1.4 Periodic Flows

Periodic flow occurs when the physical geometry of interest and the expected pattern of the flow/thermal solution have a periodically repeating nature. Two types of periodic flow can be modeled in ANSYS FLUENT. In the first type, no pressure drop occurs across the periodic planes. In the second type, a pressure drop occurs across translationally periodic boundaries, resulting in "fully-developed'' or "streamwise-periodic'' flow.

This section discusses streamwise-periodic flow. A description of no-pressure-drop periodic flow is provided in this section in the separate User's Guide , and a description of streamwise-periodic heat transfer is provided in this section in the separate User's Guide. For more information about setting up periodic flows in ANSYS FLUENT, see this section in the separate User's Guide.