FLOW-3D is used around the world to solve difficult flow problems in civil hydraulics and environmental engineering. FLOW-3D can be used to simulate a wide range of problems, from scour effects to pollution dispersal to dam design…and much more! Using FLOW-3D saves time, and that means money!
Experiments in a laboratory or at an onsite testing station can be difficult to set up, expensive to execute and hard to reproduce. Experiments with FLOW-3D, on the other hand, can be set up in minutes and solutions to many free-surface flow problems can be had in a matter of hours, saving you both money and time. The numerical solutions are, moreover, found to be remarkably accurate when compared to theoretical and experimental work.
FLOW-3D uses special numerical methods to track the location of free surfaces accurately, and to apply the proper dynamic boundary conditions at those surfaces. These methods, based on the VOLUME OF FLUID technique developed by FLOW-3D’s founder, allow for the most accurate representation of multiple surfaces that can coalesce or break apart in arbitrary ways. This efficient and robust VOF technique provides an excellent computational environment in which a wide range of Engineering Hydraulics simulations can be undertaken. All the studies described here used standard models in FLOW-3D to handle complex flow and sediment transport problems in fully 3D representations of actual engineering structures and processes typically incorporated within Water Engineering & Environmental projects.
WHAT CAN BE SIMULATED?
SCOUR EFFECTS
Erosion around marine structures can lead to significant expense for damage and poses a safety hazard. Sediment scour and deposition is an important consideration in the design of bridges, piers, dams, reservoirs, piping systems, settling ponds, flood control devices and so on. The scour model implemented in FLOW-3D enables you to accurately compute the fluid flows and sediment lifting, transportation and deposition in just such a system.
Although scour is a chaotic process, this model, which is based on empirical relationships of scour lift along with an accurate computation of the fluid flow, shows that quantitative comparisons can be made.
SETTLEMENT PONDS
Effective separation of particulates in settlement ponds requires the placement of baffles to slow and distribute fluid flow, enabling best use of available volume. If the surface is open to the elements, the influence of high wind events on the water body can generate relatively strong currents in the reservoir, which could stir up settled sediment and reduce "capture efficiency". With FLOW-3D®, you can model the entire process: the flow of the fluid medium through the pond, the settlement of the suspended solids and the shear effects of the wind-flow on the reservoir surface.
HYDRO PROJECT DESIGN
Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis is useful in many phases of design for hydroelectric power projects. FLOW-3D can be used to study the effects of turbulent flows on threatened fish populations, to predict intake head loss (important for turbine performance), for design of forebays, tailraces, channels and more. Benefits are not limited to the initial design phase: FLOW-3D can also be put to valuable use helping to reap significant efficiency and output improvements.
AIR ENTRAINMENT
When air is entrained into water, it can help sustain the growth of microorganisms, which are valuable in water treatment plants or to insure healthy fish populations. Another beneficial result of air entrainment is a reduction of cavitation damage on hydraulic structures. Air is entrained into water when turbulence at the water surface is strong enough to overcome the stabilizing effects of gravity and surface tension. Once entrained, air causes an increase in liquid volume (“bulking”) and changes its mean density. Using FLOW-3D®, you can reliably model these effects.
WATER STORAGE MIXING SYSTEMS
Water quality problems associated with loss of disinfectant residual and the potential for disinfection byproduct formation are a major source of concern. These problems are associated with long hydraulic detention times, poor mixing, and hydraulic short circuiting of water between the inlet and outlet. With FLOW-3D®, the designer can evaluate alternative manifold and diffuser nozzle alternatives in three-dimensional analyses that consider the affect of turbulence upon ambient water entrainment.
In comparisons of numerical modeling results versus experimental results, FLOW-3D has been validated time and again. Physical models of large civil hydraulics projects can require significant resources and consume valuable time. Numerical modeling with FLOW-3D can reduce both expenses. Isn’t it time you take a dip in the FLOW-3D pool and see what kind of splash you can make?
All-Inclusive Package
FLOW-3D is an all-inclusive package…no special additional modules are needed. A Graphical User Interface ties together problem setup (including geometry creation/importation & mesh generation), pre-processing, solver and post-processor, as well as several other valuable utilities such as an STL viewer, solver mentor and solver runtime controls.
