Setting Solver Parameters and Stopping Criteria

Set the appropriate solver parameters and stopping criteria for the simulation. As you are solving an unsteady problem, it is necessary to specify the time-step size and the elapsed simulation time. This calculation runs for a maximum physical time of 3 s with a time-step size of 0.01 s.

Boiling flows are typically unsteady, with strong buoyancy effects, and large-scale flow instabilities. It is therefore recommended that unsteady solvers are used for this type of flows. You also have cases where the mean flow is dominant (as is the case in this tutorial) and where, eventually, a steady-state solution is possible. In these situations, try to simulate these flows using the steady-state model and an appropriate set of under-relaxation parameters. However, it is recommended that even for these cases, you use a time-marching solver with one iteration per time-step and a time-step size that secures a stable run.

To set the solver parameters and stopping criteria:

  1. Edit the Solvers node and set the following properties:
    Node Property Setting
    Implicit Unsteady Time-Step 0.01 s
    Segregated Flow > Velocity Under-Relaxation Factor 0.8
    Segregated VOF > Single Step Under-Relaxation Factor 0.1
  2. Edit the Stopping Criteria node and set the following properties:
    Node Property Setting
    Maximum Physical Time Enabled Activated
    Maximum Physical Time 3 s
    Maximum Inner Iterations Maximum Inner Iterations 1
  3. Save the simulation.