facing high courant number while running the case in OpenFOAM

Submitted by NIKHIL on Tue, 07/10/2012 - 12:33

Hi,
I am trying to simulate the incompressible flow of water through a cylinder.The cylinder at its base have many small circular openings.I have made the mesh of required geometry through gmesh.But while executing the file in OpenFoam the courant number is becoming high.My pressure and velocity fields are as follows:

/*--------------------------------*- C++ -*----------------------------------*\
| ========= | |
| \\ / F ield | OpenFOAM: The Open Source CFD Toolbox |
| \\ / O peration | Version: 2.1.x |
| \\ / A nd | Web: www.OpenFOAM.org |
| \\/ M anipulation | |
\*---------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
FoamFile
{
version 2.0;
format ascii;
class volScalarField;
object p;
}
// * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * //

dimensions [0 2 -2 0 0 0 0];

internalField uniform 0;

boundaryField
{ bottom
{
type fixedValue;
value uniform 1.4715;

}
top
{
type fixedValue;
value uniform 0;
}
wall1
{
type zeroGradient;
}
wall2
{
type zeroGradient;
}
wall3
{
type zeroGradient;
}
wall4
{
type zeroGradient;
}
}

// ************************************************************************* //

U FILE:
/*--------------------------------*- C++ -*----------------------------------*\
| ========= | |
| \\ / F ield | OpenFOAM: The Open Source CFD Toolbox |
| \\ / O peration | Version: 2.1.x |
| \\ / A nd | Web: www.OpenFOAM.org |
| \\/ M anipulation | |
\*---------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
FoamFile
{
version 2.0;
format ascii;
class volVectorField;
object U;
}
// * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * //

dimensions [0 1 -1 0 0 0 0];

internalField uniform (0 0 0);

boundaryField
{
bottom
{
type fixedValue;
value uniform (0 0 -.000004);
}

top
{
type fixedValue;
value uniform (0 0 0);
}

wall1
{
type zeroGradient;

}
wall2
{
type zeroGradient;
}
wall3
{
type zeroGradient;
}
wall4
{
type zeroGradient;
}
}

// ************************************************************************* //

alice's picture

alice | Wed, 07/11/2012 - 08:24

Hello NIKHIL,
getting a high courant number can have many reasons (too coarse mesh, too big time step width, ...). Concerning your boundary conditions: you prescribed a fixed pressure as well as a fixed verlocity both at the inlet and outlet of your geometry, as far as i can see?? you might wanna change that in such a way that: inlet: fixed velocity and pressure zero gradient, outlet: velocity zero gradient and fixed pressure.
Regards,
Alice

NIKHIL | Wed, 07/11/2012 - 09:56

Hello Alice,
Thanks for your reply.
But I want to tell u that I am doing pure cfd simulation not a coupling simulation.I read somewhere in CFD online user forum that this problem of getting high courant number generally comes in the case of very fine mesh. So I think I have to make the mesh more coarser not finer.I have made the mesh using gmesh and I want to know how we can make the mesh more coarser in gmesh??

Regards
Nikhil

cgoniva's picture

cgoniva | Thu, 07/12/2012 - 18:24

Hi Nikhil,

I guess, your mesh is a tet mesh - they somtimes cause trouble in terms of convergence.
You could try to mesh the geomety with hexes?

Cheers,
Chris