GENSMAC can solve both Newtonian and non-Newtonian transient fluid flow in any shaped domain providing it is connected. The only constraint here is if there is high curvature at any point then the number of cells must be increased with a consequent increase in computing time. By non-Newtonian we mean only generalized Newtonian with its viscosity being any function of the shear rate. The default model is the Cross model but any other shear thinning model may be substituted. Up to 100 obstacles can be included within the domain: these may have linear or curvilinear boundaries. Up to 5 inlets and outlets are permitted on each side. Fluid may coalesce or detach. Indeed splashing and spluttering is one of GENSMAC's features. If a fluid cell detaches from the main body of the fluid it travels according to Newton's laws of motion under the action of whatever external force is present. If a group of cells detach themselves from the main body of the fluid that group of cells obeys the momentum and mass conservation equations and can therefore allow for the possibilility of further break-up. The container or domain may be initially empty of fluid or partially filled; it can contain up to 100 unconnected blobs of fluid. It should be stressed that the container cannot be completely full of fluid as there would be no free surface and the code would breakdown (this is due to all the boundary conditions for the discrete Poisson equation solver becoming Newmann and consequently that system of linear equations losing uniqueness). Essentially, if the container has no fluid initially and there are no outlets then we have an injection moulding problem, although one can study other phenomena like jet buckling. Often in a manufacturing process it is usefull to have more than one inlet port; as mentioned previously the code allows up to 5 per side. If there is an outlet or outlets then the interest is more concerned with the transient flow over obstacles. If the domain contains initially some fluid and has no inlet or outlet ports then typical problems for study are falling droplets into quiescent or moving fluid, or sloshing which is important to oil companies involved in the transportation of petroleum products. Further, GENSMAC can deal with problems involving moving nozzles and filling problems with a specified time-to-fill containers of any shape. Output can take different forms. It can be a series of snapshots of the marker particle positions which give immediate flow visualisation; a video can relatively easily be made from these providing enhanced appreciation of the transient nature of the flow.




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Murilo Francisco Tome 2005-09-16