4.16.2 Creating Automatic Export Definitions for Particle History Data

To create an automatic export definition for particle history data, begin by making sure that Transient is selected from the Time list 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 Particle History Data Export... from the drop-down list to open the Automatic Particle History Data Export dialog box (Figure  4.16.3).

Figure 4.16.3: The Automatic Particle History Data 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.   Choose the File Type you want to export by selecting one of the following:

• Standard for FIELDVIEW format

• EnSight format

Note that if you plan to export particle data to EnSight, you should first set up an automatic export definition so that solution data is also exported to EnSight during this calculation (see Section  4.16.1). As described in the steps that follow, some of the settings will need to correspond between the two automatic export definitions.

3.   Select the predefined injections that are the source of the particles from the Injections selection list. See Section  23.3.14 for details about creating injections.

4.   Select an appropriate category and variable under Quantity for the particle data to be exported.

5.   Set the Frequency at which the particle history 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.

6.   If you selected EnSight Case Gold for the File Type, 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.

The setting for the Separate Files for Each Time Step option should be the same (i.e., enabled or disabled) as that of the automatic export definition you set up to export solution data to EnSight during this calculation (see Section  4.16.1).

7.   Enter the name (and folder path, if you do not want it to be written in the current folder) for the exported particle data file in the Particle File Name text box. Alternatively, you can specify it through the Select File dialog box, which is opened by clicking the Browse... button.

8.   If you selected EnSight under File Type, you should specify the EnSight Encas File Name. Enter the same name (and folder path, if necessary) that you entered in the File Name text box when you set up the automatic export definition for exporting solution data to EnSight during this calculation (see Section  4.16.1). The .encas file created during the solution data export will be modified and renamed as a new file that contains information about all of the related particle files that are generated after every time step during the export process (including geometry, velocity, scalars, particle and particle scalar files). The name of the new file will be the root of the original .encas file with .new appended to it (e.g., if the solution data export creates test.encas, a file named test.new.encas will be written for the particle data export). It is this new file that should be read into EnSight.

Note that if you do not specify a EnSight Encas File Name, then you will need to create an appropriate .encas file manually.

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

The particle data will be exported as it is generated during the transient calculation. If you selected EnSight under File Type, data files will be written in both .mpg and .mscl formats.