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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.
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:
Moving Reference Frames: Marine Propeller in Open Water
This tutorial demonstrates the workflow for setting up an open water simulation for a marine propeller.
Selecting the Mesh Models
For this type of simulation, the quality of the result depends to a large extent on how successful the mesh is at capturing features of the flow around the propeller.
Specifying the Default Controls

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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
- 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:
  - Moving Reference Frames: Rotating Fan
    This tutorial outlines the steps that are required to set up and run a rotating radial fan analysis. It uses the Moving Reference Frame model, a steady-state approach that involves two or more frames of reference that can be stationary or moving relative to each other.
  - Rigid Body Motion: Rotating Fan
    This tutorial models the same radial fan problem as the Moving Reference Frames: Rotating Fan tutorial. However, instead of using the steady-state moving reference frame model, this tutorial uses the transient Rigid Body Motion model with actual mesh rotation.
  - DFBI: Lifeboat with Overset Mesh
    This tutorial demonstrates use of the Overset Mesh feature with free surface flow and DFBI to model the motion of a lifeboat falling into water. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ automates the grid overlapping process.
  - DFBI and AMR: Boat In Parameterized Waves
    In Dynamic Fluid-Body Interaction (DFBI) simulations, you can use Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) to dynamically refine the mesh around a moving 6-DOF body based on the computed flow solution.
  - Marine Resistance Prediction: KCS Hull with a Rudder
    This tutorial demonstrates the workflow for setting up a resistance prediction simulation for a marine application.
  - Moving Reference Frames: Marine Propeller in Open Water
    This tutorial demonstrates the workflow for setting up an open water simulation for a marine propeller.
    - Prerequisites
      The instructions in the Open Water tutorial assume that you are already familiar with certain techniques in Simcenter STAR-CCM+.
    - Loading the Simulation File
      For this tutorial, you are provided with a simulation file that contains pre-defined simulation objects. Due to the large number of cells, and the time it takes the solver to run, it is recommended that you run this tutorial in parallel on at least 10 cores.
    - Reviewing the Geometry
      For open water simulations, it is recommended that your geometry model exhibits certain characteristics.
    - Selecting the Mesh Models
      For this type of simulation, the quality of the result depends to a large extent on how successful the mesh is at capturing features of the flow around the propeller.
      - Specifying the Default Controls
      - Refining the Propeller Blades
        Set up custom mesh conditions to refine the mesh on the propeller blades.
      - Controlling the Prism Layer Size in the Clearance Gap
        The propeller in this simulation is a controllable pitch propeller, which means that there is a small clearance gap between each blade and the hub. In order to accurately resolve the boundary layer in this gap, modify the prism layer settings.
      - Specifying Prism Layer Size on the Interface
        The interface between the rotating region and the surrounding static region is cylindrical in shape. It is good practice to have cells that are normal to each other on either side of an interface.
      - Specifying the Far Field Surface Size
        As flow behavior far from the propeller region is not particularly important for these simulations, you can specify a coarser mesh on the far field, inlet, and outlet boundaries.
      - Refining the Area Around the Propeller
        The area around the propeller requires a finer mesh to make sure that the flow characteristics are adequately captured.
      - Generating the Core Mesh
        The core regions are set up, ready for meshing. The mesh generation process takes roughly 10 minutes to complete, depending on the hardware you are using.
      - Generating the Extruder Mesh
        Use the extruder mesh to extend the domain in the inflow and outflow directions. As the flow in these directions is generally normal to the cell faces, it is acceptable to generate stretched cells. In this tutorial, the largest cells have an aspect ratio of approximately 300.
    - Setting Up Boundary Conditions and Values
      The inlet, outlet, wall and symmetry boundary conditions must be defined on the boundaries of the newly created regions. The velocity of the flow, V_A, must also be set at the inlet, and as an initial condition in the fluid domain.
    - Creating the Reports for the Performance Data
      The propeller performance data consists of the advance coefficient, the thrust coefficient, the torque coefficient, and the open water efficiency.
    - Monitoring the Propeller Performance Plot
      The propellor performance plot contains values of J and 10KQ.
    - Running the Simulation
      Set the stopping criteria and run the simulation.
    - Plotting the Propeller Performance Data
      When complete, the simulation contains all the data that is required to plot the propeller performance data and compare it with the experimental results. The tutorial starting simulation already has a basic plot for you to use.
    - Summary
      This tutorial demonstrated the workflow for setting up an open water simulation for a marine propeller.
    - Bibliography
  - Body Force Propeller Method: Marine Self-Propulsion
    One of the challenges in marine engineering is to predict the speed with which a ship hull moves through water in response to the thrust supplied by a spinning propeller. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ provides a methodology by which you can predict this speed.
  - Blade Element Method: Helicopter Rotor-Fuselage Interaction
    The rotating main rotor blades of a helicopter generate a complex flow field that leads to periodic aerodynamic loads on the airframe. Because of these aerodynamic loads, the passenger cabin can be subject to noise and vibration. These aerodynamic interactions affect the performance of helicopters and they can cause structural damage. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ provides a method for simulating the flow generated by rotor blades that does not require you to mesh the blades individually. This method allows you to predict the complex flow field around a helicopter taking into account the fuselage and rotor flow field interaction.
  - Morphing: Cylinder with Boundary Motion
    Simcenter STAR-CCM+ contains a Morphing Motion Model that enables you to define motion on boundary surfaces using several methods.
  - Overset Mesh Small Gap Modeling: Lobe Blower
    Rotary lobe blowers are valveless positive-displacement units. Fluid is pumped by two counter-rotating lobes that are mounted on parallel shafts. Fluid enters through the expanding volume at the suction side of the pump. As the lobes continue to rotate, the fluid is compressed between the lobes and the pump casing and hence transported towards the discharge.
  - Trajectory Motion: Paint Dipping of a Chassis on a Fixed Skid
    Paint dipping is a process by which a component is coated with paint in a dipping tank. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows you to simulate this process and therefore study the effects of different trajectories and component speeds.
  - General Remesh: Gerotor Pump with Small Gap
    A Gerotor pump is a unit with an inner and an outer rotor that have different rotational speeds related to their tooth numbers. The dynamically changing volume between the rotors transports the liquid from inlet to outlet.
- 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.

Specifying the Default Controls

Specify the default mesh controls for this simulation:

Edit the Operations > Automated Mesh > Default Controls node and set the following properties:


Node	Property	Setting
Base Size	Value	9 mm
Minimum Surface Size	Percentage of Base	0.5
Prism Layer Controls	Number of Prism Layers	3
Prism Layer Total Thickness	Percentage of Base	20
Mesh Alignment Location	Location	[0,0,0]