MRF Method, Mixing Tank — ANSYS Fluent CFD SimulationDescriptionThis project is a comprehensive guide to applying the Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) method to a mixing tank in ANSYS Fluent. A mixing tank uses a rotating impeller to stir and blend fluid, and simulating it means capturing the interaction between the spinning impeller and the stationary tank around it. The MRF method handles this by dividing the domain into a rotating zone around the impeller and a stationary zone for the tank, solving each in its own reference frame — a steady, cost-efficient approach to rotating machinery. As the opening project of the MRF: Beginner CFD Training Package, it most directly teaches the MRF method itself — the multi-zone rotating/stationary setup that underpins every case that follows.MethodologyThe detailed 3D model is created in ANSYS Design Modeler and meshed in ANSYS Meshing with 229,177 unstructured elements, optimized for high-fidelity results. The setup configures the multiple zones required for the MRF method — a rotating zone around the impeller and a stationary zone for the tank — with a steady-state analysis and the k-ε turbulence model. The boundary conditions define a 500 rpm impeller rotation within the stationary tank, so the rotation is captured through the reference frame rather than by physically moving the mesh.AnalysisPost-processing extracts pressure, velocity, and turbulent-intensity contours along with flow vectors. The pressure distribution reveals the variations around the impeller and their effect on mixing efficiency across the zones; the velocity profiles show the flow-speed patterns, particularly behind the impeller, and correlate them with mixing effectiveness in the rotating and stationary regions; the turbulence-intensity fields show where mixing is most vigorous, especially near the impeller; and the flow vectors reveal the vortex formation around the impeller and its impact on mixing. This kind of analysis is central to chemical and process engineering, pharmaceutical mixing, the food and beverage industry, and wastewater treatment. By the end of this project, you'll be able to set up a multi-zone MRF simulation with rotating and stationary zones, define an impeller rotation in a steady-state framework, and interpret the pressure, velocity, turbulence, and vector fields that characterize mixing performance in a stirred tank.

Centrifugal Blower (MRF) — ANSYS Fluent CFD SimulationDescriptionWelcome to the Centrifugal Blower CFD Simulation module. This project explores the design and analysis of a centrifugal blower using ANSYS Fluent and the Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) approach. A centrifugal blower raises the pressure of a gas by flinging it outward with a rotating impeller and collecting it in a surrounding volute — a configuration found throughout HVAC systems, industrial ventilation, and dust-collection equipment. The challenge in simulating it is representing the spinning impeller alongside the stationary volute, which is exactly what the MRF method makes possible. As the opening project of the Rotary Equipment: Beginner CFD Training Package, it introduces the MRF approach in its simplest single-rotor form — the foundation for the rotating-machinery cases that follow.MethodologyThe core of the setup is the MRF approach for modeling rotating machinery, which divides the domain into a rotating zone around the impeller and a stationary zone for the volute. The rotating and stationary zones are defined and the interface between them is configured so the flow transitions smoothly from one to the other. The impeller is assigned its rotational speed, and appropriate boundary conditions are applied at the blower inlet and outlet. This arrangement captures the interaction between the impeller and the volute — including the flow near the volute tongue — while keeping the solution steady through the reference-frame approximation rather than physically rotating the mesh.AnalysisPost-processing focuses on the flow field within the blower. Three-dimensional velocity fields reveal the flow patterns and vortex structures developing within the rotating impeller, while pressure contours show the pressure recovery through the volute and the overall pressure rise the blower delivers. From these results you can evaluate the fundamental pressure–flow relationship, estimate the blower's efficiency, and study how the impeller and volute flows interact. The setup also supports exploring how rotational speed affects performance and generating performance curves across operating conditions. By the end of this project, you'll be able to set up a rotating-machinery simulation using the MRF method, define rotating and stationary zones and their interface, assign rotational speed, and interpret the velocity and pressure fields to evaluate centrifugal blower performance for HVAC and industrial ventilation applications.

Axial Flow Fan Stage (Rotor–Stator, MRF) — ANSYS Fluent CFD SimulationDescriptionAn axial fan stage is a rotor–stator assembly that produces steady, directed airflow for industrial uses such as cooling freshly painted body parts. The two components share the work: the spinning rotor blades add energy to the air and induce swirl, and the stationary stator blades then straighten that swirling flow so it leaves the stage roughly normal to the outlet. This project uses ANSYS Fluent to model both the rotating and stationary zones of such a fan stage and evaluate its aerodynamic performance — a classic, transferable introduction to turbomachinery CFD. Within the MRF: Beginner CFD Training Package, this project applies the Moving Reference Frame method to a rotor–stator fan stage, building on the mixing-tank and blower cases toward bladed turbomachinery.MethodologyThe 3D rotor–stator geometry is built in Design Modeler with separate rotating and stationary zones defined, then meshed in ANSYS Meshing with about 244,675 cells. To keep the computation efficient, a periodic boundary condition is used to model only a single slice of the fan rather than the full annulus — the standard way to cut the cost of a turbomachinery analysis without losing fidelity. The rotation is handled with the Moving Reference Frame (MRF) method, which simulates the rotor spinning at 1800 rpm while the stator stays fixed — a steady-state approach to rotating machinery that avoids the expense of a fully transient moving mesh. Turbulence is modeled with the standard k-ε model across the rotating flow field.AnalysisAt the end of the solution, you generate 2D and 3D contours of pressure and velocity, along with streamlines and velocity vectors that clearly reveal the swirl induced by the rotor and its correction by the stator. From the results you extract the key turbomachinery performance metrics: a rotor tip linear velocity of about 31 m/s, a Tip Speed Ratio (TSR) of 4, and an outlet airflow rate of 16.14 L/s. By the end of this project, you'll be able to build a rotor–stator geometry with distinct motion zones, apply periodic boundaries to model a representative slice, set up the MRF method for rotating machinery, and post-process the flow to compute the performance metrics that define fan and compressor behavior — a workflow that transfers directly to blowers, axial compressors, pumps, and ventilation fans.

Centrifugal Compressor — ANSYS Fluent CFD SimulationDescriptionWelcome to the Centrifugal Compressor CFD Simulation module. This project explores the design and analysis of a centrifugal compressor using ANSYS Fluent, examining the aerodynamics within one of the most important components in turbomachinery. A centrifugal compressor raises the pressure of a gas by accelerating it through a rotating impeller and then recovering that energy as pressure in a diffuser. Unlike a low-speed blower, a compressor operates at high speed where the gas density changes significantly, making it a compressible-flow problem with coupled pressure and temperature fields. Within the Rotary Equipment: Beginner CFD Training Package, this project introduces compressible flow in rotating machinery, stepping up from the incompressible blower and fan cases toward true high-speed turbomachinery.MethodologyBecause the flow is compressible, the setup solves the governing equations for compressible flow with a turbulence model suited to high-speed rotating flow. The rotation is handled with the Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) approach for steady-state analysis, dividing the domain into a rotating zone around the impeller and a stationary zone for the diffuser, with the interface between them configured for a smooth flow transition. The impeller is assigned its rotational speed, and the boundary conditions are set to represent the compressor's operating conditions. This arrangement captures the flow through the rotating impeller passages and the pressure recovery in the diffuser, resolving both the aerodynamic and thermodynamic behavior of the stage.AnalysisPost-processing focuses on the pressure and temperature fields that define compressor performance. Three-dimensional pressure contours reveal how pressure builds through the impeller and diffuser, while temperature contours show the thermodynamic response of the compressed gas. From these results you can compute the key performance metrics — the total-to-total pressure ratio and the isentropic efficiency — and study the flow through the impeller passages and diffuser. The setup also supports exploring how rotational speed affects performance across operating conditions. By the end of this project, you'll be able to set up a compressible rotating-machinery simulation using the MRF method, resolve the coupled pressure and temperature fields, and interpret the results to evaluate centrifugal compressor performance for aerospace propulsion and industrial process applications.

DescriptionThis project simulates airflow through an axial flow compressor, specifically NASA Rotor 37, using ANSYS Fluent. To keep the model tractable, only a single row of rotating blades on the central rotor is represented rather than the full multi-stage compressor assembly. The blades rotate at 14043 rpm, with an air mass flow rate of 33.25 kg/s through the compressor, and the goal is to characterize how the airflow behaves and how pressure builds around the blades as the air is compressed. The 3D geometry is built in SOLIDWORKS and imported into Design Modeler, then meshed in ANSYS Meshing with an unstructured grid of 278,162 elements.MethodologyGiven the compressibility of the flow, the density-based solver is used. Rotor motion is handled through the Frame Motion technique: the blades themselves are treated as stationary, while the surrounding fluid domain is given a rotational speed equal to the rotor's, effectively reversing which frame moves so the flow field around the blades can be resolved in a rotating reference frame. Correspondingly, the compressor blade walls are set as moving walls with zero rotational speed relative to that rotating frame, keeping the blade surface consistent with the "stationary blade" assumption.AnalysisThe results include both 2D and 3D contours of pressure, temperature, velocity, and density, along with path lines and velocity vectors describing the flow around the blades. The 2D contours and path lines are extracted on a YZ plane perpendicular to the compressor axis, cutting through the mid-span of the blade passage, giving a clear view of how the flow develops as it moves through the blade row. Pressure, temperature, and heat transfer coefficient distributions are also reported directly on the blade surfaces, characterizing the thermal and aerodynamic loading the blades experience during compression.

Multistage Compressor with 2 Rotors and 2 Stators — ANSYS Fluent CFD SimulationDescriptionThis project covers multistage compressor simulation using CFD, applying rotary-equipment and turbomachinery modeling principles to a compressor configuration with two rotor and two stator rows. In a multistage compressor, each rotor row adds energy to the flow and each stator row conditions it for the next stage, so the pressure rises progressively from stage to stage. Multistage compressors are widely used across mechanical engineering — in gas turbines, HVAC systems, and process industries — making this a foundational skill for turbomachinery-focused CFD work. Within the MRF: Beginner CFD Training Package, this project is the most complex of the compressor cases, extending the Moving Reference Frame method to multiple rotor and stator rows in series.MethodologyThe simulation setup covers configuring the rotating reference frames for the rotor stages, defining the interface conditions between the rotor and stator domains, and applying a turbulence model suited to compressor flow. Because each rotor row rotates while each stator row stays fixed, the Moving Reference Frame approach handles the rotation of the moving stages while the interfaces transfer the flow between successive rotor and stator domains. Boundary conditions specific to compressor operation are established, and the simulation is run with convergence monitored throughout the solution process.AnalysisThe analysis examines the flow patterns, pressure ratios, and temperature changes across the compressor stages, visualized through velocity fields, pressure distributions, and streamlines. From these results you can follow how the pressure builds progressively through the two rotor–stator stages and how each row shapes the flow entering the next. This understanding supports the analysis and optimization of compression systems such as gas turbine engines, industrial air compressors, and refrigeration systems. By the end of this project, you'll be able to set up a multistage compressor simulation with multiple rotating reference frames, define rotor–stator interfaces for staged flow, apply compressor boundary conditions, and interpret the pressure-ratio, velocity, and temperature results that characterize multistage compression — core skills for advanced turbomachinery work.

DescriptionThis project models and analyzes a centrifugal pump in ANSYS Fluent to study its aerodynamic performance. The impeller and volute geometry were created in SpaceClaim/Design Modeler and simulated under steady-state conditions at 1500 RPM with an inlet velocity of 140 m/s. The aim was to evaluate the velocity distribution and pressure rise across the pump as the rotating impeller transfers energy to the working fluid.Geometry & MeshThe 3D centrifugal pump, including the impeller blades and volute casing, was meshed in ANSYS Meshing using about 2 million tetrahedral cells. The mesh was refined around the blade passages and the volute to accurately capture the turbulence and pressure gradients in these critical regions.MethodologyThe simulation used a pressure-based, steady-state solver with the k-ω SST turbulence model, which is well suited to rotating machinery. The impeller rotation is represented using the Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) approach, in which the impeller zone is assigned a rotating frame while the volute casing remains stationary — an efficient way to capture steady turbomachinery rotation without physically moving the mesh. The boundary conditions were a velocity inlet of 140 m/s and a pressure outlet, and the Coupled algorithm was used to ensure stable pressure-velocity convergence.ConclusionThe results show strong acceleration of the flow through the impeller, with outlet velocities reaching about 300 m/s. The pressure field exhibits a clear rise from inlet to outlet, with high pressure on the pressure side of the blades and low pressure on the suction side. The flow pattern within the volute confirms efficient energy transfer from the impeller rotation to the fluid, validating both the design and the CFD setup.Overall, the simulation reproduces the expected behavior of a centrifugal pump — converting mechanical rotational energy into increased fluid velocity and pressure — and demonstrates the effectiveness of the MRF approach for analyzing the steady rotating-impeller performance of turbomachinery.

DescriptionThis project simulates the water flow through a Francis hydraulic turbine using ANSYS Fluent. As a cornerstone of hydroelectric power generation, a water turbine is a turbomachine that converts the kinetic energy of flowing water — or the potential energy stored in a head (height) difference — into mechanical rotational motion, which is subsequently transformed into electrical power by a coupled generator.The Francis turbine is one of the most widely deployed turbine types in power plants because the arrangement of its blades allows it to harness kinetic and potential energy simultaneously, making it highly effective across a broad range of head and flow conditions.In operation, water first enters the volute (spiral casing), whose circular geometry imparts a rotational (swirling) component to the incoming flow. This swirl ensures the fluid strikes the blades at the correct angle, maximizing operational efficiency. The flow is then delivered at a controlled rate to the runner blades, where the momentum of the water drives the runner and produces useful mechanical work. Finally, the water exits the runner in an axial direction.In the present case, water enters the turbine's inner chamber at a mass flow rate of 1.996 kg/s, with the runner blades rotating at 158 rpm.MethodologyThe rotation of the blades is modeled using the Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) approach, also known as frame motion. In this method, the fluid region surrounding the blades is assigned a rotational motion, while the blades themselves are held stationary relative to that rotating frame — effectively reproducing the rotational flow field around the runner without physically moving the mesh.The geometry was built in Design Modeler and consists of two main components: fixed walls carrying stationary vanes at fixed angles, and moving walls carrying the rotating vanes.Meshing was performed in ANSYS Meshing using an unstructured grid of 4,653,160 elements, with local refinement applied near the blades to better capture the flow behavior in these critical regions.ConclusionOn completion of the solution, two- and three-dimensional contours of pressure, velocity, path lines, and velocity vectors were extracted. As expected, the peak velocity occurs in the immediate vicinity of the rotating blades. A full set of performance results can be derived from the simulation, including a pressure drop of approximately 2.3 × 10³ Pa across the turbine.

DescriptionThis project simulates the airflow over the impeller of an electric motor using ANSYS Fluent, investigated through CFD analysis. In an electric motor, this impeller acts as a cooling fan, driving air over the machine to carry away the heat generated by electrical losses in the windings and core — making its aerodynamic performance an important consideration in electrical and power machine design, since a motor's temperature limits its continuous rating, efficiency, and insulation life.Turbomachines, also known as fluid machines, are widely used across industry, so understanding their behavior in the surrounding fluid is essential. They fall into two broad categories: the first transfers energy to the fluid, while the second extracts energy from the fluid and delivers it to the system in various forms. Fans and compressors belong to the first group, while wind and water turbines belong to the second. An electric-motor impeller is itself a turbomachine of the first type, and studying the motion of its blades within the surrounding flow helps analyze its behavior and ultimately improve the design and material selection of the blades.Here, the airflow over the impeller is examined. Air enters the computational domain at 80 m/s, and the impeller rotates at 1000 rpm. The geometry was created in Design Modeler and meshed in ANSYS Meshing using an unstructured grid of 1,786,708 cells.MethodologyThe rotation of the impeller is modeled using the Multiple Reference Frame (MRF), or Frame Motion, approach. In this method, the fluid around the impeller blades is treated as rotating while the blades themselves are held stationary, with the rotational velocity of the fluid set equal to that of the impeller. This is applied through the MRF tool in the Cell Zone Conditions — an efficient way to capture the steady rotating-blade behavior without physically moving the mesh.ConclusionOn completion of the solution, contours of pressure, velocity, and temperature were obtained, along with pathlines and velocity vectors around the blades. The pathlines clearly reveal the rotational motion of the flow around the impeller. The pressure contour shows higher pressure on the front face of the impeller, where it meets the incoming airflow, and a large pressure drop behind it. The velocity contour shows the velocity increasing radially, reaching its maximum around the blade tips — a clear signature of the impeller's rotation.Together, these results characterize how the impeller moves air through the motor, providing the kind of insight into cooling airflow and blade loading that supports the thermal management and design of electrical machines.

DescriptionThis project simulates airflow over a dimpled rotating cylinder using ANSYS Fluent software. A cylindrical object is placed inside a rectangular channel. The airflow enters the channel at a horizontal velocity of 0.45 m/s and collides with the cylindrical body.The cylinder rotates about its central axis at an angular velocity of 20 radians per second (rad/s), so a moving wall must be defined. For this reason, the fluid simulation domain is divided into two parts: the rotating region, which contains the cylinder rotating at a constant angular velocity, and the surrounding fluid region, which is the interior of the rectangular channel outside the cylinder.The cylinder wall features dimples whose protruding side faces the inside of the cylinder and whose recessed side faces the outside. The aim of the study is to investigate the pressure distribution and the rotational phenomena around the rotating cylindrical wall, since the presence of dimples on the cylinder surface influences the behavior of the fluid.The geometry of the present model is three-dimensional and is designed using SOLIDWORKS software. The meshing is performed with ANSYS Meshing software. The mesh type is unstructured, and the number of elements is equal to 1,064,903.Dimpled MethodologyA cylindrical wall is created in the form of an interface, that is, a common surface shared between two regions that allows the fluid to flow across its boundary. Around this wall, a dedicated flow region in the shape of a hollow cylinder is defined to represent the rotating cylinder. The Frame Motion (MRF) method is then used to simulate this inner cylindrical region, which rotates at the same angular velocity as the main cylinder.Dimpled ConclusionAt the end of the solution process, contours of pressure, velocity, and turbulent kinetic energy are obtained. Using the MRF method, the cylinder can be assumed stationary while the surrounding airflow is treated as rotating at the same rotational speed of 20 rad/s around the central axis of the cylinder. The contours clearly show the velocity and pressure distributions within the domain.