Question:

Finished gridding a section of pipe that splits into a "y" using hexahedral elements in the software package: GAMBIT. While trying to export it as a structured grid for Fluent4, it complains that the grid can not be assembled into "i,j,k" format and only outputs the base part of the pipe without the two outlets. To generate the grid with hexahedron elements, I had to split each section into four volumes which I envisioned as a total of 12 separate blocks connected in the center of the y in a structured grid configuration. Has anyone modeled a Y pipe successfully to use with a structured-grid solver? Thanks

Try stand alone preprocessor TrueGrid www.truegrid.com. Hexa, block structured using projection method.

-UZvek

Yes, y-pipes can be modeled with structured grids. In fact, it's one of the tutorials in Gridgen's documentation. See http://www.Pointwise.com for more details. (Yes, we do interface to both Fluent v4 and v5).

The issue with Fluent v4 is that it requires the hex mesh to be decomposable into a single, structured, ixjxk block (Fluent people please correct this if I'm wrong). So it's just a matter of orienting the ijk axes of the structured grids in each branch of the Y-junction correctly.

And with all due respect to Dr. Zveck, TrueGrid is "an" answer, not necessarily "the" answer.