Workshop 05

Catalytic Converter
14. 5 Release

Introduction to ANSYS
CFD Professional
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2013 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

Catalytic Converter
This workshop demonstrates
flow through a housing that
contains a catalytic layer.

Catalytic Layer

To reduce solution times, half of

the geometry will be modeled
as flow is assumed to be
symmetrical

A momentum sink will be implemented in a subdomain to produce the

resistance to flow presented by the catalytic layer.
Multiple meshes are used in this simulation. They will need to be connected
together in CFX-Pre using domain interfaces.
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Release 14.5

Simulation Overview
Full Housing Dimensions:

Inlet duct diameter = 0.4 [m]

Central compartment cross-section = 1 [m] by 1 [m]
Catalytic layer thickness = 0.1 [m]
Total length inlet to outlet = 3.4 [m]

Due to vertical symmetry only half of the geometry is considered

Working fluid is Air at a temperature of 580 K

Flow conditions:

Inlet mass flow = 0.38 [ kg/s ]

Inlet temperature = 580 [ K ]
Outlet static pressure = 0 [ Pa ]
Catalyst resistance coefficient will be calculated later

2013 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

Start Simulation
1. Launch Workbench and save the project as CatConv.wbpj
2. From the Component Systems toolbox, drag a CFX system into the
Project Schematic and double-click on Setup to open CFX-Pre

3. Right-click on Mesh in the Outline tree and select CFX-Mesh. Import

the file ConvMain.gtm
4. Repeat the above step to import ConvCat.gtm

The Outline tree will now show two meshes. Later, the meshes will be
connected using Domain Interfaces.
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December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

Rotate mesh
To complete the mesh, we need to copy and
rotate the mesh called ConvMain.gtm.
1. Right-click on ConvMain.gtm in the Outline
tree and select Transform Mesh
2. Enter the Apply Rotation settings as shown
3. Enable Multiple Copies and then click OK

2013 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

Create a Composite Region

Composite Regions are labels for groups of existing
primitive regions. They make selection easier when
domains and boundary conditions are created

1. Select Insert > Regions > Composite Region from

the main menu
2. Set the Name to Converter
3. Pick Combination as Union

4. Set Dimension to 3D

This just filters the Regions list to only show 3D

regions

5. Pick Assembly, Assembly 2 and Assembly 3 in the

Region List (use the icon)

These two assemblies make up the fluid domain

6. Click OK to create the Composite Region

2013 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

Create material
The next step is to create a material with
properties representative of air at 580K
In the Materials section of the Outline
Tree, right-click on Air at 25 C and select
Duplicate. Rename the new material,
Air at 580K
On the Material Properties tab change:
Density to 0.609 [kg m^-3] and
Dynamic Viscosity to 2.95e-05 [kg m^-1 s^1] (first expand Transport Properties)

2013 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

Define Fluid Domain

1. Right-click on Flow Analysis 1 in the Outline Tree and select
Insert > Domain and enter the Name as Converter
2. Set Location to Converter and the Domain Type to Fluid
Domain
3. Select Air at 580K as the Material and leave the Reference
Pressure at the default value of 1 [ atm ]
4. On the Fluid Models tab set Heat Transfer Model to None
5. Leave the Turbulence Option set to the default k-Epsilon
Model
6. Click OK to create the domain

2013 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

Define resistance
The catalytic layer will be represented as a resistance to flow, i.e. a
momentum sink. The sink is equivalent to a pressure gradient. When flow is
turbulent, the pressure drop tends to scale with velocity2 and can expressed
in the form:
dp

Kloss U i
dxi
2

For the catalyst layer Kloss is 400 m-1.

Due to the structure of the layer, there is much more resistance in the
direction transverse to flow. ANSYS CFX offers a directional loss model
specifically for this type of case.

2013 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

Define resistance

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1.

Right-click on Converter in the Outline Tree

and select Insert > Subdomain

2.

Set the Name to Catalyst and the Location to

B71

3.

On the Sources tab check boxes for Sources,

Momentum Source/Porous Loss and Loss
Model. Set Option to Directional Loss

4.

Enter 0 for the X and Y Component, and 1 for

the Z Component to define the Streamwise
Direction

5.

For Streamwise Loss pick Permeability and

Loss Coef, check the box for Resistance Loss
Coefficient and set the value to 400

6.

Leave the options for the Transverse Loss as

the defaults

2013 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

Boundary Conditions
Next create the Inlet boundary condition:
1. Define an Inlet boundary condition named inlet using the Location
named PipeEnd

Insert the boundary condition by right-clicking on the Converter domain

so that the boundary condition is created in the correct domain

2. On the Boundary Details tab set a Mass Flow Rate of 0.38 [ kg s^-1 ]
and use the default turbulence values

Now create an Outlet boundary condition:

1. Define an Outlet boundary condition in the fluid domain named
outlet at the Location named PipeEnd 2
2. On the Boundary Details tab set Average Static Pressure to 0 [ Pa ]

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Release 14.5

Boundary Conditions
Create a Symmetry boundary condition

1. Right-click on Converter to insert a boundary called

symmetry
2. Set the location to Entire Symmetry and PorousSym
(When an Assembly is copied, a 2 is appended to the
names of the new regions that are created. New
composite regions are also created that group
together the old and new regions, these are called
Entire <name>

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2013 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

Domain Interfaces
Domain Interfaces are required to connect the meshes
1. Right-click on Interfaces in the tree and select Insert > Domain
Interface

2. Enter the Name as UpstreamInterface

3. Select the Interface Type to Fluid Fluid
4. For Interface Side 1 pick FluidSide from the Region List
5. For Interface Side 2 pick PorousSideUp from the Region List
6. Leave the Interface Models and Mesh Connection Method at their
default settings. Click OK to create the interface
7. Create a second Fluid Fluid Domain Interface named
DownstreamInterface with FluidSide 2 and PorousSideDown as side
1 and 2, respectively
NOTE: Ideally the meshes would have been conformal so that no
interfaces were required
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Release 14.5

Initialization
Now set the initial conditions:
1. Right-click on Flow Analysis 1 and select
Insert > Global Initialization.
2. Under Cartesian Velocity Components set
Option to Automatic with Value
3. Set the U, V, W velocity components to 0, 0,
1 [ m s^-1 ]

4. Leave the option for Static Pressure as

Automatic and leave Turbulence as Medium
(Intensity = 5%)
5. Enable the Turbulence Eddy Dissipation
check-box at the bottom of the panel
6. Click OK
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2013 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

Obtaining a solution
Close CFX-Pre
Save the Workbench project

In Workbench double-click
Solution to launch the CFX-Solver
Manager

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2013 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

Monitoring the Solution

1. Create a new Monitor Plot (Workspace > New Monitor) to monitor the
Imbalances for each equation during the solution
2. Change the scale for the Imbalance plot so that it uses a log scale by
right-clicking on the monitor, selecting Monitor Properties, then
enabling the Use Logarithmic Scale toggle on the Range Settings tab

3. Check the imbalances at the end of the run in the OUT file
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December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

CFD-Post
1.

Close the CFX-Solver Manager

2.

Save the project

3.

Double-click Results to launch CFD-Post

4. Make a vector plot of Velocity on the symmetry plane by

picking the Location called symmetry
5. Make a Contour Plot

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of Pressure at the same location

Release 14.5

CFD-Post
The plot of pressure contours and velocity vectors show the effect of
the resistance on the flow.
Streamlines show how the resistances leads to a more uniform
distribution of flow

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2013 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

Calculate pressure drop

1. Switch to the Expressions tab
2. Right-click on Expressions and select New

3. Enter the Name as deltaP and then enter

the Definition as:
areaAve(Pressure)@FluidSide areaAve(Pressure)@FluidSide 2. If using
the drop-down menus, choose Locations
> Composite
4. Click Apply to evaluate the expression

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2013 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

Chart
Next you will create a plot of Pressure along a line. First you must create
the line:
1. Create a new Line object using the Location menu on the main toolbar

2. Define the line using the Two Points Method between the points
(0, 0.5, 1.2) and (0, 0.5, -2.2)
3. Set the Line Type as Sample and set the Number of Samples to 100
4. Click Apply

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2013 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

Release 14.5

Chart
5. Create a Chart object using the chart icon

on the main tool bar

6. On the General tab of the chart details enter the Title as Pressure Through
Centre Line. Make sure Display Title is checked and leave the Type as XY

7. On the Data Series tab set the Name to pressure and the Location to Line 1
8. On the X Axis tab set the Variable as Z and on the Y Axis tab set the Variable
as Pressure then click Apply

The upstream side of the catalyst layer is

at Z = -0.45m and the downstream side
at Z = -0.55m. The pressure drop across
the resistance region can been seen

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2013 ANSYS, Inc.

December 12, 2013

Release 14.5