Flow Direction

Exhaust fans expel fluid from the mesh region. The flow exits the mesh region in a direction perpendicular to the fan.

By default, the direction of flow through an intake fan is normal to the plane of the fan (see Figure 1).

Fig. 1 Intake Fan Flow Direction

Internal fans are located anywhere inside the mesh region. Fluid flows through the fan in a direction perpendicular to it. You must specify the direction of flow for an internal fan using the Swap Direction button and viewing the direction of the fan flow vector in the 3D Modeler. For a rectangular, 2D polygon, or circular fan, if flow is in the direction of increasing axis coordinates, the inward direction is positive. If flow is in the direction of decreasing coordinates, the inward direction is negative.