4.6 Reading and Writing Profile Files

Boundary profiles are used to specify flow conditions on a boundary zone of the solution domain. For example, they can be used to prescribe a velocity field on an inlet plane. For information on boundary profiles, see Section  7.6.

Reading Profile Files

To read the boundary profile files, invoke the Select File dialog box by selecting the File/Read/Profile... menu item.

File $\rightarrow$ Read $\rightarrow$ Profile...

Writing Profile Files

You can also create a profile file from the conditions on a specified boundary or surface. For example, you can create a profile file from the outlet conditions of one case. Then you can read that profile into another case and use the outlet profile data as the inlet conditions for the new case.

To write a profile file, use the Write Profile dialog box (Figure  4.6.1).

File $\rightarrow$ Write $\rightarrow$ Profile...

Figure 4.6.1: The Write Profile Dialog Box

1.   Retain the default option of Define New Profiles.

2.   Select the surface(s) from which you want to extract data for the profile(s) in the Surfaces list.

3.   Choose the variable(s) for which you want to create profiles in the Values list.

4.   Click Write... and specify the profile file name in the resulting Select File dialog box.

ANSYS FLUENT saves the mesh coordinates of the data points for the selected surface(s) and the values of the selected variables at those positions. When you read the profile file back into the solver, you can select the profile values from the relevant drop-down lists in the boundary condition dialog boxes. The names of the profile values in the drop-down lists will consist of the surface name and the particular variable.

5.   Select the Write Currently Defined Profiles option:

• if you have made any modifications to the boundary profiles since you read them in (e.g., if you reoriented an existing profile to create a new one).

• if you wish to store all the profiles used in a case file in a separate file.

6.   Click Write... and specify the file name in the resulting Select File dialog box. All currently defined profiles are saved in this file. This file can be read back into the solver whenever you wish to use these profiles again.