Velocity Inlet and Velocity Outlet

The velocity inlet and outlet boundary conditions (BC) define the flow getting into or out of the domain at a certain velocity. As described below, different possibilities are available to define it.

Velocity Inlet

The inlet pressure and total (stagnation) values are not fixed but calculated, with the pressure gradients fixed to zero.

For incompressible flows, the temperature properties are not required, while for compressible flows, the temperature at the inlet must also be defined. The turbulent flow quantities are matched with the values specified for the initial condition and are thus not required as inputs.

Velocity Outlet

The static (gauge) pressure is not fixed and will be calculated to reach the required value based on the velocity profile at the outlet. Analogous to the outflow boundary conditions, all relevant scalar quantities are calculated from the interior with gradients fixed to zero.

Input Methods

The flow velocity can be defined as:

1. Fixed Value
2. Mean Value
3. Flow Rate
4. Mean Flow Rate
5. Face Normal Value
6. Freestream

These input values can either be fixed or driven by a formula or a table for space or time-dependent conditions.

Fixed Value

The fixed value BC prescribes the velocity magnitude and direction on the selected surface(s). It is fixed by defining each velocity component in x, y, and z-direction. Here is an example of how to assign a velocity entering an inlet at 10 m/s in the x-direction:

Every region of the boundary would have the same velocity value unless it is formula or table-driven.

Mean Value

This is more often used at an outlet where it is not clear whether the flow passes through the boundary uniformly. The average of the flow over the boundary would be equal to a specified value. Unlike the fixed value BC, not every region on the boundary will necessarily have the same value. The depicted boundary condition is a typical example and would apply to both internal flow (a pipe, for example) and external flow (a building, for example).

Flow Rate

The flow rate sub-type is available for both velocity inlet and outlet. The values that are input by the user must be positive. The direction of the velocity will be determined by the boundary condition chosen. If it’s a velocity inlet flow rate, then flow goes into the domain. If it’s a velocity outlet flow rate, then the flow will leave the domain.

When used for the inlet, this boundary condition calculates velocity at the boundary based on the provided flow rate. Both mass and volumetric flow rate can be prescribed as input values. If a mass flow rate is assigned, the fluid density specified within the material would be used. The flow is assumed normal to the boundary.

When used for the outlet, the software will determine what pressure gradients are necessary to achieve the defined mass or volumetric flow rates.

Important

1. It is not recommended to use this boundary condition with “Potential foam initialization” enabled in Simulation Control.

2. A flow rate boundary condition assigned to more than one surface of the fluid domain means that each surface receives the specified flow rate.

Mean Flow Rate

This is an inlet-only boundary condition. The average mass or volumetric flow rate over the boundary defines the velocity inlet. The specified values must be positive.

Face Normal Value

This is an outlet-only boundary condition. The input value defines a target face normal mean outlet velocity. Then, the pressure gradients necessary to achieve the prescribed mean velocities are calculated by the software.

Note that the mean velocity value is considered normal to the surface. For this boundary condition, the input must be positive.

Freestream

This boundary condition has two different possibilities. When the flow at the boundary is leaving the domain, a zero gradient condition is applied. Otherwise, a fixed velocity is assigned. The flow direction is based on the input values.

The user should provide this value as an input when the boundary is far from the object. Based on velocity, the free stream pressure at the boundary is then calculated by applying a zero gradient condition to constrain the flux. For compressible flows, temperature values must be provided as well. The turbulent flow quantities at the free stream boundary are matched with the values specified for the initial condition and are thus not required as inputs.

Last updated: October 12th, 2020