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Tutorials
Tutorials show you how to use Simcenter STAR-CCM+ for various applications in a step-by-step format with recommendations for setup, initialization and steps of the solution process specific to the application. Macro and simulation files are available for download for a large proportion of cases.
Multiphase Flow
The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for simulating multiphase fluid flow problems
Dispersed Multiphase: Airfoil Icing
When aircraft pass through air containing supercooled liquid water droplets, it is possible for the droplets to impact the aircraft surface and form layers of ice. Ice formation on an aircraft wing changes the aerodynamic properties of the wing, and leads to loss of lift, increase in drag, and a change in pressure distribution. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ provides a technique for simulating the formation of ice on airfoils. This technique relies on the Dispersed Multiphase model to represent the liquid droplets in the air surrounding the airfoil.

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Tutorials
Tutorials show you how to use Simcenter STAR-CCM+ for various applications in a step-by-step format with recommendations for setup, initialization and steps of the solution process specific to the application. Macro and simulation files are available for download for a large proportion of cases.
- Using Tutorial Macros and Files
  Macros, input files, and final simulation files for a range of tutorials are provided as an optional download package on the Support Center website. These macros and final simulation files are provided as an aid to the written tutorials, so that you can check your final results against the downloaded files, or against a simulation that is built and run using the macros.
- Introduction
  Welcome to the Simcenter STAR-CCM+ introductory tutorial. In this tutorial, you explore the important concepts and workflow. Complete this tutorial before attempting any others.
- Foundation Tutorials
  The foundation tutorials showcase the major features of Simcenter STAR-CCM+ in a series of short tutorials.
- Geometry
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for creating and working with parts and 3D-CAD.
- Mesh
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various STAR-CCM+ features for building CFD meshes.
- Incompressible Flow
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for incompressible fluid flows as well as porosity and solution recording
- Compressible Flow
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for compressible fluid flows as well as harmonic balance.
- Heat Transfer and Radiation
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for heat transfer, radiation, and thermal comfort.
- Multiphase Flow
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for simulating multiphase fluid flow problems
  - VOF: Gravity-Driven Flow
    This tutorial demonstrates how to set up a gravity-driven flow problem in Simcenter STAR-CCM+. It simulates two-dimensional gravity-driven compressible flow through a channel connecting two chambers.
  - VOF: Capillary Effects
    This tutorial demonstrates how to set up a capillary effects problem in Simcenter STAR-CCM+. It simulates two-dimensional forced flow of liquid glycerine through a nozzle and into an air-filled chamber at atmospheric pressure.
  - VOF: Cavitation
    This tutorial demonstrates how to set up a cavitation problem in Simcenter STAR-CCM+. It simulates a two-dimensional forced flow of water through a nozzle and into an air-filled chamber at atmospheric pressure.
  - VOF: Boiling
    This tutorial demonstrates how to set up a boiling problem in Simcenter STAR-CCM+. It simulates water boiling as it flows over a heated surface.
  - VOF: Melting-Solidification
    This tutorial demonstrates how to set up a melting and solidification analysis in Simcenter STAR-CCM+. It simulates the freezing of water in a pipe.
  - VOF: Tank Sloshing with Adaptive Meshing
    To reduce the computational time and resources required for VOF multiphase simulations, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ provides both Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) and Adaptive Time-Stepping. AMR provides adaptation in space and Adaptive Time-Stepping provides adaptation in time. Together, these models improve the resolution of the interface with minimum computational effort by adjusting the mesh and the time-step during the simulation. Additionally, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ offers the Implicit Multi-stepping VOF solver which can be used to decrease computational costs further by sub-stepping the volume fraction transport equation to obtain a sharp interface while allowing for a larger flow time-step.
  - Lagrangian: Particle-Laden Flow
    This tutorial demonstrates how to set up a simple Lagrangian multiphase analysis in Simcenter STAR-CCM+. It simulates a particle-laden flow of air through a partially blocked elbow duct.
  - Lagrangian: Solid Particle Erosion
    This tutorial demonstrates how to set up an erosion modeling analysis in Simcenter STAR-CCM+. It simulates the erosion that is caused by solid particles in a liquid flow.
  - Eulerian: Hibiki’s Bubble Column
    This tutorial demonstrates how to model a Eulerian multiphase turbulent flow in Simcenter STAR-CCM+.
  - Eulerian: Mixture Settling
    Settling tanks/separators are widely used in the industry for the purpose of separating a fluid mixture into its gaseous and liquid phases. Separator designs include horizontal and vertical configurations that account for different stages of the process, ranging from absorbing the momentum of incoming fluid to achieving the desired phase separation.
  - Eulerian: Bubble Formation in a Fluidized Bed
    This tutorial demonstrates how to model bubble formation in a fluidized bed in Simcenter STAR-CCM+. It simulates the injection of gas into a fluidized bed and monitors the formation and growth of the bubble.
  - Eulerian: Aeration Tank Degassing
    In industry, aeration tanks facilitate the exchange of gases in various processes within a liquid medium. Degassing is a procedure that actively removes gases from a liquid, such as eliminating excess gases that can build up during the biological treatment of organic pollutants, a process particularly common in waste-water treatment.
  - Eulerian: Wall Boiling
    This tutorial validates the wall boiling model in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ against experimental void and temperature data for high-pressure forced convective boiling.
  - Eulerian: Conjugate Heat Transfer Wall Boiling
    This tutorial demonstrates how to set up a conjugate heat transfer wall boiling analysis in Simcenter STAR-CCM+. It simulates a nuclear fuel pin that is cooled using subcooled boiling under flow conditions typical in the first meter of a 3.7-m long BWR6 reactor channel.
  - Eulerian Multiple Flow Regimes: Pressurized Water Reactor
    This tutorial demonstrates how to use the Multiple Flow Regimes model in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to simulate the counter-current air-water flow in a pressurized water reactor.
  - Eulerian: Pipe Flow with Multi-Speed AMUSIG
    The Adaptive Multiple Size-Group (AMUSIG) model predicts the size distribution of particles (droplets or bubbles) in a dispersed multiphase flow regime. This tutorial demonstrates how to use the AMUSIG model for predicting the size distribution of hexane droplets in water. The water is flowing up a vertical pipe in which a concentric orifice increases turbulence and so accelerates droplet breakup.
  - Eulerian: Suspension Rheology
    This tutorial demonstrates how to set up a Simcenter STAR-CCM+ simulation that models the flow of a non-Newtonian concentrated suspension.
  - Fluid Film: Liquid Film Flow
    This tutorial demonstrates how to use the fluid film modeling capability of Simcenter STAR-CCM+. It simulates the progress of a rectangular film of water flowing down the wall of a three-dimensional duct.
  - Fluid Film: Binary Liquid Film Flow with Evaporation and Edge Stripping
    This tutorial demonstrates how to use the fluid film modeling capability of Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to set up a multi-component film scenario with evaporation and edge stripping. It simulates the progress of a film mixture of water and ethylene glycol flowing down a partially heated wall.
  - Fluid Film - VOF: Rivulets on an Inclined Plane
    Situations occur where a thin film of liquid forms on a solid surface, for example, rainwater on the windshield of a car. This film can flow and accumulate, and gradually grow into a "thick" film, or a pool of liquid that can no longer be described as a fluid film. These situations are multi-scale problems which, if resolved on all scales (using the VOF multiphase model), would require significant computer resources.
  - Dispersed Multiphase: Airfoil Icing
    When aircraft pass through air containing supercooled liquid water droplets, it is possible for the droplets to impact the aircraft surface and form layers of ice. Ice formation on an aircraft wing changes the aerodynamic properties of the wing, and leads to loss of lift, increase in drag, and a change in pressure distribution. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ provides a technique for simulating the formation of ice on airfoils. This technique relies on the Dispersed Multiphase model to represent the liquid droplets in the air surrounding the airfoil.
    - Prerequisites
      The instructions in the Dispersed Multiphase - Airfoil Icing tutorial assume that you are already familiar with certain techniques in Simcenter STAR-CCM+.
    - Importing the Volume Mesh
    - Selecting Physics Models
      In the DMP approach, single-phase flow models are used to simulate the continuous gas phase, which in this tutorial is air. The dispersed phase is water droplets.
    - Specifying Initial Conditions
      By default, gravity is set to act along the z-axis, whereas the geometry for this tutorial requires it to act along the y-axis. The simulation also requires initial values for fluid velocity and temperature.
    - Creating a Shell Region
      Define a shell region on the surface of the airfoil.
    - Selecting Fluid Film Models
      The set of models that solve for the liquid film phase is specified within the Fluid Film model node. Here, you first define a fluid film phase and select appropriate physics models. You then assign the film phase to the shell region on the surface of the airfoil.
    - Tracking the Ice Layer
      In an ice-accretion simulation, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ calculates the thickness of solidified film (ice) at every time-step. At the start of the next time-step, the solid film thickness increment is passed to the mesh morpher so that it can deform the surface of the airfoil to match the film thickness. The solidified film mass is then removed from the simulation.
    - Selecting Dispersed Phase Models
      A dispersed phase is defined within the Dispersed Multiphase model node as an Eulerian phase.
    - Defining Phase Interactions
      Interactions between phases are specified within the Multiphase Interaction Model node. In this case, the continuous gas phase interacts with the dispersed phase through drag force and heat transfer. The dispersed phase interacts with the fluid film phase through impingement.
    - Setting Up the Morpher
      This case requires the morpher to apply mesh deformation for ice accretion. In Simcenter STAR-CCM+, the morpher is defined as a motion.
    - Defining Boundary Conditions
      Specify the temperature, the volume fraction of the dispersed phase, and the Mach number at the inlet and outlet.
    - Setting Up Monitors
      Monitor key quantities like the film volume, the maximum film thickness, and the film surface area, as functions of time.
    - Preparing the Scenes
      Here you prepare scalar scenes to visualize the impingement rate, the volume fraction of the dispersed phase, and the total solid film thickness increment. You also create a vector scene to visualize the morpher displacement.
    - Setting Stopping Criteria
      Specify the maximum number of iterations and the maximum physical time.
    - Setting the Solver Parameters
      Set appropriate parameters for the Dispersed Phase Flow solver and the Implicit Unsteady solver.
    - Running the Simulation
      The simulation is now fully set up and ready to be run.
    - Visualizing the Results
      Examine the scenes that you prepared earlier.
    - Summary
      This tutorial demonstrated how to simulate ice formation on two-dimensional airfoils in Simcenter STAR-CCM+. In particular, the simulation focuses on the ice build-up process, showing the effects on the shape of the wing. Since changes in the wing shape affect the lift and drag forces, it is straightforward to investigate the effects of the accumulated ice on aerodynamic performance.
    - DMP: Airfoil Icing Tutorial Bibliography
  - Hybrid Multiphase: Fountain
    In Simcenter STAR-CCM+ modeling, the term hybrid multiphase refers to modeling multiple flow regimes of a phase material using a combination of several different multiphase models. This modeling capability widens the range of real life multiphase flows that you can simulate.
  - Mixture Multiphase with Large Scale Interfaces: Gear Lubrication
    The Mixture Multiphase (MMP) model is suitable for modeling dispersed multiphase mixtures, where the mixture of phases is represented by weighted physical properties. A single set of conservation equations for mass, momentum, and energy is solved for the mixture together with transport equations for phase volume fractions.
  - Viscous Multiphase: Two-Layer Pipe Co-Extrusion
  - Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH): Gearbox Lubrication
    Gear mechanisms require adequate lubrication for long-term optimum performance and efficiency. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ provides the Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) model with which you can simulate the flow of lubricant around the parts of a gear mechanism and determine whether adjustments are necessary.
- Discrete Element Method
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for simulating Discrete Element Method problems
- Motion
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various STAR-CCM+ features for simulating problems with moving geometries and meshes, dynamic fluid body interaction, and rigid body motion:
- Reacting Flow
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for simulating reacting flows such as combustion.
- Solid Stress
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for computing deformation, strain, and stresses in solid regions. They also show how such computations can be coupled to the fluid behavior in an analysis of fluid-structure interaction.
- Aeroacoustics
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for solving aeroacoustic simulations.
- Electromagnetism
  The following tutorials illustrate features for solving problems that involve electromagnetic fields.
- Electrochemistry
  The following tutorial demonstrates chemical reactions induced by an electrical current.
- Battery
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for setting up a battery model:
- Automation
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ automation and macro features.
- Design Exploration
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various features for running design exploration studies in Design Manager.
- Coupling with CAE Codes
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for coupling with CAE codes:
- Analysis Methods
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for analysing and visualizing simulation data.
- Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder
  The tutorials in this set illustrate features for simulating internal combustion engines in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ using the dedicated add-on Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder.

Dispersed Multiphase: Airfoil Icing

When aircraft pass through air containing supercooled liquid water droplets, it is possible for the droplets to impact the aircraft surface and form layers of ice. Ice formation on an aircraft wing changes the aerodynamic properties of the wing, and leads to loss of lift, increase in drag, and a change in pressure distribution. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ provides a technique for simulating the formation of ice on airfoils. This technique relies on the Dispersed Multiphase model to represent the liquid droplets in the air surrounding the airfoil.

The case simulated in this tutorial consists of a two-dimensional airfoil in an icing tunnel. The case is taken from a NASA study ([979]) on ice formation and icing effects for modern airfoils.

In this simulation, a multiphase mixture of air and water droplets flows over an idealized two-dimensional airfoil, in a low-temperature, low-turbulence regime. The mixture flows with initial velocity of 129 m/s in the x-direction. The droplets are water particles with diameter of 2.1E-5 m. The droplets volume fraction, with respect to air, is of 3.42E-7.

The geometry that is used in the tutorial is displayed below.

In the DMP method, the background air affects the water droplets through drag and heat transfer. The water droplets, however, do not have any impact on the air. The liquid content of the droplet phase is transferred to the surface of the airfoil as a liquid film. For this reason, a shell region with fluid film properties is created on the surface of the airfoil. Droplets impact the shell region and form a liquid film.

Liquid film on the airfoil surface turns to ice. As more and more ice is formed, the shape of the airfoil must change. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ converts the volume of ice in the film to a corresponding deformation in the wing surface. After deforming the wing surface using the mesh morpher, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ removes the volume of ice from the film layer. In this way, the shape of the shell region changes to reflect the buildup of ice on the airfoil surface.