At our company, we leveraged the powerful capabilities of Ansys Fluent to enhance our engineering simulations, particularly for understanding the behavior of water as it interacted with various components in our systems. By simulating fluid dynamics, we closely analyzed how water flows into pipes and tanks, how it behaved as tanks descended, how it discharged from the tanks and the timing of these processes. Additionally, we obtained dynamic properties such as velocity, mass flow rate, and pressure, which were critical for optimizing system performance. Ansys Fluent gave us the tools to visualize these interactions in detail, allowing us to refine our models and ensure they performed optimally under real-world conditions.
Accurate results depend on the mesh being used, and here we utilized Ansys Fluent Meshing to achieve this accuracy. We customized the meshing process, particularly by employing a poly-hexacore mesh structure. This specific mesh type was ideal for our models, as it struck a good balance between accuracy and computational efficiency, especially in complex geometries involving both solid and fluid regions. We carefully tailored the mesh sizes for both surface and volume meshes to match the dimensions of the objects being simulated. By assigning non-conformal meshing to all objects, we ensured that all areas, even those in motion, were accurately represented without causing interference with adjacent meshes.
In addition to meshing, we utilized Ansys Fluent’s multiphase feature to simulate the interaction between different phases, particularly air and water. This was essential because our systems contained components initially filled with either air or water, and leading to phase mixing as the simulation progressed. By utilizing the volume fraction method, we accurately modeled how these phases interacted within our system. Furthermore, we implemented dynamic meshing and user-defined functions (UDFs) to simulate moving objects within our setup. This approach allowed us to maintain realistic interactions between components, ensuring that the mesh adapted dynamically to changes in the system.
To further refine our simulations, we carefully set up various parameters within Ansys Fluent. We configured the solution methods and relaxation factors to achieve convergence efficiently while maintaining accuracy. The k-epsilon turbulence model was applied to account for turbulent flows, which were common in our systems. We also utilized mesh interfaces to handle connections between different objects, ensuring seamless interaction across boundaries. Different boundary conditions were meticulously defined, including inlets, outlets, and mesh interfaces, to accurately simulate the flow and behavior of fluids within the system.
Our use of Ansys Fluent in optimizing computational fluid dynamics has significantly advanced our ability to design and refine our intricate systems. By leveraging its powerful simulation tools, including advanced meshing techniques, multiphase analysis, and dynamic meshing, we were able to achieve a deep understanding of fluid interactions within our systems. This comprehensive approach allowed us to accurately predict and enhance the performance of our intricate system designs, ensuring both efficiency and reliability. As a result, we have successfully optimized our systems to meet real-world challenges and improve overall operational effectiveness.