Gambit example: model a 2D channel

"CFD example: laminar flow along a 2D channel" applied SALOME to model and mesh a 2D channel geometry for Code_Saturne to perform the simulation. However, someone likes to use Gambit, a product from ANSYS Fluent, and of course, the same example can also be made with the help of Gambit. Furthermore, similar to SALOME using Python for automatisation, Gambit has Journal file to automatise the manual procedure. The present post aims to translate the previous example into Gambit Journal file in order to show an illustration for beginners.

Basic instructions

1. comments. A comment line in Gambit Journal is headed with a forward slash, /.

/ This line is commented.

2. variables. One is able to define a variable with a name beginning with $. The variable represents a float point value.

$length = 0.1

3. arrays. Array names are also begun with $. In Gambit Journal, array is indexed by a 1 based number, which is quoted by a pair of square parenthesis, []. The index range of an array should be given at the definition declaration of the array itself.

declare $points[1 : 3]
$points[1] = 1.0
$points[2] = 0.0
$points[3] = 0.0

4. For the construction method of points, edges and faces, it is quite concise as well. Please refer to the simple example given in the next section.

The example

Once again, according to the philosophy of executing commands on terminals, Gambit Journal scripts are used to illustrate the example.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/ Geometry construction and meshing creation for a typical
/ 2d channel flow between two infinite parallel plates.
/
/ Written by: salad
/ Manchester, UK
/ 06/12/2009
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/
/ L = 0.1 m, D = 0.005 m
/
/     C  --------- B
/       |         |
/ -->   |         |
/     O  --------- A
/
/ V_in = 0.05 m/s
/ t    = 50 degree C
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Define the variables and points, and then construct edges and faces accordingly.

/ Variable Definition
$length = 0.1
$height = 0.005

/ points
vertex create "O" coordinates 0
vertex create "A" coordinates $length
vertex create "B" coordinates $length $height
vertex create "C" coordinates 0 $height

/ edges
edge create "OA" straight "O" "A"
edge create "AB" straight "A" "B"
edge create "BC" straight "B" "C"
edge create "CO" straight "C" "O"

/ faces
face create "DUCT" wireframe "OA" "AB" "BC" "CO"

After the geometry is constructed, build the mesh, define the boundaries, and then create a zone corresponding to the 2D face "DUCT". Note that, differing from the SALOME example, here the 2D model is not extruded along the z axis, because originally, I wrote the script for Fluent to use at that moment.

/ mesh
edge mesh "CO" intervals 50
edge mesh "OA" intervals 250
face mesh "DUCT"

/ boundary
physics create "inlet" btype "VELOCITY_INLET" edge "CO"
physics create "bottom" btype "WALL" edge "OA"
physics create "top" btype "WALL" edge "BC"
physics create "outlet" btype "PRESSURE_OUTLET" edge "AB"

/ zones
physics create "duct_v" ctype "FLUID" face "DUCT"

Finally, export the mesh file for future use.

/ export
export uns "2d_duct_flow.msh"