Rotating Disk Effect on Surrounding Airflow (Moving Wall) — ANSYS Fluent CFD SimulationDescriptionThis project demonstrates how a rotating disk influences the surrounding airflow using ANSYS Fluent's moving-wall boundary condition. A disk spinning in still air drags the nearby fluid into motion, setting up a distinctive velocity and pressure pattern around it — the same fundamental behavior that underlies propellers, turbomachinery, and other rotating equipment in aerospace applications. In this project, you'll model a 0.1-meter diameter disk (0.02 m thick) rotating at 5 rad/s within a confined 0.5 m × 0.5 m × 1 m room, gaining practical experience with rotational aerodynamics. As the opening project of the Mechanical Engineering: Beginner CFD Training Package, it introduces the moving-wall technique through the simplest single-phase rotating case.MethodologyThe three-dimensional computational domain is created in ANSYS Design Modeler, with a room measuring 0.5 m × 0.5 m × 1 m and the disk (0.1 m diameter, 0.02 m thick) positioned centrally for optimal flow analysis. The mesh is generated in ANSYS Meshing with approximately 716,870 cells, providing adequate resolution to capture the flow detail near the rotating surface. The disk's rotational motion is defined through a moving-wall boundary condition set to 5 rad/s, while the room walls are stationary no-slip surfaces. The laminar flow model is used to solve the governing equations, giving a clear view of the flow physics without the added complexity of turbulence.AnalysisThrough velocity and pressure contour analysis, you'll observe how the flow responds to the rotating disk: the maximum velocities occur at the disk's outer edge, the velocity decreases with distance from the rotating boundary, and the room air accelerates near the disk region. The pressure field shows a reduction near the disk surface and a symmetric pattern around it, with flow separating from the disk surface due to the rotational effects. Velocity vectors reveal the separation behavior, and the three-dimensional contours show symmetric results on both disk faces. By the end of this project, you'll be able to set up a moving-wall boundary condition to model a rotating component, choose an appropriate viscous model, and interpret the velocity and pressure fields around a rotating surface — building essential skills for aerospace CFD applications involving rotating components and preparing you for more complex propeller and rotor simulations.

3-D Airfoil — ANSYS Fluent CFD SimulationDescriptionThe airfoil is the most fundamental geometry in all of aerodynamics — its shape governs the lift and drag that determine the performance of aircraft wings and turbine blades alike. In this project, you'll use ANSYS Fluent to study the airflow around a three-dimensional airfoil and learn to read the flow physics that engineers actually design around. Within the Mechanical Engineering: Beginner CFD Training Package, this project introduces external aerodynamics, building on the rotating-disk case toward the flow around a lifting body and the forces it generates.MethodologyThe simulation models an incompressible, isothermal airflow over a 0.5-meter NACA-type airfoil placed inside a wind tunnel domain, with a free-stream inlet velocity of 10 m/s. The mesh, built in ANSYS Meshing, is refined around the leading edge, the upper and lower surfaces, and the trailing edge to capture the boundary layer and wake accurately, while coarsening toward the far-field boundaries to keep the cell count efficient. The case is solved with a pressure-based, steady-state solver using the k–ω SST turbulence model, which resolves the near-wall boundary layer and the free-stream flow well for external aerodynamics.AnalysisFrom the results, you'll learn to interpret the high-pressure stagnation region at the leading edge, the low-pressure suction zone on the upper surface that generates lift, and the pressure differential between the upper and lower surfaces that produces the net upward aerodynamic force. You'll also see how the velocity field accelerates over the suction side and develops a velocity deficit in the wake, where vortical structures and energy loss give rise to aerodynamic drag. Finally, you'll connect these flow features to the lift and drag coefficients and see why near-wall mesh refinement is essential for reliable predictions. By the end of this project, you'll be able to set up, solve, and analyze a complete external aerodynamics case in ANSYS Fluent — and understand the forces and losses behind the results, not just the contours.

Jet Engine Intake (3-D Internal Aerodynamics) — ANSYS Fluent CFD SimulationDescriptionThe intake is the first component of a jet engine, and its job is deceptively difficult: it has to deliver air to the engine face smoothly, with as little pressure loss and as much uniformity as possible, across a wide range of flight conditions. Poor intake performance — distorted or non-uniform flow reaching the compressor — directly degrades engine efficiency and can threaten stable operation. This project uses ANSYS Fluent to simulate the airflow through a jet engine intake, examining the pressure and velocity fields inside the duct and the uniformity of the flow arriving at the engine face. Within the Mechanical Engineering: Beginner CFD Training Package, this project introduces internal aerodynamics, moving from the external flow of the airfoil case to the flow confined and guided within a duct.MethodologyThe simulation works from a 3D intake geometry imported as a prepared mesh, so the focus stays on the flow physics and solver setup rather than geometry creation. The boundary conditions are configured to represent the operating conditions a jet engine intake experiences — an incoming air stream at the intake entrance and the engine face as the downstream boundary — and the case is run to convergence to resolve how the air accelerates, turns, and redistributes as it moves through the duct.AnalysisAt the end of the solution, you generate pressure and velocity contours through the intake, along with flow visualizations that reveal how the air interacts with the intake geometry. From these you can assess the two things that matter most for intake performance: the pressure and velocity distribution along the duct, and the flow uniformity at the engine face — the degree to which the air arriving at the compressor is even rather than distorted. By the end of this project, you'll be able to set up and run a 3D internal-aerodynamics simulation from an imported mesh, apply realistic intake boundary conditions, and post-process the results to evaluate pressure recovery and flow uniformity — the core metrics that drive intake design decisions in aerospace engineering.

DescriptionThis module uses ANSYS Fluent to simulate supersonic nozzle flow, focusing on flow separation and shock wave formation — an advanced compressible flow problem central to mechanical and aerospace propulsion engineering. The simulation examines how a converging-diverging nozzle accelerates flow from subsonic to supersonic conditions, and how shock waves and boundary layer separation develop under varying back pressure conditions.MethodologyThe compressible flow governing equations are solved with a turbulence model suited to supersonic conditions, accounting for shock-turbulence interaction. The simulation captures normal shock waves as well as oblique shock structures in overexpanded nozzle operation, and models boundary layer behavior and separation onset under adverse pressure gradients. Nozzle performance is evaluated across a range of back pressure conditions, from overexpanded to underexpanded regimes, including flow-pattern hysteresis as back pressure varies.ConclusionResults include Mach number contours showing the subsonic-to-supersonic transition and flow acceleration, pressure and temperature distributions across shock regions, and thrust coefficient and nozzle efficiency calculations under design and off-design conditions. Shock structures, including shock diamonds, are visualized to assess nozzle behavior in detail. These findings support nozzle contour optimization for applications in rocket engine design, supersonic wind tunnel development, and high-speed aerospace propulsion systems.

RBF Morph (Mesh Morphing) Concepts in ANSYS Fluent — CFD TrainingDescriptionThis module is a comprehensive guide to RBF Morph and mesh morphing in ANSYS Fluent — the technique that lets you deform an existing mesh to change a geometry directly, without rebuilding and remeshing the model from scratch. Rather than focusing on a single simulation case, it unlocks the Design tab and the optimization tools built around it, so you can reshape a mesh, define design objectives, and let the solver guide you toward better designs. Within the Mechanical Engineering: Beginner CFD Training Package, this project introduces mesh morphing as a core enabling technique — the bridge between running a single simulation and using CFD to actively optimize a design.MethodologyThe module works systematically through the Design tab environment in ANSYS Fluent, explaining the rationale behind each step of the optimization workflow. You'll learn to navigate the Design tab interface and understand its key features, then apply gradient-based optimization techniques — working with the observables and operations that make optimization effective. It explores the various design tools and morphing methods available and how each is applied, followed by objective setting and constraint management: defining and modifying optimization objectives and setting the constraints that keep a design realistic. The module then goes deeper into the gradient-based optimizer itself, and finally into adjoint-solution post-processing, where sensitivity analysis reveals how changes to the geometry affect performance.AnalysisBy working through these tools, you'll gain hands-on experience with some of the most powerful optimization capabilities in ANSYS Fluent and the practical insight to apply them to real design challenges. You'll come away able to navigate and use the Design tab, apply gradient-based optimization, implement and analyze mesh-morphing strategies, and conduct sensitivity analyses that guide design refinement. By the end of this module, you'll understand how mesh morphing and adjoint-based optimization fit into a modern CFD workflow — whether you're optimizing aerodynamics, enhancing heat-transfer systems, or refining complex flow designs — giving you the foundation to move from simply running simulations to using them to drive better engineering decisions.

Discrete Phase Model (DPM) in ANSYS Fluent — CFD TrainingDescriptionThis module is a comprehensive guide to the Discrete Phase Model (DPM) in ANSYS Fluent — the framework used to simulate particle-laden flows, where discrete particles, droplets, or bubbles are tracked as they move through a continuous fluid. Rather than focusing on a single geometry, it unlocks the DPM module itself, taking you through its interface and full range of capabilities so you can set up and customize particle-tracking simulations with confidence. Within the Mechanical Engineering: Beginner CFD Training Package, this project introduces the discrete-phase method that underpins a whole class of applications — from sprays and particle transport to erosion — and prepares the ground for the gravity-trap case that applies it.MethodologyThe module works systematically through the DPM setup in ANSYS Fluent. You'll learn to navigate the Discrete Phase Model dialog box, configure interaction settings and particle-treatment options, and master the tracking parameters that control a simulation. It then explores the advanced physical models available — including particle–radiation interaction, thermophoretic and Saffman lift forces, virtual-mass and pressure-gradient forces, erosion/accretion modeling, temperature-dependent effects, two-way turbulence coupling, and collision and breakup models. The injection techniques are covered in depth — single, group, surface, and cone injections, and particle types ranging from massless and inert to droplet, combusting, and multi-component — along with diameter-distribution methods for realistic particle populations. Finally, the module addresses drag laws, breakup models, turbulent dispersion through stochastic and cloud tracking, and the DPM boundary conditions that govern particle–wall interactions.AnalysisBy working through these settings, you'll build an in-depth understanding of the DPM interface and the practical skill to set up and customize particle-laden simulations, choosing the appropriate models for a given engineering problem. This forms the foundation for the practical DPM applications that follow — spray simulations with evaporation and breakup, wet combustion, erosion analysis in complex geometries, and particle-transport studies. By the end of this module, you'll be able to navigate the full DPM toolset in ANSYS Fluent, select suitable physical models, injection types, and drag laws for your application, and configure particle tracking and boundary conditions correctly — the essential groundwork for accurate and efficient multiphase particle modeling.

DescriptionParticle trapping in gravity-driven flow systems is a core problem in mechanical engineering, particularly in the design of separation and filtration equipment used across environmental control, industrial processing, and particulate management applications. This CFD simulation uses ANSYS Fluent's Discrete Phase Model (DPM) to analyze particle-fluid interactions within a trapping system, focusing on how particle trajectories, separation, and capture are governed by gravity-driven flow and turbulent dispersion effects.MethodologyThe Discrete Phase Model is configured to represent particle behavior through defined injection methods, size distributions, and material properties, while the continuous fluid phase is modeled with appropriate body force terms and pressure gradients to capture gravity-driven flow. Two-way coupling between particles and fluid is implemented to account for mutual momentum and energy transfer, and turbulence models are applied alongside DPM to capture turbulent dispersion effects on particle trajectories. Boundary conditions are configured for both phases, including inlet flow conditions, particle injection parameters, and outlet conditions, with convergence managed through tailored under-relaxation factors, particle-tracking time-step sizing, and residual monitoring appropriate for coupled particle-fluid simulations.Results AnalysisPost-processing examines particle trajectories, trapping efficiency, fluid flow patterns, and particle concentration distributions using detailed visualization techniques suited to discrete phase simulations. The results characterize how particles are separated and captured within the gravity-driven system, offering insight into particle trapping mechanisms relevant to the design and optimization of separation systems used in air and water purification, industrial filtration, and particulate control technologies.

Multi-Phase Flow in an Injector (Two-Phase VOF Model) — ANSYS Fluent CFD SimulationDescriptionWelcome to the Injector CFD Simulation module. This project introduces the fundamentals of multiphase flow analysis within fuel injectors — a critical component across combustion systems in automotive, aerospace, and energy applications. You'll use the Volume of Fluid (VOF) multiphase model in ANSYS Fluent to simulate and interpret the complex fluid interactions inside an injector, capturing the dynamic interface between the liquid fuel and the surrounding gas within the injector's confined internal geometry. Within the Mechanical Engineering: Beginner CFD Training Package, this project opens the multiphase group, introducing the intuitive VOF interface-tracking approach before the more advanced Eulerian cases that follow.MethodologyThe simulation works from a pre-configured injector model, with a mesh designed to resolve the liquid–gas interface within the injector's narrow internal passages. The boundary conditions define realistic operating conditions — appropriate pressure, velocity, and fluid-property settings at the fuel inlet, together with a proper representation of the surrounding gas phase and the injector wall boundaries. The heart of the setup is the VOF configuration: the scheme is selected and tuned for stable, accurate interface capture within the complex internal geometry, and surface tension and turbulence effects are incorporated to govern the fluid behavior during injection. The case is solved as a steady-state simulation.AnalysisPost-processing develops your ability to read multiphase behavior through contours and animations showing the spatial distribution of liquid fuel and gas, alongside a quantitative assessment of velocity profiles, pressure distributions, and the spray characteristics at the nozzle exit. From these results you can examine how injection pressure influences the flow behavior and phase distribution, evaluate injector efficiency, flow uniformity, and potential cavitation risk, and see how the findings can guide nozzle-geometry optimization to improve atomization and spray quality. By the end of this project, you'll be able to set up and run an injector simulation using the VOF model in ANSYS Fluent, interpret the results for flow characteristics and phase distribution, and apply these insights to broader multiphase engineering problems — forming a solid foundation for further study in combustion systems, spray dynamics, and fuel-injection technology.

DescriptionThis module uses ANSYS Fluent to simulate Eulerian two-phase flow through a convergent-divergent channel, applying the Eulerian multiphase model to a geometrically complex flow system relevant to chemical processing, oil and gas, power generation, and aerospace applications. The simulation examines how changing channel cross-section affects phase interaction, momentum transfer, and flow behavior between two immiscible fluids.MethodologyA pre-configured convergent-divergent channel geometry is used, with a mesh designed to accurately capture phase coupling across the varying cross-sections. Fluid inlet and outlet conditions, including flow rates, velocities, and phase fractions, are configured to represent realistic multiphase operation, alongside wall boundary conditions accounting for roughness effects. The Eulerian model is fine-tuned with appropriate drag and lift models for the immiscible phases, along with turbulence modulation and phase coupling effects to capture momentum exchange between phases.ConclusionResults include phase fraction and velocity profile contours along the channel, pressure drop quantification, and analysis of phase separation tendencies and flow regime transitions as the flow moves through the convergent and divergent sections. The simulation reveals how channel area changes and convergent-divergent angle affect phase distribution and velocity, providing insight relevant to optimizing multiphase flow systems and heat transfer performance in industrial equipment handling immiscible fluid interactions.

DescriptionThis project simulates Eulerian two-phase flow in a moving-wall cylinder using ANSYS Fluent, investigated through CFD analysis. The system consists of two fluids: water as the primary fluid, together with a secondary fluid (with a density of 2610 kg/m³ and a viscosity of 0.0026 kg/m·s).The two-phase flow enters the chamber in the shape of a hollow cylinder. Water enters the system at a velocity of 0.629 m/s with a volume fraction of 0.67, while the secondary fluid enters at 0.099 m/s with a volume fraction of 0.23, under a relative pressure of 1,379,000 Pa.The 3D geometry was created in Design Modeler. It consists of two concentric cylinders — an outer and an inner cylinder — with the two-phase fluid flowing through the annular space between the outer and inner walls; the inlet and outlet take the form of hollow circles. Meshing was performed in ANSYS Meshing using an unstructured grid, producing 11,880 elements.MethodologyThe Eulerian multiphase model is used to represent the flow of the two fluids through the system, treating each phase as an interpenetrating continuum with its own set of governing equations. The outer wall of the cylinder is stationary, while the inner wall is a moving wall rotating about the central axis of the cylinder at 30 rpm.The model employs the standard k-omega turbulence model with the shear-flow correction option, together with the dispersed turbulence model for the multiphase flow.ConclusionThis study investigates the effect of the rotating inner wall on the Eulerian multiphase turbulent flow.On completion of the solution, two- and three-dimensional contours were obtained for pressure (for the mixture), velocity (for both the water phase and the secondary-fluid phase), the volume fraction of water and of the secondary fluid, and the path lines of each phase.The two-dimensional contours are presented in two planes: the YZ section and the XY section. The YZ section is defined along the central axis of the cylinder, while the XY section is taken perpendicular to the central axis at distances of 4, 9, and 13.716 m (the outlet) from the inlet — allowing the development of the two-phase flow to be tracked along the length of the cylinder.