New to openFOAM
 

Hi all,

I'm new to OpenFOAM and I need a help working on it.
I suppose to do thermal model for small data center in openFOAM but honestly I don't know where to start? I saw lots of examples and I ran them all but I didn't know how to do the the steps...
if you please advice me on how to do thermal modeling in openFOAM with steps or if there is any detailed example I can use to learn how to do it..


Thanks a lot for your help.

from newbie to newbie
 

1. Make sure you have OpenFoam properly installed (paths, etc.), so it works the way it is supposed to.
(I am still using 2.1.1; here are the instructions for installation in ubuntu:
http://www.openfoam.org/archive/2.1....oad/ubuntu.php)
2. Download the OpenFoam guide in PDF
3. Try running the "tutorials" included with the OpenFoam installation.
- You said you have to do "thermal" modeling for a data center, is this circulation of cool air around racks full of hot computers?... maybe you can start with the buoyantSimpleFoam tutorials
- Many tutorials have a file you can run to get the tutorials going called Allrun. The ones that don't have it are usually run using "blockMesh" and then the [solverName] e.g. buoyantSimpleFoam.
-You then visualize results by running "paraFoam" which calls paraview modified to view your openFoam results
4. After running a tutorial look at the log files, open the files, and look at how they are organized, and how the information to get your model running
5. If you are thinking about doing some training, make sure you call before taking a class and ask if the training will cover heat transfer. OpenFoam is huge, so this might not be covered in the course you plan to take.

See the following example running a tutorial, and visualizing the results:

Terminal:
http://www.cfd-online.com/Forums/att...1&d=1363747869

paraFoam:
http://www.cfd-online.com/Forums/att...1&d=1363747741

JR22,
Thanks a lot for your valuable answer it really helped me. I already installed openfoam and I run the cavity tutorial then I wanted to do the air conditioned room tutorial in http://www.opencae.jp/wiki/OpenFOAM-VandV-SIG/Misc
and it required installations of some libraries including setDiscreteFields which I can't install right now I tried using the link for it
svn co http://www.opencae.jp/svn/OpenFOAM-V...iscreteFields/
cd setDiscreteFields
wmake

but it give me " bash: /opt/openfoam200/wmake/wmake: No such file or directory"

any advice??
and another question .. what is the best way to do the mesh model for the data center? is there any tutorial? I need to do simple data center with only one or two servers

thanks a lot for your help

I am actually also trying to get a validation case from that openCAE. The one I am trying to get to work is the "CFD to pedestrian wind environment around buildings".

I am using OpenFOAM-2.1.1 in Ubuntu-12.04LTS. Although the page for setDiscreteFields installation does not mention OF-2.1.1, the wmake worked perfectly. Then I had problems because all the scripts from the cases permissions for execution were not activated. Now the problems are running, but are not converging. If you have a chance to upgrade to OF-2.1.1, you might get at least as far as I did with the validation cases. These are the installation directions I followed to get OF-2.1.1 installed.

I'll ask my question about the urban environment validation cases in another thread so I don't hijack your thread.

ask question in Validation Forum
 

Tibin,

Since you are asking a question about a validation/verification model. You should ask your question in the OpenFoam Validation Forum. Please read the forum guidelines as, writing the question with the appropriate title and information will likely get you an answer. You don't need to mention you are a newbie, they already know we are.

Look at your validation case from the OpenCAE.jp website, figure out the solver they are using, and write be very specific about the problem you are having. I asked this question about validating simpleFoam for flow around Buildings and a member called Lixx was very kind to answer it very quickly and help me.

Try to first getting it running in OF-2.1.1.

Jose