Waterfall Using Two-Phase Flow CFD Simulation

This tutorial explores the simulation of a waterfall using ANSYS Fluent’s Volume of Fluid (VOF) model. Waterfall simulations present a unique challenge in CFD due to the complex interaction between water and air, making the VOF method particularly suitable for capturing the free-surface flow dynamics.

Key aspects covered in this simulation:

VOF model configuration: Setting up the VOF model to accurately represent the water-air interaction. This includes defining water and air as primary and secondary phases, and configuring phase interactions.

Boundary conditions: Establishing appropriate inlet, outlet, and wall conditions to simulate the waterfall flow. This may involve velocity inlet for water, pressure outlet for the air domain, and no-slip conditions for solid surfaces.

Turbulence modeling: Selecting and configuring a suitable turbulence model (such as k-epsilon or k-omega SST) to capture the highly turbulent nature of waterfall flow.

Solution methods: Choosing appropriate discretization schemes and algorithms for pressure-velocity coupling to ensure stability and accuracy in this challenging free-surface flow scenario.

Initialization and calculation: Properly initializing the simulation and running it to achieve a converged solution.

Post-processing and visualization: Analyzing results such as water surface profiles and velocity distributions. This includes creating compelling visualizations to illustrate the waterfall dynamics.

Air entrainment analysis: Examining the extent and distribution of air entrainment in the plunge pool, which is crucial for understanding energy dissipation.

Plunge pool dynamics: Investigating the flow patterns and turbulence characteristics in the plunge pool at the base of the waterfall.

This simulation provides insights into the complex fluid dynamics of waterfalls, which can be applied to various fields including environmental engineering, landscape design, and hydropower. Participants will gain advanced skills in applying the VOF model to a visually striking and physically complex scenario, enhancing their ability to handle challenging free-surface flows with significant phase interaction.