Practical Computational Fluid Dynamics with the Finite Volume Method

Abstract

This chapter covers the fundamental aspects of Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation tools and introduces the terminology and principles of the second order accurate Finite Volume Method with polyhedral mesh support, as implemented in OpenFOAM (Weller et al. 1998). The first part is dedicated to types and properties of computational meshes, followed by a description of the Finite Volume discretisation for a generic scalar transport equation. Algorithms for pressure-velocity coupling for single–phase incompressible Newtonian fluid flow, as described by the Navier-Stokes equations are presented, supported by an overview of algorithms for the solution of the resulting linear system of algebraic equations. Application of the polyhedral FVM solver for real engineering problems is illustrated on some practical examples.