CFD Simulation Using SolidWorks: A Beginner’s Guide

Welcome to our CFD Simulation Using SolidWorks blog series! If you’re an undergraduate student majoring in mechanical engineering or aerospace engineering, you must have heard about Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) — a key tool engineers use to analyze and simulate fluid flow. However, many students find CFD intimidating due to its strong reliance on advanced mathematics. But don’t worry! This course is designed to introduce CFD at a pace that’s comfortable and approachable, even for beginners. 

By the end of this blog series, you'll understand the core concepts and how to apply them using CFD SolidWorks Flow Simulation. We’ll hide away most of the difficult math while focusing on the essential ideas you need to grasp at the undergraduate level. 

What is CFD?

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is the use of numerical methods and algorithms to analyze and solve problems involving fluid flow, heat transfer, and related phenomena. It allows engineers to simulate how fluids (liquids and gases) behave under various conditions, enabling them to visualize flow patterns, predict the impact of design changes, and optimize systems without the need for physical prototypes. CFD is widely used in industries like aerospace, automotive, and mechanical engineering for tasks such as aerodynamics, cooling systems, and even simulating airflow in buildings. 

Why You Should Learn CFD 

CFD allows engineers to solve complex fluid flow problems without the need for expensive and time-consuming physical experiments. From mechanical engineers designing cooling systems to aerospace engineers optimizing airflow over airplane wings, CFD simulation using SolidWorks opens doors to solving real-world engineering challenges. 

In this course, we’re not just introducing CFD for beginners but also making it exciting and practical by using SolidWorks, one of the most popular tools for engineering design. So, by the end of the series, you’ll know how to create models, run simulations, and interpret results using CFD with SolidWorks. 

What You’ll Need to Follow Along 

Before we dive in, here’s what you’ll need to get started: 

1. A computer with SolidWorks and the Flow Simulation add-on installed. 
2. A stable internet connection to follow along with the tutorials. 

That’s it! With these two essentials, you’re ready to explore the world of CFD for engineering projects. 

Getting Started: Pipe Flow Simulation 

Let’s begin with our first CFD simulation: Pipe Flow. This problem is perfect for beginners as it introduces several important CFD concepts. You'll learn how to create the geometry in SolidWorks, prepare it for simulation, and run CFD simulations using SolidWorks. 

Step 1: Create the Geometry 

We’ll start by creating a simple pipe. In SolidWorks, click on the top plane and create a new sketch. Draw a circle — it doesn’t have to be perfect — just aim to make it look like a pipe. You can always look up real pipe flow geometries with experimental data later to fine-tune your model. 

Next, extrude the circle to 0.3 meters, which will give us a basic pipe shape. After this, use the "Shell" feature to add some thickness to the pipe walls. Select the top and bottom faces, set the thickness to 1 mm. You’ve got a pipe ready for CFD simulation. 

At this point, you can already start practicing with CFD projects for beginners. It’s an excellent learning experience, especially when you begin comparing simulation results to experimental data. 

Step 2: Prepare the Model for CFD Simulation 

Now that the geometry is ready, we need to prepare it for CFD simulation. One important requirement for CFD using SolidWorks is that your model must be "watertight" — this means that there can’t be any gaps or open areas in the model where the fluid could escape. 

To do this, we’ll use SolidWorks Flow Simulation to create "Lids" at both ends of the pipe. These lids represent the pipe's inlet and outlet and are essential for creating a computational mesh. In SolidWorks, go to Flow Simulation and click on "Create Lids." Select the inlet face, then the outlet face, and you’ll see the lids appear. Now your pipe is fully sealed, which is crucial for the next step. 

Step 3: Setting Up the Flow Simulation Step 3: Setting Up the Flow Simulation 

Let’s dive into the actual simulation setup. SolidWorks makes it incredibly easy to run CFD simulations thanks to its "Wizard" tool, which simplifies the process. After saving the pipe geometry, we’ll open the wizard and name our simulation "Pipe Flow."

1. Choosing Units: We’ll be working in SI units for this simulation. 
2. Selecting Internal Flow: Since we’re simulating the flow inside the pipe, we’ll choose "Internal Flow." External flow (over objects like cars or airplanes) will be covered in future blogs. 
3. Physical Features: For this simulation, we’re excluding heat transfer and radiation, focusing only on fluid flow. We’ll also choose a "steady flow" simulation, meaning the solution won’t change over time. 

 Step 4: Defining the Fluid and Flow Regime 

In CFD SolidWorks Flow Simulation, the next step is selecting the fluid. Since we’re simulating air, we’ll use gas as the working fluid. We’ll also set the simulation to handle both laminar and turbulent flow regimes. The software will automatically switch to the turbulent solver if the inflow velocity is high enough. 

Surface roughness can also be considered if your pipe isn’t perfectly smooth, but we’ll skip that for now. 

Step 5: Boundary Conditions 

Next, we define boundary conditions — one of the most crucial aspects of CFD simulation using SolidWorks. 

• Inlet Boundary Condition: For the inlet, we’ll specify a velocity of 1 m/s. This means that air enters the pipe at this speed. 
• Outlet Boundary Condition: At the outlet, we’ll set a static pressure of 101325 Pa (standard atmospheric pressure). Understanding the right boundary conditions is essential because incorrect values can lead to non-converging simulations. 

Step 6: Setting Up the Mesh 

Now that the boundary conditions are set, let’s look at the computational mesh. A mesh divides the geometry into small elements that the software uses to solve fluid dynamics equations. In SolidWorks, this process is automated. You can view the mesh by right-clicking on "Mesh" and selecting "Show Basic Mesh." The mesh will look like a grid overlaying the pipe, breaking it into smaller sections for the simulation. 

This mesh is critical because it determines the accuracy of the simulation results. For now, we’re keeping things simple with an automatically generated mesh, but we’ll explore custom meshing in future lessons. 

Step 7: Running the Simulation 

Finally, it’s time to run the simulation! Once you hit the "Run" button, SolidWorks Flow Simulation will calculate the fluid flow through the pipe. After a short time, you’ll be able to see results like velocity profiles and pressure distribution. 

What’s Next? 

In this first blog, we’ve laid the groundwork for CFD simulation using SolidWorks by setting up and running a basic pipe flow simulation. This exercise is just the start of your journey into CFD with SolidWorks, and it will only get more exciting from here. 

In the next blog, we’ll dive deeper into CFD for engineering projects, looking at more complex geometries and simulations. You’ll learn how to set up external flow simulations, deal with heat transfer, and fine-tune the mesh to get even more accurate results. 

Until then, try experimenting with different pipe lengths, inlet velocities, and fluids. CFD basics for mechanical engineers involve a lot of trial and error, so don’t be afraid to explore and see how changes affect your simulation outcomes. 

If you find this blog helpful, don’t forget to share it with friends who might be interested in learning CFD for students. Stay tuned for more practical CFD tips and tutorials! 

Would you like to have a more interactive demonstration of the above concepts? 

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