Is there an easy way to extract the bulk temperature of the fluid? Or is UDF the way to go?

Thanks.

Hi there. Let me see if this helps. You can go to "Report" on the main menu in FLUENT. Select "Surface integrals" and then, within the surfaces manu, select "Default interior" or whichever name you or FLUENT assigned the flow domain you are looking at. Then, from the list on the left, you must select how do you want the temperature to be calculated, normally the area-weighted average should be the most adequate for you. Then click "compute" and it will give you the bulk temperature of the flow domain.

Hi Fernando, Thanks for the tip

This seems to give the bulk temperature of the entire fluid domain. What if I need to know the bulk temperature at each cross section, i.e. the local bulk temperature as a function of axial position?

TIA

If you need to compute the bulk temperature at the cross-sections, you need to define those cross sections lines first. Go to "surface" (I think, I don't have Fluent in front of me now) and go to line/rake. This opens a panel in which you can define your cross section with lines (assuming you are working with 2-D, you will need a surface if you are doing 3-D). You can do this by using your cartesian co-ordinates or by hand, but even if you have a very complex geometry it is advisable to generate these lines with the co-ordinates, otherwise it would not be accurate. In a rake you define the number of control points (i.e. the points at which the properties will be monitored) along the line, and in the line option is based on the grid size in the area. Generate your control lines and then you will see that FLUENT will include them in the list of geometric features, with the rest of the boundary conditions. You can then go to integrals and compute the average temperature along your line and you can also plot (XY plot in the menu) the local temperature at each one of the divisions on the cross-section line. Hope this helps and good luck. Fernando