4.16.1 Creating Automatic Export Definitions for Solution Data

To create an automatic export definition for solution data, begin by making sure that Transient is selected for Time in the General task page. Next, click the Create button under the Automatic Export selection list in the Calculation Activities task page (a drop-down list will appear). Select Solution Data Export... from the drop-down list to open the Automatic Export dialog box (Figure  4.16.2).

Figure 4.16.2: The Automatic Export Dialog Box

Then perform the following steps:

1.   Enter a name for the automatic export definition in the Name text box. This is the name that will be displayed in the Automatic Export selection list in the Calculation Activities task page.

2.   Define the data to be exported by making selections in the relevant group boxes and selection lists: File Type, Surfaces, Interior Zone Surfaces, Quantities, Analysis, Structural Loads, Thermal Loads, Location, Delimiter, Format, and Heat Transfer Coefficient. See Sections  4.14.1- 4.14.17 for details about the specific options available for the various file types.

3.   Set the Frequency at which the solution data will be exported during the calculation. If you enter 10 in the Frequency text box, for example, a file will be written after every 10 time steps.

4.   If you selected EnSight Case Gold from the File Type drop-down list, the Separate Files for Each Time Step option allows you to specify that separate files are written at the prescribed time steps. This option is enabled by default and is the recommended practice, as it ensures that all of the data is not lost if there is a disruption to the calculation (e.g., from a network failure) before it is complete. If you choose to disable this option, all of the data for the .scl1 and .vel files will be combined into a single file for each.

5.   If you selected CFD-Post Compatible from the File Type drop-down list, and ANSYS FLUENT detects that the case has been modified (whether being due to the mesh being modified or due to a change in the case settings), then ANSYS FLUENT will save matching .cas and .cdat file containing the same prefix. For more information about CFD-Post Compatible, go to Section  4.14.6.

6.   Specify how the exported files will be named. Every file saved will begin with the characters entered in the File Name text box (note that a file extension is not necessary). You can specify a folder path if you do not want it written in the current folder. The File Name can also be specified through the Select File dialog box, which is opened by clicking the Browse... button.

Next, make a selection in the Append File Name with drop-down list, to specify that the File Name be followed by either the time step or flow time at which it was saved. Note that this selection is not available when exporting to EnSight. When EnSight Case Gold is selected from the File Type drop-down list, the time step is always appended if the Separate Files for Each Time Step option is enabled; otherwise, no digits are appended.

When appending the file name with the flow time, you can specify the number of decimal places that will be used by making an entry in the Decimal Places in File Name text box. By default, six decimal places will be used.

7.   Click OK to save the settings for the automatic export definition.

For details about general limitations for exporting solution data and the manner in which it is exported, see Section  4.13.

If the files that are exported during multiple transient simulations are to be used as a set, you should run all of the simulations on the same platform, using the same number of processors. This ensures that all of the files are compatible with each other.

If you selected EnSight Case Gold from the File Type drop-down list, note the following: Though it is possible for ANSYS FLUENT to export a file that is greater than 2 Gbytes, such a file could not be read using EnSight when it is run on 32-bit Windows, as this exceeds EnSight's maximum file size. ANSYS FLUENT does not support exporting data files to EnSight during a transient calculation in which a new cell zone or surface is created after the calculation has begun (as can be the case for an in-cylinder simulation, for example).