CFD Lesson 4: SOLIDWORKS Duct and 3DEXPERIENCE Fluid Scenario Creation (Part 1)

 After teaching 1000’s of students and writing about SOLIDWORKS for over 25 years, David Planchard, emeritus WPI, is exploring SOLIDWORKS desktop and the integrated 3DEXPERIENCE Platform.  Through the 3DEXPERIENCE Works Lesson series, David helps educators understand the 3DEXPERIENCE Engineer, Fluid Scenario Creation App (CFD) with simple examples and industry practices. The Platform offers are available thru your Education Partner (VAR).

Dassault Systèmes owns SOLIDWORKS and various simulation software packages. Simulation packages range from SOLIDWORKS Simulation, CATIA Analysis, Abaqus and many others. All of them are under the SIMULIA family.

In this lesson, learn the proper workflow to upload a SOLIDWORKS part to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Create and perform a simple internal flow simulation through a Duct using the Fluid Scenario Creation App. The Fluid Scenario Creation App provides the ability to perform an analysis of both internal and external flows.

Open a SOLIDWORKS part that has not been saved to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Upload the part to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Save the part in your Collaborative space. Use an existing Bookmark. Return to your SOLIDWORKS desktop. Lock the part.

Launch the Fluid Scenario Creation App. Create the FE Model or FEM. Use the Assistant dialog box and the Action toolbar to create an internal flow simulation that models the mechanical forces and dynamics of steady state fluid flow.

Define a fluid region internal to the model. Define the fluid. Specify the physics behavior of the fluid. Customize the Hex-dominant mesh.

Apply boundary conditions (inlet/outlet). Create output requests to collect pressure, flow velocity and mass flow results.

Run the Simulation study. Use the Physics Results Explorer App. Save the Physics Simulation study. Close the simulation study. Save the model (Physical Product) in SOLIDWORKS. Close the active SOLIDWORKS session.

Launch the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform and Start SOLIDWORKS

Before we start, there are a few items that you need to know.

In this lesson, use your default Collaborative space. An internet connection is required. A 3DEXPERIENCE ID is required.

The Flow Simulation lesson provides a foundation to users who are new to using simulation to solve real-world engineering and design problems. You should have a basic understanding of flow, pressure, velocity and the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method.

3DEXPERIENCE Launcher needs to be installed. 3DEXPERIENCE Works Lesson 1: Getting Started with SOLIDWORKS.

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is browser driven. Your existing cookies and cache determine what you will see on your computer desktop or during a SOLIDWORKS login. A full installation of SOLIDWORKS 2019 SP0 or later is required.

Start a SOLIDWORKS session from your desktop.

Double-click the SOLIDWORKS icon.

View the illustration below. Depending on your system setup, cookies, and cache, it will be different. Read the provided information.

Input the requested data.

Click Accept All.

The Welcome – SOLIDWORKS dialog box is displayed.

You are logged into the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Close the Welcome dialog box.

Click the 3DEXPERIENCE icon in the Task Pane. The MySession panel is displayed. This displays the two-way communication between SOLIDWORKS running on your desktop and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform running in the cloud.

In this lesson, I’m using a Collaborative space named Quick Start xDesign.

Note: If you do not see the 3DEXPERIENCE icon, click the Options drop-down arrow, click Add-Ins, check the 3DEXPERIENCE box, click OK, from the SOLIDWORKS Main menu.

Click Accept All if needed.

SOLIDWORKS Part: Duct

Download the SOLIDWORKS part (Duct) to follow along with this lesson.

Duct

Open the Duct part that not been previously uploaded or saved to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Expand the Task Pane bar. The MySession panel displays a tree view of the active file and a list of commands that can be accessed through the Action bar and context menu.

Save from SOLIDWORKS to Platform

The orange save Status icon for the Duct informs you that the local files on your computer have not been saved to the platform. Save the assembly and reference components to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Click Save Active Window from the Lifecycle tab in the Action bar. Note: You can also Right-click Duct in MySession, and click Save with Options.

 

 

The file is temporarily being saved to a local cache area. The platform is checking for out of date component, modified component from the last save to the platform, different revisions, missing component, etc.

Select Bookmark and Save to Collaborative Space

The Save to 3DEXPERIENCE dialog box is displayed. Product lifecycle management (PLM) attributes are displayed. The PLM attributes include: Bookmark locations, Selected Collaborative space, Owner, Title, Saved Status (3DEXPERIENCE), Revision, Maturity Lifecycle State and Collaborative Space name.

Save the part. Use your existing Collaborative space. Use an existing Bookmark. Note: If needed review 3DEXPERIENCE Works Lesson 3: SOLIDWORKS Bookmarks, Share and Delete. Use Bookmarks (links) to delete entire groups of data or just a single file. For assemblies within the Bookmark folder, there is an option to delete the entire structure of the assembly and all reference components.

Click the Select Bookmark down arrow.

Click Select Bookmark. The Select a Bookmark dialog box is displayed.

In the below example, I selected Design Project 104 as my bookmark.

Click Apply from the Select a Bookmark dialog box.

Click Save from the Save to 3DEXPERIENCE dialog box.

The part is directly loaded into your Collaborative space and Bookmarked on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. You are returned back into your SOLIDWORKS desktop session.

View the Status column in the updated MySession panel. The Status icon displays a green check mark. This means that the current file on your SOLIDWORKS desktop is updated and saved to the platform. The default Revision is A. The Maturity State is “In Work”. This is the default Lifecycle state after you saved the model to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Lock the part in the MySession panel. This prevents anyone in making a change to the part. The Lock icon is displayed.

Right-click Duct.

Click Lock.The assembly and reference components are locked.

Select Duct in the MySession panel.

Click the center of the Compass. Use the Fluid Scenario Creation App. Think of this App as the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Add-in inside of SOLIDWORKS. Most of the 3DEXPERIENCE Apps run in your web browser. 3DEXPERIENCE Simulation Apps perform a small installation on your windows machine. Both types of Apps are linked to your PLM data on the platform.

Fluid Scenario Creation App

Drag the slider downward to view the Fluid Scenario Creation App.

Launch the Fluid Scenario Creation App. If this is your first time using a 3DEXPERIENCE Simulation App, or an update is available, download the needed App information on your computer. It is recommend to restart your SOLIDWORKS session.

This can take 10 – 15 seconds.

The 3DEXPERIENCE | SIMULIA Fluid Scenario Creation App is displayed.

The Simulation Initialization dialog box is displayed.

Enter Duct Example 1 for Simulation title.

Enter Air for Analysis case name.

Select Create fluid model for Fluid model type.

Accept the defaults. Analysis type: Steady-state and 2000 for Maximum iterations.

Click OK from the Simulation Initialization dialog box.

The Fluid Scenario Creation App creates the following features and displays them in the tree:

• The simulation object that is linked to the physical product. A notification indicates the successful creation of the simulation object.
• A finite element representation for the fluid model named Duct A.

Note: Finite element models are alternative representation of geometries that contain meshes. A finite element can also be called a FE Model or FEM.

Define Flow Analysis Case

View the Analysis case name.

Right-click Air under the Scenario folder. View the drop-down folder.

Expand Air object.

Click Definition. View the Flow Analysis Case dialog box.

Click OK from the Flow Analysis Case dialog box.

Set Profile and Parameters

Set mouse profile to SOLIDWORKS.

Click your profile picture (Avatar).

Click Preferences from the drop-down menu.

The Preference dialog box is displayed. View your options.

Click the Common Preferences tab.

Click Profile.

Select a Profile from the Profile Management drop-down menu (SOLIDWORKS).

 

Check the solver unit for Velocity. A velocity of 5m_s is applied in the study.

Expand Parameters, Measures, and Units.

Click Units.

Drag the slider downward to view the Velocity. The default solver unit is Meter per second m_s.

Note: To modify the default unit, drag the inside and outside slider downward to locate the magnitude, select the magnitude, select the new unit from the drop-down menu as illustrated.

Click Apply.

Click OK from the Preferences dialog box.

Save the Simulation study.

Click the Share icon as illustrated.

Click Save. By default, the model and Simulation study data are saved to your Collaborative space on the platform. For Simulation study data, there are two locations, either on your local machine or on the platform. By default, the Simulation study data is stored to your Collaborative space.

Fluid Model Setup with the Assistant

Define the Fluid Model. The model setup is a streamline method for performing most or all the actions that you need to specify the modeling components for a simulation.

Model setup is suitable for simulations with solid geometry, no surface definitions, and no orphan meshes. If your model includes shells, surface definitions or orphan meshes, you should specify the fluid domain, fluid sections, and material assignment in separate actions.

When you perform a model setup, you can define any or all of the following aspects of the model.

• Internal or external flow.
• Location of the fluid domain.
• Heat transfer through solid parts.
• Fluid material that you want to use in the simulation.
• Locations of the openings.
• Mesh density and behavior.

Display the Assistant dialog box. Work with the Model Setup dialog box.

Right-click in the Graphics area.

Click Assistant. The Assistant dialog box is displayed.

The Assistant dialog box is a helpful tool which guides the user through the Fluid Simulation process. The Asssitant dialog box should be followed from top to bottom.

 

Click Model from the Assistant dialog box.

Click Model Setup from the Commands dialog box. Note: You can also click Model from the Standards tab in the Action bar to work outside of the Assistant dialog box.

The Model Setup dialog box is displayed.

Materials

Apply the material (Air) to the fluid section associated with the fluid domain.

Click the eyeglass symbol to open the Material Palette dialog box.

 

The Material Palette dialog box is displayed.

Select All.

Enter Air in the Filter search box.

Select Air | A.1 under Fluid (1). View the Simulation properties.

Click the Simulation tab. Return to the Material Palette.

Click OK from the Material Palette dialog box if needed.

Close the Material Palette dialog box.

Material Air is added in the Simulation study tree.

Expand the Fluid Domain Bounding Parts (1/1) column as illustrated.

View the results.

Define Regions

Select the region (contiguous volume) that contact the fluid.

Expand the Regions (1) row as illustrated.

Click the Face Selection filter.

Select a surface inside the Duct as illustrated. 1 Face is displayed in the Region.1 Support box.

A glyph of a blue cube with a stem  is displayed on the selected surface. The cubical portion of the glyph should be immersed in what would be the fluid volume. Note: If not, select Flip Direction icon.

Click OK from the Model Setup dialog box.

 

Display an Isometric view in the Graphics area.

Click ISO from the View tab in the Action bar.

Click Fit All In from the View tab in the Action bar.

View the location of the blue cube in the assembly.

Define Openings

Click Model Setup from the Commands box.

The Model Setup dialog box is displayed.

Define the openings that allow fluid to flow through the Duct. An opening is a face that bounds a fluid region but for which there is no geometry.

Create the first opening.

Click the plus icon to add an opening (Inlet).

Rotate the Duct to view the inlet as illustrated.

Select the Edge Propagation filter from the Pop-up menu.

Click the edge on the inner side of the Duct opening on the left as illustrated. 1 Edge is displayed in the Support box.

Enter 30deg in the Pop-up toolbar.

Click Propagate. The App highlights all of the edges that comprise the Duct’s opening.

Opening.1 is created and displayed in the center of the Duct inlet.

 

Click the Plus sign icon.

Define the second Duct opening (Opening.2) in the same manner as Opening.1.

Opening.1 and Opening 2 are created.

Click OK from the Model Setup dialog box.

Display an Isometric view.

Three new items are displayed in the Simulation tree: Hex Mesh.1 (Hex-Dominant mesh) under the Nodes and Elements. Fluid Section.1 (fluid region for Duct) under the Properties node. Physical Environment.1 (surface definition) under the Abstraction node.

Save the Simulation study.

Click the Share icon as illustrated.

Click Save.

Define Physics Behavior Active in Flow

Specify the Physics behavior of the air flowing through the Duct. Fluid flow physics behavior is based on various environmental effects and the application of fluid dynamics theories.

In this example, we are specifying a particular turbulence model theory for air flowing through the Duct. If the Duct was venting air from an appliance to the outside world, we might want to consider gravity or thermal effects. In this example, ignore these and other behaviors.

Click Physics from the Assistant dialog box.

Click Physics Behavior from the Commands box.

The Physics dialog box is displayed. View your options.

Accept the default name: Fluid Physics.1.

Accept the default State: Fluid.

Select Realizable k-ε from the Turbulence model drop-down menu. This model is appropriate for internal fluid flow scenarios. Note: Realizable k-ε turbulence model is one of the common models used in CFD to simulate mean flow characteristics for turbulent flow conditions.

Click OK.

View the results.

Edit the parameters of the current step.

Click Edit Current Step from the Commands box.

The Steady-State Step.1 dialog box is displayed. Steady-state flow is the condition where the fluid properties at any single point in the system do not change over time.

Help – User Assistance

Note: To locate addition information about an active dialog box, pop-up menu or contour plot, click the Help icon as illustrated. The User Assistance is displayed.

Select the Enable auto under-relaxation for all equations box. This option gradually converges the turbulence equations to the error thresholds that you specify in the Stopping Criteria section.

Expand the Stopping Criteria section.

Clear all check boxes under Residual Thresholds (%). In this example, you clear the errors thresholds criteria to support faster convergence. Applying only residual thresholds is also a common method for ensuring accurate results at the convergence point.

Click OK from the Steady-State Step dialog box.

Apply Boundaries

Apply an Inlet flow condition. The Duct has two openings (Opening.1, Opening.2). Apply a velocity condition of 5m_s at the inlet (Opening.1).

Click Boundaries from the Assistant dialog box.

Click Velocity Inlet from the Commands box.

The Velocity Inlet dialog box is displayed.

Rotate the Duct to view the inlet.

Select Opening.1 for Support. Note: You can select Opening.1 either by clicking its blue circular glyph in the Graphics area or by clicking its name under the Abstractions node in the study tree.

A set of orange arrows appears in the Graphics area. These arrows, represent the direction of airflow.

Enter 5m_s for Velocity. Accept the default settings.

Click OK from the Velocity Inlet dialog box.

Apply an Outlet flow condition. Apply a pressure condition of 0N/m² at the outlet (Opening.2) of the Duct.

Click Boundaries from the Assistant dialog box.

Click Pressure Outlet from the Commands box.

The Pressure Outlet dialog box is displayed.

Rotate the valve to view the outlet.

Select Opening.2 for Support. Note: You can select Opening.2 either by clicking its blue circular glyph in the Graphics area or by clicking its name under the Abstractions node in the study tree.

A set of orange arrows appears in the Graphics area. These arrows, represent the direction of pressure.

Enter 0N_m2 for Static gauge pressure. Accept the default settings.

Click OK from the Pressure Outlet dialog box.

Hex-Dominant Mesh

Customize the hex-dominant mesh for the fluid region. Note: The default mesh’s element size aims to balance the desired accuracy of the results against the time it takes to run the simulation.

Double-click Hex Mesh.1 from the Simulation study tree.

The Hex-Dominant Mesh dialog box is displayed. Currently, the Educational version of Flow Simulation has a maximum allowable node count of 1million nodes.

Enter 6mm for Maximum size. Enter 1mm for Minimum size.

Enter 30deg for Minimum angle between faces. Enter .2mm for First lay thickness.

Click Mesh. Click OK from the Hex-Dominant Mesh dialog box.

Quality Analysis

Utilize the Quality Analysis tool to view the number of nodes used and that you did not exceed the node limit.

Click Quality Analysis from the Check tab in the Action Bar.

View the result under the default Quality tab.

Click the Connectivity tab. View the number of used nodes.

Click Close.

Output Requests: Pressure, Flow Velocity and Mass Flow Results

Create output requests to collect pressure, flow velocity and mass flow results.

The Physics Results Explorer App automatically creates an output request for the model when your create a Simulation study. By modifying the output request, you can filter the volume of data produced during a Simulation. You can also create output requests to collect pertinent variable data for particular supports.

In this lesson, create two output requests. The first output request is for the inlet pressure and mass flow results. The second output request is for the outlet flow velocity and mass flow results. Use this information to confirm that the Simulation converged properly and to analyze the valve’s performance.

Create the first output request.

Click Output Requests from the Assistant dialog box.

Click Output from the Commands box.

 

The Output dialog box is displayed.

Rotate the Duct to view the inlet.

Enter name: Output_Input.

Click Opening.1 (inlet) from the Graphics area as illustrated. Opening.1 is displayed in the Support box.

Select History from the Output group drop-down menu. Note: You can create two types of sensors to display different types of data: Field sensors and History sensors. Depending on the analysis case type you simulate, some Apps automatically create a set of field and history sensors by default. Default sensors streamline your workflow so you can quicly analyze your simulation results.

Expand the Flow folder.

Click AVGPRESSGAU, Area-average surface gauge pressure.

Click MASSFLOW, Integrated mass flow rate.

Click OK from the Output dialog box.

 

Create the second output request.

Click Output from the Commands box.

Rotate the Duct to view the outlet.

Enter name: Output_Outlet.

Click Opening.2 (outlet) from the Graphics area as illustrated. Opening.2 is displayed in the Support box.

Select History from the Output group drop-down menu.

Expand the Flow folder.

Click AVGVEL, Area averaged surface velocity vector.

Click MASSFLOW, Integrated mass flow rate.

Click OK from the Output dialog box.

Run CFD Simulation

Run the Simulation.

Click Simulate from the Assistant dialog box.

Click Simulate from the Commands box.

 

The Simulate dialog box is displayed. It is recommended to run the Simulation using Local interactive. Local interactive is set by default using an embedded license. The Simulation is executed on your computer and the user interface is locked while the Simulation is in process.

With an Educational license, up to 4 physical cores are supported. Overwrite previous is selected by default.

Click OK from the Simulate dialog box. Run time is approximately 5 – 7 minutes.

Click Close from the Simulation Status dialog box.

Display Results: Gauge Pressure, Velocity Vector

The Gauge Pressure.1 contour plot is displayed. The inlet displays a higher pressure than the outlet. The corners of the duct also display high local pressures. This indicates that the design creates too much resistance to the airflow and does not process the air well. A design change could be made to improve this situation, but could impact cost of manufacturing.

 

Display the Velocity Vector.1 contour plot.

View the results. The velocity is lowest along the boundary layer and in the corners of the duct. While the velocity at the boundary layer is expected, you can improve the airflow resistance in the corners of the duct by smoothing the edges. Again, this could also impact cost of manufacturing.

The mouse cursor automatically acts as a probe.

Click a point on the model as illustrated. View the Velocity Vector at that point. A Pop-up menu is displayed. Note: To deselect the displayed point, click in the Graphics area.

Click the Show Min/Max Values icon.

View the results.

Click the Hide Max or Min values and close icon.

Save and Close Simulation

Save the Physics Simulation study (Model, Scenario and Results).

Click the Share icon as illustrated.

Click Save.

Close the Physics Simulation study.

Click Close on the Duct Example 1 tab.

Return to the active SOLIDWORKS session.

Save the Duct part in SOLIDWORKS.

Close the SOLIDWORKS Session.

 

The lesson is finished.

The Next Lesson

In the next lesson, CFD Lesson 5: SOLIDWORKS Duct and 3DEXPERIENCE Fluid Scenario Creation (Part 2), start a SOLIDWORKS session. Connect to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Utilize the 3DSpace widget from the MySession panel in the SOLIDWORKS Task Pane.

Your 3DEXPERIENCE | 3DDashboard is displayed. Locate the Physics Simulation study named Duct in the saved Collaborative space. Use the search method.

Launch the Fluid Scenario Creation App. Open the Duct Physics Simulation study. View the last displayed contour plot.

Display a cross-section of the mesh. Explore the Mesh Visualization options.

Create two sensors. Place a sensor for mass flow at each opening to confirm that the Simulation study converged properly. Add streamlines to illustrate flow through the Duct.

Modify the flow fluid from Air to Nitrogen. Modify the Air object under Scenario.

Re-run the study. Run the plots. Save the Physics Simulation study. Close the Physics Simulation study. Return to SOLIDWORKS.

 

Community

Academic Community: After you create a 3DEXPERIENCE ID, Educators, can get more information on xDesign and SOLIDWORKS.  Request to join the 3DEXPERIENCE Academic Community for free at go.3ds.com/academiccommunity.

Student Community: Students, join the student community for free at go.3ds.com/studentcommunity.  Check out great posts on Mechanism Mondays, FEA Fridays,  Solid Saturdays (animations),  Formula Student and Formula SAE exercises.

SIMULIA Community: Students and Educations, join the SIMULIA community to learn the latest in simulation technology with the Abaqus solver, CST Studio Suite for Electro-magnetics, Antenna Magus and more.

SOLIDWORKS Community: Connect with the SOLIDWORKS community with our SOLIDWORKS User Forum, SOLIDWORKS User Groups, news and info,

SIMULIA Simulation Technology

Additional Lessons in 3DEXPERIENCE Simulation Structural Analysis:

Analysis Lesson 1: SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE Simulation for Diving Board

Analysis Lesson 2: SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE Simulation Linear Structural Validation Part 1

Analysis Lesson 3: SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE Simulation Linear Structural Validation Part 2

Analysis Lesson 4: SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE Simulation Linear Structural Validation for Assembly

Analysis Lesson 5: SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE Simulation Structural Model Creation

CFD Lesson 1: SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE Fluid Scenario Creation (Part1)

CFD Lesson 2: SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE Fluid Scenario Creation (Part 2)

CFD Lesson 3: SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE Fluid Scenario Creator (Part 3)

 

From SOLIDWORKS Desktop to the 3DXPERIENCE Platform

Additional Lessons in this series on 3DEXPERIENCE Works:

3DEXPERIENCE Works Lesson 1: Getting Started with SOLIDWORKS and the Platform

3DEXPERIENCE Works Lesson 2: SOLIDWORKS and Save and Revision

3DEXPERIENCE Works Lesson 3: SOLIDWORKS and Bookmarks, Share and Delete

3DEXPERIENCE Works Lesson 4: SOLIDWORKS and Lifecycle Maturity States

3DEXPERIENCE Works Lesson 5: SOLIDWORKS, Collaborative Space and Bookmarks

3DEXPERIENCE Works Lesson 6: SOLIDWORKS with Search Tools

3DEXPERIENCE Works Lesson 7: SOLIDWORKS with 3DPlay

3DEXPERIENCE Works Lesson 8: SOLIDWORKS with 3DDrive

3DEXPERIENCE Works Lesson 9: SOLIDWORKS and 3DSWYM

3DEXPERIENCEWorks Lesson 10: SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE Simulation

 

Cloud Apps by SOLIDWORKS (100% Browser Based)

Additional Lessons in this series on SOLIDWORKS xDesign

SOLIDWORKS xDesign Lesson #1: Getting Started

SOLIDWORKS xDesign Lesson #2: Mouse Control and Collaborative Space

SOLIDWORKS xDesign Lesson #3: Sketch Planes

SOLIDWORKS xDesign Lesson #4: Create A Dashboard

SOLIDWORKS xDesign Lesson #5: Views and Orientations

SOLIDWORKS xDesign Lesson #6: Importing Files and Using Bookmarks

SOLIDWORKS xDesign Lesson #7: Assemblies

SOLIDWORKS xDesign Lesson #8: 4Bar Linkage and Kinematics

SOLIDWORKS xDesign Lesson #9: External References and Copy with Mates

SOLIDWORKS xDesign Lesson #10: Sketching, Constraints and Dimensions

SOLIDWORKS xDesign Lesson #11: Sketch Based and Applied Features

 

Design well, Marie