7.1.3 Changing Cell and Boundary Zone Types

Before you set any cell zone or boundary conditions, you should check the zone types of all boundary zones and change any if necessary. For example, if your mesh includes a pressure inlet, but you want to use a velocity inlet instead, you will need to change the pressure-inlet zone to a velocity-inlet zone.

The steps for changing a zone type are as follows:

1.   In the Cell Zone Conditions or Boundary Conditions task page, select the zone to be changed in the Zone list.

2.   Choose the correct zone type from the Type drop-down list.

3.   Confirm the change when prompted by the Question dialog box (see Section  2.1.6).

Once you have confirmed the change, the zone type will be changed, the name will change automatically (if the original name was the default name for that zone--see Section  7.1.6), and the dialog box for setting conditions for the zone will open automatically.

Note that you cannot use this method to change zone types to or from the periodic type, since additional restrictions exist for this boundary type. Section  6.8.4 explains how to create and uncouple periodic zones.

If you are using one of the general multiphase models (VOF, mixture, or Eulerian), the procedure for changing types is slightly different. See Section  24.2.9 for details.

Categories of Zone Types

You should be aware that you can only change zone types within each category listed in Table  7.1.1. (Note that a double-sided face zone is a zone that separates two different cell zones or regions.)

Table 7.1.1: Zone Types Listed by Category

Category	Zone Types
Faces	axis, outflow, mass flow inlet, pressure far-field, pressure inlet, pressure outlet, symmetry, velocity inlet, wall, inlet vent, intake fan, outlet vent, exhaust fan
Double-Sided Faces	fan, interior, porous jump, radiator, wall
Periodic	periodic
Cells	fluid, solid (porous is a type of fluid cell)