I need to generate a mesh in Gambit and then export it to OpenFOAM. There is part of solid inside the domain (e.g. a part of inlet pipe is inside the domain). Is OpenFOAM capable of converting that mesh and and detecting solid inside domain? Also, in Gambit, how to set that part to solid?

Why do you need a solid in your domain? Cant you just make it hollow?

Hi, Ali,

The latest version of Fluent can handle fluid/structure interaction, so, I am sure it is possible to include soild elements in the domain. However, a couple of times in the past, if I included the tube wall (and meshed them) and set them to solid elements in fluent. I got diverge solutions. It will be the best not to include solid elements in the domain in Fluent if possible. If you still want to include solid elements in your project. Send me an email. I can send you the steps.

Pei

Thanks Eugene and Pei,

Actually, I have a nozzle that looks like a pipe with an inclined plate attached below the inlet pipe. Fluid comes out of pipe and hit the inclined wall. If i didn't have that inclined plate, it was very easy (simple jet), but this plate is really important to keep. Since the geometry is a little complex and I couldn't generate it using blockMesh, I though I use Gambit to generate the mesh and then convert mesh to FOAM and work solve the flow with FOAM. If there is any other way that I can do this, please let me know. I don't insist on using solid in domain if there is ano better way, but I think that's the way it works, right?

Or maybe I describe the inclined wall as my boundary, right?

PS: Thanks Pei, I need to solve this in FOAM, i just mesh the geometry in Gambit.

Hi Ali,

Sounds as if you want to have a baffle? I don't think this is supported in the fluent mesh to foam converter.

The easiest way is to create a thin physical gap in your geometry which should convert ok. Alternatively split the mesh in OpenFOAM using splitMesh. This requires you to collect the faces into a 'faceSet' first which you can do using the faceSet utility or with some simple programming.

Mattijs

Mattijs,

Thanks for your info. I didn't know that's a difficult thing to solve in OpenFOAM. Nobody, has done similar things in OpenFOAM yet? Since this plate is inclined and we have inlet pipe, so meshing is a little difficult and I think it's hard to keep track of faces on inclined plate.

How can I create a physical gap in Gambit? Thanks

Lots of similar things have been doen in foam, but generally you dont use a solid to create a boundary in CFD, you use a proper boundary, i.e. put a cavity in the mesh where the solid is.