Good Mesh Quality Using Simulation Pre-Check

Setting up a simulation involves many variables and parameters. As the complexity of a simulation
increases, the chance of missing an important variable also increases. While some mistakes kill the
simulation right away, mistakes that are not fatal, but, result in incorrect simulation outputs are very
difficult to catch. A final analysis of the simulation setup, before hitting the Run Simulation button can
save time for the user by not having to realize halfway through the simulation that an important
parameter is missing. FLOW-3D’s Simulation Pre-Check provides a final check of an input file for missing
and out-of-range input values, unusual material properties, mesh quality, and fatal errors. In this article,
guidelines to ensure good mesh quality and how to check the mesh quality using Simulation Pre-Check
are discussed.

A healthy mesh is the backbone for accurate numerical calculations. Although FLOW-3D’s structured
mesh is relatively easy to set up, certain guidelines should be followed to avoid stability issues that will
eventually lead to incorrect results. For example, sometimes there are multiple overlapping meshes,
which can increase the chances of mesh-related stability issues occurring. In such cases, Simulation Pre-
Check can be very helpful in fixing any mesh issues before the simulation is run.

Guidelines for good mesh quality

• The maximum aspect ratio within a single cell should be less than 3 (e.g., a1/a2). See Figure 1.
• The maximum adjacent cell size ratio should be less than 1.25 (e.g., a2/a3). Figure 1.
• The maximum inter-block cell size ratio should be less than 2 (e.g., b2/a1). Figure 1.
• Mesh planes should coincide in the adjacent meshes. In Figure 2, the red mesh block is missing a
mesh plane from the blue mesh block.

Figure 1. Sample cell dimensions in a 2 mesh block arrangement

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 Figure 2. Missing mesh plane example

Assuring mesh quality

Simulation Pre-check can be launched by right-clicking on the simulation file and

hitting Run Simulation Pre-Check.

When any of the guidelines relating to the aspect ratios are exceeded, the mesh
block name is highlighted in red and the exceeded limit is highlighted in the Mesh
Block Properties tab or Inter-Block Data tab (Figure 3 and Figure 4). The user can
then go back to Meshing & Geometry and re-adjust the meshes so that the aspect
ratio limits are satisfied.

Figure 3. Mesh Block Properties to highlight details of a mesh

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 Figure 4. Inter-Block Data to highlight mesh aspect ratios with adjacent meshes

Inter-Block Data tab will show any missing mesh planes. The best part is, if there are any missing mesh
planes, then they can be added quickly using the Add or Add all button (Figure 4).

To re-iterate, a good quality mesh is very important for numerical simulations. Following the guidelines
and checking the mesh quality using Simulation Pre-Check can reduce the number of simulation runs to
attain the desired accuracy and results.

FLOW-3D and TruVOF are registered trademarks in the USA and other countries.