Solver Control

Chapter 4
Solver Settings
Introduction to CFX
ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.
4-1
April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598
Solver Settings
Overview Initialization Solver Control Output Control
Training Manual
Solver Manager
Note: This chapter considers solver settings for steady-state simulations. Settings specific to transient simulation are discussed in a later chapter.
4-2
Solver Settings
Initialization
Training Manual
Iterative solution procedures require that all solution variables are assigned initial values before calculating a solution A good initial guess can reduce the solution time In some cases a poor initial guess may cause the solver to fail during the first few iterations The initial values can be set in 3 ways: 1. Solver automatically calculates the initial values 2. Initial values are entered by the user 3. Initial values are obtained from a previous solution Initial values can be set on a per-domain basis or globally for all domains
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Solver Settings
Initialization Setting Initial Values

Insert Global Initialisation from the toolbar or by rightclicking on Flow Analysis 1
Training Manual
Edit each Domain to set initial values on a per-domain basis

When both are defined the domain settings take precedence Solid domain must have initial conditions set on a perdomain basis
4-4
Solver Settings
Initialization Setting Initial Values

The Automatic option means that the CFX-Solver will calculate an initial value for the solved variable unless a previous results file is provided
Will be based on boundary condition values and domain settings
Training Manual
The Automatic with Value option means that the specified value will be used unless a previous results file is provided
Can use a constant value or an expression
4-5
Solver Settings
Initialization Using a Previous Solution

To use a previous solution as the initial guess enable the Initial Values Specification toggle when launching the Solver
You can provide multiple initial values files
When simulating a system you can provide previous solutions for each component of the system as the initial guess Usually each file would correspond to a separate region of space It is best if domains in the Solver Input File do not overlap with multiple initial values files
Training Manual
4-6
Solver Settings
Solver Control Editing

Edit the Solver Control object in the Outline tree
Training Manual
4-7
Solver Settings
Solver Control Options

The Solver Control panel contains various controls that influence the behavior of the solver
These controls are important for the accuracy of the solution, the stability of the solver and the length of time it takes to obtain a solution
Training Manual
4-8
Solver Settings
Solver Control Advection Scheme

The Advection Scheme refers to the way the advection term in the transport equations is modeled numerically
i.e. the term that accounts for bulk fluid motion Often the dominant term
Training Manual
Unsteady
Advection
Diffusion
Generation
Three schemes are available, High Resolution, Upwind and Specified Blend
Discussed in more detail next
There is rarely any reason to change from the default High Resolution scheme
4-9
Solver Settings
Solver Control Advection Scheme Theory
Training Manual
Solution data is stored at nodes, but variable values are required at the control volume faces to calculate fluxes
The upstream nodal values (fup) are interpolated to the integration points (fip) on the control volume faces using:
fip = fup + b f r fip = gradient fup + b f r is the vector between the Where f is the variable and upstream node and the integration point In other words, the ip value is equal to the upstream value plus a correction due to the gradient b can have values between 0 and 1
4-10
Solver Settings
Solver Control Advection Scheme Theory

fip = fup + b f r
If b = 0 we get the Upwind advection scheme, i.e. no correction
This is robust but only first order accurate Sometimes useful for initial runs, but usually not necessary
Upwind Scheme
Flow is misaligned with mesh
Training Manual
Theory
1 0
The Specified Blend scheme allows you to specify b between 0 and 1 (i.e. between no correction up to full correction)
But this is not guaranteed to be bounded, meaning that when the correction is included it can overshoot or undershoot what is physically possible
b=1.00
The High Resolution scheme maximizes b throughout the flow domain while keeping the solution bounded
High Resolution Scheme
4-11
Solver Settings
Solver Control Turbulence Numerics

Regardless of the Advection Scheme selection, the Turbulence equations default to the First Order (Upwind) scheme
Usually this is sufficient
Training Manual
The High Resolution scheme can be selected for additional accuracy

Can give better accuracy in boundary layers on unstructured meshes
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Solver Settings
Solver Control Convergence Control

The Solver will finish when it reaches Max. Iterations unless convergence is achieved sooner
If Max. Iterations is reached you may not have a converged solution Can be useful to set Max. Iterations to a large number
Training Manual
When the Solver finishes you should always check why it finished Fluid Timescale Control sets the timescale in a steady-state simulation
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Solver Settings
Solver Control Timescale Background

ANSYS CFX employs the so called False Transient Algorithm
A timescale is used to move the solution towards the final answer
Training Manual
In a steady-state simulation the timescale provides relaxation of the equation non-linearities
A steady-state simulation is a transient evolution of the flow from the initial guess to the steady-state conditions
Converged solution is independent of the timescale used
Initial Guess 50 iterations 100 iterations
150 iterations
Final Solution
4-14
Solver Settings
Solver Control Timescale Selection

For obtaining successful convergence, the selection of the timescale plays an important role
If the timescale is too large, the convergence becomes bouncy or may even lead to the failure of the Solver If the timescale is too small, the convergence will be very slow and the solution may not be fully accurate
Training Manual
4-15
Solver Settings
Solver Control Timescale Selection
Training Manual
For advection dominated flow, a fraction of the fluid residence time is often a good estimate for the timescale
A timescale of 1/3 of (Length Scale / Velocity Scale) is often optimal May need a smaller timescale for the first few iterations and for complex physics, transonic flow,..
For rotating machines, 1/ ( in rad/s) is a good choice

For buoyancy driven flows, the timescale should be based on a function of gravity, thermal expansivity, temperature difference and length scale (see documentation)
4-16
Solver Settings
Solver Control Timescale Control

Timescale Control can be Auto Timescale, Physical Timescale or Local Timescale Factor Physical Timescale
Specify the timescale. Usually a constant but can also be variable via an expression Can often set a better timescale than Auto Timescale would produce faster convergence
Training Manual
4-17
Solver Settings

Auto Timescale
The Solver calculates a timescale based on boundary / initial conditions or current solution and domain length scale
Use a Conservative or Aggressive estimate for the domain length scale, or a specified value Timescale is re-calculated and updated every few iterations as the flow field changes
Training Manual
Can set a Maximum Timescale to provide an upper limit

Tends to produce a conservative timescale
Timescale factor (default = 1) is a multiplier which can be changed to adjust the automatically calculated timescale
4-18
Solver Settings

Local Timescale Factor
Timescale varies throughout the domain
Training Manual
Local Timescale =
Local Mesh Length Scale Local Velocity Scale
Smaller Timescale in high velocity and/or fine mesh regions Can accelerate convergence when vastly different local velocity scales exist
E.g. a jet entering a plenum
Best used on fairly uniform meshes, since small element will have a small timescale which can slow convergence Local Timescale Factor is a multiplier of the local timescale Never use as final solution; always finish off with a constant timescale
4-19
Solver Settings
Solver Control Convergence Criteria

Convergence Criteria settings determine when the solution is considered converged and hence when the Solver will stop
Assuming Max. Iterations is not reached
Training Manual
Residuals are a measure of how accurately the set of equations have been solved
Since we are iterating towards a solution, we never get the exact solution to the equations Lower residuals mean a more accurate solution to the set of equations (more on the next slide) Do not confuse accurately solving the equations with overall solution accuracy the equations may or may not be a good representation of the true system! Residuals are just one measure of accuracy and should be combined with other measures:
Monitor Points (ch. 8) and Imbalances (below)
4-20
Solver Settings
Solver Control Residuals Theory
Training Manual
The continuous governing equations are discretized into a set of linear equations that can be solved. The set of linear equations can be written in the form: [A] [] = [b] where [A] is the coefficient matrix and [] is the solution variable If the equation were solved exactly we would have: [A] [] - [b] = [0] The residual vector [R] is the error in the numerical solution: [A] [] - [b] = [R] Since each control volume has a residual we usually look at the RMS average or the maximum normalized residual
4-21
Solver Settings
Solver Control Residuals

Residual Type
MAX: Convergence based on maximum residual anywhere RMS: Convergence based on average residual from all control volumes
Root Mean Square =
Training Manual
R
i
2 i
Residual Target
For reasonable convergence MAX residuals should be 1.0E-3, RMS should be at least 1.0E-4 The targets dependent on the accuracy needed
Lower values may be needed for greater accuracy
4-22
Solver Settings
Solver Control Conservation Target

The Conservation Target sets a target for the global imbalances
Training Manual
% Imbalance
Flux In Flux Out Maximum Flux
The imbalances measure the overall conservation of a quantity (mass, momentum, energy) in the entire flow domain
Clearly in a converged solution Flux In should equal Flux Out Its good practice to set a Conservation Target and/or monitor the imbalances during the run When set, the Solver must meet both the Residual and Conservation Target before stopping (assuming Max. Iterations is not reached) Set a target of 0.01 (1%) or less
Flux In Flux Out < 1%
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Solver Settings
Solver Control Elapsed Time and Interrupt Control Elapsed Time Control
Can specify the maximum wall clock time for a run Solver will stop after this amount of time regardless of whether it has converged
Training Manual
Interrupt Control
Can specify other criteria for stopping the Solver based on logical CEL expressions When the expression returns true the solver will stop
Any value >= 0.5 is true
Examples
If temperature exceeds a specified value
if(areaAve(T)@wall>200[C],1,0)
If mesh quality drops below a specified value in a moving mesh case
More on logical expressions in the CEL lecture

4-24
Solver Settings
Solver Control Solid Timescale Control

This option is only available when a solid domain is included in the simulation The Solid Timescale should be selected such that it is MUCH larger than the fluid timescale (100 times larger is typical)
the energy equation is usually very stable in the solid zone solid timescales are typically much larger than fluid timescales
Training Manual
The fluid timescale is estimated using Length Scale / Velocity Scale
The solid timescale is automatically calculated as function of the length scale, thermal conductivity, density and specific heat capacity
Or you can choose the Physical Timescale option and provide a timescale directly
4-25
Solver Settings
Solver Control Equation Class Settings

The Equation Class Settings tab is an advanced option that can be used to set Solver controls on an equation specific basis
Not usually needed Will override the controls set on Basic Settings for the selected equation
Training Manual
Advanced Options
Advanced solver control options Rarely needed
4-26
Solver Settings
Output Controls Results

The Output Control settings control the output produced by the Solver
The Trn Results, Trn Stats and Export tab only apply to transient simulations and are covered in the Transient chapter
Training Manual
The Results tab controls the final .res file

Generally do not use the Selected Variables (or None!) option since it probably wont contain enough information to restart the run later Output Equation Residuals is useful if you need to check where convergence problems are occurring Extra Output Variables List contains variables that are not written to the standard results file
E.g. Vorticity
4-27
Solver Settings
Output Controls Backup

The Backup tab controls if and when backup results files are automatically written by the Solver
Recommend for long Solver runs in case of power failure, network interruptions, etc Option:
Standard: Like a full results file Essential: Allows a clean solver restart Smallest: Can restart the solver, but therell be a jump in the residuals Selected Variables: Not recommended
Training Manual
Can also manually request a backup file from the Solver Manager at any time
Frequency of output can be adjusted
4-28
Solver Settings
Output Controls Monitor

The Monitor tab allows you to create Monitor Points
These are used to track values of interest as the Solver runs
Training Manual
The Cartesian Coordinates Option is used to track the value of a variable at a specific X, Y, Z location The Expression Option is used to monitor the values of a CEL expression
E.g. Calculate the area average of Cp at the inlet boundary: areaAve(Cp)@inlet E.g. Mass flow of particular fluid through an outlet: oil.massFlow()@outlet
In steady-state simulations you should create monitor points for quantities of interest
One measure of convergence is when these values are no longer changing
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Solver Settings
Solver Manager
Define a run Control the CFX-Solver interactively View information about the emerging solution Export data
Training Manual
The CFX-Solver Manager is a graphical user interface used to:
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Solver Settings
Solver Manager Defining a Run

Define a new Solver run
Solver Input File should be the .def file
Can also pick .res, .bak or _full.trn files to restart a previous incomplete run
Training Manual
To make a physics change and restart a solution, create a new .def file and provide it as the Solver Input File then select the .res, .bak or _full.trn file in the Initial Values Specification section
If both files have the same physics, this is the same as picking the .res/.bak/_full.trn file as the input file
Use Mesh From selects which mesh to use. If the meshes are identical can use either option, otherwise:
If you use the Solver Input File mesh, the Initial Values solution is interpolated onto the input file If you use the Initial Values mesh only the physics from the Solver Input File is used
Continue History From carriers over convergence history and iteration counters
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Solver Settings
Solver Manager Defining a Parallel Run

By default the Solver will run in serial
A single solver process runs on the local machine
Training Manual
Set the Run Mode to one of the parallel options to make use of multiple cores/processors
Requires parallel licenses Allows you to divide a large CFD problem into smaller partitions
Faster solution times Solve larger problems by making use of memory (RAM) on multiple machines
The Local Parallel options should be used when running on a single machine The Distributed Parallel options should be used when running across multiple machines
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Solver Settings
Solver Manager Defining a Parallel Run

Serial
Training Manual
Local Parallel
Distributed Parallel
Different communication methods are available (MPICH2, HP MPI, PVM)

See documentation When To Use MPI or PVM for more details, but HP MPI is recommended in most cases
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Solver Settings
Solver Manager Define Run Advanced Controls

The Show Advanced Control toggle enables the Partitioner, Solver and Interpolator tabs
Training Manual
On the Partitioner tab you can pick different partitioning algorithms

Partitioning is always a serial process Can be a problem for v.large cases since you cannot distribute the memory load across multiple machines The default MeTiS algorithm uses more memory than others, so if you run out of memory use a different method (see documentation for details)
Multidomain Option:
Independent Partitioning: Each domain is partitioned into n partitions Coupled Partitioning: All domains are combined and then partitioned into n partitions
Theres a specific option for Transient Rotor Stator cases
4-34
Solver Settings
Solver Manager Define Run Advanced Controls

On the Solver tab you can select the Double Precision option
The solver will use more significant figures in its calculations Doubles solver memory requirements Use when round-off error could be a problem if small variations in a variable are important, where small is relative to the global range of that variable, e.g:
Many Mesh Motion cases, since the motion is often small relative to the size of the domain Most CHT cases, since thermal conductivity is vastly different in the fluid and solid If you have a wide pressure range, but small pressure changes are important
Training Manual
Small values by themselves do not need DP
The Solver estimates its memory requirements upfront Memory Alloc Factor is a multiplier for this estimate
Use when the solver stops with an Insufficient Memory Allocated error
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Solver Settings
Solver Manager Interactive Solver Control

Models generally cannot be changed, but timescales, BCs, etc can
Training Manual
During a solution Edit Run in Progress lets you make changes on the fly
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Solver Settings
Solver Manager Additional Solution Monitors

By default monitor plots are created showing the RMS residuals for each equation solved, plus one plot for any monitor points Right-click to switch between RMS and MAX Additional monitors can be selected showing:
Imbalances Boundary fluxes (FLOW) Boundary forces
Tangential (viscous) Normal (pressure) Right-click New Monitor
Training Manual
Source terms Monitor Plot
.out file
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Solver Settings
Solver Manager Additional Icons

By dragging the cursor over any icon, the feature description will appear Start a new Simulation Monitor Finished Run Stop Current Run
Training Manual
Switch Residual Plot between RMS and MAX
Monitor Run in Progress

Save Current Run

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Solver Control

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Chapter 4

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Overview Initialization Solver Control Output Control

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Initialization Setting Initial Values

Edit each Domain to set initial values on a per-domain basis

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Initialization Setting Initial Values

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Initialization Using a Previous Solution

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Solver Control Editing

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Solver Control Options

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Solver Control Advection Scheme

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Solver Control Advection Scheme Theory

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Solver Control Advection Scheme Theory

High Resolution Scheme

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Solver Control Turbulence Numerics

The High Resolution scheme can be selected for additional accuracy

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Solver Control Convergence Control

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Solver Control Timescale Background

In a steady-state simulation the timescale provides relaxation of the equation non-linearities

Initial Guess 50 iterations 100 iterations

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Solver Control Timescale Selection

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Solver Control Timescale Selection

For rotating machines, 1/ ( in rad/s) is a good choice

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Solver Control Timescale Control

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Solver Control Timescale Control

Can set a Maximum Timescale to provide an upper limit

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Solver Control Timescale Control

Local Mesh Length Scale Local Velocity Scale

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Solver Control Convergence Criteria

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

April 28, 2009 Inventory #002598

Solver Control Residuals Theory

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary 2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.