Computational fluid dynamics simulation study of rotating bodies using dynamic mesh methods in OpenFOAM

Abstract

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is an essential tool in various scientific and engineering applications. For example, CFD plays a vital role in energy sector, facilitating not only the key development, design and optimization of engines, turbomachinery, and wind turbines but also the fundamental process understanding in complex settings. Numerical simulation of such systems requires careful consideration of moving objects, leading to considerably higher complexity compared to static domains. In this thesis, we perform CFD simulations of a 2D rotating objects utilizing dynamic mesh feature of OpenFOAM. Particularly, three different cases with increasing levels of complexity are considered: 1) a rectangular cylinder, 2) NACA 0012 airfoil, and 3) a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). The simulations were performed with the transient solver pimpleFoam using the arbitrary meshing interface (AMI) method, which is a sliding meshing technique available in OpenFOAM. Prior to dynamic mesh simulations, the solver was systematically validated against the literature data for a static mesh example including NACA 0012 airfoil. In each dynamic scenario, the results are interpreted from the perspective of flow behavior, drag and lift coefficients, and torque. Additionally, grid convergence study was performed to analyze the reliability of the obtained results. Overall, the results are reasonable and the moving mesh techniques tested in this study appear to be adequate for dynamic mesh simulations involving rotating bodies.