CFD Post 12 - Reference Guide

ANSYS CFD-Post Standalone: Reference
Guide
Release 12.0 ANSYS, Inc.
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2
Table of Contents
1. CFX Launcher ............................................................................................................................................. 1
The Launcher Interface ..................................................................................................................... 1
Menu Bar ....................................................................................................................................... 1
Tool Bar ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Working Directory Selector ............................................................................................................... 4
Output Window ............................................................................................................................... 4
Customizing the Launcher ................................................................................................................. 4
CCL Structure ................................................................................................................................. 4
Example: Adding the Windows Calculator ............................................................................................ 7
2. CFX Command Language (CCL) .................................................................................................................... 9
CFX Command Language (CCL) Syntax ............................................................................................. 9
Basic Terminology ........................................................................................................................... 9
Simple Syntax Details ..................................................................................................................... 10
3. CFX Expression Language (CEL) .................................................................................................................. 13
CEL Fundamentals ......................................................................................................................... 13
Values and Expressions ................................................................................................................... 13
CFX Expression Language Statements ............................................................................................... 14
CEL Operators, Constants, and Expressions ........................................................................................ 15
CEL Operators .............................................................................................................................. 15
Conditional if Statement .................................................................................................................. 16
CEL Constants .............................................................................................................................. 17
Using Expressions .......................................................................................................................... 17
CEL Examples .............................................................................................................................. 18
Example: Reynolds Number Dependent Viscosity ................................................................................ 18
Example: Feedback to Control Inlet Temperature ................................................................................. 19
Examples: Using Expressions in ANSYS CFD-Post .............................................................................. 20
CEL Technical Details .................................................................................................................... 20
4. Functions in ANSYS CFX ............................................................................................................................ 21
CEL Mathematical Functions ........................................................................................................... 21
Quantitative CEL Functions in ANSYS CFX ....................................................................................... 23
Functions Involving Coordinates ....................................................................................................... 25
CEL Functions with Multiphase Flow ................................................................................................ 25
Quantitative Function List ............................................................................................................... 26
area ............................................................................................................................................. 30
areaAve ........................................................................................................................................ 31
areaInt ......................................................................................................................................... 31
ave .............................................................................................................................................. 32
count ........................................................................................................................................... 33
countTrue ..................................................................................................................................... 33
force ............................................................................................................................................ 34
forceNorm .................................................................................................................................... 35
inside ........................................................................................................................................... 35
length .......................................................................................................................................... 36
lengthAve ..................................................................................................................................... 36
lengthInt ...................................................................................................................................... 37
mass ............................................................................................................................................ 37
massAve ....................................................................................................................................... 37
massFlow ..................................................................................................................................... 37
Mass Flow Sign Convention ............................................................................................................. 38
Tools > Command Editor Example .................................................................................................... 38
Tools > Function Calculator Example ................................................................................................ 38
massFlowAve ................................................................................................................................ 38
massFlowAveAbs .......................................................................................................................... 39
Advanced ..................................................................................................................................... 39
Technical Note .............................................................................................................................. 39
iii
Release 12.0 - 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.
Contains proprietary and condential information of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and afliates.
massFlowInt ................................................................................................................................. 40
massInt ........................................................................................................................................ 41
maxVal ........................................................................................................................................ 41
minVal ......................................................................................................................................... 41
probe ........................................................................................................................................... 42
rmsAve ........................................................................................................................................ 42
sum ............................................................................................................................................. 42
torque .......................................................................................................................................... 43
volume ......................................................................................................................................... 43
volumeAve ................................................................................................................................... 43
volumeInt ..................................................................................................................................... 44
5. Variables in ANSYS CFX ............................................................................................................................. 45
Hybrid and Conservative Variable Values ............................................................................................ 45
Solid-Fluid Interface Variable Values ................................................................................................. 46
List of Field Variables ..................................................................................................................... 46
Common Variables Relevant for Most CFD Calculations ....................................................................... 47
Variables Relevant for Turbulent Flows .............................................................................................. 49
Variables Relevant for Buoyant Flow ................................................................................................. 51
Variables Relevant for Compressible Flow .......................................................................................... 51
Variables Relevant for Particle Tracking ............................................................................................. 52
Variables Relevant for Calculations with a Rotating Frame of Reference ................................................... 52
Variables Relevant for Parallel Calculations ........................................................................................ 53
Variables Relevant for Multicomponent Calculations ............................................................................ 53
Variables Relevant for Multiphase Calculations .................................................................................... 53
Variables Relevant for Radiation Calculations ...................................................................................... 54
Variables for Total Enthalpies, Temperatures, and Pressures ................................................................... 55
Variables and Predened Expressions Available in CEL Expressions ....................................................... 55
List of Particle Variables .................................................................................................................. 64
Particle Track Variables ................................................................................................................... 64
Particle Field Variables .................................................................................................................... 65
Miscellaneous Variables .................................................................................................................. 70
6. ANSYS FLUENT Field Variables Listed by Category ........................................................................................ 79
Alphabetical Listing of ANSYS FLUENT Field Variables and Their Denitions ........................................ 92
Variables A-C ................................................................................................................................ 92
Variables D-J ................................................................................................................................ 97
Variables J-R ............................................................................................................................... 104
Variables R ................................................................................................................................. 110
Variables S .................................................................................................................................. 114
Variables T-Z ............................................................................................................................... 119
7. Command Actions ..................................................................................................................................... 129
Overview of Command Actions ...................................................................................................... 129
File Operations from the Command Editor Dialog Box ........................................................................ 130
Loading a Results File ................................................................................................................... 130
Reading Session Files ................................................................................................................... 130
Saving State Files ......................................................................................................................... 131
Reading State Files ....................................................................................................................... 132
Creating a Hardcopy ..................................................................................................................... 134
Importing External File Formats ...................................................................................................... 134
Exporting Data ............................................................................................................................ 134
Viewer Controls ........................................................................................................................... 135
Quantitative Calculations in the Command Editor Dialog Box .............................................................. 136
Other Commands ......................................................................................................................... 136
Deleting Objects .......................................................................................................................... 136
Viewing a Chart ........................................................................................................................... 136
Turbo Post CCL Command Actions ................................................................................................. 136
8. Power Syntax in ANSYS CFX ..................................................................................................................... 137
Examples of Power Syntax ............................................................................................................. 137
Example 1: Print the Value of the Pressure Drop Through a Pipe ........................................................... 138
iv Contains proprietary and condential information of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and afliates.
ANSYS CFD-Post Standalone: Reference Guide
Example 2: Using a for Loop .......................................................................................................... 138
Example 3: Creating a Simple Subroutine ......................................................................................... 139
Example 4: Creating a Complex Quantitative Subroutine ..................................................................... 139
Predened Power Syntax Subroutines .............................................................................................. 140
Subroutine Descriptions ................................................................................................................. 141
Usage ......................................................................................................................................... 141
Power Syntax Subroutines .............................................................................................................. 141
9. Line Interface Mode .................................................................................................................................. 151
Features Available in Line Interface Mode ......................................................................................... 151
Glossary ..................................................................................................................................................... 153
Index ......................................................................................................................................................... 167
v
ANSYS CFD-Post Standalone: Reference Guide
List of Figures
1.1. CFX Launcher .......................................................................................................................................... 1
3.1. Temperature feedback loop ........................................................................................................................ 19
4.1. Backow ................................................................................................................................................ 40
5.1. r and theta with Respect to the Reference Coordinate Frame ............................................................................. 62
vii
List of Tables
3.1. CEL operators ......................................................................................................................................... 16
3.2. CEL Constants ........................................................................................................................................ 17
4.1. Standard Mathematical CEL Functions ......................................................................................................... 22
4.2. Examples of the Calling Syntax for an Expression .......................................................................................... 25
4.3. CEL Multiphase Examples ......................................................................................................................... 26
4.4. CEL Functions in CFX-Pre/CFX-Solver and in CFD-Post ................................................................................ 27
5.1. Common CEL Single-Value Variables and Predened Expressions .................................................................... 56
5.2. Common CEL Field Variables and Predened Expressions ............................................................................... 57
6.1. Pressure and Density Categories ................................................................................................................. 80
6.2. Velocity Category ..................................................................................................................................... 81
6.3. Temperature, Radiation, and Solidication/Melting Categories ......................................................................... 82
6.4. Turbulence Category ................................................................................................................................. 83
6.5. Species, Reactions, Pdf, and Premixed Combustion Categories ......................................................................... 84
6.6. NOx, Soot, and Unsteady Statistics Categories ............................................................................................... 85
6.7. Phases, Discrete Phase Model, Granular Pressure, and Granular Temperature Categories ....................................... 86
6.8. Properties, Wall Fluxes, User Dened Scalars, and User Dened Memory Categories ........................................... 87
6.9. Cell Info, Grid, and Adaption Categories ...................................................................................................... 88
6.10. Grid Category (Turbomachinery-Specic Variables) and Adaption Category ...................................................... 89
6.11. Residuals Category ................................................................................................................................. 90
6.12. Derivatives Category ............................................................................................................................... 91
6.13. Acoustics Category ................................................................................................................................. 92
ix
Chapter 1. CFX Launcher
This chapter describes the CFX Launcher in detail:
The Launcher Interface (p. 1)
Customizing the Launcher (p. 4)
The Launcher Interface
The layout of the CFX Launcher is shown below:
Figure 1.1. CFX Launcher
The CFX Launcher consists of a menu bar, a tool bar for launching applications, a working directory selector, and
an output window where messages are displayed. On Windows platforms, an icon to start Windows Explorer in the
working directory appears next to the directory selector.
Menu Bar
The CFX Launcher menus provide the following capabilities:
File Menu
Saves the contents of the text output window and to close the launcher.
Save As
Saves the contents of the output window to a le.
Quit
Shuts down the launcher. Any programs already launched will continue to run.
Edit Menu
Clears the text output window, nds text in the text output window and sets options for the launcher.
Clear
Clears the output window.
Find
Displays a dialog box where you can search the text in the output window.
1
Options
Presents the Options dialog box, which allows you to change the appearance of the launcher.
GUI Style
There are a number of GUI styles that you can chose from, and are available on all platforms. For example, choosing
Windows will change the look and feel of the GUI to resemble that of a Windows application. You can select from
Windows, Motif, SGI, Platinum, and CDE (Solaris) styles. Once you have selected a style, click Apply to test.
Application Font and Text Window Font
The button to the right of Application Font sets the font used anywhere outside the text output window. The button
to the right of Text Window Font applies only to the text output window. Clicking either of these buttons opens
the Select Font dialog box.
CFX Menu
Allows you to run the different modules of the CFX and other CFX products, if they are installed.
CFX-Pre
Runs CFX-Pre, with the working directory as specied in Working Directory Selector (p. 4).
CFX-Solver Manager
Runs CFX-Solver Manager, with the working directory as specied in Working Directory Selector (p. 4).
CFD-Post
Runs CFD-Post, in the current working directory as specied in Working Directory Selector (p. 4).
Other CFX Applications
The launcher also searches for other CFX applications (for example, ANSYS TurboGrid) and provides a menu
entry to launch the application. If an application is not found, you can add it; for details, see Customizing the
Launcher (p. 4).
ANSYS Menu
Any version of ANSYS and ANSYS Workbench that you have installed can be launched from this menu. If an
application is not found, you can add it; for details, see Customizing the Launcher (p. 4).
Show Menu
Allows you to show system, installation and other information.
Show Installation
Displays information about the version of CFX that you are running.
Show All
Displays all of the available information, including information about your system, installation and variables.
Show System
Displays information about the CFX installation and the system on which it is being run.
Show Variables
Displays the values of all the environment variables that are used in CFX.
Show Patches
Displays the output from the command cfx5info -patches. This provides information on patches that have
been installed after the initial installation of CFX.
2 Contains proprietary and condential information of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and afliates.
Menu Bar
Show Acknowledgements
Displays a list of software and trademark acknowledgements.
Show Terms
Displays the license terms under which CFX is provided.
Tools Menu
Allows you to access license-management tools and a command line for running other CFX utilities.
ANSYS License Manager
If ANSYS License Manager is installed, a menu entry to launch it appears in the Tools menu.
Command Line
Starts a command window from which you can run any of the CFX commands via the command line interface. The
command line will be set up to run the correct version of CFX and the commands will be run in the current working
directory.
On Windows, if you do not use the Tools > Command Line command to open a command window, then you will
have to either type the full path of the executable in each command, or explicitly set your system path to include
the <CFXROOT>/bin directory.
You may want to start components of CFX from the command line rather than by clicking the appropriate button
on the launcher for the following reasons:
CFX contains some utilities (for example, a parameter editor) that can be run only from the command line.
You may want to specify certain command line arguments when starting up a component so that it starts up in
a particular conguration.
If you are having problems with a component, you may be able to get a more detailed error message by starting
the component from the command line than you would get if you started the component from the launcher. If
you start a component from the command line, any error messages produced are written to the command line
window.
Configure User Startup Files (UNIX only)
Information about creating startup les can be found in the installation documentation.
Edit File
Opens a browser to edit the text le of your choice in a platform-native text editor. Which text editor is called is
controlled by the settings in <CFXROOT>/etc/launcher/shared.ccl.
Edit Site-wide Configuration File
Opens the site-wide conguration le in a text editor. Which text editor is called is controlled by the settings in
<CFXROOT>/etc/launcher/CFX5.ccl.
User Menu
The User menu is provided as an example. You can add your own applications to this menu, or create new menus;
for details, see Customizing the Launcher (p. 4).
Help Menu
The Help menu enables you to view tutorials, user guides, and reference manuals online. For related information,
see Accessing Online Help (p. 9).
3
Menu Bar
Tool Bar
The toolbar contains shortcuts to the main components of CFX, for example CFX-Pre, CFX-Solver Manager and
CFD-Post. Pressing any of the buttons will start up the component in the specied working directory. The equivalent
menu entries for launching the components also show a keyboard shortcut that can be used to launch the component.
Working Directory Selector
While running CFX, all the les that are created will be stored in the working directory. If you run the software on
UNIX, the working directory is the directory that was current when you started the software. If you run the software
on Windows, the launcher shows the working directory.
To change the working directory, you can do any of the following:
Type the directory name into the box and press Enter.
Click on the down-arrow icon ( ) next to the directory name. This displays a list of recently used directories.
Click Browse to browse to the directory that you want.
Output Window
The output window is used to display information from commands in the Show menu. You can right-click in the
output window to show a shortcut menu with the following options:
Find: Displays a dialog box where you can enter text to search for in the output.
Select All: Selects all the text.
Copy Selection: Copies the selected text.
Save As: Saves the output to a le.
Clear: Clears the output window.
Customizing the Launcher
Many parts of the launcher are driven by CCL commands contained in conguration les. Some parts of the launcher
are not editable (such as the File, Edit and Help menus), but others parts allow you to edit existing actions and
create new ones (for example, launching your own application from the User menu). The following sections outline
the steps required to congure the launcher. The conguration les are located in the
<CFXROOT>/etc/launcher/ directory (where <CFXROOT> is the path to your installation of CFX). You
can open these les in any text editor, but you should not edit any of the conguration les provided by CFX, other
than the User.ccl conguration le.
CCL Structure
The conguration les contain CCL objects that control the appearance and behavior of menus and buttons that
appear in the launcher. There are three types of CCL objects: GROUP, APPLICATION and DIVIDER objects. The
fact that there are multiple conguration les is not important; applications in one le can refer to groups in other
les.
An example of how to add a menu item for the Windows calculator to the launcher is given in Example: Adding
the Windows Calculator (p. 7).
GROUP
GROUP objects represent menus and toolbar groups in the launcher. Each new GROUP creates a new menu and
toolbar. Nothing will appear in the menu or toolbar until you add APPLICATION or DIVIDER objects to the group.
An example of a GROUP object is given below:
GROUP: CFX
Position = 200
Menu Name = &CFX
Tool Bar
Show In Toolbar = Yes
Show In Menu = Yes
Enabled = Yes
END
The group name is set after the colon. In this case, it is CFX. This is the name that APPLICATION and
DIVIDER objects will refer to when you want to add them to this group. This name should be different to all
other GROUP objects.
Position refers to the position of the menu relative to others. The value should be an integer between 1 and
1000. Groups with a higher Position value, relative to other groups, will have their menu appear further to
the right in the menu bar. Referring to Figure 1.1, CFX Launcher (p. 1), CFX has a lower position value
than the ANSYS group. The File and Edit menus are always the rst two menus and the Help menu is always
the last menu.
The title of the menu is set under Menu Name (this menu has the title CFX). The optional ampersand is placed
before the letter that you wish to act as a menu accelerator (for example, Alt+C displays the CFX menu). You
must be careful not to use an existing menu accelerator.
The creation of the menu or toolbar can be toggled by setting the Show in Menu and Show in Toolbar
options to Yes or No respectively. For example, you may want to create a menu item but not an associated
toolbar icon.
Enabled sets whether the menu/toolbar is available for selection or is greyed out. Set the option to No to grey
it out.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION objects create entries in the menus and toolbars that will launch an application or run a process.
Two examples are given below with an explanation for each parameter. The rst example creates a menu entry in
the Tools menu that opens a command line window. The second example creates a menu entry and toolbar button
to start CFX-Solver Manager.
APPLICATION: Command Line 1
Position = 300
Group = Tools
Tool Tip = Start a window in which CFX commands can be run
Menu Item Name = Command Line
Command = <windir>\system32\cmd.exe
Arguments = /c start
Show In Toolbar = No
Show In Menu = Yes
Enabled = Yes
OS List = winnt
END
APPLICATION: CFXSM
Position = 300
Group = CFX
Tool Tip = Launches ANSYS CFX-Solver Manager
Menu Item Name = CFX-&Solver Manager
Command = cfx5solve
Show In Toolbar = Yes
Show In Menu = Yes
Enabled = Yes
Toolbar Name = ANSYS CFX-Solver Manager
Icon = LaunchSolveIcon.xpm
Shortcut = CTRL+S
END
The application name is set after the colon, in the rst example it is Command Line 1. This name should
be different to all other APPLICATION objects.
5
CCL Structure
Position: sets the relative position of the menu entry. The value should be an integer between 1 and 1000.
The higher the value, relative to other applications that have the same group, the further down the menu or the
further to the right in a toolbar the entry will appear. If you do not specify a position, the object assumes a high
position value (so it will appear at the bottom of a menu or at the right of a group of buttons).
Group: sets the GROUP object to which this application belongs. The value must correspond to the name that
appears after GROUP: in an existing GROUP object. The menu and/or toolbar entry will not be created if you
do not specify a valid group name. The GROUP object does not have to be in the same conguration le.
Tool Tip: displays a message when the mouse pointer is held over a toolbar button. In the Command Line
1' example above, the Tool Tip entry is not used since a toolbar button is not created. This parameter is
optional.
Menu Item Name: sets the name of the entry that will appear in the menu. If you do not specify a name, the
name is set to the name of the APPLICATION: object. The optional ampersand is placed before the letter that
you want to have act as a menu accelerator (for example, alt+c then s will start CFX-Solver Manager. Alt+c
selects the CFX menu and s selects the entry from the menu). You must be careful not to use an existing menu
accelerator.
Command: contains the command to run the application. The path can be absolute (that is, use a forward slash
to begin the path on UNIX, or a drive letter on Windows). If an absolute path is not specied, a relative path
from <CFXROOT>/bin/ is assumed. If no command is specied, the menu item/toolbar button will not appear
in the CFX Launcher. The path and command are checked when the CFX Launcher is started. If the path or
command does not exist, the menu item/toolbar button will not appear in the launcher. You may nd it useful
to include environment variables in a command path; for details, see Including Environment Variables (p. 7).
Arguments: species any arguments that need to be passed to the application. The arguments are appended
to the value you entered for Command. You do not need to include this parameter as there are no arguments to
pass. You may nd it useful to include environment variables in the arguments; for details, see Including
Environment Variables (p. 7).
Distinct arguments are space-separated. If you need to pass an argument that contains spaces (for example, a
Windows le path) you should include that argument in double quotes, for example:
Arguments = C:\Documents and Settings\User arg2 arg3
Show In Toolbar: determines if a toolbar button is created for the application. This optional parameter has
a default value of Yes.
Show In Menu: determines if a menu entry is created for the application. This optional parameter has a default
value of Yes.
Enabled: allows you to grey out the menu entry and toolbar button. Set this parameter to No to grey out the
application. This optional parameter has a default value of Yes.
OS List is an optional parameter that allows you to set which operating system the application is suitable for.
If OS List is not supplied, the launcher will attempt to create the menu item and toolbar button on all platforms.
For example, the command to open a command line window varies depending on the operating system. In the
Command Line 1' example above, the application only applies to Windows platforms. To complete the OS
coverage, the launcher conguration les contain more Command Line' applications that apply to different
operating systems.
OS List can contain the following values: winnt (Windows, including Windows XP), aix (IBM), hpux,
(HP), hpux-ia64 (64-bit HP), solaris (Sun), linux, linux-ia64 (64-bit Linux).
Toolbar Name: sets the name that appears on the toolbar button. This parameter is optional (since you may
only want to show an icon).
Icon: species the icon to use on the toolbar button and in the menu item. The path can be absolute (that is,
use a forward slash to begin the path on UNIX, or a drive letter on Windows). If an absolute path is not specied,
a relative path from <CFXROOT>/etc/icons is assumed. The following le formats are supported for icon
image les: Portable Network Graphics (png), Pixel Maps (ppm, xpm) and Bitmaps (bmp). Other icons used
in the launcher are 32 pixels wide and 30 pixels high. This parameter is optional. If it is not included, an icon
will not appear.
Shortcut: species the keyboard shortcut that can be pressed to launch the application. You must be careful
not to use a keyboard shortcut that is used by any other APPLICATION object.
CCL Structure
Including Environment Variables
In can be useful to use environment variables in the values for some parameters. You can specify an environment
variable value in any parameter by including its name between the < > symbols. In the Command Line 1' example
above, <windir> is used in the Command parameter so that the command would work on different versions of
Windows. <windir> is replaced with the value held by the windir environment variable. The Command and
Argument parameters are the only parameters that are likely to benet from using environment variables.
Environment variables included in the Arguments parameter are expanded before they are passed to the application.
DIVIDER
DIVIDER objects create a divider in a menu and/or toolbar (see the Tools menu for an example). An example of
the CCL for DIVIDER objects is shown below.
DIVIDER: Tools Divider 1
Position = 250
Group = Tools
OS List = winnt, aix, hpux, hpux-ia64, linux, linux-ia64, solaris
END
The Position, Group and OS List parameters are the same as those used in APPLICATION objects. For
details, see APPLICATION (p. 5).
Example: Adding the Windows Calculator
The following CCL is the minimum required to add the Windows calculator to the launcher:
GROUP: Windows Apps
Menu Name = Windows
END
APPLICATION: Calc
Group = Windows Apps
Command = <windir>\system32\calc.exe
Toolbar Name = Calc
END
Although the parameter Toolbar Name is not strictly required, you would end up with a blank toolbar button if it
were not set.
7
Example: Adding the Windows Calculator
Chapter 2. CFX Command Language (CCL)
The CFX Command Language (CCL) is the internal communication and command language of ANSYS CFX. It
is a simple language that can be used to create objects or perform actions in the post-processor. All CCL statements
can be classied into one of three categories:
Object and parameter denitions, which are described in Object Creation and Deletion (p. 257).
CCL actions, which are commands that perform a specic task (such as reading a session le) and which are
described in Command Actions (p. 129).
Power Syntax programming, which uses the Perl programming language to allow loops, logic, and custom
macros (subroutines). Power Syntax enables you to embed Perl commands into CCL to achieve powerful
quantitative Post-processing. For details, see Power Syntax in ANSYS CFX (p. 137).
State les and session les contain object denitions in CCL. In addition, session les can also contain CCL action
commands. You can view and modify the CCL in these les by using a text editor.
For more information, see Object Creation and Deletion (p. 257).
CFX Command Language (CCL) Syntax
The following topics will be discussed:
Basic Terminology (p. 9)
Simple Syntax Details (p. 10)
Case Sensitivity (p. 10)
CCL Names Denition (p. 10)
Indentation (p. 10)
End of Line Comment Character (p. 10)
Continuation Character (p. 11)
Named Objects (p. 11)
Singleton Objects (p. 11)
Parameters (p. 11)
Lists (p. 11)
Parameter Values (p. 11)
Escape Character (p. 12)
Basic Terminology
The following is an example of a CCL object that denes an isosurface.
ISOSURFACE: Iso1
Variable = Pressure
Value = 15000 [Pa]
Color = 1,0,0
Transparency = 0.5
END
ISOSURFACE is an object type
Iso1 is an object name
Variable = Pressure is a parameter
Variable is a parameter name
Pressure is a parameter value
9
If the object type does not need a name, it is called a singleton object. Only one object of a given singleton type
can exist.
The Data Hierarchy
Data is entered via parameters. These are grouped into objects that are stored in a tree structure.
OBJECT1: object name
name1 = value
name2 = value
END
Objects and parameters may be placed in any order, provided that the information is set prior to being used further
down the le. If data is set in one place and modied in another, the latter denition overrides the rst.
In CFD-Post, all object denitions are only one object level deep (that is, objects contain parameters, but not other
objects).
Simple Syntax Details
The following applies to any line that is not a Power Syntax or action line (that is, the line does not start with a !
or >).
Case Sensitivity
Everything in the le is sensitive to case.
Case sensitivity is not ideal for typing in many long parameter names, but it is essential for bringing the CFX
Expression Language (CEL) into CCL. This is because some names used to dene CCL objects (such as Fluids,
Materials and Additional Variables) are used to construct corresponding CEL names.
For simplicity and consistency, the following is implemented:
Singletons and object types use upper case only.
Parameter names, and predened object names, are mixed case. The CFX Expression Language tries to follow
the following conventions:
1. Major words start with an upper case letter, while minor words such as prepositions and conjunctions are
left in lower case (for example, Mass Flow in).
2. Case is preserved for familiar names (for variables k or r), or for abbreviation RNG.
User object names conventions can be chosen arbitrarily by you.
CCL Names Definition
Names of singletons, types of object, names of objects, and names of parameters all follow the same rules:
In simple syntax, a CCL name must be at least one character. This rst character must be alphabetic; there may
be any number of subsequent characters and these can be alphabetic, numeric, space or tab.
The effects of spaces in CCL names are:
Spaces appearing before or after a name are not considered to be part of the name.
Single spaces appearing inside a name are signicant.
Multiple spaces and tabs appearing inside a name are treated as a single space.
Indentation
Nothing in the le is sensitive to indentation, but indentation can be used for easier reading.
End of Line Comment Character
The # character is used for this. Any text to the right of this character will be treated as comments. Any characters
may be used within comments.
Continuation Character
If a line ends with the character \, the following line will be linked to the existing line. There is no restriction on
the number of continuation lines.
Named Objects
A named object consists of an object type at the start of a line, followed by a : and an object name. Subsequent
lines may dene parameters and child objects associated with this object. The object denition is terminated by the
string END on a line by itself.
Object names must be unique within the given scope, and the name must not contain an underscore.
Singleton Objects
A singleton object consists of an object type at the start of a line, followed by a :. Subsequent lines may dene
parameters and child objects associated with this object. The object denition is terminated by the string END on a
line by itself.
The difference between a singleton object and a named object is that (after the data has been processed), a singleton
can appear just once as the child of a parent object. However, there may be several instances of a named object of
the same type dened with different names.
Parameters
A parameter consists of a parameter name at the start of a line followed by an = character followed by a parameter
value. A parameter may belong to many different object types. For example, U Velocity = 1.0 [m/s] may
belong to an initial value object and U Velocity = 2.0 [m/s] may belong to a boundary condition object.
Both refer to the same denition of U velocity in the rules le.
Lists
Lists are used within the context of parameter values and are comma separated.
Parameter Values
All parameter values are initially handled as data of type String, and should rst of all conform to the following
denition of allowed String values:
String
Any characters can be used in a parameter value.
String values or other parameter type values are normally unquoted. If any quotes are present, they are considered
part of the value. Leading and trailing spaces are ignored. Internal spaces in parameter values are preserved as
given, although a given application is free to subsequently assume a space condensation rule when using the
data.
The characters $ and # have a special meaning. A string beginning with $ is evaluated as a Power Syntax
variable, even if it occurs within a simple syntax statement. This is useful for performing more complex Power
Syntax variable manipulation, and then using the result as part of a parameter or object denition. The appearance
of # anywhere in the CCL le denotes the start of a comment.
The characters such as [, ],{ and } are special only if used in conjunction with $. Following a $, such characters
terminate the preceding Perl variable name.
Other characters that might be special elsewhere in power syntax are escaped automatically when they appear
in parameter values. For example, @, % and & are escaped automatically (i.e., you do not need to precede these
characters with the escape character \ when using them in parameter values).
Parameter values can contain commas, but if the string is processed as a List or part of a List then the commas
may be interpreted as separators (see below under List data types).
Some examples of valid parameter values using special characters in power syntax are:
11
Estimated cost = \$500
Title = Run\#1
Sys Command = "echo 'Starting up Stress solver' ; fred.exe &"
Pressure = $myArray[4]
Option = $myHash{"foo"}
Fuel = C${numberCatoms}H${numberHatoms}
Parameter values for data types other than String will additionally conform to one of the following denitions.
String List
A list of string items separated by commas. Items in a String List should not contain a comma unless contained
between parentheses. One exception can be made if the String List to be is interpreted as a Real List (see below).
Otherwise, each item in the String List follows the same rules as String data.
names = one, two, three, four
Integer
Sequence of digits containing no spaces or commas. If a real is specied when an integer is needed, the real is
rounded to the nearest integer.
Integer List
List of integers, separated by commas.
Real
A single precision real number that may be specied in integer, oating point or scientic format, followed optionally
by a dimension. Units use the same syntax as CEL.
Expressions are allowed to include commas inside function call argument lists. Example usage:
a = 12.24
a = 1.224E01
a = 12.24 [m s^-1]
A real may also be specied as an expression such as:
a = myvel^2 + b
a = max(b,2.0)
Real List
List of reals, comma separated. Note that all items in the list must have the same dimensions. Items that are expressions
may include commas inside function call argument lists, and the enclosed commas will be ignored when the list is
parsed into individual items. Example usage:
a = 1.0 [m/s], 2.0 [m/s], 3.0 [m/s], 2.0*myvel, 4.0 [cm/s]
The list syntax 5*2.0 to represent 5 entries of the value 2.0 is not supported within CCL and hence within CFD-Post.
Logical
Several forms are acceptable: YES, TRUE, 1 or ON are all equivalent; NO or FALSE or 0 or OFF are all equivalent;
initial letter variants Y, T, N, F are accepted (O is not accepted for On/Off); all case variants are accepted. Logical
strings are also case insensitive (YeS, nO).
Logical List
List of logicals, separated by commas.
Escape Character
The \ character to be used as an escape character, for example, to allow $ or # to be used in strings.
Chapter 3. CFX Expression Language (CEL)
CFX Expression Language (CEL) is an interpreted, declarative language that has been developed to enable CFX
users to enhance their simulations without recourse to writing and linking separate external Fortran routines.
You can use CEL expressions anywhere a value is required for input in ANSYS CFX.
CEL can be used to:
Dene material properties that depend on other variables.
Specify complex boundary conditions.
Add terms to the solved equations.
You can also monitor the value of an expression during the solution using monitor points.
Important
There is some CEL that works elsewhere in ANSYS CFX, but not in CFD-Post. Any expression created
in CFX-Pre and used as a Design Exploration output parameter could potentially cause fatal errors during
the Design Exploration run, so you should create all expressions for Design Exploration output parameters
in CFD-Post.
This chapter describes:
CEL Fundamentals (p. 13)
CEL Operators, Constants, and Expressions (p. 15)
CEL Examples (p. 18)
CEL Technical Details (p. 20)
CEL Fundamentals
Values and Expressions (p. 13)
CFX Expression Language Statements (p. 14)
Values and Expressions
CEL can be used to generate both values and expressions. Values are dimensional (that is, with units) or dimensionless
constants. The simplest type of denition is the dimensionless value, for example:
b = 3.743
You can also specify a value with units, for example:
g = 9.81 [m s^-2]
The dimensions of the quantities of interest for CFD calculations can be written in terms of mass, length, time,
temperature and angle. The concept of units is fundamental to the behavior of values and expressions.
Values can be used directly, or they can be used as part of an expression. For example, you can use an expression
to add two values together:
<Expr_1> = <Value_1> + <Value_2>
In this example, you may want to predene <Value_1> and <Value_2>, but this is not required. However, in
order to add two quantities together, they must have the same dimension; that is, it is meaningful to add a quantity
in inches to one expressed in meters, but it is not meaningful to add one expressed in kilograms to one in square
feet.
Expressions can also be functions of other (predened) expressions:
<Expr_2> = <Expr_1> + <Value_3>
13
Units follow the conventions in the rest of CFX, in that a calculation has a set of solution units (by default, SI units),
and that any quantity can be dened either in terms of the solution units, or any other set of units with the correct
form.
An expression does not have its own units string, but if it references quantities that have dimensions, these will
determine the resulting units for the expression. For example, if an expression depends inversely on the square of
the x coordinate, then it has implied dimensions of length to the power -2.
Using Locators in Expressions
A CFX simulation has physics areas and mesh areas; physics areas are boundaries while mesh areas are regions.
These two types of area can occupy completely different spaces in a simulation; however, there is no requirement
that area names be unique between physics and mesh. This can lead to ambiguities when you use these names in
expressions.
To avoid these ambiguities, ANSYS CFX rst checks to see if "@<locator>" is a physics name; if this is not found,
the name is checked in the list of mesh names. Thus if "in1" is both the name of a physics area and the name of a
mesh area, "@<locator>" is taken to indicate the physics area.
ANSYS CFX also has @REGION CEL syntax so that you can identify a named area as being a mesh area. Thus
to identify the mesh area in1, you would use the syntax:
@REGION:in1
Note that if <locator> does not appear as a physics name or a mesh name, the expression fails.
CFX Expression Language Statements
The CFX Expression Language is declarative. You declare the name and denition of the expression using expression
language statements. The statements must conform to a predened syntax that is similar to Fortran mathematical
statements and to C statements for logical expressions.
The statement must consist of the following:
a number, optionally with associated units. This denes a constant. Constants without units are termed
dimensionless.
for mathematical expressions, one or more references to mathematical constants, system variables, or existing
user variables, separated by + (addition), - (subtraction), * (multiplication), / (division) and ^ (exponentiation),
with optional grouping of these by parentheses. The syntax rules for these expressions are the same as those for
conventional arithmetic.
for logical expressions involving relational operators, one or more references to mathematical constants or
results from mathematical expressions, separated by <= (is less than or equal to), < (is less than), == (is equal
to), != (is not equal to), > (is greater than) and >= (is greater than or equal to) with optional grouping of these
by parentheses.
for logical expressions involving logical operators, one or more references to logical constants or results from
relational operations separated by ! (negation), && (logical AND) and || (logical OR), with optional grouping
by parentheses.
Use of Constants
Constants do not need to be dened prior to being used in an expression. For example, you could choose to evaluate
the expression x + 5 [m]. Or, you could dene a constant, b = 5 [m] and then create an expression x + b.
The logical constants are false and true. Results of logical expressions are expressed as 0 and 1 (corresponding
to false and true, respectively).
The use of constants may be of benet in generating complicated expressions or if you have several expressions
that use the same constants.
Expression Syntax
All numbers are treated as real numbers.
The precedence of mathematical operators is as follows (from highest to lowest):
CFX Expression Language Statements
The power operator ^ as in x^y.
The unary minus or negation operator - as in -x.
Multiplication and division as in x*y/z.
Addition and subtraction as in x+y-z.
Please note that, as of ANSYS CFX 10.0, the precedence of mathematical operators has been made consistent with
standard programming languages such as Fortran and C. Therefore, the power operator, which previously had lower
precedence than unary minus, now has the highest precedence.
The precedence of logical and relational operators is as follows (from highest to lowest):
The negation operator ! as in !x.
The relational operators involving less than or greater than (<=, <, > and >=) as in x >= y.
The relational operator is equal to and is not equal to (== and !=) as in x != y.
The logical AND operator (&&) as in x && y.
The logical OR operator (||) as in x || y.
Multiple-Line Expressions
It is often useful, particularly with complex expressions, to use more than one line when creating your expression.
CFX allows you to use multiple lines to generate an expression, provided each line is separated by an appropriate
operator.
For example, you may have an equation, A + B/C, that consists of three complex terms, A, B, and C. In this case,
you could use three lines to simplify creating the expression:
A +
B
/ C
Note that the operator may be used at the end of a line (A +) or at the beginning of a line (/ C). You do not need to
enter the operator twice.
Once the expression has been created, it will appear in the Existing Denitions list box as if it were generated on
a single line (A + B/C).
CEL Operators, Constants, and Expressions
The following topics are discussed:
CEL Operators (p. 15)
Conditional if Statement (p. 16)
CEL Constants (p. 17)
Using Expressions (p. 17)
CEL Operators
CFX provides a range of mathematical, logical and operational operators as built-in functions to help you create
complex expressions using the Expression details view.
15
CEL Operators, Constants, and Expressions
Table 3.1. CEL operators
Result's
Dimensions
Operands' Values
(Approx)
Second
Operand's
Dimensions [y]
First Operand's
Dimensions [x]
Operator
[x] Any Any -x
[x] Any [x] Any x+y
[x] Any [x] Any x-y
[x]*[y] Any Any Any x*y
[x]/[y] y 0 Any Any x/y
[x]^y
Any
a
Dimensionless Any x^y (if y is a simple,
constant, integer
expression)
[x]^y x > 0 Dimensionless Any x^y (if y is any
simple, constant,
expression)
Dimensionless x > 0 Dimensionless Dimensionless x^y (if y is not simple
& constant)
Dimensionless 0 or 1 Dimensionless !x
Dimensionless 0 or 1 [x] Any x <= y
Dimensionless 0 or 1 [x] Any x < y
Dimensionless 0 or 1 [x] Any x > y
Dimensionless 0 or 1 [x] Any x >= y
Dimensionless 0 or 1 [x] Any x == y
Dimensionless 0 or 1 [x] Any x != y
Dimensionless 0 or 1 Dimensionless Dimensionless x && y
Dimensionless 0 or 1 Dimensionless Dimensionless x || y
a
For y < 0, x must be non-zero.
Conditional if Statement
CEL supports the conditional if statement using the following syntax:
if( cond_expr, true_expr, false_expr )
where:
cond_expr: is the logical expression used as the conditional test
true_expr: is the mathematical expression used to determine the result if the conditional test is true.
false_expr : is the mathematical expression used to determine the result if the conditional test is false.
Note
The expressions true_expr and false_expr are always evaluated independent of whether the
evaluation of cond_expr is true or false. As a consequence, a conditional statement cannot be
used to avoid division by zero as in if( x>0, 1/x, 1.0). In this case, when x=0.0, a division
Conditional if Statement
by zero will still occur because the expression 1/x is evaluated independent of whether x>0 is satised
or not.
CEL Constants
Right-click in the Expression details view to access the following useful constants when developing expressions:
Table 3.2. CEL Constants
Description Units Constant
Universal Gas Constant: 8.314472 J K^-1 mol^-1 R
6.02214199E+23 mol^-1 avogadro
1.3806503E-23 J K^-1 boltzmann
2.99792458E+08 m s^-1 clight
Constant: 2.7182817 Dimensionless e
Constant: 1.60217653E-19 A s echarge
1./(clight*clight*mupermo) epspermo
Acceleration due to gravity: 9.8066502 m s^-2 g
4*pi*1.E-07 N A^-2 mupermo
Constant: 3.141592654 Dimensionless pi
6.62606876E-34 J s planck
5.670400E-08 W m^-2 K^-4 stefan
Using Expressions
The interaction with CEL consists of two phases:
a denition phase, and,
a use phase.
The denition phase consists of creating a set of values and expressions of valid syntax. The purpose of the
Expression details view is to help you to do this.
Use of Offset Temperature
When using temperature values in expressions, it is generally safer to use units of [K] only. When units are used
that posses an offset (for example, [C]), they are converted internally to [K]. For terms that have temperature to the
power of unity, any unit conversion will include the offset between temperature scales. However, in all other cases
the offset is ignored since this is usually the most appropriate behavior. You should therefore take care when
specifying an expression involving non-unit powers of temperature. For example, each of the expressions below is
equivalent:
Temperature = 30 [C]
Temperature = 303.15 [K]
Temperature = 0 [C] + 30 [K]
Temperature = 273.15 [K] + 30 [K]
These are only equivalent because all units are to the power of unity and units other than [K] appear no more than
once in each expression. The following expression will not produce the expected result:
17
CEL Constants
Temperature = 0 [C] + 30 [C]
This is equivalent to 576.30 [K], since each value is converted to [K] and then summed. The two expression
below are equivalent (as expected) because the offset in scales is ignored for non-unit powers of temperature:
Specific Heat = 4200 [J kg^-1 C^-1]
Specific Heat = 4200 [J kg^-1 K^-1]
CEL Examples
The following examples are included in this section:
Example: Reynolds Number Dependent Viscosity (p. 18)
Example: Feedback to Control Inlet Temperature (p. 19)
Example: Reynolds Number Dependent Viscosity
In this example it is assumed that some of the uid properties, including the dynamic viscosity, are not known.
However the Reynolds number, inlet velocity and a length scale are known. The ow is compressible and therefore
the density is variable.
Given this information it is possible to calculate the uid dynamic viscosity based on the Reynolds number. The
Reynolds number is given by:
= Re
U L
where is density, U a velocity scale, L a length scale and the dynamic viscosity. The velocity scale is taken as
the inlet velocity, the length scale as the inlet width and the density is calculated as the average density over the
inlet area.
The LIBRARY section of the CCL (CFX Command Language) le appears as follows:
LIBRARY :
CEL :
EXPRESSIONS :
Re = 4.29E6 [ ]
Vel = 60 [m s^-1]
L=1.044[m]
Visc=areaAve(density)@in*Vel*L/Re
END
END
MATERIAL : Air Ideal Gas
Option = Pure Substance
PROPERTIES :
Option = Ideal Gas
Molar Mass = 2.896E1 [kg kmol^-1]
Dynamic Viscosity = Visc
Specific Heat Capacity = 1.E3 [J kg^-1 K^-1]
Thermal Conductivity = 2.52E-2 [W m^-1 K^-1]
END
END
END
This shows that four CEL expressions have been created. The rst three expressions dene constant values that are
used in the Visc expression. The Visc expression calculates the dynamic viscosity based on the equation for
Reynolds number given above. Within the expression the function areaAve(density)@in is used to evaluate
the average density at the inlet.
The Visc expression can now be used to replace the value of Dynamic Viscosity in the MATERIAL >
PROPERTIES section.
CEL Examples
Example: Feedback to Control Inlet Temperature
In this example a feedback loop is used to control the outlet temperature by varying the temperature at an inlet. To
illustrate the example consider the geometry shown below:
Figure 3.1. Temperature feedback loop
Fluid from a main and a side inlet enter at temperatures of 275 K and 375 K respectively. The temperature of the
uid entering from the third inlet depends on the outlet temperature. When the outlet temperature is greater than
325 K, the uid from the third inlet is set to 275 K. When the outlet temperature is less than 325 K, the uid from
the third inlet is set to 375 K. In addition an expression is used to set the dynamic viscosity to be a linear function
of temperature.
The LIBRARY section of the .ccl (CFX Command Language) le appears as follows. Note that the \ character
indicates a line continuation in CCL.
LIBRARY:
MATERIAL: Water at STP Modified
Option = Pure Substance
PROPERTIES:
Option = General Fluid
Density = 9.999E2 [kg m^-3]
Dynamic Viscosity = VisT
Specific Heat Capacity = 4.21E3 [J kg^-1 K^-1]
Thermal Conductivity = 5.69E-1 [W m^-1 K^-1]
END # PROPERTIES
END # MATERIAL Water at STP Modified
CEL:
EXPRESSIONS:
Tupper = 375.0 [ K ] # Upper temp.
Tlower = 275.0 [ K ] # Lower temp.
Visupper = 0.000545 [ N s m^-2 ] # Vis. at Tupper
Vislower = 0.0018 [ N s m^-2 ] # Vis. at Tlower
VisT = Vislower+(Visupper-Vislower)*(T-Tlower)/ \
(Tupper-Tlower)
# Vis.-Temp. relationship
Tm=(Tupper+Tlower)/2
Tout=areaAve(Water at STP Modified.T)@outlet
Tcontrol=Tlower*step((Tout-Tm)/1[K]) \
+Tupper*step((Tm-Tout)/1[K])
END # EXPRESSIONS
END # CEL
END # LIBRARY
The rst four expressions, Tupper, Tlower, Visupper and Vislower are simply constant values to dene
temperature and viscosity values. The expression VisT produces a linear function for the dynamic viscosity taking
a value of Visupper at Tupper and a value of Vislower at Tlower. The expression Tm sets the desired value
of the outlet temperature. In this case it is set to a mean value of the two inlet temperatures.
19
Example: Feedback to Control Inlet Temperature
Tout calculates the outlet temperature using the areaAve function.
Finally the expression Tcontrol is used to set the temperature of the third inlet. Two step functions are used so
that the temperature is equal to Tlower when Tout-Tm is positive (that is, the outlet temperature is greater than
Tm), and is equal to Tupper when Tout-Tm is positive.
Examples: Using Expressions in ANSYS CFD-Post
The rst example is a single-valued expression that calculates the pressure drop through a pipe. The names of inlet
and outlet boundaries are inlet and outlet.
Create a new expression named dp:
dp = massFlowAve(Pressure)@inlet massFlowAve(Pressure)@outlet
When you click Apply, the value is shown below the editor.
Tip
Alternatively, type the expression in a table cell and prex with = sign. The cell displays the result
when you click outside of the cell.
The second example is a variable expression that plots the pressure coefcient variation on a surface or a line:
1. Click the Expressions tab, then right-click in the Expressions area and select New.
2. Create these three expressions:
RefPressure = 100000 [Pa]
dynHead = 0.5 * areaAve(Density)@inlet * areaAve(Velocity)@inlet^2
cpExp = (Pressure - RefPressure)/dynHead
3. Click the Variables tab, then right-click and select New.
4. Create a user variable dened by cpExp.
5. Select Insert > Location > Line and use the Details view to position the line in the simulation.
From the Details view Color tab, plot the user variable on a surface or a line (just as you would with any other
variable).
CEL Technical Details
CEL is a byte code compiled language. Compiled languages, such as Fortran, rely on a translation program to
convert them into the native machine language of the host platform. Interpreted languages are of two types: the
fully interpreted languages such as the UNIX C shell, and the byte code compiled languages such as CEL. With
byte codes, host machines are loaded with a client program (written in a compiled language and compiled for that
machine architecture) that interprets the byte stream. The advantage of the byte code is that they can be the same
on all host platforms, obviating the need for platform dependent codes.
Since the byte codes are interpreted, there is no need to re-link executable programs to perform a different calculation.
Furthermore, many of the problems encountered by writing and linking in separate routines, for instance in C or
Fortran, are averted, and the time taken to set up and debug complicated problems reduced considerably.
The link between CEL and the CFX-Solver is accomplished through an internal program called genicode. Genicode
generates intermediate code from your CEL denitions and writes to a le that is then interpreted by the CFX-Solver
during the solution process.
Examples: Using Expressions in ANSYS CFD-Post
Chapter 4. Functions in ANSYS CFX
This chapter describes predened functions in ANSYS CFX:
CEL Mathematical Functions (p. 21)
Quantitative CEL Functions in ANSYS CFX (p. 23)
Functions Involving Coordinates (p. 25)
CEL Functions with Multiphase Flow (p. 25)
Quantitative Function List (p. 26)
CEL Mathematical Functions
The following mathematical functions are available for use with all CEL expressions.
Note
In the Function column in the table below, [a] denotes any dimension of the rst operand.
21
Table 4.1. Standard Mathematical CEL Functions
Result's Dimensions Operand's Values Function
[a] Any abs( [a] )
Radians
x 1 1
acos( [ ] )
Radians
x 1 1
asin( [ ] )
Radians Any
atan( [ ] )
a
Radians Any
atan2( [a], [a] )
[b]
Dimensionless
n 0
besselJ( [ ], [ ] )
b
Dimensionless
n 0
besselY( [ ], [ ] )
b
Dimensionless Any cos( [radians] )
Dimensionless Any cosh( [ ] )
Dimensionless Any exp( [ ] )
Same as Operand Any
int([ ])
c
Dimensionless
<x 0
loge( [ ] )
d
Dimensionless
<x 0
log10( [ ] )
e
[a] Any min( [a], [a] )
[a] Any max( [a], [a] )
[a] Any
mod( [a], [a] )
f
Same as Operand Any
nint([ ])
g
Dimensionless Any sin( [radians] )
Dimensionless Any sinh( [ ] )
[a]^0.5
x 0
sqrt( [a] )
Dimensionless Any
step( [ ] )
h
Dimensionless Any
tan( [radians] )
i
Dimensionless Any tanh( [ ] )
a
atan does not determine the quadrant of the result, but atan2 does.
b
The value of the rst dimensionless operand n, also referred to as the order of the Bessel function, must be an integer (n=0, 1, 2, ....). The second
argument is a dimensionless real number.
c
The int function converts the argument to solution units and then truncates the result to its integer part.
Examples:
int(1) = 1
int(2.5) = 2
int(-3.1) = -3
int(-4.8) = -4
d
ln(x) is valid as an alias for loge(x)
e
log(x) is valid as an alias for log10(x)
f
mod(x, y) returns the remainder on dividing x by y; the function is not dened for y = 0.
CEL Mathematical Functions
g
The nint function is dened as:
int(x + 0.5) if x >= 0
int(x - 0.5) if x < 0
See the implementation of int( ) function in the table above.
Examples:
nint(2.6) = 3
nint(2.5) = 3
nint(2.4) = 2
nint(1) = 1
nint(-1) = -1
nint(-2.4) = -2
nint(-2.5) = -3
nint(-2.6) = -3
h
step(x) is 0 for negative x, 1 for positive x and 0.5 for x=0. x must be dimensionless.
i
tan(x) is undened for x=n/2, where n=1, 3, 5, ...
Quantitative CEL Functions in ANSYS CFX
CEL expressions can incorporate specialized functions that are useful in CFD calculations. All CEL functions are
described in Quantitative Function List (p. 26). For a description of the full CFX Expression Language, see CFX
Expression Language (CEL) (p. 13).
Important
You must use consistent units when adding, subtracting, or comparing values.
There are some differences between CEL functions in CFX-Pre and CFX-Solver and those in CFD-Post.
For details, see below.
The syntax used for calling these functions when used within CEL expressions is:
[<Phase_Name>.][<Component_Name>.]<Function>([<Operand>])@<Location>
where:
Terms enclosed in square brackets [ ] are optional and terms in angle brackets< > should be replaced with
the required entry.
<Phase_Name>: species a valid name of a phase. The phase can be uid, particle, solid, uid pair, or
polydispersed uid. For multi-phase cases in CFX-Pre, if the phase name is not specied in the <Operand>,
then the phase name associated with the domain, subdomain, domain boundary, initialization or function in
which the operand is being evaluated will be used. For multi-phase cases in CFX-Pre, a discussion of the handling
of the phase name when it is not used to qualify (prepended to) <Function> and/or <Operand> can be
found in CEL Functions with Multiphase Flow (p. 25). For multi-phase cases in CFD-Post, if the phase name
is not specied then the bulk quantity (if available for the CFX-Solver Results le) is used.
<Component_Name>: species a valid name of a component material, size group, or reaction
<Function>: species the CEL function to evaluate. See Quantitative Function List (p. 26). The function
can be further qualied by appending _Coordinate_Direction. In CFX-Pre, if the coordinate frame is
not specied (in _Coordinate_Direction ) then the function will use the coordinate frame associated
with the object (such as for a material, domain, subdomain, domain boundary, source point, monitor point,
initialization, reference location or spark ignition object) in which it is being invoked.
<Coordinate_Direction>: species a particular coordinate direction. The syntax of the coordinate
direction is [x|y|z][_<Coordinate_Frame>] where the coordinate frame can be the global coordinate
frame or any user dened coordinate frame. In CFD-Post, if the coordinate frame is not specied then the global
frame is used. See Coordinate Frame Command (p. 174) in ANSYS CFD-Post Standalone: User's Guide, for
discussion of creating a coordinate frame in CFD-Post.
<Operand>: species the argument of the function (if required). The operand can be either a valid mathematical
CEL expression (only in CFD-Post) or specied using the following general variable syntax:
23
[<Phase_Name>.][<Component_Name>.]<Variable_Name>[.<Variable_Operator>][.Difference]
In CFX-Pre the operand cannot be a CEL expression or any operand qualied by <Variable_Operator>.
However, you can create an Additional Variable based on any expression and then use the Additional Variable
as the operand . The operand always uses the conservative values unless the Boundcon variable operator is
specied (for details, see Data Acquisition Routines in the ANSYS CFX-Solver Modeling Guide). The operand
must be valid for the physical models being used over the entire location. For example, if the location spans
uid and solid domains, then the operand cannot be Pressure.
For some functions the operand must be left blank as in area()@Inlet.
In CFD-Post, difference variables created during case comparison are appended by .Difference.
<Variable_Name>: species the base name of the variable. You can use the short or long form for variable
names. In CFX-Pre the variable name can be further qualied by appending _<Coordinate_Direction>.
This is useful for specifying a particular component of a vector or tensor, for example
Velocity_y_myLocalFrame. In CFX-Pre, if the variable name corresponds to that of a component of a
vector or a tensor and coordinate frame is not prescribed (as part of the coordinate direction) then the global
coordinate frame is used. An exception applies for the position vector x, y, z ( or r,theta,z) components,
which are always local, see Functions Involving Coordinates (p. 25).
<Variable_Operator> species the name of the variable operator. The syntax for specifying the variable
operator is [Gradient|Curl|Trnav|Trnsdv|Trnmin|Trnmax|Boundcon|<Derived>]. All but
the <Derived> operator are available in CFX-Pre and CFD-Post, provided they are available in the CFX-Solver
Results le, see Data Acquisition Routines in the ANSYS CFX-Solver Modeling Guide. The <Derived>
variable operator is available in CFD-Post, for example Absolute Helicity derived for use with Vortex
Cores, see Vortex Core Region (p. 147) in ANSYS CFD-Post Standalone: User's Guide. In CFX-Pre the variable
operator can be further qualied by appending _<Coordinate_Direction>.
<Location>: species the location over which the function is to be applied. The syntax of location is:
[Case:<Case_Name>.][REGION:]<Location_Name>
The case syntax [Case:<Case_Name>.] is only available in CFD-Post and is used when multiple cases are
loaded to indicate the name of the desired case.
In CFX-Pre [<Location_Name>] must be a domain boundary, domain, subdomain, or, primitive or composite
mesh region. If the location name of a mesh region is the same as the name of a named boundary, domain or
subdomain, then the mesh location name must be prepended by REGION:.
In CFD-Post [<Location_Name>] can be any loaded or user-dened location (for example, a point, domain
boundary, plane, mesh region etc.). The syntax REGION:<Region Name> can also be used in CFD-Post to
refer to any mesh region. If a mesh region is present with the same name as, for example, a domain boundary,
then the mesh region is imported into CFD-Post with a Region sufx. For example, if there is both a domain
boundary and a mesh region called in1 in the CFX-Solver Results le, then in CFD-Post the mesh region will
appear in CFD-Post as in1 Region. The syntax in1 will refer to the domain boundary, and either of in1
Region or REGION:in1 can be used to refer to the mesh region as desired.
Note
You cannot use a composite region that consists of a mixture of 2D and 3D regions.
Table 4.2. Examples of the Calling Syntax for an Expression
This results in the area-weighted average of pressure
on the boundary named Inlet.
areaAve(p)@Inlet
This results in the area of a 2D mesh region named
myCompositeMeshRegion.
area()@REGION:myCompositeMeshRegion
This syntax is appropriate only for CFD-Post. areaAve(Pressure - 10000 [Pa])@outlet
area_x()@inlet
Water at RTP.force_z()@Default
Functions Involving Coordinates
The CEL variables x, y, z, r and theta, representing the local coordinates, cannot be used as the variable. However,
the variables xGlobal, yGlobal and zGlobal can be used. For example, the following is a valid expression
denition:
z*areaAve(xGlobal)@inlet
CEL Functions with Multiphase Flow
Note
These functions are available in CFX-Pre and CFX-Solver without restrictions, and in CFD-Post with
the restriction that you cannot use short names.
If the function is uid-specic, various behaviors are possible depending on the function type:
For massFlow and massFlowAve, if the phase name is not specied for the function, then the bulk mass
ows will be used. See cases 1 to 7 in the table below.
For other uid-specic functions:
if a uid-specic operand is specied and no uid is specied for the function, then the uid specied for
the operand will be assumed for the function as well. See case 8 in the table below.
if the function is specied and no uid is specied for the operand, then the uid specied for the function
will be assumed for the operand as well. See cases 7 and 9 in the table below.
If both the function or operand are uid-specic, and a phase name is not given for either, the solver will stop
with an error. See case 10 in the table below.
25
Functions Involving Coordinates
Table 4.3. CEL Multiphase Examples
Behavior CEL Function - Multiphase Case
Bulk mass ow rate through inlet massFlow()@inlet 1
Air mass ow rate through inlet Air.massFlow()@inlet 2
Bulk mass ow averaged pressure on inlet massFlowAve(Pressure)@inlet 3
Air mass ow averaged pressure on inlet Air.massFlowAve(Pressure)@inlet 4
Bulk mass ow averaged air volume fraction on
inlet
massFlowAve(Air.Volume
Fraction)@inlet
5
Air mass ow averaged air volume fraction on inlet Air.massFlowAve(Air.Volume
Fraction)@inlet
6
Same as Air.massFlowAve(Air.Volume
Fraction) @ inlet
Air.massFlowAve(Volume
Fraction)@inlet
7
Same as Air.massInt(Air.Volume
Fraction) @ domain1
massInt(Air.Volume
Fraction)@domain1
8
Same as Air.massInt(Air.Volume
Fraction) @ domain1
Air.massInt(Volume
Fraction)@domain1
9
Error because no uid specied massFlowAve(Volume
Fraction)@inlet
10
Quantitative Function List
The available quantitative functions are outlined in the sections that follow.
In the table that follows, <Expression> in CFD-Post means any expression; however, in CFX-Pre and CFX-Solver
<Expression> means "Additional Variable Expression.
The behavior of the functions in the table below depends in the type of <Location>. Typically:
on a domain the functions use vertex values for the operand,
on a subdomain the functions use element values for the operand,
on a boundary the functions use conservative values for the operand unless this is overriden by the Boundcon
variable operator in CFX-Pre,
on user locations in CFD-Post the functions use values interpolated from nodal values.
Table 4.4. CEL Functions in CFX-Pre/CFX-Solver and in CFD-Post
Availability Operation Function Name and Syntax
<required> [<optional>]
All Area of a boundary or interface. area( )
Supports @<Location>
See area (p. 30).
All
a
The (signed) component of the normal area vector in the
local x, y or z direction. The normal area vectors are
area_x[_<Coord Frame>]( )
area_y[_<Coord Frame>]( )
always directed out of the domain, therefore you may
area_z[_<Coord Frame>]( )
obtain positive or negative areas depending on the
orientation of your domain and the boundary you are
operating on. The area of a closed surface will always be
zero.
All Area-weighted average of <Expression> on a boundary. areaAve(<Expression>)
See areaAve (p. 31).
CFD-Post The (signed) component of the normal area vector
weighted average in the local x, y or z direction. The
areaAve_x[_<Coord Frame>]( )
areaAve_y[_<Coord Frame>]( )
normal area vectors are always directed out of the domain,
areaAve_z[_<Coord Frame>]( )
therefore you may obtain positive or negative areas
depending on the orientation of your domain and the
boundary you are operating on. The area of a closed
surface will always be zero.
All Area-weighted integral of <Expression> on a boundary. areaInt(<Expression>)
The areaInt function projects the location onto a plane
normal to the specied direction (if the direction is not
set to None) and then performs the calculation on the
projected location (the direction specication can also be
None). The direction of the normal vectors for the
location is important and will cancel out for surfaces such
as closed surfaces.
See areaInt (p. 31).
All The (signed) component of the normal area vector
weighted integral in the local x, y or z direction. The
areaInt_x[_<Coord Frame>]( )
areaInt_y[_<Coord Frame>]( )
normal area vectors are always directed out of the domain,
areaInt_z[_<Coord Frame>]( )
therefore you may obtain positive or negative areas
depending on the orientation of your domain and the
boundary you are operating on. The area of a closed
surface will always be zero.
All Arithmetic average of <Expression> over nodes within
a domain or subdomain.
ave(<Expression>)
See ave (p. 32).
27
All Counts the number of evaluation points (nodes) on the
named region.
See count (p. 33).
count( )
All Counts the number of nodes at which the logical
expression evaluates to true.
See countTrue (p. 33).
countTrue(<Expression>)
All The magnitude of the force vector on a boundary.
Supports [<Phase>.], @<Location>
See force (p. 34).
force( )
CFD-Post The length of the normalized force on a curve in the
specied direction.
See forceNorm (p. 35).
forceNorm [_<Axis>[_<Coord
Frame>]]( )
All
a
The (signed) component of the force vector in the local
x, y or z direction.
force_x[_<Coord Frame>]( )
force_y[_<Coord Frame>]( )
force_z[_<Coord Frame>]( )
CFX-Pre,
CFX-Solver
Similar to the subdomain variable, but allows a specic
2D or 3D location to be given.
See inside (p. 35).
inside()
CFD-Post Length of a curve.
See length (p. 36).
length()
CFD-Post Length-weighted average.
See lengthAve (p. 36).
lengthAve(<Expression>)
CFD-Post Length-weighted integration.
See lengthInt (p. 37).
lengthInt(<Expression>)
CFX-Pre,
CFX-Solver
The total mass within a domain or subdomain. This is
uid-dependent.
See mass (p. 37).
mass()
CFX-Pre,
CFX-Solver
Mass-weighted average of <Expression> on a domain or
subdomain.
See massAve (p. 37).
massAve(<Expression>)
All Mass ow through a boundary.
See massFlow (p. 37).
massFlow()
All Mass ow weighted average of <Expression> on a
boundary.
See massFlowAve (p. 38).
massFlowAve(<var>)
All Absolute mass ow weighted average of <Expression>
on a boundary.
See massFlowAveAbs (p. 39).
massFlowAveAbs(<var>)
All Mass ow weighted integration of <Expression> on a
boundary.
See massFlowInt (p. 40).
massFlowInt(<var>)
CFX-Pre,
CFX-Solver
The mass-weighted integration of <Expression> within
a domain or subdomain.
See massInt (p. 41).
massInt(<Expression>)
All Maximum Value of <Expression> within a domain or
subdomain.
See maxVal (p. 41).
maxVal(<Expression>)
All Minimum Value of <Expression> within a domain or
subdomain.
See minVal (p. 41).
minVal(<Expression>)
All Returns the value of the specied variable on the specied
Point locator.
See probe (p. 42).
probe(<Expression>)
CFX-Pre/CFX-Solver RMS average of <Expression> within a 2D domain.
See rmsAve (p. 42).
rmsAve(<Expression>)
All Sum of <Expression> over all domain or subdomain
vertices.
See sum (p. 42).
sum(<Expression>)
29
All Magnitude of the torque vector on a boundary.
See torque (p. 43).
torque( )
CFX-Pre,
CFX-Solver
a
The (signed) components of the torque vector about the
local x, y, or z coordinate axis.
torque_x[_<Coord Frame>]()
torque_y[_<Coord Frame>]()
torque_z[_<Coord Frame>]()
All The total volume of a domain or subdomain.
See volume (p. 43).
volume( )
All Volume-weighted average of <var> on a domain.
See volumeAve (p. 43).
volumeAve(<Expression>)
All Volume-weighted integration of <var> within a domain
or subdomain.
See volumeInt (p. 44).
volumeInt(<Expression>)
a
See the denition for [_<Coordinate_ Direction>]] in Quantitative CEL Functions in ANSYS CFX (p. 23)
area
The area function is used to calculate the area of a 2D locator.
area[_<Axis>[_<Coord Frame>] ]()@<Location>
where:
<Axis> is x, y, or z
<Coord Frame> is the coordinate frame
<Location> is any 2D region (such as a boundary or interface).
An error is raised if the location specied is not a 2D object. If an axis is not specied, the total area of the location
is calculated.
area()@Isosurface1 calculates the total area of the location, and Isosurface1.area_y()@Isosurface1
calculates the projected area of Isosurface1 onto a plane normal to the Y-axis.
Tools > Command Editor Example
>calculate area, <Location>, [<Axis>]
The specication of an axis is optional. If an axis is not specied, the value held in the object will be used. To
calculate the total area of the location, the axis specication should be left blank (that is, type a comma after the
location specication).
>calculate area, myplane calculates the area of the locator myplane projected onto a plane normal to
the axis specication in the CALCULATOR object.
>calculate area, myplane, calculates the area of the locator myplane. Note that adding the comma
after myplane removes the axis specication.
area
Tools > Function Calculator Example
The following example will calculate the total area of the locator Plane1:
Function: area, Location: Plane1.
areaAve
The areaAve function calculates the area-weighted average of an expression on a 2D location. The area-weighted
average of a variable is the average value of the variable on a location when the mesh element sizes are taken into
account. Without the area weighting function, the average of all the nodal variable values would be biased towards
variable values in regions of high mesh density.
areaAve[_<Axis>[_<Coord Frame>] ](<Expression>)@<Location>
where:
<Coord Frame> is available in CFD-Post only
<Expression> is an expression
<Location> is any 2D region (such as a boundary or interface). An error is raised if the location specied is
not a 2D object.
To calculate the pressure coefcient C
p
, use:
(Pressure - 1[bar])/(0.5*Density*(areaAve(Velocity)@inlet)^2)
You can create an expression using this, and then create a user variable using the expression. The user variable can
then be plotted on objects like any other variable.
>calculate areaAve, <Expression>, <Location>, <Axis>
Tools > Function Calculator Examples
This example will calculate the average magnitude of Velocity on outlet.
Function: areaAve, Location: outlet, Variable: Velocity.
Note that ow direction is not considered because the magnitude of a vector quantity at each node is calculated.
You can use the scalar components of Velocity (such as Velocity u) to include a directional sign. This
example will calculate the area-weighted average value of Velocity u, with negative values of Velocity
u replaced by zero. Note that this is not the average positive value because zero values will contribute to the
average.
Function: areaAve, Location: outlet, Variable: max(Velocity u, 0.0[m s^-1]).
areaInt
The areaInt function integrates a variable over the specied 2D location. To perform the integration over the
total face area, select the None option from the Axis drop-down menu. If a direction is selected, the result is an
integration over the projected area of each face onto a plane normal to that direction. Each point on a location has
an associated area which is stored as a vector and therefore has direction. By selecting a direction in the function
calculator, you are using only a single component of the vector in the area-weighting function. Because these
components can be positive or negative, depending on the direction of the normal on the location, it is possible for
areas to cancel out. An example of this would be on a closed surface where the projected area will always be zero
(the results returned will not in general be exactly zero because the variable values differ over the closed surface).
On a at surface, the normal vectors always point in the same direction and never cancel out.
31
areaAve
areaInt[_<Axis>[_<Coord Frame>] ](<Expression>)@<Location>
where:
<Axis> is x, y, or z.
Axis is optional; if not specied the integration is performed over the total face area. If axis is specied, then
the integration is performed over the projected face area. A function description is available.
<Coord Frame> is the coordinate frame.
<Location> is any 2D region (such as a boundary or interface). An error is raised if the location specied is
not a 2D object.
areaInt_y_Frame2(Pressure)@boundary1 calculates the pressure force acting in the y-direction of the
coordinate frame Frame2 on the locator boundary1. This differs from a calculation using the force function,
which calculates the total force on a wall boundary (that is, viscous forces on the boundary are included).
>calculate areaInt, <Expression>, <Location>, [<Axis>]
Axis is optional. If it is not specied, the value held in the object will be used. To perform the integration over the
total face area, the axis specication should be blank (that is, type a comma after the location name). A function
description is available in areaInt (p. 31).
This example integrates Pressure over Plane 1. The returned result is the total pressure force acting on
Plane 1. The magnitude of each area vector is used and so the direction of the vectors is not considered.
Function: areaInt, Location: Plane 1, Variable: Pressure, Direction: None
This example integrates Pressure over the projected area of Plane 1 onto a plane normal to the X-axis.
The result is the pressure force acting in the X-direction on Plane 1. This differs slightly from using the force
function to calculate the X-directional force on Plane 1. The force function includes forces due to the advection
of momentum when calculating the force on an internal arbitrary plane or a non-wall boundary (inlets, etc.).
Function: areaInt, Location: Plane 1, Variable: Pressure, Direction: Global X.
ave
The ave function calculates the arithmetic average (the mean value) of a variable or expression on the specied
location. This is simply the sum of the values at each node on the location divided by the number of nodes. Results
will be biased towards areas of high nodal density on the location. To obtain a mesh independent result, you should
use the lengthAve, areaAve, volumeAve or massFlowAve functions.
ave(<var|Expression>)@<Location>
where:
<var|Expression> is a variable or a logical expression
<Location> is any 3D region (such as a domain or subdomain).
The ave function can be used on point, 1D, 2D, and 3D locations.
ave(Yplus)@Default calculates the mean Yplus values from each node on the default walls.
ave
>calculate ave, <var|Expression>, <Location>
Note
To obtain a mesh-independent result, you should use the lengthAve, areaAve, volumeAve or
massFlowAve functions.
The average of a vector value is calculated as an average of its magnitudes, not the magnitude of component averages.
As an example, for velocity:
(Eq. 4.1)
=
+
v
v v
ave
2
1 2
where
(Eq. 4.2)
= + + v v v v
( ) i x i y i z i ,
2
,
2
,
2
This example calculates the mean temperature at all nodes in the selected domain.
Function: ave, Location: MainDomain, Variable: Temperature.
count
The count function returns the number of nodes on the specied location.
count()@<Location>
where:
<Location> is valid for point, 1D, 2D, and 3D locations.
count()@Polyline1 returns the number of points on the specied polyline locator.
>calculate count, <Location>
This example returns the number of nodes in the specied domain.
Function: count, Location: MainDomain.
countTrue
The countTrue function returns the number of mesh nodes on the specied region that evaluate to true, where
true means greater than or equal to 0.5. The countTrue function is valid for 1D, 2D, and 3D locations.
countTrue(<Expression>)@<Location>
where <Expression> is:
In CFD-Post, an expression that contains the logical operators =, >, <, <=, or >=.
In CFX-Solver, an Additional Variable that you dene. For example:
TemperatureLE = Temperature > 300[K]
countTrue(TemperatureLE)@Polyline1 returns the number of nodes on the specied polyline locator
that evaluate to true.
33
count
Tools > Command Editor Examples
In CFD-Post:
>calculate countTrue(Temperature > 300[K]), Domain1
In CFX-Solver:
>calculate countTrue(TemperatureLE), Domain1
This example returns the number of nodes that evaluate to true in the specied domain.
Function: countTrue, Location: MainDomain, Expression: Temperature > 300[K].
force
This function returns the force exerted by the uid on the specied 2D locator in the specied direction.
[<Phase>.]force[_<Axis>[_<Coord Frame>] ]()@<Location>
where:
[<Phase>.] is an optional prex that is not required for single-phase ows. For details, see CEL Functions
with Multiphase Flow (p. 25).
<Coord Frame> is the coordinate frame
<Location> is any 2D region (such as a boundary or interface).
Force calculations on boundaries require additional momentum ow data.
Water at RTP.force_x()@wall1 returns the total force in the x-direction acting on wall1 due to the uid
Water at RTP.
The force on a boundary is calculated using momentum ow data from the results le, if it is available. The result
can be positive or negative, indicating the direction of the force. For non-boundary locators, an approximate force
is always calculated.
CFD-Post calculates the approximate force as follows:
If the locator is a wall boundary, the force is equal to the pressure force.
For all other locators, the force is equal to the pressure force plus the mass ow force (due to the advection of
momentum).
In all cases, if wall shear data exists in the results le, the viscous force is added to the calculated force.
The force function enables you to select the uids to use when performing your calculation. The result returned
is the force on the locator due to that uid/those uids. Because the pressure force is the same at each node irrespective
of the choice of uids, the only difference is in the viscous forces (on wall boundaries) or the mass ow forces.
It is important to note that forces arising as a result of the reference pressure are not included in the force calculation.
You can include reference pressure effects in the force calculation in the CFX-Solver by setting the expert parameter
include pref in forces = t.
It is also important to note that for rotating domains in a transient run, forces on wall boundaries in the CFX-Solver
are evaluated in the reference frame xed to the initial domain orientation. These quantities are not inuenced by
any rotation that might occur during a transient run or when a rotational offset is specied. However, results for
rotating domains in a transient run may be in the rotated position (depending on the setting of Options in CFD-Post)
when they are loaded into CFD-Post for post-processing.
force
>calculate force, <Location>, <Axis>, [<Phase>]
This calculates the total force on the default wall boundaries in the x-direction. Pressure and viscous forces are
included.
Function: force, Location: Default, Direction: Global X, Phase: All Fluids.
This calculates the forces on inlet1 due to pressure and the advection of momentum.
Function: force, Location: inlet1, Direction: Global X, Phase: Water at RTP.
forceNorm
Returns the per unit width force on a line in the direction of the specied axis. It is available only for a polyline
created by intersecting a locator on a boundary. Momentum data must also be available. The magnitude of the value
returned can be thought of as the force in the specied direction on a polyline, if the polyline were 2D with a width
of one unit.
[<Phase>.]forceNorm[_<Axis>[_<Coord Frame>] ]()@<Location>
where:
<Coord Frame> is available in CFD-Post only
<Location> is any 1D location. An error will be raised if the location specied is not one-dimensional.
forceNorm_y()@Polyline1 calculates the per unit width force in the y-direction on the selected polyline.
>calculate forceNorm, <Location>, <Axis>, [<Phase>]
The result from this calculation is force per unit width on Polyline1 in the x-direction.
Function: forceNorm, Location: Polyline1, Direction: Global X, Phase: All Fluids.
inside
The inside CEL function is essentially a step function variable, dened to be unity within a subdomain and zero
elsewhere. This is useful for describing different initial values or uid properties in different regions of the domain.
It is similar to the CEL subdomain variable, but allows a specic 2D or 3D location to be given. For example, 273
[K] * inside()@Subdomain 1 has a value of 273 [K] at points in Subdomain 1 and 0 [K] elsewhere. The
location does not need to be a subdomain, but can be any 2D or 3D named sub-region of the physical location on
which the expression is evaluated. For immersed solids simulations, the location can also be a specic immersed
solid domain, and the inside function will be updated automatically at the beginning of each time step.
inside()@<Location>
where:
<Location> is any 2D or 3D named sub-region of the physical location on which the expression is evaluated.
<Location> can also be an immersed solid domain on which the expression is evaluated dynamically.
35
forceNorm
Note
The inside CEL function is not available in CFD-Post.
>calculate inside, <Location>
length
Computes the length of the specied line as the sum of the distances between the points making up the line.
length()@<Location>
where:
<Location> is any 1D location. Specifying a 2D location will not produce an error; the sum of the edge
lengths from the elements in the locator will be returned.
length()@Polyline1 returns the length of the polyline.
>calculate length, <Location>
Note
While using this function in Power Syntax, the leading character is capitalized to avoid confusion with
the Perl internal command length.
This example calculates the length of a polyline.
Function: length, Location: Polyline1.
lengthAve
Computes the length-based average of the variable on the specied line. This is the 1D equivalent of the areaAve
function. The results is independent of the nodal distribution along the line because a weighting function assigns a
higher weighting to areas of sparse nodal density.
lengthAve(<Expression>)@<Location>
where:
<Location> is any 1D or 2D location.
lengthAve(T)@Polyline1 calculates the average temperature on Polyline1 weighted by the distance
between each point (T is the system variable for temperature).
>calculate lengthAve, <Expression>, <Location>
This calculates the average velocity on the location Polyline1 using a length-based weighting function to account
for the distribution of points along the line.
Function: lengthAve, Location: Polyline1, Variable: Velocity.
length
lengthInt
Computes the length-based integral of the variable on the specied line. This is the 1D equivalent of the areaInt
function.
lengthInt(<Expression>)@<Location>
where:
<Location> is any 1D location.
>calculate lengthInt, <Expression>, <Location>.
mass
mass()@<Location>
where:
>calculate mass, <Location>.
massAve
massAve(<var>)@<Location>
where:
<var> is a variable
>calculate massAve, <var>, <Location>.
massFlow
Computes the mass ow through the specied 2D location.
[<Phase>.]massFlow()@<Location>
where:
<Location> is any uid surfaces (such as Inlets, Outlets, Openings and uid-uid interfaces).
Air at STP.massFlow()@DegassingOutlet calculates the mass ow of Air at STP through the
selected location.
For boundary locators:
The mass ow is calculated using mass ow data from the results le, if it is available. Otherwise, an approximate
mass ow is calculated.
37
lengthInt
For multiphase cases, the mass ow through a boundary on a GGI interface evaluated in CFD-Post is an
approximation to the 'exact' mass ow evaluated by the solver. This approximation vanishes as the mesh is
rened or as the volume fraction on the interface becomes uniform.
For non-boundary locators (that is, internal locators):
If the locator is an edge based locator (such as a cut plane or isosurface), the domain mass ow data from the
results le will be used.
In all other cases, an approximate mass ow is calculated.
The massFlow function enables you to select the uids to use when performing your calculation. The result
returned is the mass ow of the selected uids through the locator.
Mass Flow Sign Convention
The mass ow through a surface is dened by V n where V is the velocity vector and n is the surface normal
vector. By convention, the surface normal at a domain boundary is directed out of the domain. Therefore, the mass
ow is positive at an inlet boundary with the velocity directed into the domain. For planes and surfaces that cut
through a domain, the normal of the plane or surface is determined by from the right-hand rule and the manner in
which the plane or surface is constructed. For example, the surface normal for a Z-X plane has the same sense and
direction as the Y-axis.
>calculate massFlow, <Location>, [<Phase>]
This calculates the mass ow for all uids in the domains through the location outlet2:
Function: massFlow, Location: outlet2, Phase: All Fluids.
massFlowAve
Computes the average of a variable/expression on the specied 2D location. The massFlowAve function allows
you to select the uids to use when performing your calculation. The result returned is the average variable value,
evaluated according to the formula:
(Eq. 4.3)
= massFlowAve ( )
m
m
( )
where represents the variable/expression being averaged and m represents the local mass ow (net local mass
ow if more than one uid is selected). Each summation term is evaluated on, and corresponds to, a node on the
2D locator. The mass ow for each term is derived from summing contributions from the surrounding solver
integration points. As a result, the denominator evaluates to the conservative net mass ow through the 2D locator.
In cases where there is signicant ow, but little or no net ow through the 2D locator (as can happen with
recirculation), the denominator of the averaging formula becomes small, and the resulting average value may become
adversely affected. In such cases, the massFlowAveAbs (see massFlowAveAbs (p. 39)) function is a viable
alternative to the massFlowAve function.
[<Phase>.]massFlowAve(<var|Expression>)@<Location>
where:
<var|Expression> is a variable or expression
<Location> is any uid surfaces (such as Inlets, Outlets, Openings and uid-uid interfaces). An error is
raised if the location specied is not 2D.
Mass Flow Sign Convention
massFlowAve(Density)@Plane1 calculates the average density on Plane1 weighted by the mass ow at
each point on the location.
See the Advanced (p. 39) and Technical Note (p. 39) sections under massFlowAveAbs (p. 39) for more information.
>calculate massFlowAve, <var|Expression>, <Location>, [<Phase>]
This example calculates the average velocity on Plane1 weighted by the mass ow for all uids assigned to each
point on Plane1:
Function: massFlowAve, Location: Plane1, Variable: Velocity, Phase: All Fluids
massFlowAveAbs
This function is similar to the massFlowAve function (see massFlowAve (p. 38)), except that each local mass
ow value used in the averaging formula has the absolute function applied. That is:
(Eq. 4.4) = massFlowAveAbs ( )
m
m
( )
[<Phase>.]massFlowAveAbs(<var|Expression>)@<Location>
where:
massFlowAve(Density)@Plane1 calculates the average density on Plane1 weighted by the mass ow at
each point on the location.
In cases where there is signicant ow, but little or no net ow through the 2D locator (as can happen with
recirculation), the massFlowAveAbs function is a viable alternative to the massFlowAve function (see
massFlowAve (p. 38)).
Advanced
Note that the massFlowAveAbs and massFlowAve functions provide the same result, and that the denominator
evaluates to the net mass ow through the 2D locator, only when all of the ow passes through the 2D locator in
the same general direction (in other words, when there is no backow). If there is any backow through the 2D
locator, the denominator in the function for massFlowAveAbs evaluates to a value of greater magnitude than the
conservative net mass ow through the 2D locator (although this is not necessarily harmful to the resulting average
value).
The values of variables other than mass ow are stored at the mesh nodes and are applied to the locator nodes by
linear interpolation. For the mass ow variable, CFD-Post uses the integration point mass ow data if it is available;
otherwise, it will approximate mass ow values based on mesh node values of velocity (and density, if available).
Technical Note
When integration point mass ow data is stored, backow through the 2D locator may occur as an artifact of how
the mass ow data is applied to the locator nodes, even though there may be no actual backow (as evidenced by
a vector plot on the locator). The gure below illustrates how this may occur.
39
massFlowAveAbs
Figure 4.1. Backow
In order to visualize this type of backow through a locator, try making a contour plot of the variable Mass Flow,
setting a user dened Range from 0 to 1 and the # of Contours to 3. This will produce a contour plot with two
color bands: one for each general ow direction. This visualization technique works because the method of applying
integration-point mass-ow data to locator nodes is the same for all uses of the mass ow variable involving a 2D
locator (contour plots, massFlowAve, massFlowAveAbs, etc.).
massFlowInt
Integrates a variable over the specied 2D location. A weighting function is applied to the variable value at each
point based on the mass ow assigned to that point. You can also specify the uid(s) used to calculate the mass
ow at each locator point.
[<Phase>.]massFlowInt(<var|Expression>)@<Location>
where:
massFlowInt
>calculate massFlowInt, <var|Expression>, <Location>, [<Phase>]
This example integrates pressure over Plane1. The result is the pressure force acting on Plane1 weighted by the
mass ow assigned to each point on Plane1:
Function: massFlowInt, Location: Plane1, Variable: Pressure, Phase: All Fluids
massInt
The mass-weighted integration of a variable within a domain or subdomain.
massInt(<var|Expression>)@<Location>
where:
<var> is a variable
<Location> is any 3D region (such as a domain or subdomain)
>calculate massInt, <var>, <Location>
maxVal
Returns the maximum value of the specied variable on the specied locator. You should create a User Variable
if you want to nd the maximum value of an expression.
maxVal(<var|Expression>)@<Location>
where:
<Location> in CFX-Solver is any 2D or 3D region (such as a domain or subdomain); in CFD-Post, Point
and 1D, 2D, and 3D locators can be specied.
>calculate maxVal, <var|Expression>, <Location>
This will return the maximum Yplus value on the default wall boundaries:
Function: maxVal, Location: Default, Variable: Yplus
minVal
Returns the minimum value of the specied variable on the specied locator. You should create a User Variable if
you want to nd the minimum value of an expression.
minVal(<var|Expression>)@<Location>
where:
<Location> in CFX-Solver is any 2D or 3D region (such as a domain or subdomain); in CFD-Post, Point
and 1D, 2D, and 3D locators can be specied.
41
massInt
>calculate minVal, <var|Expression>, <Location>
These settings will return the minimum temperature in the domain:
Function: minVal, Location: MainDomain, Variable: Temperature
probe
Returns the value of the specied variable on the specied Point object.
probe(<var|Expression>)@<Location>
where:
<Location> is any point object (such as a Source Point or Cartesian Monitor Point).
Important
This calculation should be performed only for point locators described by single points. Incorrect solutions
will be produced for multiple point locators.
>calculate probe, <Expression>, <Location>
This example returns the density value at Point1:
Function: probe, Location: Point1, Variable: Density
rmsAve
Returns the RMS average of the specied variable within a domain.
rmsAve(<var>)@<Location>
where:
<var> is a variable
>calculate rmsAve, <var>, <Location>
sum
Computes the sum of the specied variable values at each point on the specied location.
sum(<var|Expression>)@<Location>
where:
<Location> in CFX-Solver is any 3D region (such as a domain or subdomain); in CFD-Post, Point and 1D,
2D, and 3D locators can be specied.
probe
>calculate sum, <var|Expression>, <Location>
This example returns the sum of the nite volumes assigned to each node in the location SubDomain1. In this
case, this sums to the volume of the subdomain:
Function: sum, Location: SubDomain1, Variable: Volume of Finite Volume
torque
Returns the torque on a 2D locator about the specied axis. The force calculated during evaluation of the torque
function has the same behavior as the force function. For details, see force (p. 34). You can select the uids involved
in the calculation.
[<Phase>.]torque_[<Axis>[_<Coord Frame>] ]()@<Location>
where:
<Coord Frame>
<Location> is any 2D region (such as a wall). If the location specied is not 2D, an error is raised.
>calculate torque, <Location>, <Axis>, [<Phase>]
This example calculates the torque on Plane1 about the z-axis due to all uids in the domain.
Function: torque, Location: Plane1, Axis: Global Z, Phase: All Fluids
volume
Calculates the volume of a 3D location.
volume()@<Location>
where:
<Location> is any 3D region (such as a domain or subdomain). An error is raised if the location specied
is not a 3D object. For details, see volume (p. 43).
>calculate volume, <Location>
This example returns the sum of the volumes of each mesh element included in the location Volume1.
Function: volume, Location: Volume1
volumeAve
Calculates the volume-weighted average of an expression on a 3D location. This is the 3D equivalent of the areaAve
function. The volume-weighted average of a variable is the average value of the variable on a location weighted by
43
torque
the volume assigned to each point on a location. Without the volume weighting function, the average of all the nodal
variable values would be biased towards values in regions of high mesh density. The following example demonstrates
use of the function.
volumeAve(<var|Expression>)@<Location>
where:
>calculate volumeAve, <var|Expression>, <Location>
This example calculates the volume-weighted average value of density in the region enclosed by the location
Volume1:
Function: volumeAve, Location: Volume1, Variable: Density
volumeInt
Integrates the specied variable over the volume location. This is the 3D equivalent of the areaInt function.
volumeInt(<var|Expression>)@<Location>
where:
<Location> is any 3D region (such as a domain or subdomain). An error is raised if the location specied
is not a 3D object.
For example, volumeInt(Density)@StaticMixer will calculate the total uid mass in the domain
StaticMixer.
>calculate volumeInt, <var|Expression>, <Location>
This example calculates the integral of density (the total mass) in Volume1.
Function: volumeInt, Location: Volume1, Variable: Density
volumeInt
Chapter 5. Variables in ANSYS CFX
This chapter describes the variables available in ANSYS CFX:
Hybrid and Conservative Variable Values (p. 45)
List of Field Variables (p. 46)
List of Particle Variables (p. 64)
Miscellaneous Variables (p. 70)
Hybrid and Conservative Variable Values
The CFX-Solver calculates the solution to your CFD problem using polyhedral nite volumes surrounding the
vertices of the underlying mesh elements (hexahedrons, tetrahedrons, prisms, pyramids). Analytical solutions to
the Navier-Stokes equations exist for only the simplest of ows under ideal conditions. To obtain solutions for real
ows, a numerical approach must be adopted whereby the equations are replaced by algebraic approximations
which may be solved using a numerical method.
The solution values on the boundary vertices, called conservative values, are the values obtained from solving the
conservation equations for the boundary control volumes. These values are not necessarily the same as the specied
boundary condition values, although the specied boundary value is used to close boundary uxes for the boundary
control volume. For example, on a no-slip wall, the wall velocity is used to compute the viscous force for the
boundary face of the boundary control volume, but the resulting control volume equation solution will not necessarily
be the wall velocity. The conservative values are representative of the boundary control volume, not the boundary
itself. For visualization purposes, it is often useful to view the specied boundary condition value for the boundary
vertices rather than the conservative values. This is especially true when the value of a conservative solution variable
(such as pressure or temperature, for instance) is specied at a particular boundary condition. The specied boundary
values are called hybrid values. CFD-Post uses hybrid values by default for most variables. Hybrid values are
obtained by overwriting the conservative results on the boundary nodes produced by the CFX-Solver with values
based on the specied boundary conditions. This ensures, for example, that the velocity is displayed as zero on
no-slip walls. For quantitative calculations, the conservative values should normally be used because they are
consistent with the discrete solutions obtained by the solver. If you want to use these values in CFD-Post, you can
select them from the Variables Editor dialog box as described above. By default, CFD-Post uses conservative
values when the Calculate command is used.
The difference between hybrid and conservative values at wall boundaries can be demonstrated using the following
gure:
Using velocity as an example, the velocity value calculated at a mesh node is based upon the average' in the control
volume surrounding that node. For calculation purposes, the entire control volume is then assumed to possess that
velocity. At a boundary node, its surrounding control volume includes an area in the bulk of the uid (this area is
45
highlighted around the boundary node marked 1). Hence, the conservative velocity calculated at the wall node is
not zero, but an average' over the control volume adjacent to the boundary. At a wall boundary node the difference
between conservative and hybrid values can be illustrated by considering the case of the mass ow rate through the
wall-adjacent control volume. If a zero velocity was enforced at the boundary node, then this would produce zero
mass ow through the control volume, which is clearly not correct.
Solid-Fluid Interface Variable Values
Conservative Values at 1:1 Interface
At a solid-uid 1:1 interface, duplicate nodes exist. The conservative value for the solid-side node is the variable
values averaged over the half on the control volume that lies inside the solid. The conservative value for the uid-side
node is the variable values averaged over the half of the control volume that lies in the uid.
Consider the example of heat transfer from a hot solid to a cool uid when advection dominates within the uid.
If you create a plot across the solid-uid interface using conservative values of temperature, then you will see a
sharp change in temperature across the interface. This is because values are interpolated from the interface into the
bulk of the solid domain using the value for the solid-side node at the interface, while values are interpolated from
the interface into the bulk of the uid domain using the value for the uid-side node at the interface. This results
in a temperature discontinuity at the interface.
Hybrid Values at 1:1 Interface
When creating plots using hybrid variable values (the default in CFD-Post), the 1:1 interface is single valued and
takes the solid-side conservative value. You can therefore expect to see the same plot within the solid, but the
temperature prole between the interface and the rst node in the uid interpolates between the solid-side interface
value and the rst uid node value. In this case, a discontinuity does not exist because all nodes are single valued.
Conservative values should be used for all quantitative calculations.
Conservative Values on a GGI Interface
At a GGI interface, the CFX Solver calculates both uid-side and solid-side temperatures based on heat ux
conservation. These values are representative of the temperature within the half-control volumes around the vertices
on the interface. The uid-side and solid-side temperatures are generally not equal. As a result, a plot of conservative
values of temperature will generally show a discontinuity across a GGI interface.
Hybrid Values on a GGI Interface
At a GGI interface, the CFX Solver calculates a "surface temperature" based on a ux-conservation equation for
the 'control surfaces' that lie between the uid side and the solid side. The surface temperature is usually between
the uid-side and solid-side temperatures. Hybrid values of temperature on a GGI interface are set equal to the
surface temperature. As a result, there is no discontinuity in hybrid values of temperature across a GGI interface.
List of Field Variables
This section contains a list of eld variables that you may have dened in CFX-Pre or that are available for viewing
in CFD-Post and exporting to other les. Many variables are relevant only for specic physical models.
The information given in this section includes:
Long Variable Name: The name that you see in the user interface.
Short Variable Name: The name that must be used in CEL expressions.
Units: The default units for the variable. An empty entry [ ] indicates a dimensionless variable.
Note
The entries in the Units columns are SI but could as easily be any other system of units.
In the Availability column:
Solid-Fluid Interface Variable Values
A number represents the user level (1 indicates that the variable appears in default lists, 2 and 3 indicate that
the variable appears in extended lists that you see when you click ). This number is useful when using
the CFX Export facility. For details, see File Export Utility in the ANSYS CFX documentation. Note that
the CFX-Solver may sometimes override the user-level setting depending on the physics of the problem. In
these cases, the User Level may be different from that shown in the tables that follow.
Boundary (B): A B in this column indicates that the variable contains only non-zero values on the boundary
of the model. See Boundary-Value-Only Variables (p. 72) for more details.
Boundary-Value-Only Variables (p. 72) in the ANSYS CFD-Post Standalone: User's Guide describes the
useful things that you can do with variables that are dened only on the boundaries of the model.
A indicates the variable is available for mesh adaption
C indicates the variable is available in CEL
DT indicates the variable is available for data transfer to ANSYS
M indicates the variable is available for monitoring
P indicates the variable is available for particle user-routine argument lists
PR indicates the variable is available for particle results
R indicates the variable is available to be output to the results, transient results, and backup les
RA indicates the variable is available for radiation results
TS indicates the variable is available for transient statistics
Denition: Denes the variable.
This is not a complete list of variables. Information on obtaining details on all variables is available. For details,
see RULES and VARIABLES Files in the ANSYS CFX documentation.
Note
Variables with names shown in bold text are not output to CFD-Post. However, some of these variables
can be output to CFD-Post by selecting them from the Extra Output Variables List on the Results tab
of the Solver > Output Control details view of CFX-Pre.
Common Variables Relevant for Most CFD Calculations
The following table contains a list of variables (with both long and short variable names) that can be used when
working with CFD calculations. For an explanation of the column headings, see List of Field Variables (p. 46).
Denition Availability Units Short
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name
For Fixed and Variable Composition Mixture, the
density is determined by a mass fraction weighted
harmonic average:
+ + + =
Y
Y

1
N
N
A
A
B
B mix
1
A, C, M,
P, R, TS
[kg
m^-3]
density Density
Dynamic viscosity (), also called absolute viscosity, is
a measure of the resistance of a uid to shearing forces,
2
A, C, M,
P, R, TS
[kgm^-1s^-1] viscosity Dynamic Viscosity
and appears in the momentum equations. Using an
expression to set the dynamic viscosity is possible. For
details, see Non-Newtonian Flow in the CFX
documentation.
Velocity vector. 1 [m s^-1] vel
Velocity
a
47
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name
A, C, M,
P, R, TS
Components of velocity. 1 [m s^-1] u Velocity u
A, C, M,
P, R, TS
v
w
Velocity v
Velocity w
Both Pressure and Total Pressure are measured
relative to the reference pressure that you specied on the
1
A, C, M,
P, R, TS
[kgm^-1s^-2] p Pressure
Domains panel in CFX-Pre. Additionally, Pressure is
the total normal stress, which means that when using the
k-e turbulence model, Pressure is the thermodynamic
pressure plus the turbulent normal stress. Static
Pressure is the thermodynamic pressure, in most cases
this is the same as Pressure.
CFX solves for the relative Static Pressure
(thermodynamic pressure) p
stat
in the ow eld, and is
related to Absolute Pressure = + p p p
abs stat ref
.
3 [kgm^-1s^-2] pstat Static Pressure
The total pressure, p
tot
, is dened as the pressure that
would exist at a point if the uid was brought
2
A, C, M,
P, R, TS
[kgm^-1s^-2] ptot Total Pressure
instantaneously to rest such that the dynamic energy of
the ow converted to pressure without losses. The
following three sections describe how total pressure is
computed for a pure component material with constant
density, ideal gas equation of state and a general equation
of state (CEL expression or RGP table). For details, see
Scalable Wall Functions in the ANSYS CFX
documentation.
For details, see Scalable Wall Functions in the ANSYS
CFX documentation.
3,B Pa wall shear Wall Shear
Volume of nite volume. For details, see Discretization
of the Governing Equations in the ANSYS CFX
documentation.
3
C, DT, R,
TS
Volume of Finite
Volume
Cartesian coordinate components. 2 [m] x X coordinate
C
2 [m] y Y coordinate
C
2 [m] z Z coordinate
C
Kinematic diffusivity describes how rapidly a scalar
quantity would move through the uid in the absence of
2
C, M, P, R,
TS
visckin Kinematic
Diffusivity
convection. For convection-dominated ows, the
kinematic diffusivity can have little effect because
convection processes dominate over diffusion processes.
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name
For details see Non-Newtonian Flow in the ANSYS CFX
documentation.
2
A, C, M,
R, TS
[s^-1] sstrnr Shear Strain Rate
For details, see Specic Heat Capacity in the ANSYS
CFX documentation.
2
A, C, M,
R, TS
[m^2
s^-2
K^-1]
Cp Specic Heat
Capacity at
Constant Pressure
2 [m^2
s^-2
K^-1]
Cv Specic Heat
Capacity at
Constant Volume
A, C, M,
P, R, TS
Thermal conductivity, , is the property of a uid that
characterizes its ability to transfer heat by conduction.
2
A, C, M,
R, TS
[kg m
s^-3
K^-1]
cond Thermal
Conductivity
For details, see Thermal Conductivity in the ANSYS CFX
documentation.
The static temperature, T
stat
, is the thermodynamic
temperature, and depends on the internal energy of the
1
A, C, DT,
M, P, R,
TS
[K] T Temperature
uid. In CFX, depending on the heat transfer model you
select, the ow solver calculates either total or static
enthalpy (corresponding to the total or thermal energy
equations).
The total temperature is derived from the concept of total
enthalpy and is computed exactly the same way as static
1
A, C, M,
P, R, TS
[K] Ttot Total Temperature
temperature, except that total enthalpy is used in the
property relationships.
A heat ux is specied across the wall boundary. A
positive value indicates heat ux into the domain. For
2,B
C, DT, R,
TS
[W m^-2] Qwall Wall Heat Flux
multiphase cases, when the bulk heat ux into both phases
is set, this option is labeled Wall Heat Flux instead of Heat
Flux. When set on a per uid basis, this option is labelled
Heat Flux.
For details, see Wall Heat Transfer in the ANSYS CFX
documentation.
2,B
C, R, TS
[W m^-2
K^-1]
htc Wall Heat Transfer
Coefcient
h
tot
For details, see Transport Equations in the ANSYS CFX
documentation.
A, C, M,
R, TS
[m^2
s^-2]
htot Total Enthalpy
For details, see Static Enthalpy in the ANSYS CFX
documentation.
2
A, C, M,
P, R, TS
[m^2
s^-2]
enthalpy Static Enthalpy
a
When a rotating frame of reference is used, all variables in the CFX-5 results le are relative to the rotating frame, unless specied as a Stn
Frame variable.
Variables Relevant for Turbulent Flows
working with turbulent ows. For an explanation of the column headings, see List of Field Variables (p. 46).
49
A B in the Type column indicates that the variable contains only non-zero values on the boundary of the model.
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name
Controls blending between RANS and LES regimes for
the DES model
2
C, M, R, TS
[ ] desbf Blending
Function for DES
model
For details, see The k-epsilon Model in CFX in the
ANSYS CFX documentation.
1
A, C, M, P,
R, TS
[m^2
s^-2]
ke Turbulence
Kinetic Energy
The rate at which the velocity uctuations dissipate. For
details, see The k-epsilon Model in CFX in the ANSYS
CFX documentation.
1
A, C, M, P,
R, TS
[m^2
s^-3]
ed Turbulence Eddy
Dissipation
1 [s^-1] tef Turbulent Eddy
Frequency
A, C, M, P,
R, TS
The eddy viscosity model proposes that turbulence
consists of small eddies that are continuously forming
2
A, C, M, P,
R, TS
[kg m^-1
s-1]
eddy viscosity Eddy Viscosity
and dissipating, and in which the Reynolds stresses are
assumed to be proportional to mean velocity gradients.
For details, see Eddy Viscosity Turbulence Models in the
This is a tensor quantity with six components. For details,
see Statistical Reynolds Stresses and Reynolds Stress
Turbulence Models in the ANSYS CFX documentation.
2
A, C, M, P,
R, TS
[m^2
s^-2]
rs Reynolds Stress
In LES runs, Reynolds Stress components are
automatically generated using running statistics of the
3
M, R
[m^2
s^-2]
rsstat uu Statistical
Reynolds Stress
uu instantaneous, transient velocity eld. For details, see
Statistical Reynolds Stresses in the ANSYS CFX
documentation.
3
M, R
[m^2
s^-2]
rsstat vv Statistical
Reynolds Stress
vv
3 [m^2
s^-2]
rsstat ww Statistical
Reynolds Stress
ww
M, R
3 [m^2
s^-2]
rsstat uv Statistical
Reynolds Stress
uv
M, R
3 [m^2
s^-2]
rsstat uw Statistical
Reynolds Stress
uw
M, R
3 [m^2
s^-2]
rsstat vw Statistical
Reynolds Stress
vw
M, R
For details, see Statistical Reynolds Stresses in the
3
C, M, R
[m^2
s^-2]
uu Velocity
Correlation uu
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name
3 [m^2
s^-2]
vv Velocity
Correlation vv
C, M, R
3 [m^2
s^-2]
ww Velocity
Correlation ww
C, M, R
3 [m^2
s^-2]
uv Velocity
Correlation uv
C, M, R
3 [m^2
s^-2]
uw Velocity
Correlation uw
C, M, R
3 [m^2
s^-2]
vw Velocity
Correlation vw
C, M, R
A variable based on the distance from the wall to the rst
node and the wall shear stress. For details, see Solver
Yplus and Yplus in the ANSYS CFX documentation.
2,B
C, R, TS
[ ] yplusstd Yplus
A deprecated internal variable. For details, see Solver
Yplus and Yplus in the ANSYS CFX documentation.
2,B
C, R, TS
[ ] yplus Solver Yplus
Variables Relevant for Buoyant Flow
working with buoyant ows. For an explanation of the column headings, see List of Field Variables (p. 46).
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name
For details, see Basic Capabilities Modeling >
Physical Models > Buoyancy in the ANSYS CFX
Solver Modeling Guide.
2
C
[K^ -1] beta Thermal
Expansivity
Variables Relevant for Compressible Flow
working with compressible ows.
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name

T
p
1
2
C, M, R
[K^-1] compisoP Isobaric
Compressibility

p
T
1
2
C, M, R
[m s^2
kg^-1 ]
compisoT Isothermal
Compressibility
51
Variables Relevant for Buoyant Flow
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name
For details, see List of Symbols in the CFX
documentation.
1
A, C, M, R, TS
[ ] Mach Mach Number
The variable takes a value of 0 away from a shock
and a value of 1 in the vicinity of a shock.
2
A, C, M, R, TS
[ ] shock
indicator
Shock Indicator

p
s
1
2
C, M, R
[m s^2
kg^-1]
compisoS Isentropic
Compressibility
Variables Relevant for Particle Tracking
working with compressible ows.
Denition User Level Units Short
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name
User-specied latent heat for phase pairs involving a particle
phase.
2
C, R, M
[ ] lheat Latent Heat
Momentum source from particle phase to continuous phase. 2 [ ] ptmomsrc Particle
Momentum
Source
A, C, M, P,
R
Diameter of a particle phase. 3 [ ] particle
diameter
Particle Diameter
A, C, M, R
Variables Relevant for Calculations with a Rotating Frame of
Reference
working with a rotating frame of reference. For an explanation of the column headings, see List of Field
Variables (p. 46).
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name
The velocity in the rotating frame of reference is
dened as:
2
A, C, M, P,
R, TS
[kg m^-1 s^-2] ptotstn Total Pressure in
Stn Frame
= U U R
rel stn
2 [K] Ttotstn Total
Temperature in
Stn Frame
where is the angular velocity, R is the local radius
vector, and U
stn
is velocity in the stationary frame
of reference.
A, C, DT,
M, P, R, TS
2 [kg m^2 s^-2] htotstn Total Enthalpy in
Stn Frame
For details, see Rotating Frame Quantities in the
CFX documentation.
A, C, M, R,
TS
Variables Relevant for Particle Tracking
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name
1 [ ] Machstn Mach Number in
Stn Frame
A, C, M, R,
TS
1 [m s^-1] velstn Velocity in Stn
Frame
A, C, M, R,
TS
Variables Relevant for Parallel Calculations
working with parallel calculations. For an explanation of the column headings, see List of Field Variables (p. 46).
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name
The partition that the node was in for the parallel run. 2 [ ] Real Partition
Number
C, M, R
Variables Relevant for Multicomponent Calculations
working with multicomponent calculations. For an explanation of the column headings, see List of Field
Variables (p. 46).
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name
The fraction of a component in a multicomponent uid
by mass.
1
A, C, M, P,
R, TS
[ ] mf Mass Fraction
The concentration of a component. 2 [kg m^-3] mconc Mass
Concentration
A, C, M, P,
R, TS
Variables Relevant for Multiphase Calculations
working with multiphase calculations. For an explanation of the column headings, see List of Field Variables (p. 46).
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name
Interface area per unit volume for Eulerian multiphase
uid pairs.
3
C
[m^-1] area density Interfacial Area
Density
Interface mass transfer rate for Eulerian multiphase uid
pairs.
3
C
[ ] ipmt rate Interphase Mass
Transfer Rate
53
Variables Relevant for Parallel Calculations
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name
For details, see Volume Fraction in the ANSYS CFX
documentation.
1
A, C, M, P,
R, TS
[ ] vf Volume Fraction
For details, see Volume Fraction in the ANSYS CFX
documentation.
2
A, C, M, R,
TS
[ ] vfc Conservative
Volume Fraction
Velocity of an algebraic slip component relative to the
mixture.
2
C, M, R, TS
[ ] drift velocity Drift Velocity
Reynolds number for Eulerian multiphase uid pairs. 3 [ ] slip Re Slip Reynolds
Number
C
Velocity of an algebraic slip component relative to the
continuous component.
1
C, M, R, TS
[ ] slipvel Slip Velocity
Surface tension coefcient between uids in a uid pair. 2 [N m^-1] surface tension
coefcient
Surface Tension
Coefcient
C
Similar to area density, but values are not clipped to be
non-zero.
3
C
[m^-1] unclipped area
density
Unclipped
Interfacial Area
Density
The Fluid.Volume Fraction multiplied by the
Fluid.Velocity.
1
A, C, M, R,
TS
[m s^-1] volx Supercial
Velocity
Variables Relevant for Radiation Calculations
working with radiation calculations. For an explanation of the column headings, see List of Field Variables (p. 46).
A B in the Type column indicates that the variable contains only non-zero values on the boundary of the model.
Variable
Name
Long Variable
Name
Wall Radiative Heat Flux represents the net radiative
energy ux leaving the boundary. It is computed as the
2,B
DT, R, TS
[W m^-2] Qrad Wall Radiative
Heat Flux
difference between the radiative emission and the
incoming radiative ux (Wall Irradiation Flux).
Wall Heat Flux is sum of the Wall Radiative Heat Flux
and the Wall Convective Heat Flux. For an adiabatic
wall, the sum should be zero.
2,B
C, DT, R,
TS
[W m^-2] Qwall Wall Heat Flux
Wall Irradiation Flux represents the incoming radiative
ux. It is computed as the solid angle integral of the
2,B
C, DT, R,
TS
[W m^-2] irrad Wall Irradiation
Flux
incoming Radiative Intensity over a hemisphere on the
boundary. For simulations using the multiband model,
the Wall Irradiation Flux for each spectral band is also
available for post-processing.
Variables Relevant for Radiation Calculations
Variables for Total Enthalpies, Temperatures, and Pressures
The following table lists the names of the various total enthalpies, temperatures, and pressures when visualizing
results in CFD-Post or for use in CEL expressions. For an explanation of the column headings, see List of Field
Variables (p. 46).
Denition Availability Units Short Variable
Name
Long Variable Name
h
tot
For details, see Transport Equations in
the ANSYS CFX documentation.
A, C, M, R, TS [m^2 s^-2] htot Total Enthalpy
I
A, C, M, R, TS [m^2 s^-2] rothalpy Rothalpy
h
tot,stn
A, C, M, R, TS [m^2 s^-2] htotstn Total Enthalpy in Stn
Frame
T
tot,rel
A, C, DT, M,
P, R, TS
[K] Ttotrel Total Temperature in
Rel Frame
T
tot
A, C, DT, M,
P, R, TS
[K] Ttot Total Temperature
T
tot,stn
A, C, DT, M,
P, R, TS
[K] Ttotstn Total Temperature in
Stn Frame
P
tot,rel
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
[kg m^-1 s^-2] ptotrel Total Pressure in Rel
Frame
P
tot
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
[kg m^-1 s^-2] ptot Total Pressure
P
tot,stn
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
[kg m^-1 s^-2] ptotstn Total Pressure in Stn
Frame
Variables and Predefined Expressions Available in CEL
Expressions
The following is a table of the more common variables and predened expressions that are available for use with
CEL when dening expressions. To view a complete list, open the Expressions workspace. For an explanation of
the column headings, see List of Field Variables (p. 46).
Many variables and expressions have a long and a short form (for example, Pressure or p).
Additional Variables and expressions are available in CFD-Post. For details, see CFX Expression Language (CEL)
in CFD-Post (p. 259).
55
Variables for Total Enthalpies, Temperatures, and Pressures
Table 5.1. Common CEL Single-Value Variables and Predened Expressions
Name
Long Variable
Name
These single-value variables enable access to
timestep, timestep interval, and iteration
number in CEL expressions. They may be
useful in setting parameters such as the
Physical Timescale via CEL expressions. For
details, see Timestep, Timestep Interval, and
Iteration Number Variables (p. 62).
2
C
[ ] acplgstep Accumulated
Coupling Step
2
C
[ ] aitern Accumulated
Iteration Number
2
C
[ ] atstep Accumulated
Time Step
2
C
[ ] citern Current Iteration
Number
2
C
[ ] cstagger Current Stagger
Iteration
2
C
[ ] ctstep Current Time
Step
2
C
[ ] sstep Sequence Step
2
C
[s] dtstep Time Step Size
2
C
[s] t Time
Note
Variables with names shown in bold text in the tables that follow are not output to CFD-Post. However,
some of these variables can be output to CFD-Post by selecting them from the Extra Output Variables
List on the Results tab of the Solver > Output Control details view in CFX-Pre.
Variables and Predened Expressions Available in CEL Expressions
Table 5.2. Common CEL Field Variables and Predened Expressions
Name
Long Variable
Name
Axial spatial location measured along the
locally-dened axis from the origin of the
2
C
[m] aaxis Axial Distance
latter. When the locally-dened axis happens
to be the z-axis, z and aaxis are identical.
1 [m^-1] absorp Absorption
Coefcient
C, M, R, TS
2 [m] bnd distance Boundary
Distance
A, C, M, R, TS
3 [m^-2] bnd scale Boundary Scale
C, M, R, TS
3 [ ] af Contact Area
Fraction
M
Additional Variable name [AV name] [AV name]
2 [K^-1] beta Thermal
Expansivity
C
3 [kg m^-3] deneff Effective
Density
A, C, M, R, TS
2 [kg m^-3] density Density
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
1 [m^2 s^-3] ed Turbulence Eddy
Dissipation
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
1 [kg m^-1 s^-1] eddy viscosity Eddy Viscosity
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
1 [ ] emis Emissivity
C
1 [m^-1] extinct Extinction
Coefcient
C
1 [m^2 s^-2] ke Turbulence
Kinetic Energy
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
1 [ ] Mach Mach Number
A, C, M, R, TS
Mach Number in Stationary Frame 1 [ ] Machstn Mach Number in
Stn Frame
A, C, M, R, TS
57
Name
Long Variable
Name
Mass concentration of a component 2
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
[m^-3 kg] mconc Mass
Concentration
1
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
[ ] mf Mass Fraction
2
A, C, M, R, TS
[ ] mfc Conservative
Mass Fraction
3
C, P
[m] mean particle
diameter
Mean Particle
Diameter
The displacement relative to the previous
mesh
3
C, M, R, TS
[m] meshdisp Mesh
Displacement
Ratio of largest to smallest sector volumes
for each control volume.
2
C, M, R, TS
[ ] mesh exp fact Mesh Expansion
Factor
Simulation time at which the mesh was last
re-initialised (most often due to interpolation
that occurs as part of remeshing)
2
C
[s] meshinittime Mesh
Initialisation
Time
Mixture Fraction Mean 1
A, C, M, R, TS
[ ] mixfrc Mixture Fraction
3
M
[m] mixture length
scale
Mixture Model
Length Scale
1
A, C, M, R, TS
[ ] mixvar Mixture Fraction
Variance
2
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
[m^-3 mol] molconc Molar
Concentration
2
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
[ ] molf Molar Fraction
3
C, P
[kg mol^-1] mw Molar Mass
A measure of the average mesh orthogonality
angle
2
C, M, R, TS
[rad] orthangle Orthogonality
Angle
A measure of the worst mesh orthogonality
angle
2
C, M, R, TS
[rad] orthanglemin Orthogonality
Angle Minimum
A non-dimensional measure of the average
mesh orthogonality
2
C, M, R, TS
orthfact Orthogonality
Factor
Name
Long Variable
Name
A measure of the worst mesh orthogonality
angle
2
C, M, R, TS
orthfactmin Orthogonality
Factor Minimum
1
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
[kg m^-1 s^-2] p Pressure
2
A, C, M, R, TS
[kg m^-1 s^-2] pabs Absolute
Pressure
The Reference Pressure is the absolute
pressure datum from which all other pressure
values are taken. All relative pressure
specications in CFX are relative to the
Reference Pressure. For details, see
Setting a Reference Pressure in the ANSYS
CFX documentation.
2
C
[kg m^-1 s^-2] pref Reference
Pressure
Radial spatial location. = + r x y
2 2
. For
details, see CEL Variables r and theta (p. 61).
2
C
[m] r Distance from
local z axis
Radial spatial location measured normal to
the locally-dened axis. When the
locally-dened axis happens to be the z-axis,
r and raxis are identical.
2
C
[m] raxis Radius
1
RA
[kg s^-3] rademis Radiative
Emission
1
C, DT, M, R,
TS
[kg s^-3] radinc Incident
Radiation
Radiative Emission. This is written to the
results le for Monte Carlo simulations as
Radiation Intensity.Normalized
Std Deviation.
1
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
[kg s^-3] radint Radiation
Intensity
1
C, R, TS
[ ] refrac Refractive Index
Non-dimensional radius (only available when
a rotating domain exists). For details, see CEL
Variable rNoDim (p. 62).
2
C
[ ] rNoDim Non
dimensional
radius
The six Reynolds Stress components 2
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
[m^2 s^-2] rs uu, rs vv,
rs ww, rs uv,
rs uw, rs vw
Reynolds Stress
The six Statistical Reynolds Stress
components
3
M, R
[m^2 s^-2] rsstat uu,
rsstat vv,
rsstat ww,
rsstat uv,
rsstat uw,
rsstat vw
Statistical
Reynolds Stress
59
Name
Long Variable
Name
1
C, M, R, TS
[m^-1] scatter Scattering
Coefcient
1
A, C, M, R, TS
[ ] sootmf Soot Mass
Fraction
1
A, C, M, R, TS
[m^-3] sootncl Soot Nuclei
Specic
Concentration
3
A, C, M, R, TS
[m^3 kg^-1] specvol Specic Volume
2
C, M, R, TS
[m s^-1] speedofsound Local Speed of
Sound
Subdomain variable (1.0 in subdomain, 0.0
elsewhere). For details, see CEL Variable
"subdomain" and CEL Function
"inside" (p. 62).
2
C
[ ] subdomain Subdomain
inside variable (1.0 in subdomain, 0.0
elsewhere). For details, see CEL Variable
"subdomain" and CEL Function
"inside" (p. 62).
inside()
@<Locations>
inside()
@<Locations>
taxis is the angular spatial location measured
around the locally-dened axis, when the
latter is dened by the Coordinate Axis
option. When the locally dened axis is the
z(/x/y)-axis, taxis is measured from the
x(/y/z)-axis, positive direction as per
right-hand rule.
2
C
[rad] taxis Theta
1
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
[s^-1] tef Turbulence Eddy
Frequency
Angle, arctan(y/x). For details, see CEL
Variables r and theta (p. 61).
2
C
[rad] theta Angle around
local z axis
The total displacement relative to the initial
mesh
1
C, DT, M, R,
TS
[m] meshdisptot Total Mesh
Displacement
Velocity in the x, y, and z coordinate
directions
1
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
[m s^-1] u
v
w
Velocity u
Velocity v
Velocity w
Velocity in Stationary Frame in the x, y, and
z coordinate directions
1
A, C, M, R, TS
[m s^-1] velstn u
velstn v
velstn w
Velocity in Stn
Frame u
Velocity in Stn
Frame v
Velocity in Stn
Frame w
Name
Long Variable
Name
1
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
[ ] vf Volume Fraction
The variable <fluid>.Conservative
Volume Fraction should not usually be
used for post-processing.
2
A, C, M, R, TS
[ ] vfc Conservative
Volume Fraction
2
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
[m^2 s^-1] visckin Kinematic
Viscosity
2
A, C, M, P, R,
TS
[m] wall distance Wall Distance
3
M, R, TS
[m^2] wall scale Wall Scale
System Variable Prefixes
In order to distinguish system variables of the different components and uids in your CFX model, prexes are
used. For example, if carbon dioxide is a material used in the uid air, then some of the system variables that you
might expect to see are:
air.density - the density of air
air.viscosity - the viscosity of air
air.carbondioxide.mf - the mass fraction of carbon dioxide in air.
In a single phase simulation the uid prex may be omitted. For multiphase cases a uid prex indicates a specic
uid; omitting the prex indicates a bulk or uid independent variable, such as pressure.
CEL Variables r and theta
r is dened as the normal distance from the third axis with respect to the reference coordinate frame. theta is
dened as the angular rotation about the third axis with respect to the reference coordinate frame.
The variables Radius and theta are available only when the rotational axis has been dened. The rotational axis
can either be dened in the results le or in CFD-Post through the Initialization panel in the Turbo workspace.
Note
theta is expressed in radians and will have values between and .
r and theta are particularly useful for describing radial distributions, for instance the velocity prole at the inlet
to a pipe.
61
Figure 5.1. r and theta with Respect to the Reference Coordinate Frame
CEL Variable rNoDim
rNoDim is a dimensionless system variable that can be useful for rotating machinery applications. It is a ratio of
radii, dened to be zero at the minimum radius and unity at the maximum radius, so that in general:
=

rNoDim
R R
R R
min
max min
where R is the radius of any point in the domain from the axis of rotation. rNoDim is only available for domains
dened with a rotating frame of reference.
CEL Variable "subdomain" and CEL Function "inside"
subdomain is essentially a step function variable, dened to be unity within a subdomain and zero elsewhere.
This is useful for describing different initial values or uid properties in different regions of the domain. It works
in all subdomains but cannot be applied to specic subdomains (for example, an expression for temperature in a
subdomain could be 373*subdomain [K]).
The inside CEL function can be used in a similar way to the subdomain variable, but allows a specic 2D or
3D location to be given. For example, 273 [K] * inside()@Subdomain 1 has a value of 273 [K] at points
in Subdomain 1 and 0 [K] elsewhere. Furthermore, the location can be any 2D or 3D named sub-region of the
physical location on which the expression is evaluated. The location can also be an immersed solid domain.
Timestep, Timestep Interval, and Iteration Number Variables
These variables allow access to timestep, timestep interval, and iteration number in CEL expressions. They may be
useful in setting parameters such as the Physical Timescale via CEL expressions.
In CFD-Post, sstep is the 'global' sequence time step. It is equivalent to the Step value in the Timestep Selector
(p. 201) in ANSYS CFD-Post Standalone: User's Guide.
Steady-State Runs
In steady-state runs, only aitern (or, equivalently atstep) and citern (or, equivalently ctstep) are of use.
citern gives the outer iteration number of the current run. The outer iteration number begins at 1 for each run,
irrespective of whether it is a restarted run. aitern gives the accumulated outer iteration number, which accumulates
across a restarted run.
Transient Runs
In transient runs, atstep and ctstep are used for the accumulated and current timestep numbers of the outer
timestep loop. citern gives the current coefcient loop number within the current timestep. Thus, citern will
cycle between 1 and n for each timestep during a transient run, where n is the number of coefcient loops. aitern
is equivalent to citern for transient runs.
ANSYS Multi-field Runs
For ANSYS Multi-eld runs, cstagger and acplgstep are also available. cstagger gives the current stagger
iteration, which will cycle between 1 and n for each coupling step of the run. acplgstep gives the accumulated
coupling step. This gives the multi-eld timestep number or "coupling step" number for the run, and accumulates
across a restarted run. For transient ANSYS Multi-eld runs where the CFX timestep is the same as the multi-eld
timestep, acplgstep is equivalent to atstep.
Expression Names
Your CEL expression name can be any name that does not conict with the name of a CFX system variable,
mathematical function, or an existing CEL expression. The RULES and VARIABLES les provide information on
valid options, variables, and dependencies. Both les are located in <CFXROOT>/etc/ and can be viewed in any
text editor.
Scalar Expressions
A scalar expression is a real valued expression using predened variables, user variables, and literal constants (for
example, 1.0). Note that literal constants have to be of the same dimension. Scalar expressions can include the
operators + - * / and ^ and several of the mathematical functions found in standard Fortran (for example, sin() and
exp()).
An expression's value is a real value and has specied dimensions (except where it is dimensionless - but this is
also a valid dimension setting).
For example, if t is time and L is a length then the result of L/t has the same dimensions as speed.
The + and - operators are only valid between expressions with the same dimensions and result in an expression of
those dimensions.
The * and / operators combine the dimensions of their operands in the usual fashion. X^I, where I is an integer,
results in an expression whose dimensions are those of X to the power I. The trigonometric functions all work in
terms of an angle in radians and a dimensionless ratio.
Expression Properties
There are three properties of expressions:
An expression is a simple expression if the only operations are +, -, *, / and there are no functions used in the
expression.
An expression is a constant expression if all the numbers in the expression are explicit (that is, they do not
depend on values from the solver).
An expression is an integer expression if all the numbers in the expression are integers and the result of each
function or operation is an integer.
For example (3+5)/2 is a simple, constant, integer expression. However, 2*(1/2) is not a constant integer expression,
since the result of 1/2 is 0.5, not an integer. Also 3.*4 is not a constant integer expression, since 3. is not an integer.
Moreover 2^3 is not a simple, constant, integer expression, since ^ is not in the list (+, -, *, /).
Expressions are evaluated at runtime and in single precision oating point arithmetic.
Available and Unavailable Variables
CFX System Variables and user-dened expressions will be available or unavailable depending on the simulation
you are performing and the expressions you want to create. In some circumstances, System Variables are logically
unavailable; for instance, time (t) is not available for steady-state simulations. In others, the availability of a System
Variable is not allowed for physical model reasons. For example, density can be a function of pressure (p), temperature
(T) and location (x, y, z), but no other system variables.
Information on how to nd dependencies for all parameters is available in the RULES and VARIABLES les. Both
les are located in <CFXROOT>/etc/ and can be viewed in any text editor.
The expression denition can depend on any system variable. If, however, that expression depends on a system
variable that is unavailable for a particular context, then that expression will also be unavailable.
63
List of Particle Variables
This section describes the following types of particle variables that you may have dened in CFX-Pre or that are
available for viewing in CFD-Post and exporting to other les. Many variables are relevant only for specic physical
models.
Particle Track Variables (p. 64)
Particle Field Variables (p. 65)
Particle Boundary Vertex Variables (p. 68)
Some variables are dened only on the boundaries of the model. When using these variables in CFD-Post, there
are a limited number of useful things that you can do with these. For details, see Boundary-Value-Only Variables
(p. 72) in the ANSYS CFD-Post Standalone: User's Guide.
The following information is given for particle variables described in this section:
Long Variable Name: The name that you see in the user interface.
Short Variable Name: The name that must be used in CEL expressions.
Units: The default units for the variable. An empty entry [ ] indicates a dimensionless variable.
Note
The entries in the Units columns are SI but could as easily be any other system of units.
Type (User Level, Boundary)
User Level: This number is useful when using the CFX Export facility. For details, see File Export Utility in
the ANSYS CFX documentation. Note that the CFX-Solver may sometimes override the user-level setting
depending on the physics of the problem. In these cases, the User Level may be different from that shown in
the table below.
Boundary (B): A B in this column indicates that the variable contains only non-zero values on the boundary
of the model. See Boundary-Value-Only Variables (p. 72) for more details.
This section does not cover the complete list of variables. For information on obtaining details on all variables, see
RULES and VARIABLES Files in the ANSYS CFX documentation.
Note
Variables with names shown in bold text are not output to CFD-Post. However, some of these variables
can be output to CFD-Post by selecting them from the Extra Output Variables List on the Results tab
of the Solver > Output Control details view of CFX-Pre.
Particle Track Variables
Particle track variables are particle variables that are dened directly on each track. These variables are dened on
the particle positions for which track information is written to the results le. Direct access to the particle track
variables outside of CFD-Post is only possible if the raw track le is kept after a particle run.
Particle track variables can only be used in two ways: to color particle tracks in CFD-Post, and to be used as input
to Particle User Fortran. Particle track variables can be exported from CFD-Post along the particle tracks.
Note
Particle track variables are not available for use in CEL expressions and general User Fortran, and they
also cannot be monitored during a simulation.
For Particle User Fortran, additional track variables can be specied in the argument list for the user routine, which
are not available in CFD-Post:
Availability Units Short Variable Name Long Variable Name
2 [ ] pteo Particle Eotvos Number
List of Particle Variables
PR
2 [ ] ptmo Particle Morton Number
PR
2 [ ] ptnu Particle Nusselt Number
PR
2 [ ] pton Particle Ohnesorge Number
PR
2 [ ] ptre Particle Reynolds Number
PR
2 [ ] ptwe
Particle Weber Number
a
PR
2 [m s^-1] ptslipvel Particle Slip Velocity
PR
2 [m] ptpos Particle Position
PR
3 [radian] particle impact angle
Particle Impact Angle
b
PR
a
Note: Weber number is based on particle density and particle slip velocity.
b
Note: The impact angle is measured from the wall.
Particle Field Variables
Particle eld variables are particle variables that are dened at the vertices of the uid calculation. In contrast to
track variables, these variables can be used in the same way as standard Eulerian variables. This means that particle
eld variables are available for use in CEL expressions and User Fortran, they can be monitored during a simulation,
and are available for general post-processing in CFD-Post. Additionally, particle eld variables can be used in the
same way as particle track variables as input to particle User Fortran and for coloring tracks. When used for coloring
tracks, the eld variables have to be interpolated onto the tracks, and so this operation will be slower than coloring
with a track variable.
The following particle variables are available as eld variables:
Particle Sources into the Coupled Fluid Phase
For fully-coupled particle simulations involving energy, momentum and mass transfer to the uid phase, the following
variables are written to the results le:
2 [W m^-3] ptenysrc Particle Energy Source
A, C, M, P, R
2 [W m^-3 K^-1] ptenysrcc Particle Energy Source Coefcient
A, C, M, P, R
2 [kg m^-2 s^-2] ptmomsrc Particle Momentum Source
A, C, M, P, R
2 [kg m^-3 s^-1] ptmomsrcc Particle Momentum Source Coefcient
65
A, C, M, P, R
2 [kg s^-1 m^-3] ptmassrctot Total Particle Mass Source
A, C, M, P, R
2 [kg s^-1 m^-3] ptmassrcctot Total Particle Mass Source Coefcient
A, C, M, P, R
For multi-component mass transfer, the following Additional Variables are available
a
:
2 [kg s^-1 m^-3] ptmassrc Particle Mass Source
A, C, M, P, R
2 [kg s^-1 m^-3] ptmassrcc Particle Mass Source Coefcient
A, C, M, P, R
a
The variables for multi-component take the following form: <Particle Type>.<Particle Component>.<Variable Name>
Particle source terms are accumulated along the path of a particle through a control volume and stored at the
corresponding vertex. A smoothing procedure can be applied to the particle source terms, which may help with
convergence or grid independence. For details, see Particle Source Smoothing in the CFX documentation.
Particle Radiation Variables
2 [W m^-3] ptremiss Particle Radiative Emission
A, C, M, P, R
2 [m^-1] ptabscoef Particle Absorption Coefcient
A, C, M, P, R
Particles can also interact with the radiation eld and either emit or absorb radiation.
Particle Vertex Variables
By default, particle vertex variables are not written to the results le, except for the Averaged Volume
Fraction. The other vertex variables can be written to the results le if they are selected from the Extra Output
Variables List in the Output Control section of CFX-Pre or if they are used in a monitor point, CEL expression
or in (Particle) User Fortran.
The following particle variables are available:
1 [m s^-1] averaged vel Averaged Velocity
A, C, M, P, PR,
R
1 [ ] vfpt Averaged Volume Fraction
A, C, M, P, PR,
R
1 [K] averaged temperature Averaged Temperature
A, C, M, P, PR,
R
1 [ ] averaged mf
Averaged Mass Fraction
a
A, C, M, P, PR,
R
2 [s] averaged pttime Averaged Particle Time
A, C, M, P, PR,
R
2 [m] averaged mean particle
diameter
Averaged Mean Particle Diameter (D43)
A, C, M, P, PR,
R
2 [m] averaged arithmetic
mean particle diameter
Averaged Arithmetic Mean Particle Diameter (D10)
A, C, M, P, PR,
R
2 [m] averaged surface mean
particle diameter
Averaged Surface Mean Particle Diameter (D20)
A, C, M, P, PR,
R
2 [m] averaged volume mean
particle diameter
Averaged Volume Mean Particle Diameter (D30)
A, C, M, P, PR,
R
2 [m] averaged sauter mean
particle diameter
Averaged Sauter Mean Particle Diameter (D32)
A, C, M, P, PR,
R
2 [m] averaged mass mean
particle diameter
Averaged Mass Mean Particle Diameter (D43)
A, C, M, P, PR,
R
2 [s^-1] averaged particle
number rate
Averaged Particle Number Rate
A, C, M, P, PR,
R
For simulations with the particle wall lm model activated, the following additional vertex variables are
available:
1 [ ] vfptw Averaged Volume Fraction Wall
A, C, M, P, PR,
R
1 [K] averaged lm
temperature
Averaged Film Temperature
A, C, M, P, PR,
R
a
This variable takes the following form: <Particle Type>.<Particle Component>.<Variable Name>
Variable Calculations
Particle vertex variables are calculated using the following averaging procedure:
(Eq. 5.1)
=

P
t m N
t m N
(

)
(

)
P P P
P P
With:
67
: Sum over all particles and time steps in a control volume
t: Particle integration time step
N
P
: Particle number rate
m
P
: Particle mass
: Particle quantity
Slightly different averaging procedures apply to particle temperature and particle mass fractions:
Averaged Particle Temperature
(Eq. 5.2)
=

P
t m N c T
t m N c
( )
( )
P P P P
P
P P P P
,
,
With:
Averaged Mass Fraction
c
P P ,
: Particle specic heat capacity
T
P
: Particle temperature
(Eq. 5.3)
=

P
t m N
t m N
( )
(

)
c P P
P P
,
With:
m
c P ,
: Mass of species c in the particle
Due to the discrete nature of particles, vertex variables may show an unsmooth spatial distribution, which may lead
to robustness problems. To reduce possible problems a smoothing option is available. For details, see Vertex Variable
Smoothing in the CFX documentation.
Particle Boundary Vertex Variables
Particle-boundary vertex variables are particle variables that are dened on the vertices of domain boundaries. They
are normalized with the face area of the corresponding boundary control volume.
You can use these variables to color boundaries and to compute average or integrated values of the corresponding
particle quantities.
You cannot use these variables in CEL expressions or User Fortran, and you cannot monitor them during a simulation.
Availability Units Long Variable Name
Available at inlet, outlet, openings and interfaces:
2 [kg m^-2 s^-1] Mass Flow Density
B, R
2 [kg m^-1 s^-2] Momentum Flow Density
B, R
2 [kg s^-3] Energy Flow Density
B, R
Available at walls only:
2 [kg m^-1 s^-2] Wall Stress
B, R
2 [kg m^-2 s^-1] Wall Mass Flow Density
B, R
Availability Units Long Variable Name
2 [kg m^-2 s^-1] Erosion Rate Density
B, R
Available in transient runs:
2 [kg m^-2] Time Integrated Mass Flow Density
B, R
[kg m^-1 s^-1] Time Integrated Momentum Flow Density
2 [kg s^-2] Time Integrated Energy Flow Density
B, R
2 [kg m^-2] Time Integrated Wall Mass Flow Density
B, R
2 [kg m^-2] Time Integrated Erosion Rate Density
B, R
Particle RMS Variables
For some applications, it may be necessary to not only provide the mean values of particle quantities, but also their
standard deviation in the form of particle RMS variables. Similar to particle vertex variables, these variables are
also dened at the vertices of the uid calculation. Particle RMS variables are available for use in CEL expressions
and User Fortran; they can be monitored during a simulation, and are available for general post-processing in
CFD-Post. Additionally, particle RMS variables can be used in the same way as particle track variables as input to
particle User Fortran and for coloring tracks.
By default, particle RMS variables are not written to the results le; unless, they have been explicitly requested by
the user (selected from the Extra Output Variables List in the Output Control section of CFX-Pre, usage in a
CEL expression or in User Fortran) or if the stochastic particle collision model is used in a simulation.
The following particle variables are available as eld variables, particularly useful for simulations that use the
stochastic particle collision model:
1 [m s^-1] rms velocity RMS Velocity
A, C, M, P, PR, R
1 [K] rms temperature RMS Temperature
A, C, M, P, PR, R
3 [m] rms mean particle
diameter
RMS Mean Particle Diameter
A, C, M, P, PR, R
3 [s^-1] rms particle number
rate
RMS Particle Number Rate
A, C, M, P, PR, R
Variable Calculations
Particle RMS variables are calculated using the following procedure:
(Eq. 5.4)
= +
= = =

( )
rms
2
2
2
2
With:
69
: Instantaneous particle quantity
: Average particle quantity
: Fluctuating particle quantity

2
: Average of square of particle quantity

2
: Square of average of particle quantity
A smoothing option, as available for particle vertex variables, is available for particle RMS variables. For details,
see Vertex Variable Smoothing in the CFX documentation.
Miscellaneous Variables
Variable names in bold are not output to CFD-Post.
In the Availability column:
A number represents the user level (1 indicates that the variable appears in default lists, 2 and 3 indicate that
the variable appears in extended lists that you see when you click )
A indicates the variable is available for mesh adaption
C indicates the variable is available in CEL
DT indicates the variable is available for data transfer to ANSYS
M indicates the variable is available for monitoring
P indicates the variable is available for particle user routine argument lists
PR indicates the variable is available for particle results
R indicates the variable is available to be output to the results, transient results, and backup les
TS indicates the variable is available for transient statistics
Name
Long Variable Name
2 [ ] aspect ratio Aspect Ratio
C, M, R, TS
1 [ ] autoignition Autoignition
A, C, M, R, TS
Similar to wall
scale, this variable
3
C, M, R, TS
[ ] bnd scale Boundary Scale
is used for
controlling mesh
stiffness near
boundaries for
moving mesh
problems.
2 [K] burnt Tabs Burnt Absolute Temperature
A, C, M, R, TS
2 [kg m^-3] burnt density Burnt Density
A, C, M, R, TS
Negative absolute
values clipped for
cavitation
1
M, R, TS
[Pa] pclip Clipped Pressure
Name
Long Variable Name
2 [ ] sfc Conservative Size Fraction
A, C, M, R, TS
2 [ ] courant Courant Number
C, M, R, TS
2 [ ] csf Cumulative Size Fraction
A, C, M, R, TS
1 jcur Current Density
C, M, R, TS
2 diffdyn Dynamic Diffusivity
C, M, P, R, TS
1 elec Electric Field
C, M, R, TS
1 epot Electric Potential
C, M, R, TS
3 conelec Electrical Conductivity
C, M, R, TS
3 permelec Electrical Permittivity
C, M, R, TS
3 bfemag Electromagnetic Force Density
R
2 [ ] equivratio Equivalence Ratio
A, C, M, R, TS
External magnetic
induction eld
1
M, R, TS
[ ] bmagext External Magnetic Induction
specied by the
user.
3 [ ] sstbf1 First Blending Function for BSL
and SST model
C, M, R, TS
3 [ ] sstbf2 Second Blending Function for
SST model
C, M, R, TS
Combustion with
ame surface
density models.
1
A, C, M, R, TS
[m^-1] fsd Flame Surface Density
Combustion with
ame surface
density models.
2
A, C, M, R, TS
spfsd Specic Flame Surface Density
3 freq Frequency
C
71
Name
Long Variable Name
Residual material
model or exhaust
1
A, C, M, R, TS
[ ] trfuel Fuel Tracer
gas recirculation
(EGR)
1 [m^2 s^-2] grantemp Granular Temperature
A, C, M, R, TS
2 [ ] groupi Group I Index
C
2 [ ] groupj Group J Index
C
2 diami Group I Diameter
C
2 diamj Group J Diameter
C
2 massi Group I Mass
C
2 massj Group J Mass
C
2 massi lower Group I Lower Mass
C
2 massj lower Group J Lower Mass
C
2 massi upper Group I Upper Mass
C
2 massj upper Group J Upper Mass
C
2 [ ] ignfrc Ignition Delay Elapsed Fraction
A, C, M, R, TS
2 [s] tigndelay Ignition Delay Time
A, C, M, R, TS
3 [s] particle integration
timestep
Particle Integration Timestep
P
entry>

p
s
1
2
C, M, R
entry>
[m s^2 kg^-1]
compisoS Isentropic Compressibility
2 [ ] icompeff Isentropic Compression
Efciency
C, M, R, TS
Name
Long Variable Name
2 [ ] iexpeff Isentropic Expansion Efciency
C, M, R, TS
2 htotisen Isentropic Total Enthalpy
C, M, R, TS
2 enthisen Isentropic Static Enthalpy
C, M, R, TS

T
p
1
entry>
2
C, M, R
[K^-1] compisoP Isobaric Compressibility

p
T
1
2
C, M, R
[m s^2 kg^-1 ] compisoT Isothermal Compressibility
1 [ ] dynmc LES Dynamic Model Coefcient
A, C, M, P, R, TS
2 [m s^-1] velburnlam Laminar Burning Velocity
A, C, R, TS
2 lighthill stress
tensor
Lighthill Stress
A, C, M, R, TS
1 bmag Magnetic Induction
C, M, R, TS
2 hmag Magnetic Field
C, M, R, TS
1 bpot Magnetic Vector Potential
C, M, R, TS
3 permmag Magnetic Permeability
C, M, R, TS
1 bmagext External Magnetic Induction
C, M, R, TS
2 mfux Mass Flux
R
2 [m^2 s^-1] diffmesh Mesh Diffusivity
C, M, R, TS
Normal area vectors. 2 [ ] normarea Normal Area
C
3 forcetden Total Force Density
DT
73
Name
Long Variable Name
Based on relative
frame total enthalpy.
2
A, C, M, P, R, TS
ptotrel Total Pressure in Rel Frame
2 [m s^-1] velburnturb Turbulent Burning Velocity
A, C, R, TS
1 meshvel Mesh Velocity
C, M, R, TS
3 [s^-1] mixsclds Mixture Fraction Scalar
Dissipation Rate
A, C, M, R, TS
2 reacrate Molar Reaction Rate
C, R, TS
Nonclipped absolute
pressure for
3
A, C, M, R, TS
pabsnc Nonclipped Absolute Pressure
cavitation source.
This is written to the
.res le for all
cases that have
cavitation.
Nonclipped density
for cavitation source
2
C
[kg m^-3] densitync Nonclipped Density
2 [ ] normal Normal Vector
C
2 [ ] orthfactmin Orthogonality Factor
Minimum
C, M, R, TS
2 [ ] orthfact Orthogonality Factor
C, M, R, TS
2 orthanglemin Orthogonality Angle
Minimum
C, M, R, TS
2 orthangle Orthogonality Angle
C, M, R, TS
2 [ ] ptla Particle Laplace Number
P
3 [s^-1] particle number rate Particle Number Rate
P
3 [ ] particle number
density
Particle Number Density
A, C, M, R, TS
2 pttime Particle Time
A, C, M, P, PR, R, TS
2 ptdist Particle Traveling Distance
P
Name
Long Variable Name
2 [ ] ptstt Particle Turbulent Stokes
Number
P
2 [ ] pcompeff Polytropic Compression
Efciency
C, M, R, TS
2 [ ] pexpeff Polytropic Expansion Efciency
C, M, R, TS
2 htotpoly Polytropic Total Enthalpy
C, M, R, TS
2 enthpoly Polytropic Static Enthalpy
C, M, R, TS
For premixed or
partially premixed
combustion.
1
A, C, M, R, TS
[ ] reacprog Reaction Progress
For premixed or
partially premixed
combustion.
2
A, C, M, R, TS
[ ] wreacprog Weighted Reaction Progress
For premixed or
partially premixed
combustion.
3
A, C, R, TS
wreacprogsrc Weighted Reaction Progress
Source
Residual material
model or exhaust
1
A, C, M, R, TS
[ ] mfresid Residual Products Mass Fraction
gas recirculation
(EGR)
Residual material
model or exhaust
2
A, C, M, R, TS
[ ] molfresid Residual Products Molar
Fraction
gas recirculation
(EGR)
3 [ ] restitution
coefcient
Restitution Coefcient
C, M, R, TS
2 rotvel Rotation Velocity
C, R, TS
2 rotenergy Rotational Energy
C, R, TS
2 ustar Shear Velocity
C
1 [ ] sf Size Fraction
A, C, M, R, TS
3 [kg m^-1 s^-1] solid bulk viscosity Solid Bulk Viscosity
C, M, R, TS
3 [Pa] solid pressure Solid Pressure
75
Name
Long Variable Name
A, C, M, R, TS
3 [ ] solid pressure
gradient
Solid Pressure Gradient
C, M, R, TS
3 [kg m^-1 s^-1] solid shear
viscosity
Solid Shear Viscosity
C, M, R, TS
3 entropy Static Entropy
A, C, M, P, R, TS
1 Tvar Temperature Variance
A, C, M, R, TS
2 trun Time This Run
C
1 bnddisptot Total Boundary Displacement
C, DT, M, R, TS
2 [kg m^-3] dentot Total Density
A, C, M, R
2 [kg m^-3] dentotstn Total Density in Stn Frame
A, C, M, R
2 [kg m^-3] dentotrel Total Density in Rel Frame
A, C, M, R
3 forcet Total Force
DT
2 [K] unburnt Tabs Unburnt Absolute Temperature
A, C, M, R, TS
2 [kg m^-3] unburnt density Unburnt Density
A, C, M, R, TS
2 [W m^-1 K^-1] unburnt cond Unburnt Thermal Conductivity
A, C, M, R, TS
2 [J kg^-1 K^-1] unburnt Cp Unburnt Specic Heat Capacity
at Constant Pressure
A, C, M, R, TS
2 [ ] volpor Volume Porosity
C, M, R, TS
3 volcvol Volume of Finite Volumes
C, R, TS
Note that Vorticity
is the same as
Velocity.Curl.
2
A, C, M, R, TS
vorticity Vorticity
2 vortstn Vorticity in Stn Frame
Name
Long Variable Name
A, C, M, R, TS
2 htco Wall External Heat Transfer
Coefcient
R, TS
2 [K] tnw Wall Adjacent Temperature
C, DT, R, TS
2 [m] wall distance Wall Distance
A, C, M, P, R, TS
User-specied
external wall
2
DT, R, TS
[K] tnwo Wall External Temperature
temperature for heat
transfer coefcient
boundary
conditions.
2 [m] lm thickness Wall Film Thickness
C, R
2 htc Wall Heat Transfer Coefcient
C, R, TS
3 QwallFlow Wall Heat Flow
C, DT, R, TS
2 nwallvel Wall Normal Velocity
C, R, TS
3 wall scale Wall Scale
R, M, TS
3 wavelo Wavelength in Vacuum
C
3 waveno Wavenumber in Vacuum
C
2 [m^-3] spdropn Normalized Droplet Number
C, M, R, TS
1 spdrop Droplet Number
C, M, R, TS
1 dynamic bulk
viscosity
Dynamic Bulk Viscosity
A, C, M, R, TS
2 [ ] vft Total MUSIG Volume Fraction
A, C, M, R, TS
2 [ ] vfs Smoothed Volume Fraction
A, C, M, R, TS
77
Name
Long Variable Name
Temperature above
saturation
3
C
Tsuperheat Temperature Superheating
Temperature below
saturation
3
C
Tsubcool Temperature Subcooling
Chapter 6. ANSYS FLUENT Field Variables
Listed by Category
By default, CFD-Post does not modify the variable names in the ANSYS FLUENT le. If you want to use all of
the embedded CFD-Post macros and calculation options, you need to convert variable names to CFX types. You
can convert the variable names to CFX variable names by selecting the Translate variable names to CFX-Solver
style names check box in the Edit > Options > Files menu. Translation is carried out according to the tables that
follow, which list the ANSYS FLUENT eld variables and gives the equivalent ANSYS CFX variable, where one
exists.
The following restrictions apply to marked variables:
available only for 2D ows 2d
available only for 2D axisymmetric ows (with or without swirl) 2da
available only for 2D axisymmetric swirl ows 2dasw
available only for 3D ows 3d
available only for broadband noise source models bns
node values available at boundaries bnv
available only in the density-based solvers cpl
available only for cell values (Node Values option turned off) cv
available only when the DES turbulence model is used des
not available with full multicomponent diffusion dil
available only when the discrete ordinates radiation model is used do
available only for coupled discrete phase calculations dpm
available only when the discrete transfer radiation model is used dtrm
available only with the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings acoustics model fwh
available only for energy calculations e
available only with the EDC model for turbulence-chemistry interaction edc
available also when the Eulerian multiphase model is used emm
available only with the enhanced wall treatment ewt
available only if a granular phase is present gran
available only when the mixture contains water h2o
available only when the ideal gas law is enabled for density id
available only when one of the k-epsilon turbulence models is used ke
available only when one of the k-omega turbulence models is used kw
available only when the LES turbulence model is used les
available only when the melting and solidication model is used melt
available only when the multiphase mixture model is used mix
available only for multiphase models mp
available only for NOx calculations nox
not available in parallel solvers np
uses explicit node value function nv
available only in parallel solvers p
available only when the P-1 radiation model is used p1
79
available only for non-premixed combustion calculations pdf
available only for premixed combustion calculations pmx
available only for partially premixed combustion calculations ppmx
available only when the Rosseland radiation model is used r
available only for radiation heat transfer calculations rad
available only for nite-rate reactions rc
available only when the Reynolds stress turbulence model is used rsm
available only when the surface-to-surface radiation model is used s2s
available only when the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model is used sa
available only in the pressure-based solver seg
available only for species calculations sp
available only for surface reactions sr
available only when the solar model is used sol
available only for soot calculations soot
available only with data sampling for unsteady statistics stat
available only for stiff chemistry calculations stcm
available only for turbulent ows t
available only when a turbomachinery topology has been dened turbo
available only when a user-dened memory is used udm
available only when a user-dened scalar is used uds
available only for viscous ows v
Table 6.1. Pressure and Density Categories
CFX Variable ANSYS FLUENT Variable Category
Pressure Static Pressure (bnv) Pressure...
Pressure Coefcient Pressure Coefcient
Dynamic Pressure Dynamic Pressure
Absolute Pressure Absolute Pressure (bnv)
Total Pressure in Stn Frame Total Pressure (bnv)
Relative Total Pressure Relative Total Pressure
Density Density Density...
Density Density All
Table 6.2. Velocity Category
Velocity in Stn Frame Velocity Magnitude (bnv) Velocity...
Velocity in Stn Frame u X Velocity (bnv)
Velocity in Stn Frame v Y Velocity (bnv)
Velocity in Stn Frame w Z Velocity (3d, bnv)
Velocity Circumferential Swirl Velocity (2dasw, bnv)
Velocity Axial Axial Velocity (2da or 3d)
Velocity Radial Radial Velocity
Stream Function Stream Function (2d)
Velocity Circumferential Tangential Velocity
Mach Number in Stn Frame Mach Number (id)
Velocity Relative Velocity Magnitude (bnv)
Velocity u Relative X Velocity (bnv)
Velocity v Relative Y Velocity (bnv)
Velocity w Relative Z Velocity (3d, bnv)
Velocity Axial Relative Axial Velocity (2da)
Velocity Radial Relative Radial Velocity (2da)
Velocity Circumferential Relative Swirl Velocity (2dasw, bnv)
Velocity Circumferential Relative Tangential Velocity
Mach Number Relative Mach Number (id)
Mesh Velocity X Grid X-Velocity (nv)
Mesh Velocity Y Grid Y-Velocity (nv)
Mesh Velocity Z Grid Z-Velocity (3d, nv)
Velocity Angle Velocity Angle
Velocity Angle Relative Velocity Angle
Vorticity in Stn Frame Vorticity Magnitude (v)
Vorticity in Stn Frame X X-Vorticity (v, 3d)
Vorticity in Stn Frame Y Y-Vorticity (v, 3d)
Vorticity in Stn Frame Z Z-Vorticity (v, 3d)
Cell Reynolds Number Cell Reynolds Number (v)
Reference Velocity (Preconditioning) Preconditioning Reference Velocity (cpl)
81
Table 6.3. Temperature, Radiation, and Solidication/Melting Categories
Temperature Static Temperature (e, bnv, nv) Temperature...
Total Temperature in Stn Frame Total Temperature (e, nv)
Static Enthalpy Enthalpy (e, nv)
Total Temperature Relative Total Temperature (e)
Rothalpy Rothalpy (e, nv)
Fine Scale Temperature Fine Scale Temperature (edc, nv, e)
Wall Temperature Outer Surface Wall Temperature (Outer Surface) (e, v)
Wall Temperature Inner Surface Wall Temperature (Inner Surface) (e, v)
Inner Wall Temperature Inner Wall Temperature
Total Enthalpy in Stn Frame Total Enthalpy (e)
Total Enthalpy Deviation Total Enthalpy Deviation (e)
Static Entropy Entropy (e)
Total Energy in Stn Frame
a
Total Energy (e)
Internal Energy Internal Energy (e)
Absorption Coefcient Absorption Coefcient (r, p1, do, or dtrm) Radiation...
Scattering Coefcient Scattering Coefcient (r, p1, or do)
Refractive Index Refractive Index (do)
Radiation Temperature Radiation Temperature (p1 or do)
Incident Radiation Incident Radiation (p1 or do)
<Band n>.Incident Radiation Incident Radiation (Band n) (do (non-gray))
Surface Cluster ID Surface Cluster ID (s2s)
<component>.Mass Fraction Liquid Fraction (melt) Solidication/Melting
Contact Resistivity Contact Resistivity (melt)
Pull Velocity X
a
X Pull Velocity (melt (if calculated))
Pull Velocity Y
a
Y Pull Velocity (melt (if calculated))
Pull Velocity Z
a
Z Pull Velocity (melt (if calculated), 3d)
Pull Velocity Axial
a
Axial Pull Velocity (melt (if calculated), 2da)
Pull Velocity Radial
a
Radial Pull Velocity (melt (if calculated), 2da)
Pull Velocity Circumferential
a
Swirl Pull Velocity (melt (if calculated), 2dasw)
a
ANSYS CFD-Post naming convention
Table 6.4. Turbulence Category
Turbulent Kinetic Energy Turbulent Kinetic Energy (k) (ke, kw, or rsm;
bnv, nv, or emm)
Turbulence...
Reynolds Stress uu UU Reynolds Stress (rsm; emm)
Reynolds Stress vv VV Reynolds Stress (rsm; emm)
Reynolds Stress ww WW Reynolds Stress (rsm; emm)
Reynolds Stress uv UV Reynolds Stress (rsm; emm)
Reynolds Stress uw UW Reynolds Stress (rsm, 3d; emm)
Reynolds Stress vw VW Reynolds Stress (rsm, 3d; emm)
Turbulence Intensity Turbulence Intensity (ke, kw, or rsm)
Turbulence Eddy Dissipation Turbulent Dissipation Rate (Epsilon) (ke or
rsm; bnv, nv, or emm)
Turbulence Eddy Frequency Specic Dissipation Rate (Omega) (kw)
Turbulence Kinetic Energy Production
a
Production of k (ke, kw, or rsm; emm)
Eddy Viscosity (modied) Modied Turbulent Viscosity (sa)
Eddy Viscosity Turbulent Viscosity (sa, ke, kw, rsm, or des)
Effective Viscosity Effective Viscosity (sa, ke, kw, rsm, or des;
emm)
Eddy Viscosity Ratio Turbulent Viscosity Ratio (ke, kw, rsm, sa, or
des; emm)
Kinetic Energy (subgrid) Subgrid Kinetic Energy (les)
Eddy Viscosity (subgrid) Subgrid Turbulent Viscosity (les)
(unavailable) Subgrid Effective Viscosity (les)
Eddy Viscosity Ratio (subgrid) Subgrid Turbulent Viscosity Ratio (les)
(unavailable) Subgrid Filter Length (les)
Effective Thermal Conductivity Effective Thermal Conductivity (t, e)
Effective Prandtl Number Effective Prandtl Number (t, e)
Ystar Wall Ystar (ke, kw, or rsm)
Yplus Wall Yplus (t)
Turbulent Reynolds Number Turbulent Reynolds Number (Re_y) (ke or rsm;
ewt)
Relative Length Scale (DES) Relative Length Scale (DES) (des)
83
Table 6.5. Species, Reactions, Pdf, and Premixed Combustion Categories
<Species-n>.Mass Fraction Mass fraction of species-n (sp, pdf, or ppmx;
nv)
Species...
<Species-n>.Mole Fraction Mole fraction of species-n (sp, pdf, or ppmx)
<Species-n>.Molar Concentration Molar Concentration of species-n (sp, pdf, or
ppmx)
<Species-n>.Laminar Diffusion Coefcient Lam Diff Coef of species-n (sp, dil)
<Species-n>.Effective Diffusion Diffusivity
a
Eff Diff Coef of species-n (t, sp, dil)
<Species-n>.Thermal Diffusion Coefcient Thermal Diff Coef of species-n (sp)
<Species-n>.Static Enthalpy Enthalpy of species-n (sp)
<Species-n>.Source Term
a
species-n Source Term (rc, cpl)
<Species-n>.Surface Deposition Rate Surface Deposition Rate of species-n (sr)
<Species-n>.Surface Coverage
a
Surface Coverage of species-n (sr)
Relative Humidity Relative Humidity (sp, pdf, or ppmx; h2o)
Time Step Scale Time Step Scale (sp, stcm)
<Species-n>.Fine Scale Mass Fraction Fine Scale Mass fraction of species-n (edc)
Fine Scale Transfer Rate Fine Scale Transfer Rate (edc)
1-Fine Scale Volume Fraction 1-Fine Scale Volume Fraction (edc)
<Reaction-n>.Molar Reaction Rate Rate of Reaction-n (rc) Reactions...
<Reaction-n>.Molar Arrhenius Reaction Rate
a
Arrhenius Rate of Reaction-n (rc)
<Reaction-n>.Molar Turbulent Reaction Rate
a
Turbulent Rate of Reaction-n (rc, t)
Mean Fraction Mean Mixture Fraction (pdf or ppmx; nv) Pdf...
Secondary Mixture Fraction
a
Secondary Mean Mixture Fraction (pdf or
ppmx; nv)
Mixture Fraction Variance Mixture Fraction Variance (pdf or ppmx; nv)
Secondary Mixture Fraction Variance
a
Secondary Mixture Fraction Variance (pdf or
ppmx; nv)
Fvar Prod Fvar Prod (pdf or ppmx)
(unavailable) Fvar2 Prod (pdf or ppmx)
Scalar Dissipation Scalar Dissipation (pdf or ppmx)
Reaction Progress Progress Variable (pmx or ppmx; nv) Premixed
Combustion...
Damkohler Number
a
Damkohler Number (pmx or ppmx)
Stretch Factor
a
Stretch Factor (pmx or ppmx)
Turbulent Flame Speed
a
Turbulent Flame Speed (pmx or ppmx)
Temperature Static Temperature (pmx or ppmx)
Product Formation Rate
a
Product Formation Rate (pmx or ppmx)
Laminar Flame Speed
a
Laminar Flame Speed (pmx or ppmx)
Critical Strain Rate
a
Critical Strain Rate (pmx or ppmx)
Adiabatic Flame Temperature
a
Adiabatic Flame Temperature (pmx or ppmx)
Unburnt Fuel Mass Fraction
a
Unburnt Fuel Mass Fraction (pmx or ppmx)
Table 6.6. NOx, Soot, and Unsteady Statistics Categories
NO.Mass Fraction Mass fraction of NO (nox) NOx...
HCN.Mass Fraction Mass fraction of HCN (nox)
NH3.Mass Fraction Mass fraction of NH3 (nox)
N2O.Mass Fraction Mass fraction of N2O (nox)
NO.Molar Fraction Mole fraction of NO (nox)
HCN.Molar Fraction Mole fraction of HCN (nox)
NH3.Molar Fraction Mole fraction of NH3 (nox)
N2O.Molar Fraction Mole fraction of N2O (nox)
NO.Density NO Density (nox)
HCN.Density HCN Density (nox)
NH3.Density NH3 Density (nox)
N2O.Density N2O Density (nox)
Temperature Variance Variance of Temperature (nox)
Species Variance
a
Variance of Species (nox)
Species 1 Variance
a
Variance of Species 1 (nox)
Species 2 Variance
a
Variance of Species 2 (nox)
NO Source
a
Rate of NO (nox)
Thermal NO.Molar Reaction Rate Rate of Thermal NO (nox)
Prompt NO.Molar Reaction Rate
a
Rate of Prompt NO (nox)
Fuel NO.Molar Reaction Rate
a
Rate of Fuel NO (nox)
N2OPath.Molar Reaction Rate
a
Rate of N2OPath NO (nox)
Reburn NO.Molar Reaction Rate
a
Rate of Reburn NO (nox)
SNCR NO.Molar Reaction Rate
a
Rate of SNCR NO (nox)
User NO.Molar Reaction Rate
a
Rate of USER NO (nox)
Soot Mass Fraction Mass fraction of soot (soot) Soot...
Soot Nuclei Specic Concentration Mass fraction of Nuclei (soot)
Soot Molar Fraction
a
Mole fraction of soot (soot)
Soot.Density Soot Density (soot)
Soot Mass Source
a
Rate of Soot (soot)
Soot Nuclei Source
a
Rate of Nuclei (soot)
<variable>.Trnavg Mean quantity-n (stat) Unsteady
Statistics...
<variable>.Trnrms RMS quantity-n (stat)
85
Table 6.7. Phases, Discrete Phase Model, Granular Pressure, and Granular Temperature
Categories
<phase>.Volume Fraction Volume fraction (mp) Phases...
<particle>.Particle Mass Source DPM Mass Source (dpm) Discrete Phase
Model...
<particle>.Particle Erosion Rate Density
a
DPM Erosion (dpm, cv)
<particle>.Particle Wall Mass Flow Density
a
DPM Accretion (dpm, cv)
<particle>.Particle Momentum Source X DPM X Momentum Source (dpm)
<particle>.Particle Momentum Source Y DPM Y Momentum Source (dpm)
<particle>.Particle Momentum Source Z DPM Z Momentum Source (dpm, 3d)
<particle>.Particle Swirl Momentum Source DPM Swirl Momentum Source (dpm, 2dasw)
<particle>.Particle Sensible Enthalpy Source DPM Sensible Enthalpy Source (dpm, e)
<particle>.Particle Energy Source DPM Enthalpy Source (dpm, e)
<particle>.Particle Absorption Coefcient DPM Absorption Coefcient (dpm, rad)
<particle>.Particle Radiative Emission DPM Emission (dpm, rad)
<particle>.Particle Radiative Scattering
a
DPM Scattering (dpm, rad)
Particle Burnout DPM Burnout (dpm, sp, e)
Particle Evaporation-Devolatilization DPM Evaporation/Devolatilization (dpm, sp,
e)
<particle>.Volume Fraction DPM Concentration (dpm)
<Species-n>.Particle Mass Source DPM species-n Source (dpm, sp, e)
<phase>.Granular Pressure
a
Granular Pressure (emm, gran) Granular Pressure...
<phase>.Granular Temperature Granular Temperature (emm, gran) Granular
Temperature...
Table 6.8. Properties, Wall Fluxes, User Dened Scalars, and User Dened Memory
Categories
Dynamic Viscosity Molecular Viscosity (v) Properties...
Mean Particle Diameter Diameter(mix, emm)
<phase>.Granular Conductivity
a
Granular Conductivity (mix, emm, gran)
Thermal Conductivity Thermal Conductivity (e, v)
Specic Heat Capacity at Constant Pressure Specic Heat (Cp) (e)
Specic Heat Ratio
a
Specic Heat Ratio (gamma) (id)
R Gas Constant Gas Constant (R) (id)
Prandtl Number
a
Molecular Prandtl Number (e, v)
Molar Mass
a
Mean Molecular Weight (seg, pdf)
Local Speed of Sound
a
Sound Speed (id)
Wall Shear Wall Shear Stress (v, cv, emm) Wall Fluxes...
Wall Shear X X-Wall Shear Stress (v, cv, emm)
Wall Shear Y Y-Wall Shear Stress (v, cv, emm)
Wall Shear Z Z-Wall Shear Stress (v, 3d, cv, emm)
Wall Shear Axial Axial-Wall Shear Stress (2da, cv)
Wall Shear Radial Radial-Wall Shear Stress (2da, cv)
Wall Shear Circumferential Swirl-Wall Shear Stress (2dasw, cv)
Skin Friction Coefcient Skin Friction Coefcient (v, cv, emm)
Wall Heat Flux Total Surface Heat Flux (e, v, cv)
Wall Radiative Heat Flux Radiation Heat Flux (rad, cv)
Solar Heat Flux Solar Heat Flux (sol, cv)
<Band-n>.Absorbed Radiation Flux Absorbed Radiation Flux (Band-n) (do,cv)
Absorbed Visible Solar Flux Absorbed Visible Solar Flux (sol, cv)
Absorbed IR Solar Flux Absorbed IR Solar Flux (sol, cv)
<Band-n>.Reected Radiation Flux Reected Radiation Flux (Band-n) (do, cv)
Reected Visible Solar Flux Reected Visible Solar Flux (sol, cv)
Reected IR Solar Flux Reected IR Solar Flux (sol, cv)
<Band-n>.Transmitted Radiation Flux Transmitted Radiation Flux (Band-n) (do, cv)
Transmitted Visible Solar Flux Transmitted Visible Solar Flux (sol, cv)
Transmitted IR Solar Flux Transmitted IR Solar Flux (sol, cv)
<Band-n>.Beam Irradiation Flux Beam Irradiation Flux (Band-n) (do, cv)
Surface Incident Radiation Surface Incident Radiation (do, dtrm, or s2s;
cv)
Surface Heat Transfer Coef. Surface Heat Transfer Coef. (e, v, cv)
Wall Func. Heat Tran. Coef. Wall Func. Heat Tran. Coef. (e, v, cv)
Surface Nusselt Number Surface Nusselt Number (e, v, cv)
Surface Stanton Number Surface Stanton Number (e, v, cv)
<Scalar-n> Scalar-n (uds) User-Dened
Scalars...
<Scalar-n>.Diffusion Coefcient Diffusion Coef. of Scalar-n (uds)
87
User Dened Memory <n> User Memory n (udm) User-Dened
Memory...
Table 6.9. Cell Info, Grid, and Adaption Categories
Cell Partition Cell Partition (np) Cell Info...
Active Cell Partition Active Cell Partition (p)
Stored Cell Partition Stored Cell Partition (p)
Cell Id Cell Id (p)
Cell Element Type Cell Element Type
Cell Zone Type Cell Zone Type
Cell Zone Index Cell Zone Index
Partition Neighbors Partition Neighbors
X X-Coordinate (nv) Grid...
Y Y-Coordinate (nv)
Z Z-Coordinate (3d, nv)
Axial Coordinate Axial Coordinate (nv)
Angular Coordinate Angular Coordinate (3d, nv)
Absolute Angular Coordinate Abs. Angular Coordinate (3d, nv)
Radial Angular Coordinate Radial Coordinate (nv)
X Surface Area
Y Surface Area
Z Surface Area (3d)
Face Area X X Face Area
Face Area Y Y Face Area
Face Area Z Z Face Area (3d)
Cell Equiangle Skew Cell Equiangle Skew
Cell Equivolume Skew Cell Equivolume Skew
Cell Volume Cell Volume
2d Cell Volume 2D Cell Volume (2da)
Cell Wall Distance Cell Wall Distance
Face Handedness Face Handedness
Face Squish Index Face Squish Index
Cell Squish Index Cell Squish Index
Table 6.10. Grid Category (Turbomachinery-Specic Variables) and Adaption Category
Meridional Coordinate Meridional Coordinate (nv, turbo) Grid...
Abs Meridional Coordinate Abs Meridional Coordinate (nv, turbo)
Spanwise Coordinate Spanwise Coordinate (nv, turbo)
Abs (H-C) Spanwise Coordinate Abs (H-C) Spanwise Coordinate (nv, turbo)
Abs (C-H) Spanwise Coordinate Abs (C-H) Spanwise Coordinate (nv, turbo)
Pitchwise Coordinate Pitchwise Coordinate (nv, turbo)
Abs Pitchwise Coordinate Abs Pitchwise Coordinate (nv, turbo)
Adaption Function Adaption Function Adaption...
Adaption Curvature Adaption Curvature
Adaption Space Gradient Adaption Space Gradient
Adaption Iso-Value Adaption Iso-Value
Existing Value Existing Value
Boundary Cell Distance Boundary Cell Distance
Boundary Normal Distance Boundary Normal Distance
Boundary Volume Distance Boundary Volume Distance (np)
Cell Volume Change Cell Volume Change
Cell Surface Area Cell Surface Area
Cell Warpage Cell Warpage
Cell Children Cell Children
Cell Rene Level Cell Rene Level
89
Table 6.11. Residuals Category
Mass Imbalance Mass Imbalance (seg) Residuals...
Pressure Residual Pressure Residual (cpl)
Residual u Velocity X-Velocity Residual (cpl)
Residual v Velocity Y-Velocity Residual (cpl)
Residual w Velocity Z-Velocity Residual (cpl, 3d)
Residual Axial-Velocity Axial-Velocity Residual (cpl, 2da)
Residual Radial-Velocity Radial-Velocity Residual (cpl, 2da)
Residual Circumferential-Velocity Swirl-Velocity Residual (cpl, 2dasw)
Residual Temperature Temperature Residual (cpl, e)
<Species-n>.Residual Species-n Residual (cpl, sp)
Time Step Time Step (cpl)
Pressure Correction Pressure Correction (cpl)
u Velocity Correction X-Velocity Correction (cpl)
v Velocity Correction Y-Velocity Correction (cpl)
w Velocity Correction Z-Velocity Correction (cpl, 3d)
Axial-Velocity Correction Axial-Velocity Correction (cpl, 2da)
Radial-Velocity Correction Radial-Velocity Correction (cpl, 2da)
Circumferential-Velocity Correction Swirl-Velocity Correction (cpl, 2dasw)
Temperature Correction Temperature Correction (cpl, e)
<Species-n>.Correction Species-n Correction (cpl, sp)
Table 6.12. Derivatives Category
Strain Rate Strain Rate (v) Derivatives...
du-Velocity-dx dX-Velocity/dx
dv-Velocity-dx dY-Velocity/dx
dw-Velocity-dx dZ-Velocity/dx (3d)
dAxial-Velocity-dx dAxial-Velocity/dx (2da)
dRadial-Velocity-dx dRadial-Velocity/dx (2da)
dCircumferential-Velocity-dx dSwirl-Velocity/dx (2dasw)
d<Species-n>-dx d species-n/dx (cpl, sp)
du-Velocity-dy dX-Velocity/dy
dv-Velocity-dy dY-Velocity/dy
dw-Velocity-dy dZ-Velocity/dy (3d)
dAxial-Velocity-dy dAxial-Velocity/dy (2da)
dRadial-Velocity-dy dRadial-Velocity/dy (2da)
dCircuferential-Velocity-dy dSwirl-Velocity/dy (2dasw)
d<Species-n>-dy d species-n/dy (cpl, sp)
du-Velocity-dz dX-Velocity/dz (3d)
dv-Velocity-dz dY-Velocity/dz (3d)
dw-Velocity-dz dZ-Velocity/dz (3d)
d<Species-n>-dz d species-n/dz (cpl, sp, 3d)
dOmega-dx dOmega/dx (2dasw)
dOmega-dy dOmega/dy (2dasw)
dp-dX dp-dX (seg)
dp-dY dp-dY (seg)
dp-dZ dp-dZ (seg, 3d)
91
Table 6.13. Acoustics Category
Surface dpdt RMS Surface dpdt RMS (fwh) Acoustics...
Acoustic Power Level (dB) Acoustic Power Level (dB) (bns)
Acoustic Power Acoustic Power (bns)
Jet Acoustic Power Level (dB) Jet Acoustic Power Level (dB) (bns, 2da)
Jet Acoustic Power Jet Acoustic Power (bns, 2da)
Surface Acoustic Power Level (dB) (bns)
Surface Acoustic Power (bns)
Lilley's Self-Noise Source Lilley's Self-Noise Source (bns)
Lilley's Shear-Noise Source Lilley's Shear-Noise Source (bns)
Lilley's Total Noise Source Lilley's Total Noise Source (bns)
LEE Self-Noise X-Source LEE Self-Noise X-Source (bns)
LEE Shear-Noise X-Source LEE Shear-Noise X-Source (bns)
LEE Total Noise X-Source LEE Total Noise X-Source (bns)
LEE Self-Noise Y-Source LEE Self-Noise Y-Source (bns)
LEE Shear-Noise Y-Source LEE Shear-Noise Y-Source (bns)
LEE Total Noise Y-Source LEE Total Noise Y-Source (bns)
LEE Self-Noise Z-Source LEE Self-Noise Z-Source (bns, 3d)
LEE Shear-Noise Z-Source LEE Shear-Noise Z-Source (bns, 3d)
LEE Total Noise Z-Source LEE Total Noise Z-Source (bns, 3d)
Alphabetical Listing of ANSYS FLUENT Field
Variables and Their Definitions
This section denes the ANSYS FLUENT eld variables. For some variables (such as residuals) a general denition
is given under the category name, and variables in the category are not listed individually. When appropriate, the
unit quantity is included, as it appears in the Set Units panel.
Variables A-C
Abs (C-H) Spanwise Coordinate
(in the Grid... category) is the dimensional coordinate in the spanwise direction, from casing to hub. Its unit
quantity is length.
Abs (H-C) Spanwise Coordinate
(in the Grid... category) is the dimensional coordinate in the spanwise direction, from hub to casing. Its unit
quantity is length.
Abs Meridional Coordinate
(in the Grid... category) is the dimensional coordinate that follows the ow path from inlet to outlet. Its unit
quantity is length.
Abs Pitchwise Coordinate
(in the Grid... category) is the dimensional coordinate in the circumferential (pitchwise) direction. Its unit
quantity is angle.
Absolute Pressure
(in the Pressure... category) is equal to the operating pressure plus the gauge pressure. See Operating Pressure
in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details. Its unit quantity is pressure.
Alphabetical Listing of ANSYS FLUENT Field Variables and Their Denitions
Absorbed Radiation Flux (Band-n)
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is the amount of radiative heat ux absorbed by a semi-transparent wall for a
particular band of radiation. Its unit quantity is heat-ux.
Absorbed Visible Solar Flux, Absorbed IR Solar Flux
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is the amount of solar heat ux absorbed by a semi-transparent wall for a visible
or infrared (IR) radiation.
Absorption Coefcient
(in the Radiation... category) is the property of a medium that describes the amount of absorption of thermal
radiation per unit path length within the medium. It can be interpreted as the inverse of the mean free path that
a photon will travel before being absorbed (if the absorption coefcient does not vary along the path). The unit
quantity for Absorption Coefcient is length-inverse.
Acoustic Power
(in the Acoustics... category) is the acoustic power per unit volume generated by isotropic turbulence
It is available only when the Broadband Noise Sources acoustics model is being used. Its unit quantity is
power per volume.
Acoustic Power Level (dB)
(in the Acoustics... category) is the acoustic power per unit volume generated by isotropic turbulence and
reported in dB
It is available only when the Broadband Noise Sources acoustics model is being used.
Active Cell Partition
(in the Cell Info... category) is an integer identier designating the partition to which a particular cell belongs.
In problems in which the grid is divided into multiple partitions to be solved on multiple processors using the
parallel version of ANSYS FLUENT, the partition ID can be used to determine the extent of the various groups
of cells. The active cell partition is used for the current calculation, while the stored cell partition (the last
partition performed) is used when you save a case le. See Partitioning the Grid Manually in the ANSYS
FLUENT documentation for more information.
Adaption...
includes eld variables that are commonly used for adapting the grid. For information about solution adaption,
see Partitioning the Grid Manually in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation.
Adaption Function
(in the Adaption... category) can be either the Adaption Space Gradient or the Adaption Curvature, depending
on the settings in the Gradient Adaption panel. For instance, the Adaption Curvature is the undivided
Laplacian of the values in temporary cell storage. To display contours of the Laplacian of pressure, for example,
you rst select Static Pressure, click the Compute (or Display) button, select Adaption Function, and nally
click the Display button.
Adaption Iso-Value
(in the Adaption... category) is the desired eld variable function.
Adaption Space Gradient
(in the Adaption... category) is the rst derivative of the desired eld variable.
93
Variables A-C
Depending on the settings in the Gradient Adaption panel, this equation will either be scaled or normalized.
Recommended for problems with shock waves (such as supersonic, inviscid ows). For more information, see
Gradient Adaption Approach in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation.
Adaption Curvature
(in the Adaption... category) is the second derivative of the desired eld variable.
Depending on the settings in the Gradient Adaption panel, this equation will either be scaled or normalized.
Recommended for smooth solutions (that is, viscous, incompressible ows). For more information, see Gradient
Adaption Approach in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation.
Adiabatic Flame Temperature
(in the Premixed Combustion... category) is the adiabatic temperature of burnt products in a laminar premixed
ame ( in
Its unit quantity is temperature.
Arrhenius Rate of Reaction-n
(in the Reactions... category) is given by:
where
represents the net effect of third bodies on the reaction rate. This term is given by
The reported value is independent of any particular species, and has units of kgmol/m^3-s.
To nd the rate of production/destruction for a given species due to reaction , multiply the reported reaction
rate for reaction by the term , where is the molecular weight of species , and
and are the stoichiometric coefcients of species in reaction .
Angular Coordinate
(in the Grid... category) is the angle between the radial vector and the position vector. The radial vector is
obtained by transforming the default radial vector (y-axis) by the same rotation that was applied to the default
axial vector (z-axis). This assumes that, after the transformation, the default axial vector (z-axis) becomes the
reference axis. The angle is positive in the direction of cross-product between reference axis and radial vector.
Abs. Angular Coordinate
(in the Grid... category) is the absolute value of the Angular Coordinate dened above.
Axial Coordinate
(in the Grid... category) is the distance from the origin in the axial direction. The axis origin and (in 3D)
direction is dened for each cell zone in the Fluid or Solid panel. The axial direction for a 2D model is always
Variables A-C
the z direction, and the axial direction for a 2D axisymmetric model is always the x direction. The unit quantity
for Axial Coordinate is length.
Axial Pull Velocity
(in the Solidication/Melting... category) is the axial-direction component of the pull velocity for the solid
material in a continuous casting process. Its unit quantity is velocity.
Axial Velocity
(in the Velocity... category) is the component of velocity in the axial direction. (See Velocity Reporting Options
in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details.) For multiphase models, this value corresponds to the
selected phase in the Phase drop-down list. Its unit quantity is velocity.
Axial-Wall Shear Stress
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is the axial component of the force acting tangential to the surface due to
friction. Its unit quantity is pressure.
Beam Irradiation Flux (Band-b)
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is specied as an incident heat ux ( ) for each wavelength band.
Boundary Cell Distance
(in the Adaption... category) is an integer that indicates the approximate number of cells from a boundary zone.
Boundary Normal Distance
(in the Adaption... category) is the distance of the cell centroid from the closest boundary zone.
Boundary Volume Distance
(in the Adaption... category) is the cell volume distribution based on the Boundary Volume, Growth Factor,
and normal distance from the selected Boundary Zones dened in the Boundary Adaption panel. See Boundary
Adaption in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details.
Cell Children
(in the Adaption... category) is a binary identier based on whether a cell is the product of a cell subdivision
in the hanging-node adaption process (value = 1) or not (value = 0).
Cell Element Type
(in the Cell Info... category) is the integer cell element type identication number. Each cell can have one of
the following element types:
triangle 1
tetrahedron 2
quadrilateral 3
hexahedron 4
pyramid 5
wedge 6
Cell Equiangle Skew
(in the Grid... category) is a nondimensional parameter calculated using the normalized angle deviation method,
and is dened as
where
is the largest angle in the face or cell
is the smallest angle in the face or cell
is the angle for an equiangular face or cell (for example, 60 for a triangle and 90 for a square).
A value of 0 indicates a best case equiangular cell, and a value of 1 indicates a completely degenerate cell.
Degenerate cells (slivers) are characterized by nodes that are nearly coplanar (collinear in 2D). Cell Equiangle
Skew applies to all elements.
95
Variables A-C
Cell Equivolume Skew
(in the Grid... category) is a nondimensional parameter calculated using the volume deviation method, and is
dened as
where optimal-cell-size is the size of an equilateral cell with the same circumradius. A value of 0 indicates a
best case equilateral cell and a value of 1 indicates a completely degenerate cell. Degenerate cells (slivers) are
characterized by nodes that are nearly coplanar (collinear in 2D). Cell Equivolume Skew applies only to
triangular and tetrahedral elements.
Cell Id
(in the Cell Info... category) is a unique integer identier associated with each cell.
Cell Info...
includes quantities that identify the cell and its relationship to other cells.
Cell Partition
of cells.
Cell Rene Level
(in the Adaption... category) is an integer that indicates the number of times a cell has been subdivided in the
hanging node adaption process, compared with the original grid. For example, if one quad cell is split into four
quads, the Cell Rene Level for each of the four new quads will be 1. If the resulting four quads are split again,
the Cell Rene Level for each of the resulting 16 quads will be 2.
Cell Reynolds Number
(in the Velocity... category) is the value of the Reynolds number in a cell. (Reynolds number is a dimensionless
parameter that is the ratio of inertia forces to viscous forces.) Cell Reynolds Number is dened as
where is density, is velocity magnitude, is the effective viscosity (laminar plus turbulent), and is
Cell Volume^1/2 for 2D cases and Cell Volume^1/3 in 3D or axisymmetric cases.
Cell Squish Index
(in the Grid... category) is a measure of the quality of a mesh, and is calculated from the dot products of each
vector pointing from the centroid of a cell toward the center of each of its faces, and the corresponding face
area vector as
Therefore, the worst cells will have a Cell Squish Index close to 1.
Cell Surface Area
(in the Adaption... category) is the total surface area of the cell, and is computed by summing the area of the
faces that compose the cell.
Cell Volume
(in the Grid... category) is the volume of a cell. In 2D the volume is the area of the cell multiplied by the unit
depth. For axisymmetric cases, the cell volume is calculated using a reference depth of 1 radian. The unit
quantity of Cell Volume is volume.
Variables A-C
2D Cell Volume
(in the Grid... category) is the two-dimensional volume of a cell in an axisymmetric computation. For an
axisymmetric computation, the 2D cell volume is scaled by the radius. Its unit quantity is area.
Cell Volume Change
(in the Adaption... category) is the maximum volume ratio of the current cell and its neighbors.
Cell Wall Distance
(in the Grid... category) is the distribution of the normal distance of each cell centroid from the wall boundaries.
Its unit quantity is length.
Cell Warpage
(in the Adaption... category) is the square root of the ratio of the distance between the cell centroid and cell
circumcenter and the circumcenter radius:
Cell Zone Index
(in the Cell Info... category) is the integer cell zone identication number. In problems that have more than
one cell zone, the cell zone ID can be used to identify the various groups of cells.
Cell Zone Type
(in the Cell Info... category) is the integer cell zone type ID. A uid cell has a type ID of 1, a solid cell has a
type ID of 17, and an exterior cell (parallel solver) has a type ID of 21.
Contact Resistivity
(in the Solidication/Melting... category) is the additional resistance at the wall due to contact resistance. It
is equal to , where is the contact resistance, is the liquid fraction, and is the cell
height of the wall-adjacent cell. The unit quantity for Contact Resistivity is thermal-resistivity.
Critical Strain Rate
(in the Premixed Combustion... category) is a parameter that takes into account the stretching and extinction
of premixed ames ( in
Its unit quantity is time-inverse.
Custom Field Functions...
are scalar eld functions dened by you. You can create a custom function using the Custom Field Function
Calculator panel. All dened custom eld functions will be listed in the lower drop-down list. See Custom
Field Functions in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details.
Variables D-J
Damkohler Number
(in the Premixed Combustion... category) is a nondimensional parameter that is dened as the ratio of turbulent
to chemical time scales.
Density...
includes variables related to density.
Density
(in the Density... category) is the mass per unit volume of the uid. Plots or reports of Density include only
uid cell zones. For multiphase models, this value corresponds to the selected phase in the Phase drop-down
list. The unit quantity for Density is density.
97
Variables D-J
Density All
(in the Density... category) is the mass per unit volume of the uid or solid material. Plots or reports of Density
All include both uid and solid cell zones. The unit quantity for Density All is density.
Derivatives...
are the viscous derivatives. For example, dX-Velocity/dx is the rst derivative of the x component of velocity
with respect to the x-coordinate direction. You can compute rst derivatives of velocity, angular velocity, and
pressure in the pressure-based solver, and rst derivatives of velocity, angular velocity, temperature, and species
in the density-based solvers.
Diameter
(in the Properties... category) is the diameter of particles, droplets, or bubbles of the secondary phase selected
in the Phase drop-down list. Its unit quantity is length.
Diffusion Coef. of Scalar-n
(in the User Dened Scalars... category) is the diffusion coefcient for the nth user-dened scalar transport
equation. See the separate UDF manual for details about dening user-dened scalars.
Discrete Phase Model...
includes quantities related to the discrete phase model. See Modeling Discrete Phase in the ANSYS FLUENT
documentation for details about this model.
DPM Absorption Coefcient
(in the Discrete Phase Model... category) is the absorption coefcient for discrete-phase calculations that
involve radiation, which is in
Its unit quantity is length-inverse.
DPM Accretion
(in the Discrete Phase Model... category) is the accretion rate calculated at a wall boundary:
where is the mass ow rate of the particle stream, and is the area of the wall face where the particle
strikes the boundary. This item will appear only if the optional erosion/accretion model is enabled. See
Monitoring Erosion/Accretion of Particles at Walls in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details. The
unit quantity for DPM Accretion is mass-ux.
DPM Burnout
(in the Discrete Phase Model... category) is the exchange of mass from the discrete to the continuous phase
for the combustion law (Law 5) and is proportional to the solid phase reaction rate. The burnout exchange has
units of mass-ow.
DPM Concentration
(in the Discrete Phase Model... category) is the total concentration of the discrete phase. Its unit quantity is
density.
DPM Emission
(in the Discrete Phase Model... category) is the amount of radiation emitted by a discrete-phase particle per
unit volume. Its unit quantity is heat-generation-rate.
DPM Enthalpy Source
(in the Discrete Phase Model... category) is the exchange of enthalpy (sensible enthalpy plus heat of formation)
from the discrete phase to the continuous phase. The exchange is positive when the particles are a source of
heat in the continuous phase. The unit quantity for DPM Enthalpy Source is power.
Variables D-J
DPM Erosion
(in the Discrete Phase Model... category) is the erosion rate calculated at a wall boundary face:
where is the mass ow rate of the particle stream, is the impact angle of the particle path with the wall
face, is the function specied in the Wall panel, and is the area of the wall face where the
particle strikes the boundary. This item will appear only if the optional erosion/accretion model is enabled. See
Monitoring Erosion/Accretion of Particles at Walls in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details. The
unit quantity for DPM Erosion is mass-ux.
DPM Evaporation/Devolatilization
(in the Discrete Phase Model... category) is the exchange of mass, due to droplet-particle evaporation or
combusting-particle devolatilization, from the discrete phase to the evaporating or devolatilizing species. If
you are not using the non-premixed combustion model, the mass source for each individual species (DPM
species-n Source, below) is also available; for non-premixed combustion, only this sum is available. The unit
quantity for DPM Evaporation/Devolatilization is mass-ow.
DPM Mass Source
(in the Discrete Phase Model... category) is the total exchange of mass from the discrete phase to the continuous
phase. The mass exchange is positive when the particles are a source of mass in the continuous phase. If you
are not using the non-premixed combustion model, DPM Mass Source will be equal to the sum of all species
mass sources (DPM species-n Source, below); if you are using the non-premixed combustion model, it will
be equal to DPM Burnout plus DPM Evaporation/Devolatilization. The unit quantity for DPM Mass Source
is mass-ow.
DPM Scattering
(in the Discrete Phase Model... category) is the scattering coefcient for discrete-phase calculations that involve
radiation ( in
Its unit quantity is length-inverse.
DPM Sensible Enthalpy Source
(in the Discrete Phase Model... category) is the exchange of sensible enthalpy from the discrete phase to the
continuous phase. The exchange is positive when the particles are a source of heat in the continuous phase. Its
unit quantity is power.
DPM species-n Source
(in the Discrete Phase Model... category) is the exchange of mass, due to droplet-particle evaporation or
combusting-particle devolatilization, from the discrete phase to the evaporating or devolatilizing species. (The
name of the species will replace species-n in DPM species-n Source.) These species are specied in the Set
Injection Properties panel, as described in Dening Injection Properties. The unit quantity is mass-ow. Note
that this variable will not be available if you are using the non-premixed combustion model; use DPM
Evaporation/Devolatilization instead.
DPM Swirl Momentum Source
(in the Discrete Phase Model... category) is the exchange of swirl momentum from the discrete phase to the
continuous phase. This value is positive when the particles are a source of momentum in the continuous phase.
The unit quantity is force.
99
Variables D-J
DPM X, Y, Z Momentum Source
(in the Discrete Phase Model... category) are the exchange of x-, y-, and x-direction momentum from the
discrete phase to the continuous phase. These values are positive when the particles are a source of momentum
in the continuous phase. The unit quantity is force.
Dynamic Pressure
(in the Pressure... category) is dened as
. Its unit quantity is pressure.
Eff Diff Coef of species-n
(in the Species... category) is the sum of the laminar and turbulent diffusion coefcients of a species into the
mixture:
(The name of the species will replace species-n in Eff Diff Coef of species-n.) The unit quantity is
mass-diffusivity.
Effective Prandtl Number
(in the Turbulence... category) is the ratio , where is the effective viscosity, is the
specic heat, and is the effective thermal conductivity.
Effective Thermal Conductivity
(in the Properties... category) is the sum of the laminar and turbulent thermal conductivities, , of the
uid. A large thermal conductivity is associated with a good heat conductor and a small thermal conductivity
with a poor heat conductor (good insulator). Its unit quantity is thermal-conductivity.
Effective Viscosity
(in the Turbulence... category) is the sum of the laminar and turbulent viscosities of the uid. Viscosity, ,
is dened by the ratio of shear stress to the rate of shear. Its unit quantity is viscosity.
Enthalpy
(in the Temperature... category) is dened differently for compressible and incompressible ows, and depending
on the solver and models in use.
For compressible ows,
and for incompressible ows,
where and are, respectively, the mass fraction and enthalpy of species . (See Enthalpy of species-n,
below.) For the pressure-based solver, the second term on the right-hand side of
Variables D-J
is included only if the pressure work term is included in the energy equation (see Inclusion of Pressure Work
and Kinetic Energy Terms in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation. For multiphase models, this value corresponds
to the selected phase in the Phase drop-down list. For all species models, the Enthalpy plots consist of the
thermal (or sensible) plus chemical energy. The unit quantity for Enthalpy is specic-energy.
Enthalpy of species-n
(in the Species... category) is dened differently depending on the solver and models options in use. The
quantity:
where is the formation enthalpy of species at the reference temperature , is reported
only for non-diabatic PDF cases, or if the density-based solver is selected. The quantity:
where is reported in all other cases. The unit quantity for Enthalpy of species-n is
specic-energy.
Entropy
(in the Temperature... category) is a thermodynamic property dened by the equation
where "rev" indicates an integration along a reversible path connecting two states, is heat, and is
temperature. For compressible ows, entropy is computed using the equation
where is computed from , and the reference pressure and density are dened in the Reference
Values panel. For incompressible ow, the entropy is computed using the equation
where is the specic heat at constant pressure and is dened in the Reference Values panel. The
unit quantity for entropy is specic-heat.
Existing Value
(in the Adaption... category) is the value that presently resides in the temporary space reserved for cell variables
(that is, the last value that you displayed or computed).
Face Handedness
(in the Grid... category) is a parameter that is equal to one in cells that are adjacent to left-handed faces, and
zero elsewhere. It can be used to locate mesh problems.
101
Variables D-J
Face Squish Index
(in the Grid... category) is a measure of the quality of a mesh, and is calculated from the dot products of each
face area vector, and the vector that connects the centroids of the two adjacent cells as
Therefore, the worst cells will have a Face Squish Index close to 1.
Fine Scale Mass Fraction of species-n
(in the Species... category) is the term in
Fine Scale Temperature
(in the Temperature... category) is the temperature of the ne scales, which is calculated from the enthalpy
when the reaction proceeds over the time scale ( in
which is governed by the Arrhenius rates of
Its unit quantity is temperature.
Fine Scale Transfer Rate
(in the Species... category) is the transfer rate of the ne scales, which is equal to the inverse of the time scale
( in
1-Fine Scale Volume Fraction
(in the Species... category) is a function of the ne scale volume fraction ( in
where * denotes ne-scale quantities, is the volume fraction constant (= 2.1377), and is the kinematic
viscosity. The quantity is subtracted from unity to make it easier to interpret.
Variables D-J
Fvar Prod
(in the Pdf... category) is the production term in the mixture fraction variance equation solved in the non-premixed
combustion model (that is, the last two terms in
Fvar2 Prod
(in the Pdf... category) is the production term in the secondary mixture fraction variance equation solved in the
non-premixed combustion model.
Gas Constant (R)
(in the Properties... category) is the gas constant of the uid. Its unit quantity is specic-heat.
Granular Conductivity
(in the Properties... category) is equivalent to the diffusion coefcient in
where:
is the generation of energy by the solid stress tensor
is the diffusion of energy ( is the diffusion coefcient)
is the collisional dissipation of energy
is the energy exchange between the l
th
uid or solid phase and the s
th
solid phase.
For more information, see Granular Temperature in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation. Its unit quantity is
kg/m-s.
Granular Pressure...
includes quantities for reporting the solids pressure for each granular phase ( in
See Solids Pressure in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details. Its unit quantity is pressure. For
multiphase models, this value corresponds to the selected phase in the Phase drop-down list.
Granular Temperature...
includes quantities for reporting the granular temperature for each granular phase, which is in
See Granular Temperature in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details. Its unit quantity is .
For multiphase models, this value corresponds to the selected phase in the Phase drop-down list.
Grid...
includes variables related to the grid.
103
Variables D-J
Grid X-Velocity, Grid Y-Velocity, Grid Z-Velocity
(in the Velocity... category) are the vector components of the grid velocity for moving-grid problems (rotating
or multiple reference frames, mixing planes, or sliding meshes). Its unit quantity is velocity.
HCN Density
(in the NOx... category) is the mass per unit volume of HCN. The unit quantity is density. The HCN Density
will appear only if you are modeling fuel NOx. See Fuel NOx Formation in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation
for details.
Helicity
(in the Velocity... category) is dened by the dot product of vorticity and the velocity vector.
It provides insight into the vorticity aligned with the uid stream. Vorticity is a measure of the rotation of a
uid element as it moves in the ow eld.
Incident Radiation
(in the Radiation... category) is the total radiation energy, , that arrives at a location per unit time and per
unit area:
where is the radiation intensity and is the solid angle. is the quantity that the P-1 radiation model
computes.
For the DO radiation model, the incident radiation is computed over a nite number of discrete solid angles,
each associated with a vector direction. The unit quantity for Incident Radiation is heat-ux.
Incident Radiation (Band n)
(in the Radiation... category) is the radiation energy contained in the wavelength band for the non-gray
DO radiation model. Its unit quantity is heat-ux.
Internal Energy
(in the Temperature... category) is the summation of the kinetic and potential energies of the molecules of the
substance per unit volume (and excludes chemical and nuclear energies). Internal Energy is dened as
. Its unit quantity is specic-energy.
Variables J-R
Jet Acoustic Power
(in the Acoustics... category) is the acoustic power for turbulent axisymmetric jets in
where and are the radial and angular coordinates of the receiver location, and is the directional
acoustic intensity per unit volume of a jet dened by
Variables J-R
Jet Acoustic Power Level (dB)
(in the Acoustics... category) is the acoustic power for turbulent axisymmetric jets, reported in dB:
where is the reference acoustic power ( by default).
Lam Diff Coef of species-n
(in the Species... category) is the laminar diffusion coefcient of a species into the mixture, . Its unit
quantity is mass-diffusivity.
Laminar Flame Speed
(in the Premixed Combustion... category) is the propagation speed of laminar premixed ames in
where:
= model constant
= RMS (root-mean-square) velocity (m/s)
= laminar ame speed (m/s)
= molecular heat transfer coefcient of unburnt mixture (thermal diffusivity) (m^2/s)
= turbulence length scale (m), computed from
where is the turbulence dissipation rate.
= turbulence time scale (s)
= chemical time scale (s)
Its unit quantity is velocity.
LEE Self-Noise X-Source, LEE Self-Noise Y-Source, LEE Self-Noise Z-Source
(in the Acoustics... category ) are the self-noise source terms in the linearized Euler equation for the acoustic
velocity component, which is
105
Variables J-R
where refers to the corresponding acoustic components, and the prime superscript refers to the turbulent
components.
The right side of the equation can be considered as effective source terms responsible for sound generation.
Among them, the rst three terms involving turbulence are the main contributors. The rst two terms denoted
by are often referred to as "shear-noise" source terms, since they involve the mean shear. The third term
denoted by is often called the "self-noise" source term, for it involves turbulent velocity components
only.
The LEE self-noise variables are available only when the Broadband Noise Sources acoustics model is being
used.
LEE Shear-Noise X-Source, LEE Shear-Noise Y-Source, LEE Shear-Noise Z-Source
(in the Acoustics... category ) are the shear-noise source terms in the linearized Euler equation for the acoustic
The LEE shear-noise variables are available only when the Broadband Noise Sources acoustics model is being
used. (See LEE Self-Noise X-Source for details.)
LEE Total Noise X-Source, LEE Total Noise Y-Source, LEE Total Noise Z-Source
(in the Acoustics... category ) are the total noise source terms in the linearized Euler equation for the acoustic
The total noise source term is the sum of the self-noise and shear-noise source terms. They are available only
when the Broadband Noise Sources acoustics model is being used. (See LEE Self-Noise X-Source for details.)
Lilley's Self-Noise Source
(in the Acoustics... category) is the self-noise source term in the linearized Lilley's equation, which is
Lilley's self-noise source term is available only when the Broadband Noise Sources acoustics model is being
used. The resulting source terms in the equation are evaluated using the mean velocity eld and the turbulent
(uctuating) velocity components synthesized by the SNGR method. As with the LEE source terms, the source
terms in the equation are grouped depending on whether the mean velocity gradients are involved (shear noise
or self noise), and reported separately in ANSYS FLUENT.
Lilley's Shear-Noise Source
(in the Acoustics... category) is the shear-noise source term in the linearized Lilley's equation, which is
Variables J-R
Lilley's shear-noise source term is available only when the Broadband Noise Sources acoustics model is being
used. (See Lilley's Self-Noise X-Source for details.)
Lilley's Total Noise Source
(in the Acoustics... category ) is the total noise source term in the linearized Lilley's equation, which is
The total noise source term is the sum of the self-noise and shear-noise source terms, and is available only when
the Broadband Noise Sources acoustics model is being used. (See Lilley's Self-Noise X-Source for details.)
Liquid Fraction
(in the Solidication/Melting... category) the liquid fraction computed by the solidication/melting model:
Mach Number
(in the Velocity... category) is the ratio of velocity and speed of sound.
Mass fraction of HCN, Mass fraction of NH3, Mass fraction of NO, Mass fraction of N2O
(in the NOx... category) are the mass of HCN, the mass of NH
3
, the mass of NO, and the mass of N
2
O per unit
mass of the mixture (for example, kg of HCN in 1 kg of the mixture). The Mass fraction of HCN and the Mass
fraction of NH3 will appear only if you are modeling fuel NOx. See Fuel NOx Formation in the ANSYS
FLUENT documentation for details.
Mass fraction of nuclei
(in the Soot... category) is the number of particles per unit mass of the mixture (in units of particles x10^15/kg.
The Mass fraction of nuclei will appear only if you use the two-step soot model. See Soot Formation in the
ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details.
Mass fraction of soot
(in the Soot... category) is the mass of soot per unit mass of the mixture (for example, kg of soot in 1 kg of the
mixture). See Soot Formation in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details.
Mass fraction of species-n
(in the Species... category) is the mass of a species per unit mass of the mixture (for example, kg of species in
1 kg of the mixture).
107
Variables J-R
Mean quantity-n
(in the Unsteady Statistics... category) is the time-averaged value of a solution variable (for example, Static
Pressure). See Postprocessing for Time-Dependent Problems in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for
details.
Meridional Coordinate
(in the Grid... category) is the normalized (dimensionless) coordinate that follows the ow path from inlet to
outlet. Its value varies from 0 to 1.
Mixture Fraction Variance
(in the Pdf... category) is the variance of the mixture fraction solved for in the non-premixed combustion model.
This is the second conservation equation (along with the mixture fraction equation) that the non-premixed
combustion model solves. (See Denition of the Mixture Fraction in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation.)
Modied Turbulent Viscosity
(in the Turbulence... category) is the transported quantity that is solved for in the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence
model:
where is the production of turbulent viscosity and is the destruction of turbulent viscosity that occurs
in the near-wall region due to wall blocking and viscous damping. and are constants and $\nu$ is
the molecular kinematic viscosity. is a user-dened source term.
The turbulent viscosity, , is computed directly from this quantity using the relationship given by
where the viscous damping function, is given by
and
Its unit quantity is viscosity.
Molar Concentration of species-n
(in the Species... category) is the moles per unit volume of a species. Its unit quantity is concentration.
Mole fraction of species-n
(in the Species... category) is the number of moles of a species in one mole of the mixture.
Mole fraction of HCN, Mole fraction of NH3, Mole fraction of NO, Mole fraction of N2O
(in the NOx... category) are the number of moles of HCN, NH
3
, NO, and N
2
O in one mole of the mixture. The
Mole fraction of HCN and the Mole fraction of NH3 will appear only if you are modeling fuel NOx. See
Fuel NOx Formation in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details.
Mole fraction of soot
(in the Soot... category) is the number of moles of soot in one mole of the mixture.
Variables J-R
Molecular Prandtl Number
(in the Properties... category) is the ratio .
Molecular Viscosity
(in the Properties... category) is the laminar viscosity of the uid. Viscosity, , is dened by the ratio of shear
stress to the rate of shear. Its unit quantity is viscosity. For multiphase models, this value corresponds to the
selected phase in the Phase drop-down list. For granular phases, this is equivalent to the solids shear viscosity
in
NH3 Density, NO Density, N2O Density
(in the NOx... category) are the mass per unit volume of NH
3
, NO and N
2
O. The unit quantity for each is
density. The NH3 Density will appear only if you are modeling fuel NOx. See Fuel NOx Formation in the
NOx...
contains quantities related to the NOx model. See NOx Formation in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for
details about this model.
Partition Boundary Cell Distance
(in the Grid... category) is the smallest number of cells which must be traversed to reach the nearest partition
(interface) boundary.
Partition Neighbors
(in the Cell Info... category) is the number of adjacent partitions (that is, those that share at least one partition
boundary face (interface)). It gives a measure of the number of messages that will have to be generated for
parallel processing.
Pdf...
contains quantities related to the non-premixed combustion model, which is described in Modeling Non-Premixed
Combustion in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation.
Phases...
contains quantities for reporting the volume fraction of each phase. See Modeling Multiphase Flows in the
Pitchwise Coordinate
(in the Grid... category) is the normalized (dimensionless) coordinate in the circumferential (pitchwise) direction.
Its value varies from 0 to 1.
Preconditioning Reference Velocity
(in the Velocity... category) is the reference velocity used in the coupled solver's preconditioning algorithm.
See Preconditioning in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details.
Premixed Combustion...
contains quantities related to the premixed combustion model, which is described in Modeling Premixed
Combustion in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation.
Pressure...
includes quantities related to a normal force per unit area (the impact of the gas molecules on the surfaces of
a control volume).
Pressure Coefcient
(in the Pressure... category) is a dimensionless parameter dened by the equation
109
Variables J-R
where is the static pressure, is the reference pressure, and is the reference dynamic pressure
dened by . The reference pressure, density, and velocity are dened in the Reference Values
panel.
Product Formation Rate
(in the Premixed Combustion... category) is the source term in the progress variable transport equation (
in
where = mean reaction progress variable, Sc
t
= turbulent Schmidt number, and = reaction progress source
term (s^-1). Its unit quantity is time-inverse.
Production of k
(in the Turbulence... category) is the rate of production of turbulence kinetic energy (times density). Its unit
quantity is turb-kinetic-energy-production. For multiphase models, this value corresponds to the selected
phase in the Phase drop-down list.
Progress Variable
(in the Premixed Combustion... category) is a normalized mass fraction of the combustion products ( = 1)
or unburnt mixture products ( = 0), as dened by
where = number of products, = mass fraction of product species , = equilibrium mass fraction
of product species .
Properties...
includes material property quantities for uids and solids.
Variables R
Rate of NO
(in the NOx... category) is the overall rate of formation of NO due to all active NO formation pathways (for
example, thermal, prompt, etc.).
Rate of Nuclei
(in the Soot... category) is the overall rate of formation of nuclei.
Rate of N2OPath NO
(in the NOx... category) is the rate of formation of NO due to the N2O pathway only (available only when N2O
pathway is active).
Rate of Prompt NO
(in the NOx... category) is the rate of formation of NO due to the prompt pathway only (available only when
prompt pathway is active).
Rate of Reburn NO
(in the NOx... category) is the rate of formation of NO due to the reburn pathway only (available only when
reburn pathway is active).
Variables R
Rate of SNCR NO
(in the NOx... category) is the rate of formation of NO due to the SNCR pathway only (available only when
SNCR pathway is active).
Rate of Soot
(in the Soot... category) is the overall rate of formation of soot mass.
Rate of Thermal NO
(in the NOx... category) is the rate of formation of NO due to the thermal pathway only (available only when
thermal pathway is active).
Rate of Fuel NO
(in the NOx... category) is the rate of formation of NO due to the fuel pathway only (available only when fuel
pathway is active).
Rate of USER NO
(in the NOx... category) is the rate of formation of NO due to user dened rates only (available only when UDF
rates are added).
Radial Coordinate
(in the Grid... category) is the length of the radius vector in the polar coordinate system. The radius vector is
dened by a line segment between the node and the axis of rotation. You can dene the rotational axis in the
Fluid panel. See Velocity Reporting Options in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation. The unit quantity for
Radial Coordinate is length.
Radial Pull Velocity
(in the Solidication/Melting... category) is the radial-direction component of the pull velocity for the solid
material in a continuous casting process. Its unit quantity is velocity.
Radial Velocity
(in the Velocity... category) is the component of velocity in the radial direction. (See Velocity Reporting Options
in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details.) The unit quantity for Radial Velocity is velocity. For
multiphase models, this value corresponds to the selected phase in the Phase drop-down list.
Radial-Wall Shear Stress
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is the radial component of the force acting tangential to the surface due to
Radiation...
includes quantities related to radiation heat transfer. See Modeling Radiation in the ANSYS FLUENT
documentation.
Radiation Heat Flux
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is the rate of radiation heat transfer through the control surface. It is calculated
by the solver according to the specied radiation model. Heat ux out of the domain is negative, and heat ux
into the domain is positive. The unit quantity for Radiation Heat Flux is heat-ux.
Radiation Temperature
(in the Radiation... category) is the quantity , dened by
where is the Incident Radiation. The unit quantity for Radiation Temperature is temperature.
Rate of Reaction-n
(in the Reactions... category) is the effective rate of progress of the nth reaction. For the nite-rate model, the
value is the same as the Arrhenius Rate of Reaction-n. For the eddy-dissipation model, the value is equivalent
to the Turbulent Rate of Reaction-n. For the nite-rate/eddy-dissipation model, it is the lesser of the two.
Reactions...
includes quantities related to nite-rate reactions. See Modeling Species Transport and Finite-Rate Chemistry
in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for information about modeling nite-rate reactions.
111
Variables R
Reected Radiation Flux (Band-n)
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is the amount of radiative heat ux reected by a semi-transparent wall for a
particular band of radiation. Its unit quantity is heat-ux.
Reected Visible Solar Flux, Reected IR Solar Flux
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is the amount of solar heat ux reected by a semi-transparent wall for a visible
or infrared (IR) radiation.
Refractive Index
(in the Radiation... category) is a nondimensional parameter dened as the ratio of the speed of light in a
vacuum to that in a material. See Specular Semi-Transparent Walls in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation
for details.
Relative Axial Velocity
(in the Velocity... category) is the axial-direction component of the velocity relative to the reference frame
motion. See Velocity Reporting Options in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details. The unit quantity
for Relative Axial Velocity is velocity.
Relative Humidity
(in the Species... category) is the ratio of the partial pressure of the water vapor actually present in an air-water
mixture to the saturation pressure of water vapor at the mixture temperature. ANSYS FLUENT computes the
saturation pressure, , from the equation
where:
= 22.089 MPa
= 647.286 K
= -7.4192420
= 2.9721000 E10^-1
= -1.1552860 E10^-1
= 8.6856350 E10^-3
= 1.0940980 E10^-3
= -4.3999300 E10^-3
= 2.5206580 E10^-3
= -5.2186840 E10^-4
= 0.01
= 338.15 K
Relative Length Scale (DES)
(in the Turbulence... category) is dened by
Variables R
where is an RANS-based length scale, and is an LES-based length scale. All of the cells
inside the domain in which belong to the LES region, and all of the cells inside the domain in which
belong to the RANS region.
Relative Mach Number
(in the Velocity... category) is the nondimensional ratio of the relative velocity and speed of sound.
Relative Radial Velocity
(in the Velocity... category) is the radial-direction component of the velocity relative to the reference frame
motion. See Velocity Reporting Options in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details.) The unit quantity
for Relative Radial Velocity is velocity.
Relative Swirl Velocity
(in the Velocity... category) is the tangential-direction component of the velocity relative to the reference frame
motion, in an axisymmetric swirling ow. See Velocity Reporting Options in the ANSYS FLUENT
documentation for details. The unit quantity for Relative Swirl Velocity is velocity.
Relative Tangential Velocity
(in the Velocity... category) is the tangential-direction component of the velocity relative to the reference frame
motion. (See Velocity Reporting Options in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details.) The unit quantity
for Relative Tangential Velocity is velocity.
Relative Total Pressure
(in the Pressure... category) is the stagnation pressure computed using relative velocities instead of absolute
velocities; i.e., for incompressible ows the dynamic pressure would be computed using the relative velocities.
(See Velocity Reporting Options in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for more information about relative
velocities.) The unit quantity for Relative Total Pressure is pressure.
Relative Total Temperature
(in the Temperature... category) is the stagnation temperature computed using relative velocities instead of
absolute velocities. (See Velocity Reporting Options in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for more information
about relative velocities.) The unit quantity for Relative Total Temperature is temperature.
Relative Velocity Angle
(in the Velocity... category) is similar to the Velocity Angle except that it uses the relative tangential velocity,
and is dened as
Its unit quantity is angle.
Relative Velocity Magnitude
(in the Velocity... category) is the magnitude of the relative velocity vector instead of the absolute velocity
vector. The relative velocity ( ) is the difference between the absolute velocity ( ) and the grid velocity.
For simple rotation, the relative velocity is dened as
where is the angular velocity of a rotating reference frame about the origin and is the position vector.
(See Velocity Reporting Options in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation.) The unit quantity for Relative
Velocity Magnitude is velocity.
Relative X Velocity, Relative Y Velocity, Relative Z Velocity
(in the Velocity... category) are the x-, y-, and z-direction components of the velocity relative to the reference
frame motion. (See Velocity Reporting Options in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details.) The unit
quantity for these variables is velocity.
Residuals...
contains different quantities for the pressure-based and density-based solvers:
113
Variables R
In the density-based solvers, this category includes the corrections to the primitive variables pressure,
velocity, temperature, and species, as well as the time rate of change of the corrections to these primitive
variables for the current iteration (i.e., residuals). Corrections are the changes in the variables between the
current and previous iterations and residuals are computed by dividing a cell's correction by its physical
time step. The total residual for each variable is the summation of the Euler, viscous, and dissipation
contributions. The dissipation components are the vector components of the ux-like, face-based dissipation
operator.
In the pressure-based solver, only the Mass Imbalance in each cell is reported (unless you have requested
others, as described in Postprocessing Residual Values in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation. At
convergence, this quantity should be small compared to the average mass ow rate.
RMS quantity-n
(in the Unsteady Statistics... category) is the root mean squared value of a solution variable (for example,
Static Pressure). See Postprocessing for Time-Dependent Problems in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation
for details.
Rothalpy
(in the Temperature... category) is dened as
where is the enthalpy, is the relative velocity magnitude, and is the magnitude of the rotational
velocity .
Variables S
Scalar-n
(in the User Dened Scalars... category) is the value of the nth scalar quantity you have dened as a user-dened
scalar. See the separate UDF manual for more information about user-dened scalars.
Scalar Dissipation
(in the Pdf... category) is one of two parameters that describes the species mass fraction and temperature for a
laminar amelet in mixture fraction spaces. It is dened as
where is the mixture fraction and is a representative diffusion coefcient (see The Flamelet Concept in
the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details). Its unit quantity is time-inverse.
Scattering Coefcient
(in the Radiation... category) is the property of a medium that describes the amount of scattering of thermal
radiation per unit path length for propagation in the medium. It can be interpreted as the inverse of the mean
free path that a photon will travel before undergoing scattering (if the scattering coefcient does not vary along
the path). The unit quantity for Scattering Coefcient is length-inverse.
Secondary Mean Mixture Fraction
(in the Pdf... category) is the mean ratio of the secondary stream mass fraction to the sum of the fuel, secondary
stream, and oxidant mass fractions. It is the secondary-stream conserved scalar that is calculated by the
non-premixed combustion model. See Denition of the Mixture Fraction in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation.
Secondary Mixture Fraction Variance
(in the Pdf... category) is the variance of the secondary stream mixture fraction that is solved for in the
non-premixed combustion model. See Denition of the Mixture Fraction in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation.
Sensible Enthalpy
(in the Temperature... category) is available when any of the species models are active and displays only the
thermal (sensible) enthalpy.
Variables S
Skin Friction Coefcient
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is a nondimensional parameter dened as the ratio of the wall shear stress and
the reference dynamic pressure
where is the wall shear stress, and and are the reference density and velocity dened in the
Reference Values panel. For multiphase models, this value corresponds to the selected phase in the Phase
drop-down list.
Solar Heat Flux
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is the rate of solar heat transfer through the control surface. Heat ux out of
the domain is negative and heat ux into the domain is positive.
Solidication/Melting...
contains quantities related to solidication and melting.
Soot...
contains quantities related to the Soot model, which is described in Soot Formation in the ANSYS FLUENT
documentation.
Soot Density
(in the Soot... category) is the mass per unit volume of soot. The unit quantity is density. See Fuel NOx
Formation in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details.
Sound Speed
(in the Properties... category) is the acoustic speed. It is computed from . Its unit quantity is velocity.
Spanwise Coordinate
(in the Grid... category) is the normalized (dimensionless) coordinate in the spanwise direction, from hub to
casing. Its value varies from 0 to 1.
species-n Source Term
(in the Species... category) is the source term in each of the species transport equations due to reactions. The
unit quantity is always kg/m^3-s.
Species...
includes quantities related to species transport and reactions.
Specic Dissipation Rate (Omega)
(in the Turbulence... category) is the rate of dissipation of turbulence kinetic energy in unit volume and time.
Specic Heat (Cp)
(in the Properties... category) is the thermodynamic property of specic heat at constant pressure. It is dened
as the rate of change of enthalpy with temperature while pressure is held constant. Its unit quantity is
specic-heat.
Specic Heat Ratio (gamma)
(in the Properties... category) is the ratio of specic heat at constant pressure to the specic heat at constant
volume.
Stored Cell Partition
of cells. The active cell partition is used for the current calculation, while the stored cell partition (the last
partition performed) is used when you save a case le. See Partitioning the Grid Manually in the ANSYS
115
Variables S
Static Pressure
(in the Pressure... category) is the static pressure of the uid. It is a gauge pressure expressed relative to the
prescribed operating pressure. The absolute pressure is the sum of the Static Pressure and the operating pressure.
Its unit quantity is pressure.
Static Temperature
(in the Temperature... and Premixed Combustion... categories) is the temperature that is measured moving
with the uid. Its unit quantity is temperature.
Note that Static Temperature will appear in the Premixed Combustion... category only for adiabatic premixed
combustion calculations. See Calculations in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation.
Strain Rate
(in the Derivatives... category) relates shear stress to the viscosity. Also called the shear rate ( in
), the strain rate is related to the second invariant of the rate-of-deformation tensor .
Its unit quantity is time-inverse. In 3D Cartesian coordinates, the strain rate, , is dened as
Stream Function
(in the Velocity... category) is formulated as a relation between the streamlines and the statement of conservation
of mass. A streamline is a line that is tangent to the velocity vector of the owing uid. For a 2D planar ow,
the stream function, , is dened such that
where is constant along a streamline and the difference between constant values of stream function dening
two streamlines is the mass rate of ow between the streamlines.
The accuracy of the stream function calculation is determined by the text command
/display/set/n-stream-func.
Stretch Factor
(in the Premixed Combustion... category) is a nondimensional parameter that is dened as the probability of
unquenched amelets, which is in
where erfc is the complementary error function, is the standard deviation of the distribution of :
Variables S
is the stretch factor coefcient for dissipation pulsation, is the turbulent integral length scale, and
is the Kolmogorov micro-scale. The default value of 0.26 for (measured in turbulent non-reacting ows)
is suitable for most premixed ames. is the turbulence dissipation rate at the critical rate of strain:
Subgrid Filter Length
(in the Turbulence... category) is a mixing length for subgrid scales of the LES turbulence model, which is
dened as in
where is the von Krmn constant, is the distance to the closest wall, is the Smagorinsky constant,
and is the volume of the computational cell.
Lilly derived a value of 0.17 for for homogeneous isotropic turbulence in the inertial subrange. However,
this value was found to cause excessive damping of large-scale uctuations in the presence of mean shear and
in transitional ows as near solid boundary, and has to be reduced in such regions. In short, is not an
universal constant, which is the most serious shortcoming of this simple model. Nonetheless, value of
around 0.1 has been found to yield the best results for a wide range of ows, and is the default value in ANSYS
FLUENT.
Subgrid Kinetic Energy
(in the Turbulence... category) is the turbulence kinetic energy per unit mass of the unresolved eddies, ,
calculated using the LES turbulence model. It is dened as
Its unit quantity is turbulent-kinetic-energy.
Subgrid Turbulent Viscosity
(in the Turbulence... category) is the turbulent (dynamic) viscosity of the uid calculated using the LES
turbulence model. It expresses the proportionality between the anisotropic part of the subgrid-scale stress tensor
and the rate-of-strain tensor
where is the subgrid-scale turbulent viscosity. The isotropic part of the subgrid-scale stresses is not
modeled, but added to the ltered static pressure term. is the rate-of-strain tensor for the resolved scale
dened by
117
Variables S
Subgrid Turbulent Viscosity Ratio
(in the Turbulence... category) is the ratio of the subgrid turbulent viscosity of the uid to the laminar viscosity,
calculated using the LES turbulence model.
Surface Acoustic Power
(in the Acoustics... category) is the Acoustic Power per unit area generated by boundary layer turbulence
which can be interpreted as the local contribution per unit surface area of the body surface to the total acoustic
power. The mean-square time derivative of the surface pressure and the correlation area are further approximated
in terms of turbulent quantities like turbulent kinetic energy, dissipation rate, and wall shear.
ANSYS FLUENT reports the acoustic surface power dened by the equation both in physical ( ) and
dB units.) It is available only when the Broadband Noise Sources acoustics model is being used. Its unit
quantity is power per area.
Surface Acoustic Power Level (dB)
(in the Acoustics... category) is the Acoustic Power per unit area generated by boundary layer turbulence, and
represented in dB
as described in Surface Acoustic Power. It is available only when the Broadband Noise Sources acoustics
model is being used.
Surface Cluster ID
(in the Radiation... category) is used to view the distribution of surface clusters in the domain. Each cluster
has a unique integer number (ID) associated with it.
Surface Coverage of species-n
(in the Species... category) is the amount of a surface species that is deposited on the substrate at a specic
point in time.
Surface Deposition Rate of species-n
(in the Species... category) is the amount of a surface species that is deposited on the substrate. Its unit quantity
is mass-ux.
Surface dpdt RMS
(in the Acoustics... category) is the RMS value of the time-derivative of static pressure ( ). It is available
when the Ffowcs-Williams & Hawkings acoustics model is being used.
Surface Heat Transfer Coef.
(in the Wall Fluxes... category), as dened in ANSYS FLUENT, is given by the equation
where is the combined convective and radiative heat ux, is the wall temperature, and is the
reference temperature dened in the Reference Values panel. Note that is a constant value that should
be representative of the problem. Its unit quantity is the heat-transfer- coefcient.
Surface Incident Radiation
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is the net incoming radiation heat ux on a surface. Its unit quantity is heat-ux.
Variables S
Surface Nusselt Number
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is a local nondimensional coefcient of heat transfer dened by the equation
where is the heat transfer coefcient, is the reference length dened in the Reference Values
panel, and is the molecular thermal conductivity.
Surface Stanton Number
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is a nondimensional coefcient of heat transfer dened by the equation
where is the heat transfer coefcient, , and are reference values of density and velocity dened
in the Reference Values panel, and is the specic heat at constant pressure.
Swirl Pull Velocity
(in the Solidication/Melting... category) is the tangential-direction component of the pull velocity for the
solid material in a continuous casting process. Its unit quantity is velocity.
Swirl Velocity
(in the Velocity... category) is the tangential-direction component of the velocity in an axisymmetric swirling
ow. See Velocity Reporting Options in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details. The unit quantity for
Swirl Velocity is velocity. For multiphase models, this value corresponds to the selected phase in the Phase
drop-down list.
Swirl-Wall Shear Stress
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is the swirl component of the force acting tangential to the surface due to
Variables T-Z
Tangential Velocity
(in the Velocity... category) is the velocity component in the tangential direction. (See Velocity Reporting
Options in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details.) The unit quantity for Tangential Velocity is
velocity.
Temperature...
indicates the quantities associated with the thermodynamic temperature of a material.
Thermal Conductivity
(in the Properties... category) is a parameter ( ) that denes the conduction rate through a material via Fourier's
law ( ). A large thermal conductivity is associated with a good heat conductor and a small
thermal conductivity with a poor heat conductor (good insulator). Its unit quantity is thermal-conductivity.
Thermal Diff Coef of species-n
(in the Species... category) is the thermal diffusion coefcient for the nth species in these equations:
119
Variables T-Z
where is the mass diffusion coefcient for species in the mixture and is the thermal (Soret)
diffusion coefcient. The equation above is strictly valid when the mixture composition is not changing, or
when is independent of composition. See the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for more information.
where is the effective Schmidt number for the turbulent ow:
and is the effective mass diffusion coefcient due to turbulence. See the ANSYS FLUENT documentation
for more information.
where is the mass fraction of species . See the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for more information.
Time Step
(in the Residuals... category) is the local time step of the cell, , at the current iteration level. Its unit quantity
is time.
Time Step Scale
(in the Species... category) is the factor by which the time step is reduced for the stiff chemistry solver (available
in the density-based solver only). The time step is scaled down based on an eigenvalue and positivity analysis.
Total Energy
(in the Temperature... category) is the total energy per unit mass. Its unit quantity is specic-energy. For all
species models, plots of Total Energy include the sensible, chemical and kinetic energies. For multiphase
models, this value corresponds to the selected phase in the Phase drop-down list.
Total Enthalpy
(in the Temperature... category) is dened as where is the Enthalpy, as dened in
where is the mass fraction of species ), and is the velocity magnitude. Its unit quantity is
specic-energy. For all species models, plots of Total Enthalpy consist of the sensible, chemical and kinetic
energies. For multiphase models, this value corresponds to the selected phase in the Phase drop-down list.
Total Enthalpy Deviation
(in the Temperature... category) is the difference between Total Enthalpy and the reference enthalpy,
, where is the reference enthalpy dened in the Reference Values panel. However,
for non-premixed and partially premixed models, Total Enthalpy Deviation is the difference between Total
Enthalpy and total adiabatic enthalpy (total enthalpy where no heat loss or gain occurs). The unit quantity for
Variables T-Z
Total Enthalpy Deviation is specic-energy. For multiphase models, this value corresponds to the selected
Total Pressure
(in the Pressure... category) is the pressure at the thermodynamic state that would exist if the uid were brought
to zero velocity and zero potential. For compressible ows, the total pressure is computed using isentropic
relationships. For constant , this reduces to:
where is the static pressure, is the ratio of specic heats, and M is the Mach number. For incompressible
ows (constant density uid), we use Bernoulli's equation, , where is the local
dynamic pressure. Its unit quantity is pressure.
Total Surface Heat Flux
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is the rate of total heat transfer through the control surface. It is calculated by
the solver according to the boundary conditions being applied at that surface. By denition, heat ux out of
the domain is negative, and heat ux into the domain is positive. The unit quantity for Total Surface Heat
Flux is heat-ux.
Total Temperature
(in the Temperature... category) is the temperature at the thermodynamic state that would exist if the uid
were brought to zero velocity. For compressible ows, the total temperature is computed from the total enthalpy
using the current method (specied in the Materials panel). For incompressible ows, the total temperature
is equal to the static temperature. The unit quantity for Total Temperature is temperature.
Transmitted Radiation Flux (Band-n)
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is the amount of radiative heat ux transmitted by a semi-transparent wall for
a particular band of radiation. Its unit quantity is heat-ux.
Transmitted Visible Solar Flux, Transmitted IR Solar Flux
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is the amount of solar heat ux transmitted by a semi-transparent wall for a
visible or infrared radiation.
Turbulence...
includes quantities related to turbulence. See Modeling Turbulence in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation.
Turbulence Intensity
(in the Turbulence... category) is the ratio of the magnitude of the RMS turbulent uctuations to the reference
velocity:
where is the turbulence kinetic energy and is the reference velocity specied in the Reference Values
panel. The reference value specied should be the mean velocity magnitude for the ow. Note that turbulence
intensity can be dened in different ways, so you may want to use a custom eld function for its denition.
See Custom Field Functions in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for more information.
Turbulent Dissipation Rate (Epsilon)
(in the Turbulence... category) is the turbulent dissipation rate. Its unit quantity is turbulent-energy-diss-rate.
Turbulent Flame Speed
(in the Premixed Combustion... category) is the turbulent ame speed computed by ANSYS FLUENT using
=
121
Variables T-Z
which is equal to
where
= model constant
= RMS (root-mean-square) velocity (m/s)
= laminar ame speed (m/s)
= molecular heat transfer coefcient of unburnt mixture (thermal diffusivity) (m^2/s)
= turbulence length scale (m)
= turbulence time scale (s)
= chemical time scale (s)
(See Laminar Flame Speed for details.) Its unit quantity is velocity.
Turbulent Kinetic Energy (k)
(in the Turbulence... category) is the turbulence kinetic energy per unit mass dened as
Its unit quantity is turbulent-kinetic-energy. For multiphase models, this value corresponds to the selected
Turbulent Rate of Reaction-n
(in the Reactions... category) is the rate of progress of the nth reaction computed by
or
where:
is the mass fraction of any product species,
is the mass fraction of a particular reactant,
is an empirical constant equal to 4.0
is an empirical constant equal to 0.5
Variables T-Z
For the "eddy-dissipation" model, the value is the same as the Rate of Reaction-n. For the "nite-rate" model,
the value is zero.
Turbulent Reynolds Number (Re_y)
(in the Turbulence... category) is a nondimensional quantity dened as
where is turbulence kinetic energy, is the distance to the nearest wall, and is the laminar viscosity.
Turbulent Viscosity
(in the Turbulence... category) is the turbulent viscosity of the uid computed using the turbulence model. Its
unit quantity is viscosity. For multiphase models, this value corresponds to the selected phase in the Phase
drop-down list.
Turbulent Viscosity Ratio
(in the Turbulence... category) is the ratio of turbulent viscosity to the laminar viscosity.
udm-n
(in the User Dened Memory... category) is the value of the quantity in the nth user-dened memory location.
Unburnt Fuel Mass Fraction
(in the Premixed Combustion... category) is the mass fraction of unburnt fuel. This function is available only
for non-adiabatic models.
Unsteady Statistics...
includes mean and root mean square (RMS) values of solution variables derived from transient ow calculations.
User Dened Memory...
includes quantities that have been allocated to a user-dened memory location. See the separate UDF Manual
for details about user-dened memory.
User-Dened Scalars...
includes quantities related to user-dened scalars. See the separate UDF Manual for information about using
user-dened scalars.
UU Reynolds Stress
(in the Turbulence... category) is the stress.
UV Reynolds Stress
UW Reynolds Stress
Variance of Species
(in the NOx... category) is the variance of the mass fraction of a selected species in the ow eld. It is calculated
from
where the constants , , and take the values 0.85, 2.86, and 2.0, respectively. See the ANSYS
Variance of Species 1, Variance of Species 2
(in the NOx... category) are the variances of the mass fractions of the selected species in the ow eld. They
are each calculated from the same equation as in Variance of Species.
123
Variables T-Z
Variance of Temperature
(in the NOx... category) is the variance of the normalized temperature in the ow eld. It is calculated from
the same equation as in Variance of Species.
Velocity...
includes the quantities associated with the rate of change in position with time. The instantaneous velocity of
a particle is dened as the rst derivative of the position vector with respect to time, , termed the
velocity vector, .
Velocity Angle
(in the Velocity... category) is dened as follows:
For a 2D model,
For a 2D or axisymmetric model,
For a 3D model,
Its unit quantity is angle.
Velocity Magnitude
(in the Velocity... category) is the speed of the uid. Its unit quantity is velocity. For multiphase models, this
value corresponds to the selected phase in the Phase drop-down list.
Volume fraction
(in the Phases... category) is the volume fraction of the selected phase in the Phase drop-down list.
Vorticity Magnitude
(in the Velocity... category) is the magnitude of the vorticity vector. Vorticity is a measure of the rotation of a
uid element as it moves in the ow eld, and is dened as the curl of the velocity vector:
VV Reynolds Stress
VW Reynolds Stress
Wall Fluxes...
includes quantities related to forces and heat transfer at wall surfaces.
Wall Func. Heat Tran. Coef.
is dened by the equation
Variables T-Z
where is the specic heat, is the turbulence kinetic energy at point , and is dened in
See the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for more information.
Wall Shear Stress
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) is the force acting tangential to the surface due to friction. Its unit quantity is
pressure. For multiphase models, this value corresponds to the selected phase in the Phase drop-down list.
Wall Temperature (Inner Surface)
(in the Temperature... category) is the temperature on the inner surface of a wall (corresponding to the side
of the wall surface away from the adjacent uid or solid cell zone). Note that wall thermal boundary conditions
are applied on this surface:
The unit quantity for Wall Temperature (Inner Surface) is temperature.
Wall Temperature (Outer Surface)
(in the Temperature... category) is the temperature on the outer surface of a wall (corresponding to the side
of the wall surface toward the adjacent uid or solid cell zone). Note that wall thermal boundary conditions
are applied on the Inner Surface:
125
Variables T-Z
The unit quantity for Wall Temperature (Outer Surface) is temperature.
Wall Yplus
(in the Turbulence... category) is a nondimensional parameter dened by the equation
where is the friction velocity, is the distance from point to the wall, is the uid
density, and is the uid viscosity at point . See Near-Wall Treatments for Wall-Bounded Turbulent Flows
in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details. For multiphase models, this value corresponds to the
selected phase in the Phase drop-down list.
Wall Ystar
(in the Turbulence... category) is a nondimensional parameter dened by the equation
where is the turbulence kinetic energy at point , is the distance from point to the wall, is
the uid density, and is the uid viscosity at point . See Near-Wall Treatments for Wall-Bounded
Turbulent Flows in the ANSYS FLUENT documentation for details.
WW Reynolds Stress
X-Coordinate, Y-Coordinate, Z-Coordinate
(in the Grid... category) are the Cartesian coordinates in the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis directions respectively.
The unit quantity for these variables is length.
X Face Area, Y Face Area, Z Face Area
(in the Grid... category) are the components of the boundary face area vectors stored in the adjacent boundary
cells. The face area calculations are done as in X Surface Area, Y Surface Area, Z Surface Area (see below),
Variables T-Z
except the area values in the cells with more than one boundary face are not summed to obtain the cell values.
Instead, the area value relative to the last visited face of each cell is taken as the cell value.
The face area calculation can be restricted to a set of zones. Your zone selection can be made from the Boundary
Zones list contained in the Boundary Adaption panel. The face areas will be calculated only on the zones
selected, and in order to make your selection active, you need to click the Mark button in the Boundary
Adaption panel. Note that if the Boundary Zones list is empty, all boundary zones will be used.
X Pull Velocity, Y Pull Velocity, Z Pull Velocity
(in the Solidication/Melting... category) are the x, y, and z components of the pull velocity for the solid
material in a continuous casting process. The unit quantity for each is velocity.
X Surface Area, Y Surface Area, Z Surface Area
(in the Grid... category) are the components of the boundary face area vectors stored in the adjacent boundary
cells. The surface area is accumulated from all boundary faces adjacent to the boundary cell. For each boundary
face zone, the component of the face area in the relevant direction (x, y, or z) is added to the cell value of the
adjacent cell. For those cells having more than one boundary face, the cell value is the sum (accumulation) of
all the boundary face area values. In most circumstances, the X Surface Area, Y Surface Area, Z Surface
Area are used for ux and surface integration. In the few instances where area accumulation must be avoided,
you can mark the zones of interest and use X Face Area, Y Face Area, Z Face Area (see above) for ux and
integral calculations.
X Velocity, Y Velocity, Z Velocity
(in the Velocity... category) are the components of the velocity vector in the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis directions,
respectively. The unit quantity for these variables is velocity. For multiphase models, these values correspond
to the selected phase in the Phase drop-down list.
X-Vorticity, Y-Vorticity, Z-Vorticity
(in the Velocity... category) are the x, y, and z components of the vorticity vector.
X-Wall Shear Stress, Y-Wall Shear Stress, Z-Wall Shear Stress
(in the Wall Fluxes... category) are the x, y, and z components of the force acting tangential to the surface due
to friction. The unit quantity for these variables is pressure. For multiphase models, these values correspond
to the selected phase in the Phase drop-down list.
127
Variables T-Z
Chapter 7. Command Actions
You can use command actions to edit or create graphic objects and to perform some typical actions (such as reading
or creating session and state les). This chapter describes:
Overview of Command Actions (p. 129)
File Operations from the Command Editor Dialog Box (p. 130)
Quantitative Calculations in the Command Editor Dialog Box (p. 136)
Other Commands (p. 136)
Overview of Command Actions
Action statements are used to force CFD-Post to undertake a specic task, usually related to the input and output
of data from the system. You can use action statements in a variety of areas:
You can enter command action statements into the Tools > Command Editor dialog box. All such actions must
be preceded with the > symbol.
For details on the Command Editor dialog box, see Command Editor (p. 226). Additional information on
editing and creating graphics objects using the CFX Command Language in the Command Editor dialog box
is available in CFX Command Language (CCL) in CFD-Post (p. 257).
Command actions also appear in session les (where they are also preceded by the > character).
When running CFD-Post in Line Interface mode, the CFX> command prompt is shown in a DOS window or
UNIX shell. All the actions described in this section along with some additional commands can be entered at
the command prompt. You do not have to precede commands with the > symbol when running in Line Interface
mode. Additional information on using Line Interface mode is available in Line Interface Mode (p. 151).
Note
In addition to command action statements, CCL takes advantage of the full range of capabilities and
resources from an existing programming language, Perl. Perl statements can be embedded in between
lines of simple syntax, providing capabilities such as loops, logic, and much, much more with any CCL
input le. These Power Syntax commands are preceded by the ! symbol. Additional information on
using Power Syntax in the Command Editor dialog box is available in Power Syntax in ANSYS
CFX (p. 137).
Many actions require additional information to perform their task (such as the name of a le to load or the type of
le to create). By default, these actions get the necessary information from a specic associated CCL singleton
object. For convenience, some actions accept a few arguments that are used to optionally override the commonly
changed object settings. If multiple arguments for an action are specied, they must be separated by a comma (,).
Lines starting with the # character are not interpreted and can be used for comments.
For example, all the settings for >print are read from the HARDCOPY: object. However, if you desire, you can
specify the name of the hardcopy le as an argument to >print. The following CCL example demonstrates this
behavior of actions:
# Define settings for printing
HARDCOPY:
Hardcopy Format= jpg
Hardcopy Filename = default.jpg
Image Scale = 70
White Background = Off
END
#Create an output file based on the settings in HARDCOPY
>print
129
#Create an identical output file with a different filename.
>print another_file.jpg
File Operations from the Command Editor Dialog
Box
This section discusses the following topics:
Loading a Results File (p. 130)
Reading Session Files (p. 130)
Saving State Files (p. 131)
Reading State Files (p. 132)
Creating a Hardcopy (p. 134)
Importing External File Formats (p. 134)
Exporting Data (p. 134)
Viewer Controls (p. 135)
Loading a Results File
You load a results le by using the >load command. The parameter settings for loading the le are read from the
DATA READER object. For simplicity, some parameters may be set via optional parameters as part of the load
command.
>load [filename=<filename>][timestep=<timestep>]
If a timestep is not specied, a value of -1 is assumed (this corresponds to the Final state).
When a results le is loaded, all Domain, Boundary, and Variable objects associated with the results le are
created or updated. Variable objects are created, but the associated data is not actually read into the post-processor
until the variables are used (load-on-demand). Variables will be pre-loaded if specied in the DATA READER.
load Command Examples
The following are example >load commands with the expected results.
>load filename=c:/CFX/tutorials/Buoyancy2DVMI_002.res, timestep=3
This command loads the specied results le at timestep 3.
Tip
If going from a transient to steady state results le, you should specify the timestep to be -1 (if this is
not the current setting). If you do not explicitly set this, you will get a warning message stating that the
existing timestep does not exist. The -1 timestep will then be loaded.
>load timestep=4
This command loads timestep 4 in the existing results le.
Reading Session Files
>readsession [filename=<filename>]
The >readsession command performs session le reading and executing. The following option is available:
filename = <filename>
File Operations from the Command Editor Dialog Box
This option species the lename and path to the le that should be read and executed. If no lename is specied,
the SESSION singleton object indicates the le to use. If no SESSION singleton exists, an error will be raised
indicating that a lename must be specied.
readsession Command Examples
The following are example >readsession commands, and the expected results. If a SESSION singleton exists,
the values of the parameters listed after the session command replaces the values stored in the SESSION singleton
object. For this command, the filename command parameter value replaces the session filename parameter
value in the SESSION singleton.
> readsession
This command reads the session le specied in the SESSION singleton, and execute its contents. If the SESSION
object does not exist, an error will be raised indicating that a lename must be specied.
> readsession filename=mysession.cse
This command reads and execute the contents of the mysession.cse le.
Saving State Files
>savestate [mode=<none | overwrite>][filename=<filename>]
State les can be used to quickly load a previous state into CFD-Post. State les can be generated manually using
a text editor, or from within CFD-Post by saving a state le. The commands required to save to these les from the
Command Editor dialog box are described below.
The >savestate command is used to write the current CFD-Post state to a le. The >savestate action supports
the following options:
mode = <none | overwrite>
If mode is none, the executor creates a new state le, and if the specied le exists, an error will be raised. If
mode is overwrite, the executor creates a new state le, and if the le exists, it will be deleted and replaced
with the latest state information.
Species the path and name of the le that the state is to be written to. If no lename is specied, the STATE
singleton object will be queried for the lename. If the STATE singleton does not exist, then an error will be
raised indicating that a lename must be specied.
savestate Command Examples
The following are example >savestate commands, and the expected results. If a STATE singleton exists, the
values of the parameters listed after the >savestate command replaces the values stored in the STATE singleton
object. For this command, the filename command parameter value replaces the state filename parameter
value in the STATE singleton, and the mode command parameter value replaces the savestate mode parameter
value in the STATE singleton.
> savestate
This command writes the current state information to the lename specied in the STATE singleton. If the mode
in the STATE singleton is none, and the lename exists, an error will be returned. If the mode in the STATE
singleton is overwrite, and the lename exists, the existing le will be deleted, and the state information will
be written to the le. If the STATE singleton does not exist, an error will be raised indicating that a lename needs
to be specied.
131
Saving State Files
> savestate mode=none
This command writes the current state information to the le specied in the STATE singleton. If the le already
exists, an error will be raised. If the STATE singleton does not exist, an error will be raised indicating that a lename
needs to be specied.
> savestate mode=overwrite
This command writes the current state information to the le specied in the STATE singleton. If the le already
exists, it will be deleted, and the current state information will be saved in its place. If the STATE singleton does
not exist, an error will be raised indicating that a lename needs to be specied.
> savestate filename=mystate.cst
This command writes the current state information to the mystate.cst le. If the STATE singleton exists, and
the savestate mode is set to none, and the le already exists, the command causes an error. If the savestate
mode is set to overwrite, and the le already exists, the le will be deleted, and the current state information
will be saved in its place. If the STATE singleton does not exist, then the system assumes a savestate mode
of none, and behave as described above.
> savestate mode=none, filename=mystate.cst
This command writes the current state information to the mystate.cst le. If the le already exists, the command
causes an error.
> savestate mode=overwrite, filename=mystate.cst
This command writes the current state information to the mystate.cst le. If the le already exists, it will be
deleted, and the current state information will be saved in its place.
Reading State Files
>readstate [mode=<overwrite | append>][filename=<filename>, load=<true | false>]
The >readstate command loads an CFD-Post state from a specied le.
If a DATA READER singleton has been stored in the state le, the load action will be invoked to load the contents
of the results le.
If a state le contains BOUNDARY objects, and the state le is appended to the current state (with no new DATA
READER object), some boundaries dened may not be valid for the loaded results. BOUNDARY objects that are not
valid for the currently loaded results le will be culled.
>readstate supports the following options:
mode = <overwrite | append>
If mode is set to overwrite, the executor deletes all the objects that currently exist in the system, and load
the objects saved in the state le. Overwrite mode is the default mode if none is explicitly specied. If mode is
set to append, the executor adds the objects saved in the state le to the objects that already exist in the system.
If the mode is set to append and the state le contains objects that already exist in the system, the following
logic will determine the nal result:
If the system has an equivalent object (the name and type), then the object already in the system will be modied
with the parameters saved in the state le. If the system has an equivalent object in name only, then the object
that already exists in the system will be deleted, and replaced with that in the state le.
The path to the state le.
load = <true | false>
Reading State Files
If load is set to true and a DATA READER object is dened in the state le, then the results le will be loaded
when the state le is read. If load is set to false, the results le will not be loaded, and the DATA READER
object that currently is in the object database (if any) will not be updated.
readstate Option Actions
The following table describes the options, and what will happen based on the combination of options that are selected.
What happens to
the Data Reader
What happens to the objects? Load Data
Selection
Mode Selection
It gets deleted and
replaced.
All user objects (planes, etc.) get deleted. The loading of the
new results le changes the default objects (boundaries,
wireframe, etc.) including deletion of objects that are no
True Overwrite
longer relevant to the new results. Default objects that are
not explicitly modied by object denitions in the state le
will have all user modiable values reset to default values.
If it exists, it
remains unchanged
All user objects get deleted. All default objects that exist in
the state le updates the same objects in the current system
False Overwrite
regardless of what
is in the state le.
state if they exist. Default objects in the state le that do not
exist in the current state will not be created. All user objects
in the state le will be created.
It is modied with
new value from the
state le.
No objects are initially deleted. The default objects in the
state le replaces the existing default objects. User objects
will:
True Append
Be created if they have a unique name.
Replace existing objects if they have the same name but
different type.
Update existing objects if they have the same name and
type.
If it exists, it
remains unchanged
No objects are initially deleted. Default objects in the state
le will only overwrite those in the system if they already
False Append
regardless of what
is in the state le.
exist. User objects have the same behavior as the
Append/True option above.
readstate Command Examples
The following are example >readstate commands, and the expected results. If a STATE singleton exists, the
values of the parameters listed after the >readstate command replaces the values stored in the STATE singleton
object. For this command, the filename command parameter value replaces the state filename parameter
value in the STATE singleton, and the mode command parameter value replaces the readstate mode parameter
value in the STATE singleton.
> readstate filename=mystate.cst
The readstate mode parameter in the STATE singleton determines if the current objects in the system are
deleted before the objects dened in the mystate.cst le are loaded into the system. If the STATE singleton
does not exist, then the system objects are deleted before loading the new state information.
> readstate mode=overwrite, filename=mystate.cst
This command deletes all objects currently in the system, open the mystate.cst le if it exists, and create the
objects as stored in the state le.
133
Reading State Files
> readstate mode=append, filename=mystate.cst
This command opens the mystate.cst le if it exists, and adds the objects dened in the le to those already
in the system following the rules specied in the previous table.
> readstate
This command overwrites or appends to the objects in the system using the objects dened in the le referenced
by the state filename parameter in the STATE singleton. If the STATE singleton does not exist, an error will
be raised indicating that a lename must be specied.
> readstate mode=overwrite
This command overwrites the objects in the system STATE the objects dened in the le referenced by the state
filename parameter in the STATE singleton. If the STATE singleton does not exist, an error will be raised
> readstate mode=append
This command appends to the objects in the system using the objects dened in the le referenced by the state
filename parameter in the STATE singleton. If the STATE singleton does not exist, an error will be raised
Creating a Hardcopy
>print [<filename>]
The >print command creates a le of the current viewer contents. Settings for output format, quality, etc. are
read from the HARDCOPY singleton object.
The optional argument <filename> can be used to specify the name of the output le to override that stored in
HARDCOPY. HARDCOPY must exist before print is executed.
Importing External File Formats
Data import is controlled using the >import command. There are two le types that can be imported: ANSYS
(*.cdb) and Generic (*.csv). The CCL options associated with the >import command are:
>import type=<Ansys | Generic>,
filename=<filename>,
object name=<name of object>,
boundary=<associated boundary>,
conserve flux=<true | false>
type - Indicates whether to import the le as an Ansys le or Generic le.
filename - The name of the le to import.
object name - the name to give the USER SURFACE object that is created as a result of importing the le.
boundary - the name of the CFD-Post boundary/region to associate with the imported ANSYS surface. This
association is used during an ANSYS le import to project data from the ANSYS surface onto the CFD-Post
boundary/region. The same association is used during an ANSYS le export, when data from the CFD-Post
boundary/region is projected back onto the ANSYS surface.
conserve flux - boolean to indicate whether or not to ensure that the heat uxes associated with the imported
ANSYS geometry remain conservative relative to the uxes on the associated CFD-Post Boundary.
Exporting Data
Data export is controlled using the >export command. The names of variables to export, locations to export,
lenames, etc., are dened in the EXPORT singleton object.
Creating a Hardcopy
Viewer Controls
This section describes how multiple viewports can be accessed using Command Language, and how they are ordered
and named.
The rst (top-left) viewport is represented by the VIEWER singleton, while others are VIEWPORT objects. For
example, to modify ltering in the rst viewport, changes should be made to the VIEWER singleton. For all other
viewports, changes are made to the VIEWPORT objects, which are numbered from 1-3 in a clockwise direction.
For example, to lter the top-left viewport:
VIEWER
Draw All Objects=false
Object Name List=Wireframe
END
To lter the bottom-right viewport when all four viewports are active:
VIEWPORT:Viewport 2
Draw All Objects=false
Object Name List=Wireframe
END
The following are examples of viewport layouts:
135
Viewer Controls
Quantitative Calculations in the Command Editor
Dialog Box
When executing a calculation from the Command Editor dialog box, the result is displayed in the Calculator
Window.
The >calculate command is used to perform function calculations in the Command Editor dialog box. Typing
>calculate alone performs the calculation using the parameters stored in the CALCULATOR singleton object.
Entering >calculate <function name> will not work if required arguments are needed by the function.
Other Commands
Deleting Objects (p. 136)
Viewing a Chart (p. 136)
Turbo Post CCL Command Actions (p. 136)
Deleting Objects
>delete <objectnamelist>
The >delete command can be used in the Command Editor dialog box to delete objects. The command must
be supplied with a list of object names separated by commas. An error message will be displayed if the list contains
any invalid object names, but the deletion of valid objects in the list will still be processed.
Viewing a Chart
>chart <objectname>
The >chart command is used to invoke the Chart Viewer and display the specied Chart object. Chart objects
and Chart Lines are created like other CCL objects.
Turbo Post CCL Command Actions
Calculating Velocity Components
>turbo more vars
Issuing the >turbo more vars command is equivalent to selecting the Calculate Velocity Components
in the Turbo workspace. For details, see Calculate Velocity Components (p. 248).
Initializing all Turbo Components
>turbo init
Issuing the >turbo init command is equivalent to selecting Initialize All Components from the Turbo menu.
For details, see Initialize All Components (p. 231).
Quantitative Calculations in the Command Editor Dialog Box
Chapter 8. Power Syntax in ANSYS CFX
Programming constructs can be used within CCL for advanced usage. Rather than invent a new language, CCL
takes advantage of the full range of capabilities and resources from an existing programming language, Perl. Perl
statements can be embedded in between lines of simple syntax, providing capabilities such as loops, logic, and
much, much more with any CCL input le.
Lines of Power Syntax are identied in a CCL le by an exclamation mark (!) at the start of each line. In between
Perl lines, simple syntax lines may refer to Perl variables and lists.
A wide range of additional functionality is made available to expert users with the use of Power Syntax including:
Loops
Logic and control structures
Lists and arrays
Subroutines with argument handling (useful for dening commonly re-used plots and procedures)
Basic I/O processing
System functions
Many other procedures (Object programming, World Wide Web access, simple embedded GUIs).
Any of the above may be included in a CCL input le or CFD-Post Session le.
Important
You should be wary when entering certain expressions because Power Syntax uses Perl mathematical
operators. For example, in CEL, 2
2
is represented as 2^2, but in Perl, it would be written 2**2. If you
are unsure about the validity of an operator, you should check a Perl reference guide.
There are many good reference books on Perl. Two examples are Learning Perl (ISBN 1-56592-042-2)
and Programming Perl (ISBN 1-56592-149-6) from the O'Reilly series.
This chapter describes:
Examples of Power Syntax (p. 137)
Predened Power Syntax Subroutines (p. 140)
Examples of Power Syntax
The following are some examples in which the versatility of power syntax is demonstrated. They become steadily
more complex in the later examples.
Some additional, more complex, examples of Power Syntax subroutines can be found by viewing the session les
used for the Macro Calculator. These are located in CFX/etc/. You can execute these subroutines from the
Command Editor dialog box the same as calling any other Power Syntax subroutine. The required argument format
is:
!cpPolar(<"BoundaryList">, <"SliceNormalAxis">,
<"SlicePosition">, <"PlotAxis">, <"InletLocation">,
<"ReferencePressure">)
!compressorPerform(<"InletLocation">, <"OutletLocation">,
<"BladeLocation">, <"MachineAxis">, <"RotationalSpeed">,
<"TipRadius">, <"NumBlades">, <"FluidGamma">)
These subroutines are loaded when CFD-Post is launched, so you do not need to execute the session les before
using the functions.
Additional information on these macro functions is available. For details, see Gas Compressor Performance Macro
(p. 212) and Cp Polar Plot Macro (p. 212).
137
All arguments passed to subroutines should be enclosed in quotations, for example Plane 1 must be passed as
Plane 1 and Eddy Viscosity should be entered as Eddy Viscosity. Any legal CFX Command
Language characters that are illegal in Perl need to be enclosed in quotation marks.
Example 1: Print the Value of the Pressure Drop Through a
Pipe
! $Pin = massFlowAve("Pressure","inlet");
! $Pout = massFlowAve("Pressure","outlet");
! $dp = $Pin-$Pout;
! print "The pressure drop is $dp\n";
Example 2: Using a for Loop
This example demonstrates using Power Syntax that wraps a for loop around some CCL Object denitions to
repetitively change the visibility on the outer boundaries.
# Make the outer boundaries gradually transparent in
# the specified number of steps.
!$numsteps = 10;
!for ($i=0; $i < $numsteps; $i++) {
! $trans = ($i+1)/$numsteps;
BOUNDARY:in
Visibility = 1
Transparency = $trans
END
BOUNDARY:out
Visibility = 1
END
BOUNDARY:Default
Visibility = 1
END
!}
The rst line of Power Syntax simply denes a scalar variable called numsteps. Scalar variables (that is, simple
single-valued variables) begin with a $ symbol in Perl. The next line denes a for loop that increments the variable
i up to numsteps. Next, you determine the fraction you are along in the loop and assign it to the variable trans.
The object denitions then use trans to set their transparency and then repeat. Note how Perl variables can be
directly embedded into the object denitions. The nal line of Power Syntax (!}) closes the for loop.
Example 1: Print the Value of the Pressure Drop Through a Pipe
Example 3: Creating a Simple Subroutine
The following example denes a simple subroutine to make two planes at specied locations. The subroutine will
be used in the next example.
!sub makePlanes {
PLANE:plane1
Option = Point and Normal
Point = 0.09,0,-0.03
Normal = 1,0,0
Draw Lines = On
Line Color = 1,0,0
Color Mode = Variable
Color Variable = Pressure
Range = Local
END
PLANE:plane2
Point = 0.08,-0.038,-0.0474
Normal = 1,0,0
Draw Faces = Off
Draw Lines = On
Line Color = 0,1,0
END
!}
Although this subroutine is designed for use with the next example, you can execute it on its own by typing
!makePlanes(); in the Command Editor dialog box.
Example 4: Creating a Complex Quantitative Subroutine
This example is a complex quantitative subroutine that takes slices through the manifold geometry, as shown below,
compares the mass ow through the two sides of the initial branch, and computes the pressure drop through to the
four exit locations.
! sub manifoldCalcs{
# call the previously defined subroutine (Example 3) make the
# upstream and downstream cutting planes
139
Example 3: Creating a Simple Subroutine
! makePlanes();
#
# Bound the two planes so they each just cut one side of the branch.
PLANE:plane1
Plane Bound = Circular
Bound Radius = 0.025
END
PLANE:plane2
Bound Radius = 0.025
END
# Calculate mass flow through each using the predefined
# 'evaluate' Power Syntax subroutine and output the results
! ($mass1, $mfunits) = evaluate( "massFlow()\@plane1" );
! ($mass2) = evaluate( "massFlow()\@plane2" );
! $sum = $mass1+$mass2;
! print "Mass flow through branch 1 = $mass1 [$mfunits]\n";
! print "Mass flow through branch 2 = $mass2 [$mfunits]\n";
! print "Total = $sum [$mfunits]\n";
# Now calculate pressure drops and mass flows through the exits
# calculate the average pressure at the inlet
!($Pin, $punits) = evaluate( "massFlowAve(Pressure)\@in1" );
# Set-up an array that holds the approximate X location of each
# of the 4 exits. We then loop over the array to move the outlet
# plane and re-do the pressure drop calculation at each exit.
! @Xlocs = (0.15,0.25,0.35,0.45);
! $sum = 0;
! for ($i=0;$i<4;$i++) {
PLANE:outlet
Normal = 0,-1,-1
Point = $Xlocs[$i],-0.06,-0.2
Bound Radius = 0.05
END
! ($Pout, $punits) = evaluate( "massFlowAve(Pressure)\@outlet" );
! ($massFl) = evaluate( "massFlow()\@outlet" );
! $sum += $massFl;
! $Dp = $Pin-$Pout;
! $ii = $i+1;
! print "At outlet \#$ii: Dp = $Dp [$punits], Mass Flow = $massFl [$mfunits]\n";
! } # end loop
! print "Total Mass Flow = $sum [$mfunits]\n";
!} # end subroutine
After processing these commands to dene the subroutine, you can execute it, in the same way as any other subroutine,
by typing !manifoldCalcs(); in the Command Editor dialog box.
Predefined Power Syntax Subroutines
CFD-Post provides predened subroutines that add Power Syntax functionality. You can view a list of these
subroutines by entering !showSubs(); in the Command Editor dialog box. The list is printed to the console
window. The list shows all currently loaded subroutines, so it will include any custom subroutines that you have
processed in the Command Editor dialog box.
These subroutines provide access to the quantitative functionality of CFD-Post. Most of these routines provide
results in a single return value. For example, if the Perl variable $verbose = 1, then the result is also printed to
Predened Power Syntax Subroutines
the screen. Information on the calculations performed by the subroutines is available. For details, see Function
Selection (p. 210).
The following sections describe these predened subroutines:
Subroutine Descriptions (p. 141)
Usage (p. 141)
Power Syntax Subroutines (p. 141)
Subroutine Descriptions
In the next section, each subroutine will appear in the following format:
Each of the subroutines contains an argument list (in brackets, separated by commas). If any argument contains
more than one word (for example, Plane 1), it must be within quotes. You should enclose all arguments within
quotes to avoid making possible syntax errors.
Each subroutine is preceded by its return value(s). For example:
real, string evaluate("Expression, "Locator")
will return two values, a real number and a string.
The return values will always be in the solution units of the CFX-Solver results le, even if you have changed the
display units in the Edit menu. This means that if you have a plot of temperature in degrees C on Plane 1, the
area averaged value of temperature on Plane 1 returned by the areaAve command will still be in degrees K.
Usage
All lines of power syntax must have an exclamation mark as the rst character so that they are not treated as CCL
statements. The statements must also end with a semi-colon. The following is an example:
! $lengthVal = Length("Plane 1");
! print $lengthVal;
Some subroutines return more than one value. To store return values for a subroutine that returns two variables
(such as the evaluate function), you could use the following:
! ($value, $units) = evaluate("Expression 1");
! print "The value of Expression 1 is $value, and the units are $units";
Power Syntax Subroutines
area(Location,Axis)
real area("Location", "Axis")
Returns the value of area. For details, see area (p. 30).
141
Subroutine Descriptions
areaAve(Variable,Location,Axis)
real areaAve("Variable", "Location", "Axis")
Returns the area-weighted average of the variable. For details, see areaAve (p. 31).
areaInt(Variable,Location,Axis)
real areaInt("Variable", "Location", "Axis")
Returns the result of the variable integrated over the 2D Location. For details, see areaInt (p. 31).
ave(Variable,Location)
real ave("Variable", "Location")
Returns the arithmetic average of the variable. For details, see ave (p. 32).
calcTurboVariables()
void calcTurboVariables()
Calculates all 'extra' turbo variables. (Works only in turbo mode.)
calculate()
void calculate(function,...)
Evaluates the named function with the supplied argument list, and returns the oat result. The function name is a
required argument, which can be followed by a variable length list of arguments.
calculateUnits()
string calculateUnits(function,...)
Evaluates the named function with the supplied argument list, and returns the value and units.
collectTurboInfo()
This is an internal subroutine that is used only to initialize report templates.
comfortFactors()
compressorPerform()
This is a special macro; for details, see Gas Compressor Performance Macro (p. 212). For example:
compressorPerform("Inlet", "Outlet", "Blade", "X", 600, 0.03, 10, 1.2)
compressorPerformTurbo()
copyFile(FromPath, ToPath)
A utility function for copying les.
void copyFile("FromPath", "ToPath")
count(Location)
real count("Location")
Returns the number of nodes on the location. For details, see count (p. 33).
countTrue(Expression, Location)
The countTrue function returns the number of mesh nodes on the specied region that evaluate to true, where
true means greater than or equal to 0.5. The countTrue function is valid for 1D, 2D, and 3D locations. For details,
see countTrue (p. 33).
real countTrue( "Expression", "Location" )
where "Expression" contains one of the logical operators =, >, <, <=, or >=.
cpPolar()
This is a special macro; for details, see Cp Polar Plot Macro (p. 212). For example:
cpPolar("Plane 1", "Y", 0.3, "X", "Inlet", 10000)
evaluate(Expression)
real,string evaluate("Expression")
Returns the value of the expression and the units. Only one expression can be evaluated each time the subroutine
is executed. The main advantage of using evaluate is that it takes any CEL expression. This means that you do
not have to learn any other quantitative power syntax routines described in this section. Also, evaluate will return
the result units in addition to the value.
An example is:
evaluate("areaAve(Velocity v)\@Location 1")
In this case, another subroutine is evaluated. The evaluate command takes an any expression as the argument,
or more precisely, any expression that resolves to a quantity. This means that you cannot use:
"2*Pressure"
but you can use:
"2*minVal(Pressure)\@locator 1"
or
"100 [m]"
This is simply an alternative way of typing:
! $myVal = 2 * minVal("Pressure", "Location");
The reason that the @ is escaped calling evaluate() is to avoid Perl treating it as a special character.
143
evaluateInPreferred(Expression)
real,string evaluateInPreferred("Expression")
Returns the value of the expression in your preferred units. Preferred units are the units of the data that CFD-Post
uses when information is displayed to you and are the default units when you enter information (as contrasted with
units of the data that are stored in results les). Use the Edit > Options > Common > Units dialog to set your
preferred units.
exprExists(Expression)
bool exprExists( "Expression" )
Returns true if an expression with this name exists; false otherwise.
fanNoiseDefault()
fanNoise()
force(Location,Axis)
real force("Location", "Axis")
Returns the force value. For details, see force (p. 34).
forceNorm(Location,Axis)
real forceNorm("Location", "Axis")
Returns the forceNorm value. For details, see forceNorm (p. 35).
getBladeForceExpr()
getBladeTorqueExpr()
getCCLState()
This is an internal debugging call.
getChildrenByCategory()
SV* getChildrenByCategory()
Return the children of an object that belong to the specied category in a comma-separated list. Use 'split ","'
to convert the string into an array of strings.
getChildren()
SV* getChildren(objName, childType)
Return the children of an object in a comma separated list. If childType is not an empty string, this subroutine
return only children of the specied type.
getExprOnLocators()
getExprString(Expression)
string getExprString( "Expression" )
Returns the value and the units of the expression in the form value units. For example: 100 m
getExprVal(Expression)
real getExprVal( "Expression" )
Returns only the "value" portion of the expression (units are not included).
getParameterInfo()
SV* getParameterInfo(objName, paramName, infoType)
Returns the requested information for a parameter of an object.
getParameters()
SV* getParameters(objName)
Returns the parameters of an object in a comma-separated list. Use 'split ","' to convert the string into an array
of strings.
getTempDirectory()
char getTempDirectory()
Returns the temporary directory path.
getType()
SV* getType(objName)
Returns the object type.
getValue(Object Name,Parameter Name)
A utility function that takes a CCL object and parameter name and returns the value of the parameter.
getValue("Object Name", "Parameter Name")
Returns the value stored in Parameter Name.
Example
1. Create a text object called Text 1.
2. In the Text String box, enter Here is a text string.
3. Click Apply to create the text object.
4. In the Command Editor dialog box, enter the following:
!string = getValue( "/TEXT:Text 1/TEXT ITEM: Text Item 1", "Text String");
! print $string;
145
5. Click Process, and the string will be printed to your terminal window.
The same procedure can be carried out for any object.
getViewArea()
void getViewArea()
Calculates the area of the scene projected in the view direction. Returns the area and the units.
isCategory()
int isCategory(objName, category)
A return of 1 indicates that the object matches the passed category; 0 otherwise.
Length(Location)
real Length("Location")
Returns the value of length. For details, see length (p. 36).
Note
While using this function in Power Syntax the leading character is capitalized to avoid confusion with
the Perl internal command length.
lengthAve(Variable,Location)
real lengthAve("Variable", "Location")
Returns the length-based average of the variable on the line locator. For details, see lengthAve (p. 36).
lengthInt(Variable,Location)
real lengthInt("Variable", "Location")
Returns the length-based integral of the variable on the line locator. For details, see lengthInt (p. 37).
liquidTurbPerformTurbo()
liquidTurbPerform()
massFlow(Location)
real massFlow("Location")
Returns the mass ow through the 2D locator. For details, see massFlow (p. 37).
massFlowAve(Variable,Location)
real massFlowAve("Variable", "Location")
Returns the calculated value of the variable. For details, see massFlowAve (p. 38).
massFlowAveAbs()
massFlowInt(Variable,Location)
real massFlowInt("Variable","Location")
Returns the calculated value of the variable. For details, see massFlowInt (p. 40).
maxVal(Variable,Location)
real maxVal("Variable", "Location")
Returns the maximum value of the variable at the location. For details, see maxVal (p. 41).
minVal(Variable,Location)
real minVal("Variable", "Location")
Returns the minimum value of the variable at the location. For details, see minVal (p. 41).
objectExists()
int objectExists(objName)
A return of 1 indicates that the object exists; 0 otherwise.
probe(Variable,Location)
real probe("Variable", "Location")
Important
This calculation should only be performed for point locators described by single points. Incorrect solutions
will be produced for multiple point locators.
Returns the value of the variable at the point locator. For details, see probe (p. 42).
pumpPerform()
pumpPerformTurbo()
range(Variable,Location)
(real, real) range("Variable", "Location")
Returns the minimum and maximum values of the variable at the location.
reportError(String)
void reportError( "String" )
Pops up an error dialog.
147
reportWarning(String)
void reportWarning( "String" )
Pops up a warning dialog.
showPkgs()
void showPkgs()
Returns a list of packages available which may contain other variables or subroutines in Power Syntax.
showSubs()
void showSubs("String packageName")
Returns a list of the subroutines available in the specied package. If no package is specied, CFD-Post is used by
default.
showVars()
void showVars("String packageName")
Returns a list of the Power Syntax variables and their current value dened in the specied package. If no package
is specied, CFD-Post is used by default.
spawnAsyncProcess()
int spawnAsyncProcess(cmd, args)
Spawns a forked process.
sum(Variable,Location)
real sum("Variable", "Location")
Returns the sum of the variable values at each point on the locator. For details, see sum (p. 42).
torque(Location,Axis)
real torque("Location", "Axis")
Returns the computed value of torque at the 2D locator about the specied axis. For details, see torque (p. 43).
turbinePerform()
turbinePerformTurbo()
verboseOn()
Returns 1 or 0 depending if the Perl variable $verbose is set to 1.
volume(Locator)
real volume("Location")
Returns the volume of a 3D locator. For details, see volume (p. 43).
volumeAve(Variable,Location)
real volumeAve("Variable", "Location")
For details, see volumeAve (p. 43).
volumeInt(Variable,Locator)
real volumeInt("Variable", "Location")
For details, see volumeInt (p. 44).
149
Chapter 9. Line Interface Mode
This chapter contains information on how to perform typical user actions (loading, printing, and so on), create
graphical objects, and perform quantitative calculations when running CFD-Post in Line Interface mode.
All of the functionality of CFD-Post can be accessed when running in Line Interface mode. In Line Interface mode,
you are simply entering the commands that would otherwise be issued by the GUI. A viewer is provided in a separate
window that will show the geometry and the objects that are created on the command line.
To run in Line Interface mode:
Windows: Execute the command <CFXROOT>\bin\cfdpost -line at the DOS command prompt (omitting
the -line option will start the GUI mode).
You may want to change the size of the MS-DOS window to view the output from commands such as getstate.
This can be done by entering mode con lines=X at the command prompt before entering CFD-Post, where
X is the number of lines to display in the window. You may choose a large number of lines if you want to be
able to see all the output from a session (a scroll bar will appear in the DOS window). Note that once inside
CFD-Post, le paths should contain a forward slash / (and not the backslash that is required in MS-DOS).
UNIX: Execute the command <CFXROOT>/bin/cfdpost -line at the command prompt (omitting the
-line option will start the GUI mode).
In CFD-Post Line Interface mode, all commands are assumed to be actions, the > symbol required in the Command
Editor dialog box is not needed. To call up a list of valid commands, type help at the command prompt.
All of the functionality available from the Command Editor dialog box in the GUI is available in Line Interface
mode by typing enterccl or e at the command prompt. When in e mode, you can enter any set of valid CCL
commands. The commands are not processed until you leave e mode by typing .e. You can cancel e mode without
processing the commands by typing .c. For details, see Command Editor (p. 226).
An explanation and list of command actions are available. For details, see Overview of Command Actions (p. 129).
(The action commands shown in this link are preceded by a > symbol. This should be omitted when entering action
commands at the command prompt.)
You can create objects by entering the CCL denition of the object when in e mode, or by reading the object
denition from a session or state le. For details, see File Operations from the Command Editor Dialog Box (p. 130).
In summary, Line Interface mode differs from the Command Editor dialog box because Line Interface action
commands are not preceded by a > symbol. In the same way, when entering lines of CCL or Power Syntax, e must
be typed (whereas this is not required in the Command Editor dialog box). It should be noted that these are the
only principal differences, and all commands that work for the Command Editor dialog box will also work in Line
Interface mode, providing the correct syntax is used.
Features Available in Line Interface Mode
The following features are available in line interface mode:
Viewer Hotkeys
The zoom, rotate, pan and other mouse actions available for manipulating the Viewer in the GUI perform
identical functions in the Viewer in Line Interface mode. In addition to this, hotkeys can be used to manipulate
other aspects of the Viewer. For a full list of all the hotkeys available, click in the Viewer to make it the active
window and select the ? icon. To execute a hotkey command, click once in the Viewer (or on the object, as
some functions are object-specic) and type the command.
Calculator
When functions are evaluated from the command line, the result is simply printed to standard output.
For a list of valid calculator functions and required parameters, type calculate help at the command
prompt. Additional information is available; for details, see Quantitative Calculations in the Command Editor
Dialog Box (p. 136).
Viewing All Currently Dened Objects (getstate Command)
The list of all currently dened objects can be obtained using the getstate command. To get details on a
specic object, type getstate <ObjectName>.
151
Viewing a Chart
You can view a chart object in the Chart Viewer using the chart <ChartObjectName> command.
Repeating CCL Commands
If you want to repeat the most recent CCL command, type: =
Executing a UNIX Shell Command
If you want to carry out a UNIX shell command, type % directly before your command. For example, %ls
will list all the les in your current directory.
Quitting a Command Line Interface Session
To end you CFD-Post command line interface session from the command prompt, enter: quit
Example. The following example provides a set of commands that you could enter at the CFX> command prompt.
The output written to the screen when executing these commands is not shown.
CFX> load filename=c:/MyFiles/StaticMixer.res
CFX> getstate StaticMixer Default
CFX> e
BOUNDARY:StaticMixer Default
Visibility = On
Transparency = 0.5
END
.e
CFX> quit
Features Available in Line Interface Mode
Glossary
Symbols
<CFXROOT> The directory in which CFX is installed; for example: C:\Program Files\ANSYS
Inc\v120\CFX\
A
absolute pressure The summation of solver pressure, reference pressure, and hydro-static pressure (if a buoyant
ow) in the cavitation model. The absolute pressure is clipped to be no less than the vapor
pressure of the uid. It is used by the solver to calculate pressure-dependent properties (such
as density for compressible ow).
absorption coefcient A property of a medium that measures the amount of thermal radiation absorbed per unit
length within the medium.
adaption See mesh adaption.
adaption criteria The criteria that are used to determine where mesh adaption takes place.
adaption level The degree that a mesh element has been rened during adaption. Each mesh element has
an adaption level. Each time an element is split into smaller elements, the new elements
have an adaption level that is one greater than the "parent" element. The maximum number
of adaption levels is controlled to prevent over-renement.
adaption step One loop of the adapt-solve cycle in the mesh adaption process.
Additional Variable A non-reacting, scalar component. Additional Variables are used to model the distribution
of passive materials in the ow, such as smoke in air or dye in water.
Additional Variables are typically specied as concentrations.
adiabatic The description of any system in which heat is prevented from crossing the boundary of
the system. You can set adiabatic boundary conditions for heat transfer simulations in
ANSYS CFX or in ANSYS FLUENT.
Advancing Front and Ination
(AFI)
The default meshing mode in CFX. The AFI mesher consists of a triangular
surface/tetrahedral volume mesh generator that uses the advancing front method to discretize
rst the surface and then the volume into an unstructured (irregular) mesh. Ination can be
applied to selected surfaces to produce prismatic elements from the triangular surface mesh,
which combine with the tetrahedra to form a hybrid mesh.
all domains In immersed-solids cases in CFD-Post, all domains refers to all of the domains in the case
excluding the immersed solid. This is done for backwards compatibility.
Generally speaking, only the wireframe needs to keep track of both all domains and the
immersed solid.
ASM (Algebraic Slip Model) A mathematical form in which geometry may be represented, known as parametric cubic.
aspect ratio Also known as normalized shape ratio. A measure of how close to a regular tetrahedron
any tetrahedron is. The aspect ratio is 1 for a regular tetrahedron, but gets smaller the atter
the tetrahedron gets. Used for judging how good a mesh is.
B
backup le An intermediate CFX-Solver Results le that can be manually generated during the course
of a solution from the CFX-Solver Manager interface by using the Backup action button.
Backup les should be generated if you suspect your solution may be diverging and want
to retain the intermediate solution from which you can do a restart.
batch mode A way to run some components of ANSYS CFX without needing to open windows to control
the process. When running in batch mode, a Viewer is not provided and you cannot enter
153
commands at a command prompt. Commands are issued via a CFD-Post session le
(*.cse), the name of which is specied when executing the command to start batch mode.
The session le can be created using a text editor, or, more easily, by recording a session
while running in line-interface or GUI mode.
blend factor A setting that controls the degree of rst/second order blending for the advection terms in
discrete nite volume equations.
body A collection of surfaces that completely and unambiguously enclose a nite volume.
Modelers that create so-called B-Rep models create "bodies." This term was coined to
distinguish between the tri-parametric entities, known herein as solids, and the shell-like
representations produced by most CAD systems.
boundary A surface or edge that limits the extent of a space. A boundary can be internal (the surface
of a submerged porous material) or external (the surface of an airfoil).
boundary condition Physical conditions at the edges of a region of interest that you must specify in order to
completely describe a simulation.
Boussinesq model See buoyant ow.
buoyant ow Flow that is driven wholly or partially by differences in uid density. For uids where
density is not a function of temperature, pressure, or Additional Variables, the Boussinesq
approximation is employed. If density is a function of one of these, then the Full Buoyancy
model is employed.
C
CEL (CFX Expression
Language)
A high level language used within CFX to develop expressions for use in your simulations.
CEL can be used to apply user-dened uid property dependencies, boundary conditions,
and initial values. Expressions can be developed within CFX using the Expression Editor.
CFD (Computational Fluid
Dynamics)
The science of predicting uid ow, heat transfer, mass transfer (as in perspiration or
dissolution), phase change (as in freezing or boiling), chemical reaction (as in combustion),
mechanical movement (as in fan rotation), stress or deformation of related solid structures
(such as a mast bending in the wind), and related phenomena by solving the mathematical
equations that govern these processes using a numerical algorithm on a computer.
CFX-Solver Input le A le that contains the specication for the whole simulation, including the geometry,
surface mesh, boundary conditions, uid properties, solver parameters and any initial values.
It is created by CFX and used as input to CFX-Solver.
CHT (Conjugate Heat Transfer) Heat transfer in a conducting solid.
clipping plane A plane that is dened through the geometry of a model, in front of which no geometry is
drawn. This enables you to see parts of the geometry that would normally be hidden.
command actions Command actions are:
Statements in session les
Commands entered into the Tools > Command Editor dialog box
Commands entered in Line Interface mode.
All such actions must be preceded with the > symbol. These commands force CFD-Post to
undertake specic tasks, usually related to the input and output of data from the system.
See also Power Syntax (p. 161).
component A substance containing one or more materials in a xed composition. The properties of a
component are calculated from the mass fractions of the constituent materials and are based
on the materials forming an ideal mixture.
compressible ow Flow in which the uid volume changes in response to pressure change. Compressible ow
effects can be taken into consideration when the Mach number (M) approaches approximately
0.2.
computational mesh A collection of points representing the ow eld where the equations of uid motion (and
temperature, if relevant) are calculated.
control volume The volume surrounding each node, dened by segments of the faces of the elements
associated with each node. The equations of uid ow are solved over each control volume.
conservative values See corrected boundary node values.
convergence A state of a solution that occurs when the change in residual values from one iteration to
the next are below dened limits.
corrected boundary node values Node values obtained by taking the results produced by CFX-Solver (called "conservative
values") and overwriting the results on the boundary nodes with the specied boundary
conditions.
The values of some variables on the boundary nodes (that is, on the edges of the geometry)
are not precisely equal to the specied boundary conditions when CFX-Solver nishes its
calculations. For instance, the value of velocity on a node on the wall will not be precisely
zero, and the value of temperature on an inlet may not be precisely the specied inlet
temperature. For visualization purposes, it can be more helpful if the nodes at the boundary
do contain the specied boundary conditions and so "corrected boundary node values" are
used. Corrected boundary node values are obtained by taking the results produced by
CFX-Solver (called "conservative values") and overwriting the results on the boundary
nodes with the specied boundary conditions. This will ensure the velocity is display as
zero on no-slip walls and equal to the specied inlet velocity on the inlet, for example.
coupled solver A solver in which all of the hydrodynamic equations are solved simultaneously as a single
system. The advantages of a coupled solver are that it is faster than a traditional solver and
fewer iterations are required to obtain a converged solution. CFX-Solver is an example of
a coupled solver.
curve A general vector valued function of a single parametric variable. In CFX, a line is also a
curve. By default, curves are displayed in yellow in ANSYS CFX.
D
default boundary condition The boundary condition that is applied to all surfaces that have no boundary condition
explicitly set. Normally, this is set to the No Slip Adiabatic Wall boundary condition,
although you can change the type of default boundary condition in CFX.
See Also boundary condition.
Detached Eddy Simulation
(DES)
A model that covers the boundary layer by a RANS model and switches to a LES model in
detached regions.
Direct Numerical Simulation
(DNS)
A CFD simulation in which the Navier-Stokes equations are solved without any turbulence
model.
discretization The equations of uid ow cannot be solved directly. Discretization is the process by which
the differential equations are converted into a system of algebraic equations, which relate
the value of a variable in a control volume to the value in neighboring control volumes.
See Also Navier-Stokes equations.
domain Regions of uid ow and/or heat transfer in CFX are called domains. Fluid domains dene
a region of uid ow, while solid domains are regions occupied by conducting solids in
which volumetric sources of energy can be specied. The domain requires three
specications:
The region dening the ow or conducting solid. A domain is formed from one or more
3D primitives that constrain the region occupied by the uid and/or conducting solids.
The physical nature of the ow. This determines the modeling of specic features such
as heat transfer or buoyancy.
The properties of the materials in the region.
There can be many domains per model, with each domain dened by separate 3D primitives.
Multidomain problems may be created from a single mesh if it contains multiple 3D
primitives or is from multiple meshes.
155
dynamic viscosity Dynamic viscosity, also called absolute viscosity, is a measure of the resistance of a uid
to shearing forces.
dynamical time For advection dominated ows, this is an approximate timescale for the ow to move
through the Domain. Setting the physical time step (p. 160) size to this value (or a fraction
of it) can promote faster convergence.
E
eddy viscosity model A turbulence model based on the assumption that Reynolds stresses are proportional to
mean velocity gradients and that the Reynolds stress contribution can be described by the
addition of a turbulent component of viscosity. An example of an eddy viscosity model is
the k- model.
edge The edge entity describes the topological relationships for a curve. Adjacent faces share at
least one edge.
emissivity A property of an object that describes how much radiation it emits as compared to that of
a black body at the same temperature.
expansion factor The rate of growth of volume elements away from curved surfaces and the rate of growth
of surface elements away from curved boundaries. Expansion factor is also used to specify
the rate of mesh coarsening from a mesh control.
expression editor An interactive, form-driven facility within CFX for developing expressions.
See Also CEL (CFX Expression Language).
Expression Language See CEL (CFX Expression Language).
external ow A ow eld that is located outside of your geometry.
See Also internal ow.
F
face Face can have several meanings:
A solid face is a surface that exists as part of a solid. It is also known as an implicit
surface.
An element face is one side of a mesh element.
A boundary face is an element face that exists on the exterior boundary of the domain.
Surfaces composed of edges that are connected to each other.
FLEXlm The program that administers ANSYS licensing.
uid domain See domain.
ow boundaries The surfaces bounding the ow eld.
ow region A volumetric space containing a uid. Depending on the ow characteristics, you may have
a single, uninterrupted ow region, or several ow regions, each exhibiting different
characteristics.
ow symmetry Flow where the conditions of the ow entering and leaving one half of a geometry are the
same as the conditions of the ow entering and leaving the other half of the geometry.
uid A substance that tends to ow and assumes the shape of its domain, such as a gas in a duct
or a liquid in a container.
free edges Element edges belonging to only one element.
G
gas or liquid surface A type of boundary that exhibits no friction and uid cannot move through it. Also called
a symmetry boundary.
general uid A uid whose properties may be generally prescribed in ANSYS CFX or ANSYS FLUENT.
Density and specic heat capacity for general uids may depend on pressure, temperature,
and any Additional Variables.
See Also ideal gas.
global model tolerance The minimum distance between two geometry entities below which CFX considers them
to be coincident. The default setting of global model tolerance, dened in the template
database, is normally .005 in whichever geometry units you are working.
geometric symmetry The state of a geometry where each half is a mirror of the other.
group A named collection of geometric and mesh entities that can be posted for display in
viewports. The group's denition includes:
Group name
Group status (current/not current)
Group display attributes (modied under Display menu)
A list of the geometric and mesh entities that are members of the group.
H
hexahedral element A mesh element with the same topology as a hexahedron, with six faces and eight vertices.
home directory The directory on all UNIX systems and some Windows NT systems where each user stores
all of their les, and where various setup les are stored.
However, on some Windows NT systems, users do not have an equivalent to the UNIX
home directory. In this case, the ANSYS CFX setup le cfx5rc can be placed in
c:\winnt\profiles\<user>\Application Data\ANSYS CFX\<release>,
where <user> is the user name on the machine. Other les can be put into a directory set
by the variable HOME.
hybrid values See corrected boundary node values.
I
ideal gas A uid whose properties obey the ideal gas law. The density is automatically computed
using this relationship and a specied molecular weight.
IGES (Initial Graphics
Exchange Specication) le
An ANSI standard formatted le used to exchange data among most commercial CAD
systems. IGES les can be imported into CFX.
implicit geometry Geometry that exists as part of some other entity. For example, the edges of a surface are
implicit curves.
import mesh A meshing mode that allows import of volume meshes generated in one of a number of
external CFD packages. The volume mesh can contain hexahedral, tetrahedral, prismatic,
and pyramidal element types.
inactive region A uid or porous region where ow and (if relevant) temperatures are not being calculated,
or a solid region where temperatures are not being calculated. By default, inactive regions
are hidden from view in the graphics window.
incompressible ow Flow in which the density is constant throughout the domain.
incremental adaption The method of mesh adaption used by CFX where an existing mesh is modied to meet
specied criteria. Incremental adaption is much faster than re-meshing; however, the mesh
quality is limited by that of the initial mesh.
inertial resistance coefcients Mathematical terms used to dene porous media resistance.
initial guess The values of dependent variables at the start of a steady state simulation. These can set
explicitly, read from an existing solution, or given default values.
initial values The values of dependent variables at the initial time of a transient simulation. These can be
either set explicitly, or read from an existing solution.
157
inlet boundary condition A boundary condition (p. 154) for which the quantity of uid owing into the ow domain
is specied, for example, by setting the uid velocity or mass ow rate.
instancing The process of copying an object and applying a positional transform to each of the copies.
For example, a row of turbine blades can be visualized by applying instancing to a single
blade.
interior boundary A boundary that allows ow to enter and exit. These types of boundaries are useful to
separate two distinct uid regions from each other, or to separate a porous region from a
uid region, when you still want ow to occur between the two regions.
internal ow Flow through the interior of your geometry, such as ow through a pipe.
See Also external ow.
interpolation The process of transferring a solution from a results le containing one mesh onto a second
le containing a different mesh.
isentropic The description of a process where there is no heat transfer and entropy is held constant.
isosurface A surface of constant value for a given variable.
A three-dimensional surface that denes a single magnitude of a ow variable such as
temperature, pressure, velocity, etc.
Isovolume A locator that consists of a collection of volume elements, all of which take a value of a
variable greater than a user-specied value.
J
JPEG le A common graphics le type that is supported by CFD-Post output options.
K
k-epsilon turbulence model A turbulence model (p. 164) based on the concept that turbulence consists of small eddies
that are continuously forming and dissipating. The k-epsilon turbulence model solves two
additional transport equations: one for turbulence generation (k), and one for turbulence
dissipation (epsilon).
key See legend.
kinematic diffusivity A function of the uid medium that describes how rapidly an Additional Variable would
move through the uid in the absence of convection.
L
laminar ow Flow that is dominated by viscous forces in the uid, and characterized by low Reynolds
Number.
A ow eld is laminar when the velocity distributions at various points downstream of the
uid entrance are consistent with each other and the uid particles move in a parallel fashion
to each other. The velocity distributions are effectively layers of uid moving at different
velocities relative to each other.
Large Eddy Simulation Model
(LES)
The Large Eddy Simulation model decomposes ow variables into large and small scale
parts. This model, solves for large-scale uctuating motions and uses sub-grid scale
turbulence models for the small-scale motion.
legend A color key for any colored plot.
line interface mode A mode in which you type the commands that would otherwise be issued by the GUI. A
viewer is provided that shows the geometry and the objects created on the command line.
Line interface mode differs from entering commands in the Command Editor dialog box
in that line interface action commands are not preceded by a > symbol. Aside from that
difference, all commands that work for the Command Editor dialog box will also work in
line interface mode, providing the correct syntax is used.
locator A place or object upon which a plot can be drawn. Examples are planes and points.
M
MAlt key (Meta key) The MAlt key (or Meta key) is used to keyboard select menu items with the use of
mnemonics (the underscored letter in each menu label). By simultaneously pressing the
MAlt key and a mnemonic is an alternative to using the mouse to click on a menu title. The
MAlt key is different for different brands of keyboards. Some examples of MAlt keys
include the " " key for Sun Model Type 4 keyboards, the "Compose Character" key for
Tektronix keyboards, and the Alt key on most keyboards for most Windows-based systems.
mass fraction The ration of the mass of a uid component to the total mass of the uid. Values for mass
fraction range from 0 to 1.
material A substance with specied properties, such as density and viscosity.
meridional A term used in ANSYS FLUENT documentation that is equivalent to the ANSYS CFX
term constant streamwise location.
mesh A collection of points representing the ow eld where the equations of uid motion (and
temperature, if relevant) are calculated.
mesh adaption The process by which, once or more during a run, the mesh is selectively rened at various
locations, depending on criteria that you can specify. As the solution is calculated, the mesh
can automatically be rened in locations where solution variables are changed rapidly, in
order to resolve the features of the ow in these regions.
There are two general methods for performing mesh adaption. Incremental adaption takes
an existing mesh and modies it to meet the adaption criteria. The alternative is re-meshing,
in which the whole geometry is re-meshed at every adaption step according to the adaption
criteria. In CFX, incremental adaption is used because this is much faster; however, this
imposes the limitation that the resulting mesh quality is limited by the quality of the initial
mesh.
mesh control A renement of the surface and volume mesh in specic regions of the model. Mesh controls
can take the form of a point, line, or triangle.
meshing mode The method you use to create your mesh of nodes and elements required for analysis. There
are two main meshing modes:
Advancing Front and Ination (AFI) (p. 153)
import mesh (p. 157)
minimal results le A le that contains only the results for selected variables, and no mesh. It can be created
only for transient calculations. It is useful when you are only interested in particular variables
and want to minimize the size of the results for the transient calculation.
multicomponent uid A uid consisting of more than one component. The components are assumed to be mixed
at the molecular level, though the proportions of each component may vary in space or time.
The properties of a multicomponent uid are dependent on the proportion of constituent
components.
N
Navier-Stokes equations The fundamental equations of uid ow and heat transfer, solved by CFX-Solver. They
are partial differential equations.
new model preferences Preferential settings for your model that dene the meshing mode (p. 159), the geometry
units, and the global model tolerance (p. 157).
node allocation parameter A parameter that is used in mesh adaption (p. 159) to determine how many nodes are added
to the mesh in each adaption step (p. 153).
159
non-clipped absolute pressure The summation of solver pressure, reference pressure, and hydro-static pressure (if a buoyant
ow). This pressure, used by the solver to calculate cavitation sources, can be negative or
positive.
non-Newtonian uid A uid that does not follow a simple linear relationship between shear stress and shear
strain.
normal The direction perpendicular to the surface of a mesh element or geometry. The positive
direction is determined by the cross-product of the local parametric directions in the surface.
normalized shape ratio See aspect ratio.
O
open area The area in a porous region that is open to ow.
OpenGL A graphics display system that is used on a number of different types of computer operating
systems.
outlet A boundary condition where the uid is constrained to ow only out of the domain.
outline plot A plot showing the outline of the geometry. By setting the edge angle to 0, the surface mesh
can be displayed over the whole geometry.
output le A text le produced by CFX-Solver that details the history of a run. It is important to browse
the output le when a run is nished to determine whether the run has converged, and
whether a restart is necessary.
P
parallel runs Separate solutions of sections (partitions) of your CFD model, run on more than one
processor.
parametric equation Any set of equations that express the coordinates of the points of a curve as functions of
one parameter, or express the coordinates of the points of a surface as functions of two
parameters, or express the coordinates of the points of a solid as functions of three parameters.
parametric solids Six-sided solids parameterized in three normalized directions. Parametric solids are colored
blue ANSYS CFX.
parametric surfaces Four sided surfaces parameterized in two normalized directions. Parametric surfaces are
colored green ANSYS CFX.
Particle-Particle Collision Model
(LPTM-PPCM)
A model in ANSYS CFX that takes inter-particle collisions and their effects on the particle
and gas phase into consideration.
periodic pair boundary condition A boundary condition where the values on the rst surface specied are mapped to the
second surface. The mapping can be done either by a translation or a rotation (if a rotating
frame of reference is used).
physical time step The time represented in each iteration of the solution.
pick list The list processor interprets the contents of all selected data boxes. All selected data boxes
in CFX expect character strings as input. The character strings may be supplied by the
graphics system when you select an entity from a viewport, or you can type or paste in the
string directly. The character strings are called "pick lists."
plot Any means of viewing the results in CFD-Post. Types of plots include vectors, streamlines,
and contour plots.
point An ordered n-tuple, where n is the number of dimensions of the space in which the point
resides.
point probes Points placed at specic locations in a computational domain where data can be analyzed.
polyline A locator that consists of user-dened points.
post-processor The component used to analyze and present the results of the simulation. For ANSYS CFX,
the post-processor is CFD-Post.
Power Syntax The CFX Command Language (CCL) is the internal communication and command language
of CFD-Post. It is a simple language that can be used to create objects or perform actions
in the post-processor. Power Syntax enables you to embed Perl commands into CCL to
achieve powerful quantitative post-processing.
Power Syntax programming uses the Perl programming language to allow loops, logic, and
custom macros (subroutines). Lines of Power Syntax are identied in a .ccl le by an
exclamation mark (!) at the start of each line. In between Perl lines, simple syntax lines may
refer to Perl variables and lists.
For details, see Power Syntax in ANSYS CFX (p. 137).
pre-processor The component used to create the input for the solver. For ANSYS CFX, the pre-processor
is CFX-Pre.
pressure In the cavitation model, pressure is the same as solver pressure, but clipped such that the
absolute pressure is non-negative. It is used for post-processing only.
prism or prismatic element A 3D mesh element shaped like a triangular prism (with six vertices). Sometimes known
as a wedge element.
PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine) The environment that controls parallel processes.
PVMHosts le The database le containing information about where ANSYS CFX, and consequently
PVM, have been installed on each PVM node. It is consulted when the Parallel Virtual
Machine is started to determine where PVM is located on each slave node.
pyramid element A 3D mesh element that has ve vertices.
R
reference coordinate frame The coordinate frame in which the principal directions of X or Y or Z are taken. X is taken
in the local X of that frame, etc. If the coordinate frame is a non-rectangular coordinate
frame, then the principal axes 1, 2, and 3 will be used to dene the X, Y, and Z directions,
respectively. The default is CFX global system (Coord 0).
For domains, boundary conditions, and initial values, the reference coordinate frame is
always treated as Cartesian, irrespective of coordinate frame type.
region An area comprised of a uid, a solid material, or a porous material.
residuals The change in the value of certain variables from one iteration to the next.
The discretized Navier-Stokes equations (p. 159) are solved iteratively. The residual for each
equation gives a measure of how far the latest solution is from the solution in the previous
iteration. A solution is considered to be converged when the residuals are below a certain
value.
CFX-Solver writes the residuals to the output le (p. 160) so that they can be reviewed.
ANSYS FLUENT allows residuals to be plotted during the solution process.
results le (CFX-Solver Results
le)
A le produced by CFX-Solver that contains the full denition of the simulation as well as
the values of all variables throughout the ow domain and the history of the run including
residuals (p. 161). An CFX-Solver Results le can be used as input to CFD-Post or as an
input le to CFX-Solver, in order to perform a restart.
Reynolds averaged
Navier-Stokes (RANS)
equations
Time-averaged equations of uid motion that are primarily used with turbulent ows.
Reynolds stress The stress added to uid ow due to the random uctuations in uid momentum in turbulent
ows. When the Navier-Stokes equations (p. 159) are derived for time averaged turbulent
ow to take into account the effect of these uctuations in velocity, the resulting equations
have six stress terms that do not appear in the laminar ow equations. These are known as
Reynolds stresses.
Reynolds stress turbulence
model
A model that solves transport equations for the individual Reynolds stress components. It
is particularly appropriate where strong ow curvature, swirl, and separation are present.
161
Reynolds stress models in general tend to be less numerically robust than eddy viscosity
models such as the k-epsilon turbulence model (p. 158).
RNG k-epsilon turbulence
model
An alternative to the standard k-epsilon turbulence model (p. 158). It is based on
renormalization group analysis of the Navier-Stokes equations. The transport equations for
turbulence generation and dissipation are the same as those for the standard k-epsilon model,
but the model constants differ, and the constant C1 is replaced by the function C1RNG.
Rotating Frame of Reference
(RFR)
A coordinate system that rotates. ANSYS CFX and ANSYS FLUENT can solve for uid
ow in a geometry that is rotating around an axis at a xed angular velocity.
run A process that requires the specication of the CFX-Solver input le (and an initial values
le, if necessary), and produces an output le and a results le (if successful).
S
Sampling Plane A locator that is planar and consists of equally-spaced points.
scalar variable A variable that has only magnitude and not direction. Examples are temperature, pressure,
speed (the magnitude of the velocity vector), and any component of a vector quantity.
Scale Adaptive Simulation
(SAS) model
A shear stress transport model used primarily for unsteady CFD simulations, where
steady-state simulations are not of sufcient accuracy and do not properly describe the true
nature of the physical phenomena. Cases that may benet from using the SAS-SST model
include:
Unsteady ow behind a car or in the strong mixing behind blades and bafes inside
stirred chemical reactors
Unsteady cavitation inside a vortex core (fuel injection system) or a uid-structure
interaction (unsteady forces on bridges, wings, etc.).
For these problems and others, the SAS-SST model provides a more accurate solution than
URANS models, where steady-state simulations are not of sufcient accuracy and do not
properly describe the true nature of the physical phenomena.
Second Moment Closure models Models that use seven transport equations for the independent Reynolds stresses and one
length (or related) scale; other models use two equations for the two main turbulent scales.
session le (CFX) A le that contains the records of all the actions in each interactive CFX session. It has the
extension .ses.
Shear Stress Transport (SST)
A k based SST model that accounts for the transport of the turbulent shear stress and
gives highly accurate predictions of the onset and the amount of ow separation under
adverse pressure gradients.
singleton (CCL object) A singleton object that consists of an object type at the start of a line, followed by a : (colon).
Subsequent lines may dene parameters and child objects associated with this object. The
object denition is terminated by the string END on a line by itself. The singleton object
for a session le is declared like this:
SESSION:
Session Filename = <filename>.cse
END
The difference between a singleton object and a named object is that after the data has been
processed, a singleton can appear just once as the child of a parent object. However, there
may be several instances of a named object of the same type dened with different names.
slice plane A locator that is planar, and which consists of all the points that intersect the plane and the
mesh edges.
solid A material that does not ow when a force or stress is applied to it.
The general class of vector valued functions of three parametric variables.
solid sub-domain A region of the uid domain that is occupied by a conducting solid. ANSYS CFX can model
heat transfer in such a solid; this is known as CHT (Conjugate Heat Transfer) (p. 154).
solver The component that solves the CFD problem, producing the required results.
solver pressure The pressure calculated by solving conservative equations; it can be negative or positive.
In the .out le it is called Pressure.
spanwise coordinate A term used in ANSYS FLUENT documentation that is equivalent to the ANSYS CFX
term constant span.
specic heat The ratio of the amount of heat energy supplied to a substance to its corresponding change
in temperature.
specic heat capacity The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a xed mass of a uid by
1K at constant pressure.
speed of sound The velocity at which small amplitude pressure waves propagate through a uid.
sphere volume A locator that consists of a collection of volume elements that are contained in or intersect
a user-dened sphere.
state les Files produced by CFD-Post that contain CCL commands. They differ from session les
in that only a snapshot of the current state is saved to a le. You can also write your own
state les using any text editor.
STP (Standard Temperature and
Pressure)
Dened as 0C (273.15K) and 1 atm (1.013x105 Pa).
steady-state simulation A simulation that is carried out to determine the ow after it has settled to a steady state.
Note that, even with time constant boundary conditions, some ows do not have a
steady-state solution.
stream plot A plot that shows the streamlines of a ow. Stream plots can be shown as lines, tubes, or
ribbons.
streamline The path that a small, neutrally-buoyant particle would take through the ow domain,
assuming the displayed solution to be steady state.
subdomains Regions comprising a solid or set of solids, within the region of bounding solids for a uid
domain, that allow the prescription of momentum and energy sources. They can be used to
model regions of ow resistance and heat source.
subsonic ow The movement of a uid at a speed less than the speed of sound.
surface plot A plot that colors a surface according to the values of a variable. Additionally, you can
choose to display contours.
symmetry-plane boundary
condition
A boundary condition where all variables except velocity are mathematically symmetric
and there can be no diffusion or ow across the boundary. Velocity parallel to the boundary
is also symmetric and velocity normal to the boundary is zero.
T
template uid One of a list of standard uids with predened properties that you can use 'as is', or use as
a template to create a uid with your own properties.
thermal conductivity The property of a uid that characterizes its ability to transfer heat by conduction.
A property of a substance that indicates its ability to transfer thermal energy between adjacent
portions of the substance.
thermal expansivity The property of a uid that describes how a uid expands as the result of an increase in
temperature. Also known as the coefcient of thermal expansion, .
theta The angular coordinate measured about the axis of rotation following the right-hand rule.
When looking along the positive direction of the axis of rotation, theta is increasing in the
clockwise direction. Note that the theta coordinate in CFD-Post does not increase over 360,
even for spiral geometries that wrap to more than 360.
timestep See physical time step.
163
tolerance See global model tolerance.
topology The shape, node, edge, and face numbering of an element.
tracers Particles that follow a ow pathline. Used in viewing CFD results in order to visualize the
mechanics of the uid ow.
transitions Portions of a mesh that are the result of meshing geometry with two opposing edges that
have different mesh seeds. This produces an irregular mesh.
turbulence intensity The ratio of the root-mean-square of the velocity uctuations to the mean ow velocity.
A turbulence intensity of 1% or less is generally considered low and turbulence intensities
greater than 10% are considered high. Ideally, you will have a good estimate of the turbulence
intensity at the inlet boundary from external, measured data. For example, if you are
simulating a wind-tunnel experiment, the turbulence intensity in the free stream is usually
available from the tunnel characteristics. In modern low-turbulence wind tunnels, the
free-stream turbulence intensity may be as low as 0.05%.
For internal ows, the turbulence intensity at the inlets is totally dependent on the upstream
history of the ow. If the ow upstream is under-developed and undisturbed, you can use
a low turbulence intensity. If the ow is fully developed, the turbulence intensity may be
as high as a few percent.
turbulence length scale A physical quantity related to the size of the large eddies that contain the energy in turbulent
ows.
In fully-developed duct ows, the turbulence length scale is restricted by the size of the
duct, since the turbulent eddies cannot be larger than the duct. An approximate relationship
can be made between the turbulence length scale and the physical size of the duct that, while
not ideal, can be applied to most situations.
If the turbulence derives its characteristic length from an obstacle in the ow, such as a
perforated plate, it is more appropriate to base the turbulence length scale on the characteristic
length of the obstacle rather than on the duct size.
turbulence model A model that predicts turbulent ow (p. 164). The available turbulence models in ANSYS
CFX are:
k-epsilon turbulence model (p. 158)
RNG k-epsilon turbulence model (p. 162)
Reynolds stress turbulence model (p. 161)
zero equation turbulence model (p. 166)
Turbulence models allow a steady state representation of (inherently unsteady) turbulent
ow to be obtained.
turbulent A ow eld that is irregular and chaotic look. In turbulent ow, a uid particle's velocity
changes dramatically at any given point in the ow eld, in time, direction, and magnitude,
making computational analysis of the ow more challenging.
turbulent ow Flow that is randomly unsteady over time. A characteristic of turbulent ow is chaotic
uctuations in the local velocity.
V
variable A quantity such as temperature or velocity for which results have been calculated in a CFD
calculation.
See also Additional Variable (p. 153).
vector plot A plot that shows the direction of the ow at points in space, using arrows. Optionally, the
size of the arrows may show the magnitude of the velocity of the ow at that point. The
vectors may also be colored according to the value of any variable.
verication A check of the model for validity and correctness.
viewer area The area of ANSYS CFX that contains the 3D Viewer, Table Viewer, Chart Viewer,
Comment Viewer, and Report Viewer, which you access from tabs at the bottom of the
area.
viewport (CFX) An assigned, named, graphics window denition, stored in the CFX database, that can be
used to display selected portions of a model's geometry, nite elements, and analysis results.
The viewport's denition includes:
The viewport name
The status of the viewport (posted or unposted; current or not current)
Viewport display attributes
A denition of the current view
A current group
A list of the posted groups for display
A graphics environment accessed from Display, Preference, and Group menus that is
common to all viewports.
There are the following types of CFX viewports:
current viewport
The viewport currently being displayed. The following actions can be performed only
on the current viewport:
Changing the view by using the View menu or mouse.
Posting titles and annotations by using the Display menu.
posted viewport
A viewport that has been selected for display.
target viewport
A viewport selected for a viewport modify action. Any viewport (including the current
viewport) can be selected as the target viewport.
viscosity The ratio of the tangential frictional force per unit area to the velocity gradient perpendicular
to the ow direction.
viscous resistance coefcients A term to dene porous media resistance.
Volume of Fluid (VOF) method A technique for tracking a uid-uid interface as it changes its topology.
W
wall A generic term describing a stationary boundary through which ow cannot pass.
wedge element See prism or prismatic element.
workspace area The area of CFX-Pre and CFD-Post that contains the Outline, Variables, Expressions,
Calculators, and Turbo workspaces, which you access from the tabs at the top of the area.
Each workspace has a tree view at the top and an editor at the bottom (which is often called
the Details view).
See also CFD-Post Graphical Interface (p. 45).
Y
y+ (YPLUS) A non-dimensional parameter used to determine a specic distance from a wall through the
boundary layer to the center of the element at a wall boundary.
165
Z
zero equation turbulence model A simple model that accounts for turbulence by using an algebraic equation to calculate
turbulence viscosity. This model is useful for obtaining quick, robust solutions for use as
initial elds for simulations using more sophisticated turbulence models.
Index
Symbols
A
ANSYS FLUENT eld variables, 79
area function, 30
area(Location,Axis) power syntax subroutine, 141
areaAve function, 31
areaAve(Variable,Location,Axis) power syntax subroutine,
142
areaInt function, 31
areaInt(Variable,Location,Axis) power syntax subroutine, 142
ave function, 32
ave(Variable,Location) power syntax subroutine, 142
B
buoyant ow variables, 51
C
calcTurboVariables() power syntax subroutine, 142
calculate() power syntax subroutine, 142
calculateUnits() power syntax subroutine, 142
Cartesian coordinate
variables, 48
CCL (CFX command language)
names denition, 10
overview, 9
syntax, 9
CEL (CFX expression language), 13
available system variables, 63
conditional statement, 16
constants, 14, 17
examples, 18
expression names, 63
expression properties, 63
expression syntax, 14
expressions, 13, 17
functions and constants, 15
fundamentals, 13
if statement, 16
introduction, 13
logical expressions, 14
logical operators, 15
mathematical expressions, 14
mathematical operators, 15
multiple-line expressions, 15
offset temperature, 17
operators and built-in functions, 15
relational operators, 15
scalar expressions, 63
statements, 14
technical details, 20
unavailable system variables, 63
units, 14
values - dimensionless, 13
variables, 55
CEL limitations
create Design Exploration expressions in CFD-Post, 13
CFX command language (CCL)
names denition, 10
overview, 9
syntax, 9
CFX Launcher, 1
adding APPLICATION objects, 5
adding DIVIDER objects, 7
adding GROUP objects, 4
customizing, 4
interface, 1
using variables in APPLICATION objects, 7
CFX menu overview, 2
CFXROOT
installation root directory, 153
chart
viewing using the command line, 136
collectTurboInfo() power syntax subroutine, 142
comfortFactors() power syntax subroutine, 142
command editor
action commands, 129
exporting data, 134
le operations, 130
importing data from, 134
loading a results le, 130
printing from, 134
reading session les, 130
reading state les, 132
readstate option actions, 133
saving state le, 131
command line, 3
mode, 151
Windows, 3
comment character in CCL syntax, 10
compressible ow variables, 51
compressorPerform() power syntax subroutine, 142
compressorPerformTurbo() power syntax subroutine, 142
conditional statement, 16
conservative variable values, 45
constants in CEL, 14, 17
continuation character, in CCL syntax, 11
copyFile() power syntax subroutine, 142
corrected boundary node values, 45
count function, 33
count(Location) power syntax subroutine, 143
countTrue function, 33
countTrue() power syntax subroutine, 143
cpPolar() power syntax subroutine, 143
E
Edit menu overview, 1
enthalpy variables, 55
evaluate(Expression) power syntax subroutine, 143
evaluateInPreferred(Expression) power syntax subroutine, 144
167
examples
calculate area, 30
CEL, 18
feedback to control inlet temperature, 19
load command, 130
readsession command, 131
readstate command, 133
Reynolds number dependent viscosity, 18
savestate command, 131
exporting
data using the command editor, 134
expression
properties in CEL, 63
expression language, 13
constants, 17
expressions, 13
statements, 14
statements - multiple-line expressions, 15
statements - syntax, 14
units, 14
using, 17
values - dimensionless, 13
expression names
CEL, 63
expression syntax, 14
expressions
create in CFD-Post for Design Exploration, 13
in CEL, 17
exprExists() power syntax subroutine, 144
F
fanNoise() power syntax subroutine, 144
fanNoiseDefault() power syntax subroutine, 144
File menu overview, 1
le operations
from the command editor, 130
force function, 34
force(Location,Axis) power syntax subroutine, 144
forceNorm function, 35
forceNorm(Location,Axis) power syntax subroutine, 144
functions
area, 30
areaAve, 31
areaInt, 31
ave, 32
count, 33
countTrue, 33
force, 34
forceNorm, 35
inside, 35
length, 36
lengthAve, 36
lengthInt, 37
mass, 37
massAve, 37
massFlow, 37
massFlowAve, 38
massFlowInt, 40
massInt, 41
maxVal, 41
minVal, 41
probe, 42
rmsAve, 42
sum, 42
torque, 43
volume, 43
volumeAve, 43
volumeInt, 44
functions and constants
CEL, 15
G
getBladeForceExpr() power syntax subroutine, 144
getBladeTorqueExpr() power syntax subroutine, 144
getCCLState() power syntax subroutine, 144
getChildren() power syntax subroutine, 144
getChildrenByCategory() power syntax subroutine, 144
getExprOnLocators() power syntax subroutine, 145
getExprString() power syntax subroutine, 145
getExprVal() power syntax subroutine, 145
getParameterInfo() power syntax subroutine, 145
getParameters() power syntax subroutine, 145
getTempDirectory() power syntax subroutine, 145
getType() power syntax subroutine, 145
getValue(Object Name,Parameter Name) power syntax
subroutine, 145
getViewArea() power syntax subroutine, 146
H
Help menu overview, 3
hybrid variable values, 45
I
if statement, 16
importing
data from the command editor, 134
indentation
in CCL syntax, 10
inside function, 35
isCategory() power syntax subroutine, 146
L
launcher, 1
adding APPLICATION objects, 5
adding DIVIDER objects, 7
adding GROUP objects, 4
ANSYS menu overview, 2
customizing, 4
interface, 1
Show menu, 2
using variables in APPLICATION objects, 7
length function, 36
Length(Location) power syntax subroutine, 146
lengthAve function, 36
lengthAve(Variable,Location) power syntax subroutine, 146
lengthInt function, 37
lengthInt(Variable,Location) power syntax subroutine, 146
line interface mode, 151
liquidTurbPerform() power syntax subroutine, 146
liquidTurbPerformTurbo() power syntax subroutine, 146
lists
in CCL syntax, 11
load command examples, 130
loading
results le from the command editor, 130
logical expressions, 14
logical operators, 15
M
mass function, 37
massAve function, 37
massFlow function, 37
massFlow(Location) power syntax subroutine, 146
massFlowAve function, 38
massFlowAve(Variable,Location) power syntax subroutine,
146
massFlowAveAbs function, 39
massFlowAveAbs() power syntax subroutine, 147
massFlowInt function, 40
massFlowInt(Variable,Location) power syntax subroutine, 147
massInt function, 41
mathematical expressions, 14
mathematical operators, 15
maxVal function, 41
maxVal(Variable,Location) power syntax subroutine, 147
minVal function, 41
minVal(Variable,Location) power syntax subroutine, 147
multi-eld runs, 63
multicomponent calculation variables, 53
multiple-line expressions, 15
N
named objects
in CCL syntax, 11
O
objectExists() power syntax subroutine, 147
objects
deleting using the command line, 136
offset temperature
in CEL, 17
operators and built-in functions
CEL, 15
Output window overview, 4
P
parallel calculation variables, 53
parameter values
in CCL syntax, 11
parameters
in CCL syntax, 11
particle tracking variables, 52
particle variables
list of all, 64
type - boundary vertex, 68
type - eld, 65
type - particle sources into the coupled uid phase, 65
type - radiation, 66
type - RMS, 69
type - track, 64
type - vertex, 66
power syntax, 137
examples, 137
subroutines, 140
power syntax subroutines
area(Location,Axis), 141
areaAve(Variable,Location,Axis), 142
areaInt(Variable,Location,Axis), 142
ave(Variable,Location), 142
calcTurboVariables(), 142
calculate(), 142
calculateUnits(), 142
compressorPerform(), 142
copyFile(), 142
count(Location), 143
countTrue(), 143
cpPolar(), 143
evaluate(Expression), 143
evaluateInPreferred(Expression), 144
exprExists(), 144
force(Location,Axis), 144
forceNorm(Location,Axis), 144
getCCLState(), 144
getChildren(), 144
getChildrenByCategory(), 144
getExprOnLocators(), 145
getExprString(), 145
getExprVal(), 145
getParameterInfo(), 145
getParameters(), 145
getTempDirectory(), 145
getType(), 145
getValue(Object Name,Parameter Name), 145
getViewArea(), 146
isCategory(), 146
Length(Location), 146
lengthAve(Variable,Location), 146
lengthInt(Variable,Location), 146
massFlow(Location), 146
massFlowAve(Variable,Location), 146
massFlowInt(Variable,Location), 147
maxVal(Variable,Location), 147
minVal(Variable,Location), 147
objectExists(), 147
probe(Variable,Location), 147
range(Variable,Location), 147
showPkgs(), 148
showSubs(), 148
showVars(), 148
169
spawnAsyncProcess(), 148
sum(Variable,Location), 148
torque(Location,Axis), 148
verboseOn(), 148
volume(Locator), 149
volumeAve(Variable,Location), 149
volumeInt(Variable,Locator), 149
printing
from the command editor, 134
probe function, 42
probe(Variable,Location) power syntax subroutine, 147
pumpPerform() power syntax subroutine, 147
pumpPerformTurbo() power syntax subroutine, 147
Q
quantitative calculations
using the command editor, 136
R
radiation calculation variables, 54
range(Variable,Location) power syntax subroutine, 147
reading state les using the command editor, 132
readsession command examples, 131
readstate
examples, 133
option actions, 133
relational operators, 15
reportError() power syntax subroutine, 147
reportWarning() power syntax subroutine, 148
results le
loading from the command editor, 130
rmsAve function, 42
rotating frame of reference variables, 52
S
savestate command examples, 131
scalar expressions
CEL, 63
session les
reading, 130
Show menu overview, 2
showPkgs() power syntax subroutine, 148
showSubs() power syntax subroutine, 148
showVars() power syntax subroutine, 148
singleton objects
CCL syntax, 11
solid-uid 1:1 interface
conservative values, 46
hybrid values, 46
solid-uid GGI interface
conservative values, 46
hybrid values, 46
solid-uid interface variables, 46
spawnAsyncProcess() power syntax subroutine, 148
state le
reading, 132
saving using the command editor, 131
steady-state runs, 62
subroutines, 140
sum function, 42
sum(Variable,Location) power syntax subroutine, 148
syntax
case sensitivity in CCL, 10
CCL parameters, 11
continuation character in CCL, 11
end of line comment character in CCL, 10
indentation in CCL, 10
lists in CCL, 11
name objects in CCL, 11
parameter values in CCL, 11
singleton objects in CCL, 11
system information, 2
system variable prexes, 61
system variables
available, 63
unavailable, 63
T
temperature
in CEL expressions, 17
temperature variables, 55
Toolbar overview, 4
Tools menu overview, 3
torque function, 43
torque(Location,Axis) power syntax subroutine, 148
transient runs, 62
turbinePerform() power syntax subroutine, 148
turbinePerformTurbo() power syntax subroutine, 148
Turbo Post
calculating velocity components, 136
CCL command actions, 136
initializing all turbo components, 136
turbulent ow variables, 49
U
units
in CEL, 14
user level of variables, 47, 64
User menu overview, 3
V
variables
, 109
acoustics, 92
adaption, 89
ANSYS FLUENT eld, 79
apecies, 84
boundary value only, 47, 64
Cartesian coordinates, 48
cell, 88
density, 80
derivatives, 91
for a rotating frame of reference, 52
for buoyant ows, 51
for compressible ows, 51
for multicomponent calculations, 53
for multiphase calculations, 53
for parallel calculations, 53
for particle tracking, 52
for radiation calculations, 54
for total enthalpies, 55
for total pressures, 55
for total temperatures, 55
for turbulent ows, 49
granular pressure, 86
granular temperature, 86
grid, 88
grid (turbo), 89
hybrid and conservative values, 45
list of all, 46
long names, 46
NOx, 85
pdf, 84, 109
phase model, 86
phases, 86
premixed combustion, 84
pressure, 80
properties, 87
radiation, 82
reactions, 84
residuals, 90
short names, 46, 64
solid-uid interface, 46
soot, 85
temperature, 82
turbulence, 83
unsteady statistics, 85
user level, 47, 64
user-dened memory, 88
user-dened scalars, 87
velocity, 81
wall uxes, 87
variables for CEL Expressions, 55
verboseOn() power syntax subroutine, 148
volume
function, 43
volume(Locator) power syntax subroutine, 149
volumeAve function, 43
volumeAve(Variable,Location) power syntax subroutine, 149
volumeInt function, 44
volumeInt(Variable,Locator) power syntax subroutine, 149
W
working directory selector, 4
171

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