New Features of PHOENICS 2006

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Computer Simulation of Fluid Flow, Heat Flow,
Chemical Reactions and Stress in Solids.
PHOENICS 2006 December
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Contents

• This presentation shows some of the new features
  in PHOENICS 2006
• The talk is in four parts
• Pre-processor (VR-Editor)
• Post-processor (VR-Viewer)
• Solver (Earth)
• General improvements (common to all modules)
• Special Purpose versions

3
VR Editor Improvements

• An auto meshing feature has been added. For most
  cases the Editor will generate a reasonable grid
  with little or no user input.
• The grid distribution is based on a maximum cell
  size (as a fraction of the domain size), and a
  maximum change in cell size across region
  boundaries.

4
VR Editor Improvements

• The default grid can then be easily refined

5
VR Editor Improvements

• The treatment of Polar geometries has been
  significantly updated.
• As a reminder, in polar co-ordinates
• X is ?, the angle (in radians!)
• Y is r, the radius
• Z is z, the axial distance.

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VR Editor Improvements

• For objects using the default 'polcu' geometries,
  the size is set in (d?,dr,dz) and position in
  (?,r,z) as before.
• For non-'polcu' geometries, including STL
  imports, the size is in Cartesian (dx,dy,dz),
  but position is still in (?,r,z).

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VR Editor Improvements

• As the Cartesian size is used, the shape and size
  of the object are preserved with no distortion.

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VR Editor Improvements

• This allows us to use more suitable grids

9
VR Editor Improvements

• The treatment of INLET objects in Polar
  co-ordinates has been improved. The inflow can
  now be specified as
• Cartesian velocity components
• Polar (grid-directed) velocity components
• Volumetric flow rate
• Mass flow rate

10
VR Editor Improvements
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VR Editor Improvements

• The 'Slide velocity' can be set for blockages as
  well as for plates.

• By setting the surface velocity, a range of cases
  involving steady movement can be treated as
  steady-state.

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VR Editor Improvements

• In Cartesian co-ordinates, the 'Spin' option sets
  the surface velocity as if the object were
  rotating about its axis.

13
VR Editor Improvements

• In Polar co-ordinates , the slide velocity can be
  in m/s or radians/s.

14
VR Editor Improvements

• Heat-transfer between the blockage and the
  surrounding fluid is controlled by the blockage
  external heat-transfer coefficient.

• By default, this is obtained from the
  wall-functions.
• Alternatively, a user-set constant value can be
  supplied.

15
VR Editor Improvements

• A new object type TRANSFER has been introduced.

• It allows the outflow from one solution to be
  used as the inflow to another.

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VR Editor Improvements

• INLET and OUTLET objects can also be tagged to
  act as Import or Export TRANSFER objects
• Only the shape of the Import/Export object needs
  to be the same between runs the grid does not
  need to be identical
• The data to be transferred is held in an ASCII
  text file

17
VR Editor Improvements

• The new object types ANGLED-IN and ANGLED-OUT
  have been introduced.
• These allow inlets and outlets of any arbitrary
  shape to be placed on the outer surface of any
  arbitrarily-shaped blockage.
• The area of action is the area of intersection
  between the object and any blockage.

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VR Editor Improvements
19
VR Editor Improvements

• A new object type ASSEMBLY has been introduced.

• The assembly object acts as a container for any
  number of other objects, which go together to
  make a component.

• Objects are added to an assembly object through
  the Hierarchy dialog.

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VR Editor Improvements

• Components can be added or removed from an
  assembly

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VR Editor Improvements

• All size and position changes made to the
  assembly object are also applied to all the
  components.

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VR Editor Improvements

• All the objects in the assembly can then be
  exported to a single file.

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VR Editor Improvements

• The saved assembly objects can then be imported
  into another model.

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VR Editor Improvements

• Objects can be partially pushed out of the
  domain, to allow

• Solution over one half of a body, or
• Solution over any part of a large STL

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VR Editor Improvements

• The Editor can output the entire geometry in
  TECPLOT format.

• Each object is shown in TECPLOT as a 'zone'.

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VR Editor Improvements

• The Editor can also output the entire geometry as
  a FieldView unstructured file.

• Each object is shown in FieldView as a Boundary.

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VR Editor Improvements

• This is what the Editor makes of it.

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VR ViewerImprovements

• When PARSOL is active in Polar co-ordinates,  the
  contours and vectors in the cut cells are
  displayed correctly.

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VR ViewerImprovements
Valve simulation
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VR ViewerImprovements
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VR ViewerImprovements

• When cyclic boundary conditions are active, an
  extra tab appears on the Viewer Options dialog.

• From here it is possible to repeat the image in
  the X direction as many times as wanted .

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VR ViewerImprovements

• The original geometry

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VR ViewerImprovements

• Repeated 9 times

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VR ViewerImprovements

• The contours repeated

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VR ViewerImprovements

• The colour palette can be reversed

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VR ViewerImprovements

• Streamlines can also be repeated

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VR ViewerImprovements

• The sources and sinks for an object can be
  displayed

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VR ViewerImprovements

• For selected objects, the surface contour values
  can be output to a file which can be read into
  Excel or Autoplot.

3D Nav.Sto.Flow Around A Moving Van
Pressure surface values for object BODY2
----------------------------------------- X
Y Z Pressure
1.0000E00 3.0000E00 6.0000E00 -1.1501E01
8.7500E-01 3.0000E00 6.0000E00 -8.1237E00
8.7500E-01 3.0000E00 6.5000E00 -2.0226E01
1.0000E00 3.0000E00 6.5000E00 -2.1001E01
1.0000E00 3.0000E00 6.5000E00 -2.1001E01
8.7500E-01 3.0000E00 6.5000E00 -2.0226E01
8.7500E-01 3.0000E00 7.0000E00 -3.2328E01
1.0000E00 3.0000E00 7.0000E00 -3.0502E01
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VR ViewerImprovements

• For selected objects, a surface profile on the
  current plotting plane can be output to a file
  which can be read into Excel or Autoplot.

X Y Z
Pressure 1.000000E00 1.583333E00
8.250000E00 -1.893729E01 1.000000E00
1.750000E00 8.250000E00 -1.884477E01
1.000000E00 1.916667E00 8.250000E00
-1.866686E01 1.000000E00 2.083333E00
8.250000E00 -1.838086E01 1.000000E00
2.250000E00 8.250000E00 -1.799543E01
1.000000E00 2.416667E00 8.250000E00
-1.749649E01 1.000000E00 2.583333E00
8.250000E00 -1.690780E01 1.000000E00
2.750000E00 8.250000E00 -1.624763E01
1.000000E00 2.916667E00 8.250000E00
-1.554297E01
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VR ViewerImprovements

• Pressure profile on an aerofoil

41
Earth Improvements

• For buoyancy-driven flows, the effect of buoyancy
  on turbulence can be significant.
• In stably-stratified flows, such as smoke layers,
  turbulence can be damped. Conversely, in the
  vicinity of plumes, the turbulence can be
  enhanced.
• These effects are implemented in the K-e models
  via an additional source term.

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Earth Improvements

• The choice between stable or unstable
  stratification was previously made by setting a
  constant to 0.0 or 1.0, and so could never be
  universally correct.
• An 'auto' function has been introduced which
  switches between the stable and unstable forms
  depending on the local flow direction.
• This should produce better results for cases with
  zones of both stable and unstable stratification.

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Earth Improvements

• Geometry of standard room fire test
• 62.9MW steady fire

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Earth Improvements

• Buoyancy constant 0 -gt layered flow

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Earth Improvements

• Buoyancy constant 1 -gt Plume

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Earth Improvements

• Calculated buoyancy constant

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Earth Improvements

• Auto solution is somewhere between plume and
  layer!

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Earth Improvements

• The solution can be output in TECPLOT format.
• An output file, TECDATA.DAT, containing two
  TECPLOT zones for each PHOENICS domain is
  written.
• The first zone contains data at the cell centres
  (adjusted for PARSOL cut cells), and the second
  contains data at the cell corners.
• The first is better for plotting vectors, the
  second for plotting contours and iso-surfaces.

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Earth Improvements

• The geometry and solution from Library case V146
  displayed in TECPLOT 10.

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Earth Improvements

• The solution can be output to FieldView in PLOT3D
  format.
• Two output files, FVDATA.G and FVDATA.F,
  containing two grids for each PHOENICS domain are
  written.
• The first zone contains data at the cell centres
  (adjusted for PARSOL cut cells), and the second
  contains data at the cell corners.
• The first is better for plotting vectors, the
  second for plotting contours and iso-surfaces.

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Earth Improvements

• The geometry and solution from Library case V146
  displayed in FieldView 11.

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VR ViewerImprovements

• In addition to the normal multi-coloured vectors,
  we can have

• Vectors all in one colour

• Or any thickness

• Or with the size of long vectors limited

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General Improvements

• A quick-zoom function has been added

• Press the control key then move the mouse
  sideways to drag a zoom-box.

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General Improvements

• The axes can be unlocked from the domain
  origin, and placed anywhere

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General Improvements

• The hand-set icons appear on the tool bar, so the
  hand-sets can be turned off

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General Improvements

• The image can be annotated with text strings

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General Improvements

• We are now testing a 64-bit Windows version of
  PHOENICS
• It does not suffer from the memory limitations of
  the 32-bit versions
• Preliminary tests seem to show that performance
  is very similar, however many bits there are!

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General Improvements

• The location of the PHOENICS installation is now
  held in an environment variable.
• This makes it possible to install PHOENICS into
  any convenient location, not just the root of a
  drive.
• It also makes network installations neater, as
  only the environment variable and a working
  directory need be present on client machines.

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SPP Improvements

• The following Special-purpose versions have been
  brought into the VR environment
• CVD, for Chemical Vapour Deposition
• ESTER, for Electrolytic Smelting of Aluminium
• Both have dedicated Main menus and object types

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FLAIR

• Now a few words about the FLAIR Special-Purpose
  version of PHOENICS.
• Some people have asked What is FLAIR?

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What is FLAIR?

• FLAIR is a Special-Purpose version of the general
  CFD code PHOENICS.
• It is aimed at the HVAC community.
• It has been created by removing many unneeded
  generic features, and adding several specific
  features.

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FLAIR Features

• FLAIR uses the PHOENICS VR-Editor to set the
  problem up, with the following additional items
• ISO 7730 Comfort index calculations PMV, PPD.
• ISO 7730 Draught rating.
• CIBSE dry resultant temperature.
• Humidity calculations, with output of humidity
  ratio and relative humidity.
• Smoke movement calculation, with output of PPM,
  smoke density and visibility.
• Mean age of air calculation.
• Fan operating point calculation for single and
  multiple fans.
• System-curve calculations.

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FLAIR Features

• In addition, the following object types have been
  added
• Diffuser

Round
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FLAIR Features

• In addition, the following object types have been
  added
• Diffuser

Vortex
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FLAIR Features

• In addition, the following object types have been
  added
• Diffuser

Rectangular
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FLAIR Features

• In addition, the following object types have been
  added
• Diffuser

Directional
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FLAIR Features

• In addition, the following object types have been
  added
• Diffuser

Grille
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FLAIR Features

• In addition, the following object types have been
  added
• Diffuser

Displacement
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FLAIR Features

• In addition, the following object types have been
  added
• Diffuser
• Fire

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FLAIR Features

• In addition, the following object types have been
  added
• Diffuser
• Fire

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FLAIR Features

• In addition, the following object types have been
  added
• Diffuser
• Fire
• Person (standing
• or sitting facing any
• Direction)

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FLAIR Features

• In addition, the following object types have been
  added
• Diffuser
• Fire
• Person
• Crowd
• To represent a large number of people as
  distributed source of heat

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FLAIR Features

• In addition, the following object types have been
  added
• Diffuser
• Fire
• Person
• Crowd
• Sunlight
• Created in
• Shapemaker

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FLAIR Features

• In addition, the following object types have been
  added
• Diffuser
• Fire
• Person
• Crowd
• Sunlight
• Spray head

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FLAIR Features

• Spray-head represents sprinklers user for
  fire-suppression.
• It uses GENTRA to model the droplet paths.
• Evaporation is considered, and is linked to the
  FLAIR humidity model.

• The GENTRA inlet table is written automatically.

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FLAIR Features

• Spray-head represents sprinklers user for
  fire-suppression.
• It uses GENTRA to model the droplet paths.
• Evaporation is considered, and is linked to the
  FLAIR humidity model.

• The GENTRA inlet table is written automatically.

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Geometry Creation

• We are often asked to create geometry from
  unusual sources.
• Recently we received a PDF file which contained
  this image-

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Geometry Creation

• The numbers represent the height of the building

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Geometry Creation

• The solution was to save the image as a GIF file,
  then use it as a backdrop in AC3D

• We could trace round each part, then extrude

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Geometry Creation

• The resulting geometry was then exported to
  PHOENICS

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