MECH4620

COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS

1. Staff contact details ....................................................................................................... 2
Contact details and consultation times for course convenors ............................................ 2
2. Important links ............................................................................................................... 2
3. Course details ............................................................................................................... 1
Credit points ...................................................................................................................... 1
Contact hours.................................................................................................................... 1
Summary and Aims of the course ..................................................................................... 1
Student learning outcomes ................................................................................................ 2
4. Teaching strategies ....................................................................................................... 2
5. Course schedule ........................................................................................................... 3
6. Assessment................................................................................................................... 4
Assessment overview........................................................................................................ 4
Assignments ..................................................................................................................... 5
Tutorial-style problems .................................................................................................. 5
Group project ................................................................................................................ 5
Lab practice test ............................................................................................................ 5
Presentation .................................................................................................................. 6
Submission.................................................................................................................... 6
Marking ......................................................................................................................... 6
Examinations .................................................................................................................... 6
Calculators .................................................................................................................... 7
Special consideration and supplementary assessment ..................................................... 7
7. Expected resources for students ................................................................................... 7
Recommended textbooks.................................................................................................. 7
Other references ............................................................................................................... 7
Recommended Internet sites............................................................................................. 8
Additional materials provided in UNSW Moodle ................................................................ 8
8. Course evaluation and development ............................................................................. 8
9. Academic honesty and plagiarism ................................................................................. 8
10. Administrative matters and links .................................................................................... 9
Appendix A: Engineers Australia (EA) Competencies ......................................................... 10

Course Outline: MECH4620 1

Contact details and consultation times for course convenors

Name: Professor Guan Heng Yeoh

Office Location: Room 401B, J17
Tel: (02) 9385 4099
Fax: (02) 9663 1222
Email: [email protected]
Moodle: https://moodle.telt.unsw.edu.au/login/index.php
Consultation times: Thursday 2-3pm
Communication preference: Email

Name: Dr Victoria Timchenko

Office Location: Room 401C, J17
Tel: (02) 9385 4148
Fax: (02) 9663 1222
Email: [email protected]
Moodle: https://moodle.telt.unsw.edu.au/login/index.php
Consultation times: Wednesday 2-3pm
Communication preference: Email

Contact details and consultation times for additional lecturers/demonstrators/lab staff

Name: Dr Anthony Chun Yin Yuen – Head Demonstrator

Office Location: Room 401E, J17
Tel: (02) 9385 4763
Fax: (02) 9663 1222
Email: [email protected]
Moodle: https://moodle.telt.unsw.edu.au/login/index.php
Consultation times: Friday 2-3pm
Communication preference: Email

For more information, please see the course Moodle.

• Moodle • Engineering Student Support

• Lab Access Services Centre
• Health and Safety • Makerspace
• Computing Facilities • UNSW Timetable
• Student Resources • UNSW Handbook
• Course Outlines • UNSW Mechanical and
Manufacturing Engineering

Course Outline: MECH4620 2

Credit points

This is a 6 unit-of-credit (UoC) course and involves 3.5 hours per week (h/w) of face-to-face
contact.

The normal workload expectations of a student are approximately 25 hours per term for each
UOC, including class contact hours, other learning activities, preparation and time spent on
all assessable work.

This means that you should aim to spend about 9 h/w on this course. The additional time
should be spent in making sure that you understand the lecture material, completing the set
assignments, further reading, and revising for any examinations.

Contact hours

Day Time Location

Lectures Wednesday 11:00pm – 12:30pm Webster Theatre A
(Web stream) Any Any Moodle

Lab Wednesday 13:00pm – 15:00pm Ainsworth 203

Wednesday 13:00am – 15:00pm Ainsworth 204
Wednesday 15:00am – 17:00pm Ainsworth 204

Please refer to your class timetable for the learning activities you are enrolled in and attend
only those classes.

Summary and Aims of the course

This course will focus on the terminology, principles and methods of CFD – Computational
Fluid Dynamics

CFD can be applied in many areas of engineering, including aerodynamics, hydrodynamics,

air-conditioning and minerals processing, and you will find relevance towards many other
courses you are currently taking.

The aims of the course are to:

• Place CFD in the context of a useful design tool for industry and a vital research tool
for thermos-fluid research across many disciplines;
• Familiarize students with the basic steps and terminology associated with CFD. This
includes developing students’ understanding of the conservation laws applied to fluid
motion and heat transfer and basic computational methods including explicit, implicit
methods, discretisation schemes and stability analysis;
• Develop practical expertise in solving CFD problems with a commercial CFD code,
ANSYS CFX; and

Course Outline: MECH4620 1

 • Develop an awareness of the power and limitations of CFD.

This course builds on knowledge gained in other courses such as Fluid Mechanics,
Thermodynamics, and Numerical Methods.

Student learning outcomes

This course is designed to address the learning outcomes below and the corresponding
Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standards for Professional Engineers as shown.
The full list of Stage 1 Competency Standards may be found in Appendix A.

After successfully completing this course, you should be able to:

EA Stage 1
Learning Outcome
Competencies
An underlying understanding of the theoretical basis of
1. PE1.1, PE1.2, PE1.4
CFD
The ability to develop a CFD model for “real world”
2. PE2.1, PE2.2
engineering problems
The technical ability to address complex problems using
3. CFD with the specific focus on developing practical skills PE1.3, PE1.5
in using a commercial CFD package, ANSYS CFX
The ability to interpret computational results and to write
4. a report conveying the result of the computational PE3.1, PE3.2, PE3.3
analysis

Lectures in the course are designed to cover the terminology and core concepts and
theories in CFD. They do not simply reiterate the texts, but build on the lecture topics using
examples taken directly from industry to show how the theory is applied in practice and the
details of when, where and how it should be applied. The WEB stream version of the course
will also be available. This provides students with the opportunity to learn the lecture content
online interactively in their own time.

Lab sessions are designed to provide you with feedback and discussion on the assignments,
and to investigate problem areas in greater depth to ensure that you understand the
application and can avoid making the same mistake again.

Course Outline: MECH4620 2

 Work during laboratory Assignment
Week Lecturer Topic
session Activity
• Backward facing step
Introduction to CFD and
1 GY exercise
some examples of CFD
• Problem setup
• Introduction to ANSYS
CFX and Fluent
• Defining a CFD • Lab work on creating Release: group
2 GY problem
geometry and meshing allocation
• Creating and/or
Importing Geometry in
Design Modeler
• Lab work on creating
Mass and momentum geometry and meshing
3 VT conservation and Navier- • Heat exchanger exercise: Release: group
Meshes project topics
Stokes equations
• Discussions of group
project topics
Kinematic properties of • Discussions of group
4 VT fluids, dynamic similarity project topics
and energy conservation • T1 work
• Backward facing step
Initial and boundary exercise:
Characterization of Due: T1:
conditions;
5 GY boundary conditions conservation laws
Post-processing –. • Heat exchanger exercise: (5%)
Validation and verification • Characterisation of
boundary conditions
• Backward facing step
Turbulence: basics and exercise: Convergence Feedback: T1:
6 GY and Discretisation,
introduction conservation laws
Turbulence models
• T2 work
Due: T2:
Turbulence: applications • Group project turbulence (5%)
7 GY
of models • CFD case study tutorials Due: Group project
report (20%)
• Computational method
Computational methods – online tutorial Feedback: T2:
8 VT
discretisation • Sample CFD laboratory turbulence
test practices
Feedback: Group
• Preparation for lab project report
9 VT Solution Procedures
practice test Lab practice test
(20%)
10 GY, VT Revisions

Course Outline: MECH4620 3

Assessment overview

You will be assessed by way of 2 sets of tutorial-style problems, one group project and one individual project and a two-hour examination at the
end of the session. Details of each assessment component, the marks assigned to it, the criteria by which marks will be assigned, and the
dates of submission are given below.

Group
Learning Due date, time, and
Project? (# Assessment Deadline for absolute Marks
Assessment task Length Weight outcomes submission
Students criteria fail returned
assessed requirements
per group)
4 pm Friday, Week 5 Same as assignment
Tutorial style 2-3 10% (2x Understanding of 1 week after
No 1 and 4 (20/03), Week 7 (03/04) deadline
problems (T1 & T2) pages 5% each) lecture material the due date
via Moodle
4 pm Friday, Week 7 4 pm Monday, Week 5 1 week after
Group Project Yes(5) 15 pages 20% 2, 3 and 4 See below
(03/04) via Moodle (16/03) the due date
In-class test, Week 9 N/A 1 week after
Lab practice test No 2 pages 20% 2, 3 and 4 See below
(15/04) the due date
No All course content N/A
Final exam 2 hours 50% 1 Exam period, date TBC TBC
from weeks 1-10

Course Outline: MECH4620 4

Assignments

Tutorial-style problems

The short assignments containing 2 sets of tutorial-style problems (T1 and T2) are listed in
the Course Schedule. They will involve theoretical work and calculations related to the
Course materials. Assignments will be available on the Moodle website.

Group project

The group project involves a complete CFD analysis, from the initial concept through to
CAD, meshing, pre-processing, solving, and post-processing the results. The project
description will be available on Moodle.

In Week 2, students need to complete a Moodle questionnaire for group allocation purposes.
The groups and allocated project topics will be announced in Week 3.

The report to be submitted will be a technical report in the style of a journal article or
industrial project report for a client familiar with CFD – a template will be provided to you
which will also contain a structured marking criteria. The report will involve writing an
abstract/executive summary, and you will be required to conduct a short review of some
similar CFD you are able to find in relevant journal papers. Following this, you will write a
discussion of your chosen numerical method and assumptions, and then sections relating to
mesh convergence, turbulence modelling, and presentation of key results – these reflect the
topics which will be covered in depth in the lectures and labs and comprise the typical
structure of a research report.

Lab practice test

The lab practice test is to assess the hands-on skills of conducting engineering scaled
simulation practice using ANSYS package. In particular, this test focuses on evaluating the
students’ capability of generating the CFD model and using the simulation data to describe
the physical behaviours involved in the flow.

The 2-hour in-class test is scheduled in Week 9, at the designated computer lab, i.e.,
Ainsworth 203 or 204. During the session, students are expected to use the modelling
technique learned from this course to solve a real engineering problem. This consists of
• creating geometry via importing an external CAD file,
• generating a mesh with local refinement,
• setting up the model, e.g., boundary conditions, models and discretisation scheme,
convergence criteria, monitoring points etc,
• post-processing data and presenting the results in the format of contour and plot,
• composing a discussion based on the simulation results
• summarising the model and key findings in a 2-page report

Course Outline: MECH4620 5

Presentation

All submissions are expected to be neat and clearly set out. Your results are the pinnacle of
all your hard work and should be treated with due respect. Presenting results clearly gives
the marker the best chance of understanding your method; even if the numerical results are
incorrect.

Submission

Work submitted late without an approved extension by the course coordinator or delegated
authority is subject to a late penalty of 20 percent (20%) of the maximum mark possible for
that assessment item, per calendar day.

The late penalty is applied per calendar day (including weekends and public holidays) that
the assessment is overdue. There is no pro-rata of the late penalty for submissions made
part way through a day.

Work submitted after the ‘deadline for absolute fail’ is not accepted and a mark of zero will
be awarded for that assessment item.

For some assessment items, a late penalty may not be appropriate. These are clearly
indicated in the course outline, and such assessments receive a mark of zero if not
completed by the specified date. Examples include:
a. Weekly online tests or laboratory work worth a small proportion of the subject mark,
or
b. Online quizzes where answers are released to students on completion, or
c. Professional assessment tasks, where the intention is to create an authentic
assessment that has an absolute submission date, or
d. Pass/Fail assessment tasks.

Marking

Marking guidelines for assignment submissions will be provided at the same time as
assignment details to assist with meeting assessable requirements. Submissions will be
marked according to the marking guidelines provided.

Examinations

There will be a two-hour examination at the end of the Term.

Final examinations for each course are held during the University examination periods:
February for Summer Term, May for T1, August for T2, and November/December for T3.

Please visit myUNSW for Provisional Examination timetable publish dates.

For further information on exams, please see the Exams webpage.

Course Outline: MECH4620 6

Calculators

You will need to provide your own calculator of a make and model approved by UNSW for
the examinations. The list of approved calculators is available at
student.unsw.edu.au/exam-approved-calculators-and-computers

It is your responsibility to ensure that your calculator is of an approved make and model, and
to obtain an “Approved” sticker for it from the Engineering Student Supper Services Centre
prior to the examination. Calculators not bearing an “Approved” sticker will not be allowed
into the examination room.

Special consideration and supplementary assessment

If you have experienced an illness or misadventure beyond your control that will interfere
with your assessment performance, you are eligible to apply for Special Consideration prior
to submitting an assessment or sitting an exam.

Please note that UNSW now has a Fit to Sit / Submit rule, which means that if you sit an
exam or submit a piece of assessment, you are declaring yourself fit enough to do so and
cannot later apply for Special Consideration.

For details of applying for Special Consideration and conditions for the award of
supplementary assessment, please see the information on UNSW’s Special Consideration
page.

Recommended textbooks

1. J.Y. Tu, G.H. Yeoh, and C. Liu, Computational Fluid Dynamics: A Practical
Approach, 3rd Edition, 2018, or
2. H.K. Versteeg and W. Malalasekera, An introduction to Computational Fluid
Dynamics. The Finite Volume Method, 2nd Edition

Other references

1. J.D. Anderson, Computational Fluid Dynamics.

2. P.J. Roache, Fundamentals of Computational Fluid Dynamics.
3. P.J. Roache, Verification and Validation in Computational Science and Engineering.
4. J.C. Tannehill, D.A. Anderson and R.H. Pletcher, Computational Fluid Mechanics
and Heat Transfer.
5. S.V. Patankar, Numerical Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow.
6. D.C. Wilcox, Turbulence modelling for CFD.

All of the above textbooks can be found in the UNSW Library:

https://www.library.unsw.edu.au/

Course Outline: MECH4620 7

Recommended Internet sites

www.ansys.com
www.cfd-online.com

Additional materials provided in UNSW Moodle

This course has a website on UNSW Moodle which includes:

• copies of assignments (as they are issued, in case you missed the hand-out in
class);
• tutorial-style problems;
• discussion forum;
• links to any useful material discussed in class.

Moodle: https://moodle.telt.unsw.edu.au/login/index.php

The discussion forum is intended for you to use with other enrolled students. The course
convenor and/or demonstrators will occasionally look at the forum, monitor any inappropriate
content, and take note of any frequently-asked questions, but will only respond to questions
on the forum at their discretion. If you want help from the convenor, then direct contact is
preferred.

Feedback on the course is gathered periodically using various means, including the UNSW
myExperience process, informal discussion in the final class for the course, and the School’s
Student/Staff meetings. Your feedback is taken seriously, and continual improvements are
made to the course based, in part, on such feedback.

In this course, recent improvements resulting from student feedback include the introduction
of a group project to encourage collaborative learning experiences. Also, demonstrators are
now required to provide more comprehensive feedback on assignment activities during lab
sessions.

UNSW has an ongoing commitment to fostering a culture of learning informed by academic

integrity. All UNSW students have a responsibility to adhere to this principle of academic
integrity. Plagiarism undermines academic integrity and is not tolerated at UNSW. Plagiarism
at UNSW is defined as using the words or ideas of others and passing them off as your own.

Plagiarism is a type of intellectual theft. It can take many forms, from deliberate cheating to
accidentally copying from a source without acknowledgement. UNSW has produced a
website with a wealth of resources to support students to understand and avoid plagiarism,
visit: student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism. The Learning Centre assists students with
understanding academic integrity and how not to plagiarise. They also hold workshops and
can help students one-on-one.

Course Outline: MECH4620 8

You are also reminded that careful time management is an important part of study and one
of the identified causes of plagiarism is poor time management. Students should allow
sufficient time for research, drafting and the proper referencing of sources in preparing all
assessment tasks.

If plagiarism is found in your work when you are in first year, your lecturer will offer you
assistance to improve your academic skills. They may ask you to look at some online
resources, attend the Learning Centre, or sometimes resubmit your work with the problem
fixed. However more serious instances in first year, such as stealing another student’s work
or paying someone to do your work, may be investigated under the Student Misconduct
Procedures.

Repeated plagiarism (even in first year), plagiarism after first year, or serious instances, may
also be investigated under the Student Misconduct Procedures. The penalties under the
procedures can include a reduction in marks, failing a course or for the most serious matters
(like plagiarism in an honours thesis) even suspension from the university. The Student
Misconduct Procedures are available here:
www.gs.unsw.edu.au/policy/documents/studentmisconductprocedures.pdf

All students are expected to read and be familiar with School guidelines and polices,
available on the intranet. In particular, students should be familiar with the following:

• Attendance
• UNSW Email Address
• Special Consideration
• Exams
• Approved Calculators
• Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
• Equitable Learning Services

Course Outline: MECH4620 9

Stage 1 Competencies for Professional Engineers
Program Intended Learning Outcomes
PE1.1 Comprehensive, theory-based understanding of underpinning
fundamentals
PE1.2 Conceptual understanding of underpinning maths, analysis,
PE1: Knowledge
and Skill Base

statistics, computing
PE1.3 In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge
PE1.4 Discernment of knowledge development and research directions
PE1.5 Knowledge of engineering design practice
PE1.6 Understanding of scope, principles, norms, accountabilities of
sustainable engineering practice
PE2.1 Application of established engineering methods to complex problem
Application Ability
PE2: Engineering

solving
PE2.2 Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources
PE2.3 Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design
processes
PE2.4 Application of systematic approaches to the conduct and
management of engineering projects
PE3.1 Ethical conduct and professional accountability
PE3: Professional

PE3.2 Effective oral and written communication (professional and lay

and Personal
Attributes

domains)
PE3.3 Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour
PE3.4 Professional use and management of information
PE3.5 Orderly management of self, and professional conduct
PE3.6 Effective team membership and team leadership

Course Outline: MECH4620 10