Many important engineering flows involve swirl or rotation and Ansys Fluent is well-equipped to model such flows. Swirling flows are common in combustion, with swirl introduced in burners and combustors in order to increase residence time and stabilize the flow pattern. Rotating flows are also encountered in turbomachinery, mixing tanks, and a variety of other applications.
When you begin the analysis of a rotating or swirling flow, it is essential that you classify your problem into one of the following five categories of flow:
axisymmetric flows with swirl or rotation
fully three-dimensional swirling or rotating flows
flows requiring a moving reference frame
flows requiring multiple moving reference frames or mixing planes
flows requiring sliding meshes
Modeling and solution procedures for the first two categories are presented in this section. The remaining three, which all involve “moving zones”, are discussed in Flows with Moving Reference Frames.
Information about rotating and swirling flows is provided in the following subsections:
For more information about setting up swirling and rotating flows in Ansys Fluent, see Swirling and Rotating Flows in the Fluent User's Guide.