Chapter 40: Turbomachinery Mode

Turbo mode in CFX-Pre is a specialist mode enabling you to set up turbomachinery simulations, such as compressors or turbines, in a simple manner. Each component of a rotating machine can be simply defined by selecting a mesh file and some basic parameters and then the boundary conditions and interfaces between the components are automatically generated. In addition to the quick setup, existing turbomachinery simulations can be easily modified to use alternative meshes or to add extra components with minimum effort. Turbo mode is designed to complement Ansys TurboGrid but supports all the common mesh file formats that are supported in the General mode.

Consider an axial turbine made up of three stages (three stators and three rotors). In a design process you may first want to construct six individual cases in order to check the flow around each individual component. Next you might want to analyze some of the "stator-rotor-stator" portions of the machine, creating three more analysis cases. Once these analyses are complete, you might want to re-design one of the rotors, and re-create the stator-rotor-stator analysis with the new rotor. Other cases to investigate might include multiple blade passages for some/all components, and ultimately you will want to analyze the entire three stage (six component) machine. Turbo mode is designed to handle all of these cases.


Note:
  • You can switch to Turbo mode when working on a general simulation by selecting Tools > Turbo Mode at any time during the simulation.

  • Turbo Mode is designed specifically for the setup of Turbo cases, so if it is used for unsuitable cases some data may be lost.

  • After setting up a turbomachinery simulation in CFX-Pre, the simulation setup can become invalid if you make changes to the mesh or mesh topology, including changes that affect the number of blade passages. Re-running Turbo mode (available from the Tools menu in CFX-Pre) might fully or partially correct the setup. If necessary, any remaining boundary inconsistencies can be corrected in General mode.