than a cylindrical
coordinate system. This is because we are considering a channel rather than pipe flow.
Boundary Conditions

Q: The domain you need to input into ANSYS Fluent is shown in the above figure. This
corresponds to the right half of the channel. Based on the boundary labels in the figure, which
one of the following boundary conditions is NOT correct?

v = 1 m/s at the inlet.

u = 0 at the wall and the inlet.
Absolute pressure = 1 atm at the outlet.
v = 0 at the centerline.

At the centreline, u = 0 and == 0, but v is nonzero.

Hand Calculations: Simplifications in the Fully Developed Region

We expect that the flow is going to become fully developed some distance downstream from the
inlet (like the laminar pipe flow case considered before). In the fully developed region, the fluid
particle is going to move in a straight line along the channel (in the y-direction) at constant
velocity. This leads to simplifications in the governing equations analogous to what we saw in
the simplifications in the Pre-Analysis step of the Laminar Pipe Flow module.

Q: Which one of the following terms is NOT zero in the fully developed flow region?

1. ∂u/∂x
2. u∂u/∂x+v∂u/∂y
3. u∂v/∂x+v∂v/∂y
4. ∂p/∂x
5. ∂p/∂y

it is not 0 in the y-direction, the pressure gradient balances the viscous shear on the fluid
particle.
Hand Calculations: Analytical Solution in the Fully Developed Region

Due to the simplifications in the governing equations, there is an analytical solution in

the fully developed region. We can obtain the following parabolic velocity profile.

( ( ))
v x2
=1.5 1−
v ω
2

2
Q: What is the expected value of v-velocity at the centerline in the fully developed
region?
V is constant along the channel and equal to 1 m/s which is the inlet velocity
Mesh

Create a mesh using the following tips:

 Use 100 equal divisions along the channel (i.e. in the y-direction) and 10 equal divisions
across the half-channel (i.e. in the x-direction). Set Behavior to Hard to enforce these. 
 Turn off Sizing > Advanced Size Function. Otherwise, you'll get a warning as we have
seen. (In version 19.2 and later, there is no Advanced Size Function that you need to
turn off.)
 If your mesh lines are not perpendicular, add a Mesh Control > Face Meshing to the
entire geometry.
 After generating the mesh, check that you have 1000 elements and 1111 nodes. Also,
check that the divisions are equal in the x and y directions (for instance, no refinement
near the inlet). 

Q: In the mesh created, you should have 1000 elements and 1111 nodes. How many values will
Fluent have to determine directly by solving a system of algebraic equations?

3000

We calculate 3 values at each node P, U and V and we have 1000 nodes

MODEL SETUP

Complete the model setup in ANSYS Fluent by following a similar procedure to the laminar
pipe flow module. Remember that for the centerline of the channel, the boundary condition
must be set to symmetry and not axis. Answer the following question to get an important tip on
the model setup.

Coordinate System

Select true or false.

In the laminar pipe flow module, recall that we selected the axisymmetric option in
Fluent in the menu shown below while setting up the mathematical model. For the
channel flow case being considered now, we again need to select the axisymmetric
option in this menu.
False

The axisymmetric option solves the governing equations in a cylindrical coordinate

system. Here we need to solve the governing equations in a Cartesian coordinate system
which is the default. So we should not select the axisymmetric option

Numerical Solution

 Set the convergence criterion to 1e-6 for the residuals under Monitors. 

 Monitor the drag coefficient as well. Remember to change the direction vector
appropriately when setting up the drag coefficient monitor. Hint: the drag is in
the y-direction.
 You need to set the appropriate reference values. Answer the question below to
get a tip on setting reference values. 
 Initialize the solution guess values and iterate until the residuals fall below 1e-6.
Check that the drag coefficient is not changing much with iterations at this point.

Reference Values

Which one of the following is affected by reference values in the solution setup?
Outlet velocity profile
Inlet pressure
Wall drag force
Drag coefficient
Density

The reference values are necessary only for non-dimensionalizing the drag to obtain the
drag coefficient. The necessary reference values are density, velocity and area. The area
reference value must be set to the total "wetter area" of the channel. In this case, the
area reference value is 10 m the length of the channel and 1 m is the dimension in the
direction.
Numerical Results

Close Fluent and open CFD-Post to go through post-processing.

Velocity Contour

Create a velocity magnitude contour using CFD-Post. Zoom in and use the probe tool to
measure the velocity at the circled location at the outlet in the center of the pipe. See
figure below. If the probe tool behaves strangely, dismiss it and bring it up again.
Enter the value obtained from the probe tool in [m/s]. Enter your answer as decimal
with two digits after the decimal point. (e.g. 4.59).

Answer: 1.49 m/s

Pressure Contour

In CFD-Post, create a pressure contour showing the pressure variation in the channel.

What is the range of gauge pressure values within the channel approximately?
0 - 2 Pa
0 - 40 Pa
0 - 100 Pa
0 - 1000 Pa
The range is from 0 to 1.77 pa so 0-2 is the answer

Absolute Pressure Variation

The percentage change in absolute pressure along the channel can be calculated using
the following equation:

(Absolute pressure at inlet - Absolute pressure at outlet)

/Absolute pressure at outlet×100
What is the order of magnitude of the % change in absolute pressure from inlet to
outlet?

0.001 %
0.01 %
0.1 %
1%
10 %
1.77
∗100
101325

Pressure Variation Along the Wall

In CFD-Post, create a line at the channel wall, going from the point (0.5,0,0) to
(0.5,10,0) with 101 samples. Create a chart and select pressure as the y-axis variable and
Y position as the x-axis variable.

What is the trend of the pressure variation along the channel wall?
Linearly increasing initially, then plateauing
Increasing, but not linearly
Stays constant
Sharp decline initially, then linearly decreasing
Linearly decreasing initially, then plateauing

Velocity Variation Along the Centerline

In CFD-Post, create a line at the channel centerline, going from the point (0,0,0) to
(0,10,0) with 101 samples. Create a chart and select v-velocity as the y-axis variable and
Y position as the x-axis variable. Export the chart values to a .csv file to answer the
question.
What is the value of the v-velocity at a distance of 2 channel widths from the inlet (i.e.
at y=2m)? Please input your answer in decimal notation (e.g. 18.65).
1.26
1.32
1.38
1.44

Verification and Validation

Let's do some selected verification checks.

Momentum Conservation

In Fluid Dynamics, we looked at the integral form of momentum conservation. One

could write expressions in CFD-Post to compute the values of each term in that
equation for a control volume enclosing our flow domain (i.e. the half-channel). In the
interest of time, we will not ask you to do that. Instead, we will give you the following
values we obtained in CFD-Post in the y-direction for a control volume enclosing our
flow domain:

Momentum outflow rate - Momentum inflow rate = 0.091 N

Net viscous force in the negative y-direction on control volume = 0.694 N

In order for the integral form of momentum conservation to be satisfied EXACTLY,

what should be the value of the net pressure force in the y-direction on the control
volume? Please use Newtons as the unit and input your answer in decimal notation (e.g.
18.653).

Answer: 0.785

Effect of Convergence Tolerance on Drag Coefficient

In this question, you'll investigate the effect of changing the convergence tolerance for
the residuals on the drag coeffcient. Close CFD-Post and re-open Fluent. Change the
convergence tolerance for all three conservation equations to 1E-3. Re-initialize the
solution and run iterations until all residuals fall below 1E-3. Check the drag coefficient
printed on the screen at this point.

What is the drag coefficient when the residuals fall to 1E-3? Please input your answer in
decimal notation (e.g. 18.65).

Answer:

Mesh Refinement

For this question, you need to refine the mesh. Duplicate the current project in
Workbench. Double click on the Mesh cell to go into the new mesh; increase the
number of divisions on all edges by a factor of 2. Keep all other settings the same. You
should get 4000 elements (ie. cells). Initialize the guess values and iterate until the
residuals fall to 1E-6. Re-do the export to Excel of the centerline v-velocity variation
and check the values in Excel to answer the question.

What is the v-velocity at the outlet on the centerline after refining the mesh? Please
input your answer in decimal notation (e.g. 18.65).

Answer: