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Old   April 6, 2007, 02:29
Default what is under relaxation factor?
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rayy
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Hi all,

1. What is under relaxation factor? 2. what does its effect towards solution? 3. why we need to specify a lot of factor. i mean need 2 specify for example; mass,mom,energy,density,turbulent....... 4. How do we know the correct factor to be used?

5. Can anybody suggest where i can get properties for wood chips? properties such as thermo prop. like conductivity, porosity......

thanks in advance rayy
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Old   April 8, 2007, 21:56
Default Re: what is under relaxation factor?
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Phil
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Each of the variables(mass,mom,density) represents an equation the solver is trying to solve. Each iteration the values obtained for the variables should get closer and closer together - converge. FOR SIMPLE PROBLEMS ESPECIALLY COLD FLOWS WITHOUT COMBUSTION YOU SHOULD SIMPLY KEEP THE RELAXATION FACTORS AT DEFAULT.

Sometimes for many many reasons the solution can become unstable so a relaxation factor is used - takes part of value from previous iteration to dampen solution and cut out steep oscillations.

If you are having convergence trouble start the solution on default then when it starts going to shit(becomes unstable) put pressure 0.2 momentum 0.5 turbulence KE 0.5 turbulence DR 0.5 - this should be in the manual. This should sort out most issues much worse and you need a better mesh or something isn't correct.

RELAXATION FACTORS MAKE SOLUTION TAKE ALOT LONGER TO CONVERGE SO ONLY USE WHEN YOU REALLY NEED TO.

Generally start off without RF's then when solution becomes unstable later on bring them in where needed - whichever equations (residual graph) are unstable, meaning not a nice smooth line but up and down rapidly. Start off moving down from 1 to 0.8 or 0.8 to 0.6 etc. For energy equation start off with 0.9 it takes hundreds or thousands of iterations to converge with relaxation factors in.

ALWAYS REMEMBER--------- ALWAYS START WITH DEFAULTS. ONLY WHEN SOLUTION BECOMES UNSTABLE DO YOU RELUCTANTLY LOOK AT THE RESIDUALS AND BRING IN APPROPRIATE RF's.

hope this helps
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Old   April 9, 2007, 21:48
Default Re: what is under relaxation factor?
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very detail answer. Thanks Phil.
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Old   January 19, 2010, 16:38
Default Combustion Relaxation Factors
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I had to lower, my URFs for a combustion model in order to get it stable. Now, I am trying to increase them back to default to make them better.

Is there a particular order in which I should increase them so the solver which would help it converge easier?

Thanks!
Michelle
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Old   July 9, 2012, 03:52
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Quote:
Originally Posted by psigcochair View Post
I had to lower, my URFs for a combustion model in order to get it stable. Now, I am trying to increase them back to default to make them better.

Is there a particular order in which I should increase them so the solver which would help it converge easier?

Thanks!
Michelle
It depends on the problem. Most of the time the default numbers are the best. Just when there is a fluctuation in residual, you should decrease URF of it. Decrease until fluctuation have been vanished.
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Old   August 18, 2012, 11:09
Post relaxation factor
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hi,we have under relaxation factor(<1) and also over relaxation factor(>1).
how to adjust the factors is so complicated and cant be explained easily.
you can visit this address:
www.bakker.org/dartmouth06/engs150/05-solv.ppt
p.p 16-17-...
i found it really useful.
best regards.
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Old   September 24, 2012, 23:38
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Under and over relaxation factors control the stability and convergence rate of the iterative process.The under relaxation factor increases the stability while over relaxation increases the rate of convergence.


xk+1 = w.xcal + (1-w).xk
yk+1 = w.ycal + (1-w).yk

For 0<w<1, the method is known as successive under relaxation.
For 1<w<2, the method is known as successive over relaxation.

where xcal is the value calculated based on xk
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Old   November 2, 2013, 10:03
Post helpful article
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Eects of under-relaxation factors on turbulent flow simulations

Last edited by a.zareinezhad; January 17, 2020 at 11:29.
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Old   April 24, 2014, 06:37
Default Under-relaxation factors
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Hello,

I'm simulating a steady state case. Risiduals are fluctuating. And i have no choice else to reduce under-relaxation factors to hence stability. But, I really do not understand the influence of this factor. For example for the momentum in natural convection, if we reduce to 0.1, it is like we take the same old solution of the momentum equation and we ignore the new solution. Is it like this??

thank you an advance
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Old   August 15, 2014, 12:07
Default Help for CD Nozzle
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I am trying to solve a flow in convergent-divergent nozzle. Initially due to divergence I reduced the under relaxation factor and obtained the result. My doubt is whether I can use the result obtained as it is or again if I have to change the URF to default and run the iteration again to get the result. Help me
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Old   August 15, 2014, 17:06
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Quote:
Originally Posted by asramesh View Post
I am trying to solve a flow in convergent-divergent nozzle. Initially due to divergence I reduced the under relaxation factor and obtained the result. My doubt is whether I can use the result obtained as it is or again if I have to change the URF to default and run the iteration again to get the result. Help me
Urf for nozzle!?
I think flows in nozzles should model with density based solver!
In density based solver there isn't URF,instead you can reduce the courant number to controlling convergence!
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Old   August 16, 2014, 06:58
Default Nozzle with Pressure based solver
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amin.z View Post
Urf for nozzle!?
I think flows in nozzles should model with density based solver!
In density based solver there isn't URF,instead you can reduce the courant number to controlling convergence!
Initially I tried with density based solver and it didn't worked. So I switched to pressure based solver and got the result. But the result was for reduced URF. My doubt is whether I have to run back the iteration with default UFR. Kindly help me.
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Old   August 16, 2014, 07:09
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Quote:
Originally Posted by asramesh View Post
Initially I tried with density based solver and it didn't worked. So I switched to pressure based solver and got the result. But the result was for reduced URF. My doubt is whether I have to run back the iteration with default UFR. Kindly help me.
In my idea, it's better that use density based for yor problem
But if you want to use pressure based solver, I think it's better that your problem converges with more URFs and 2nd order for less numerical error!
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Old   August 16, 2014, 11:58
Default Under relaxation factor
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amin.z View Post
In my idea, it's better that use density based for yor problem
But if you want to use pressure based solver, I think it's better that your problem converges with more URFs and 2nd order for less numerical error!
Oh okay thank you. I am facing a different problem. I got solution convergence with 100 times reducing all the URFs. Again what I did is increased the URF to the default value, and iterated again (but without initialization). Now I got a different solution. So I am completely confused. Which solution I can take as the final value. Kindly help me. Thank you very much for the quick replay.
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Old   August 16, 2014, 12:06
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Quote:
Originally Posted by asramesh View Post
Oh okay thank you. I am facing a different problem. I got solution convergence with 100 times reducing all the URFs. Again what I did is increased the URF to the default value, and iterated again (but without initialization). Now I got a different solution. So I am completely confused. Which solution I can take as the final value. Kindly help me. Thank you very much for the quick replay.
Dear ramesh!
Usually flows must converge with URFs close to defult,but when the solution isn't stable and diverge we can control the solution with reducing URFs! So when solution converge, it's better to continue solution with defult values and check the new results with previous results!
So I think your problem must converge with bigger URF!
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Old   August 16, 2014, 12:12
Default Under relaxation factor
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amin.z View Post
Dear ramesh!
Usually flows must converge with URFs close to defult,but when the solution isn't stable and diverge we can control the solution with reducing URFs! So when solution converge, it's better to continue solution with defult values and check the new results with previous results!
So I think your problem must converge with bigger URF!
Thats okay sir. But my question is different. Initially with default URF I couldn't get the convergence. So I reduced the URF values and got convergence. Again what I did is increased the URF to default value and redone the iterations without initialization. This also after 5000 iterations gave me the convergence. Now my doubt is which convergence results I have to consider as the final one. Kindly help me....
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Old   August 16, 2014, 12:18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by asramesh View Post
Thats okay sir. But my question is different. Initially with default URF I couldn't get the convergence. So I reduced the URF values and got convergence. Again what I did is increased the URF to default value and redone the iterations without initialization. This also after 5000 iterations gave me the convergence. Now my doubt is which convergence results I have to consider as the final one. Kindly help me....
As I said, in most cases bigger values and closest to defult are more reliable than small values!
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Old   August 16, 2014, 12:28
Default Under relaxation factor
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Originally Posted by amin.z View Post
As I said, in most cases bigger values and closest to defult are more reliable than small values!
Thank you very much sir.......
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Old   June 8, 2015, 20:00
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil
;140717
Each of the variables(mass,mom,density) represents an equation the solver is trying to solve. Each iteration the values obtained for the variables should get closer and closer together - converge. FOR SIMPLE PROBLEMS ESPECIALLY COLD FLOWS WITHOUT COMBUSTION YOU SHOULD SIMPLY KEEP THE RELAXATION FACTORS AT DEFAULT.

Sometimes for many many reasons the solution can become unstable so a relaxation factor is used - takes part of value from previous iteration to dampen solution and cut out steep oscillations.

If you are having convergence trouble start the solution on default then when it starts going to shit(becomes unstable) put pressure 0.2 momentum 0.5 turbulence KE 0.5 turbulence DR 0.5 - this should be in the manual. This should sort out most issues much worse and you need a better mesh or something isn't correct.

RELAXATION FACTORS MAKE SOLUTION TAKE ALOT LONGER TO CONVERGE SO ONLY USE WHEN YOU REALLY NEED TO.

Generally start off without RF's then when solution becomes unstable later on bring them in where needed - whichever equations (residual graph) are unstable, meaning not a nice smooth line but up and down rapidly. Start off moving down from 1 to 0.8 or 0.8 to 0.6 etc. For energy equation start off with 0.9 it takes hundreds or thousands of iterations to converge with relaxation factors in.

ALWAYS REMEMBER--------- ALWAYS START WITH DEFAULTS. ONLY WHEN SOLUTION BECOMES UNSTABLE DO YOU RELUCTANTLY LOOK AT THE RESIDUALS AND BRING IN APPROPRIATE RF's.

hope this helps
Thanks Phil. Excellent Explanation
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Old   June 8, 2015, 20:03
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amin.z View Post
Urf for nozzle!?
I think flows in nozzles should model with density based solver!
In density based solver there isn't URF,instead you can reduce the courant number to controlling convergence!
Thanks Amin

It took a month to know which solver I should use.. You are right, it is density based solver for Flow in Nozzles.

Shane
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