Advanced Computational Models

Grid Adaptation

Non-conformal Interfaces

Moving Boundaries

Deforming Boundaries…

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 Grid Adaptivity

The computational grid can be refined and/or coarsened based on

geometrical and numerical solution data

Useful for:
Capture flow features in details
Increase resolution in near-wall regions
Improve grid quality
…

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Grid Adaptivity Example

Computational Domain
Flow in a complex passage

A uniform triangular grid

is likely to be inappropriate to
capture all the feature of the flow
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 Adaptation Process

Definition of the adaptation function (based on geometrical and/or solution data)

Selection of the cells to be refined or coarsened (marking or tagging)

Selection of grid refinement/coarsening scheme

Adaptation

Interpolation of the previous solution onto the new grid (automatic)

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 Adaptation Functions

Geometrical
Region
Boundary
Volume

Solution based
Isovalue
Gradient
y+

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 Region Adaptation
This is the same option we used for “global” grid refinement to study the
grid convergence of the solutions

Adapt Æ Region

Select a region shape

Input the geometrical definition

of the region

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 Boundary Adaptation

Adapt Æ Boundary
Select a boundary of the
computational domain

Three options:
cell distance
normal distance
volume distance

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 Boundary Adaptation

Adaptation based on a cell’s distance from the selected boundary measured

in number of cells. (1 means only the cells attached to the boundary)

Adaptation based on a cell’s normal distance from the selected boundary

Adaptation based on a target boundary volume

(specify a target volume and a growth factor a)

Vcell = Vtarget e ad

This adaptation attempts to generate boundary-layer type grid

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 Volume Adaptation

Adapt Æ Volume
Based on cell volume (area in 2D):

Two options:
magnitude (threshold values)
change (neighbor change)
Allow to compute the range in your grid

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 Isovalue Adaptation

Adapt Æ IsoValue
All field values are available (including
equation residuals, customized and grid-
related functions)

Method:
specify the function
specify a range
specify the inside/outside option

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 Gradient Adaptation

As before all field values are available

(including equation residuals, customized Adapt Æ Gradient
and grid-related functions)

Method:
specify the function
specify a range

Note that the option is refine/coarsen

Cells above the Refine Threshold are Refined
Cells below the Coarsen Threshold are Coarsened

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 y+ Adaptation

Useful for turbulent flow simulations Adapt Æ y+

Method:
specify the wall boundaries
specify the range (as before)

Note y* is a friendlier version of y+

y+ = r yp ut /m y* = r Cm1/4 kp1/2 yp /m

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 Mark (Tag) and display
Before performing the adaptation you can mark the cell selected (based on
a certain adaptation function) and display them

Adapt Æ Region Æ Control Æ Display

Only the selected cells will be displayed

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 Mark or Adapt?

Mark allows to evaluate the effect of

a refining/coarsening procedure without
actually changing the grid

Marked cells are saved in registers that

can be combined or manipulated before mark
adapt
Adapting

Adapt is usually used only at the end when

all The desired cells are marked

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 Managing Registers

Marked cells are saved in registers

Adapt Æ <method> Æ Manage
Adapt registers: collection of cells
Mask registers: binary tagging to all cells
in active and inactive

Operations on the registers are:

Union: combine two adapt registers (or more)

Intersection: combine adapt and mask registers
Change Type: convert a adapt in mask and viceversa
Delete: eliminate a register

Exchange: swap an adapt register (coarse Æ refine)

Invert: swap a mask register (active Æ inactive)
Limit: apply the adaptations limits to a register
Fill: mark for coarsening all the cells not in the register

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 Adaptation controls
Set limits on the adaptation procedure
(i.e. maximum number of final cells) Adapt Æ <method> Æ Manage Æ Control

Select the adaptation scheme

Conformal
Hanging Nodes

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Hanging-Node and Conformal Adaptation

Cell to be refined

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 Hanging-Node Adaptation
father

Selected cells (father) are refined homothetically (kids)

Nodes are added on the edges of the father cell and

kids
connectivity information are generated to link
the kids to the father neighbors

Memory penalty associated to the additional connectivity

Information required and to the presence of an inactive father cell

Neighboring cells are not allowed to differ more than one-level of refinement
(because of inaccuracy related to large volume variations)

Coarsening can be only performed on previously refined regions. Kids are

deleted and the father cell becomes active

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 Conformal Adaptation

Selected cells are refined by splitting the longest edge

It is inherently conservative because the cell connectivity is not modified

No memory penalty (the old cells are deleted and the only the new are stored)

Low quality meshes can be improved (refinement not homothetic)

Coarsening can be applied everywhere and corresponds to a local remeshing

Can only be applied to triangular (tetrahedral) grids

In is NOT as local as the hanging-node approach

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 Grid Adaptivity Guidelines

Surface mesh should be fine enough to capture all the essential geometrical
features of the model (especially for high curvature surfaces)

The initial mesh should be fine enough to capture the overall features of the
flow

A reasonably converged solution must be obtained before adapting the grid

Suitable flow-adaptation criteria are crucial to obtain increased resolution of

selected region (i.e. velocity gradients are better than pressure gradient in
incompressible flows and high values of turbulent quantities are relevant for
turbulent flows)

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 Boundary Grid Adaptivity
Poor boundary resolution cannot be improved via grid refinement

Original geometry
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Non-conformal grids
Grid generation can be simplified in certain problems by meshing
various components separately. The grids have to be coupled using
a non-conformal interface

Quadrilateral grid

Triangular grid
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Non-conformal grid interfaces
The matching conditions between the two faces have to be defined
Coupled interface: the interface is actually an internal face (no bc)
Periodic interface: the matching allows to specify pressure gradients

Define Æ Grid Interface

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Non-conformal grid interfaces - Example

Channel flow
Periodic Boundaries

Non-conformal interface Velocity contours (cell values)

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Non-conformal Interface Guidelines

Grid interface can be of any shape (2D and 3D) but the surfaces to be mached
MUST be based on the same geometry especially for highly curved surfaces

Grid resolution at the two sides of the interfaces can be different; accuracy
(and fluxes conservation) degrades for highly different mesh size

Non-conformal interfaces are binary connectivity between two (and only

two) zones.

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Moving Zones

Several industrial applications involve flow through a domain which contains

a moving component (propellers, turbines, etc.)

stationary moving

Time
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 Advanced Computational Models

• Grid Adaptivity
• Non-Conformal Grid Interfaces
• Moving Zones

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Modeling Moving Zones

Different approaches can be followed:

1) Single Reference Frame Model (SRFM)

2) Multiple Reference Frame Model (MRFM)
3) Mixing Plane Model (MPM)
4) Sliding Mesh Model (SMM)
5) Mesh Deformation
6) Remeshing

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Single Reference Frame Model

Simplest model available; entire computational domain is referred to a

rotating reference frame (domain moves with the reference frame)

The equations are rewritten in the moving reference frame and a Coriolis
acceleration term appears as a source for the momentum balance

Boundaries that move with the frame can assume any shape BUT boundaries
that are stationary MUST be surface of revolution

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Single Reference Frame Set-Up

Define Æ Models Æ Solver

Velocity formulation

Absolute: the unknowns are the field

variables in the stationary reference frame

Relative: the unknowns are the field

variables in the moving reference frame

Note: the relative is only available in the

Segregated solver and it is usually faster

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Single Reference Frame Boundary Conditions
Define Æ Boundary Condition
Æ Fluid Æ Wall

Define the axis of rotation

Select moving reference frame
Define the angular speed
Stationary surfaces: zero absolute rotational speed
Moving surfaces: zero rotational speed relative to
the adjacent zone

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Multiple Reference Frame Model

Many rotating machinery problems involve stationary components that

cannot be represented as surface of revolution or move at different velocity

The extension is to consider separate reference frames for each component

The set-up is similar to the SRFM

MRFM ignores the relative motions of subdomains and the Coriolis

body-forces are local to each region (no equivalence between stationary and
moving reference frame)

Suitable for problems where the interaction between rotating and non-rotating
components is small

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Sliding Mesh Model

Like the MRFM the domain is divided into moving and stationary components

Unlike the MRFM the mesh in each subdomain moves with respect to one another
and the problem is inherently unsteady

The equations are solved in the stationary reference frame and the meshes are
moved at each time step (no approximations to the governing equations)

The sliding mesh interface is defined as a non-conformal interface

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 SMM Example

time

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