regionSizeDistribution

Table of Contents

Description

The regionSizeDistribution function object creates a droplet size distribution via interrogating a continuous phase fraction field.

Looks up a phase-fraction (alpha) field and splits the mesh into regions based on where the field is below the threshold value. These regions ("droplets") can now be analysed.

Regions:

  • print the regions connected to a user-defined set of patches. (in spray calculation these form the liquid core)
  • print the regions with too large volume. These are the 'background' regions.
  • (debug) write regions as a volScalarField
  • (debug) print for all regions the sum of volume and alpha*volume

Output (volume scalar) fields include:

  • alpha_liquidCore : alpha with outside liquid core set to 0
  • alpha_background : alpha with outside background set to 0.

Histogram:

  • determine histogram of diameter (given minDiameter, maxDiameter, nBins)
  • write graph of number of droplets per bin
  • write graph of sum, average and deviation of droplet volume per bin
  • write graph of sum, average and deviation of user-defined fields. For volVectorFields these are those of the 3 components and the magnitude.
  • (optional) write graph of histogram of centroids on iso planes downstream of the injector determined by origin, direction and maxDiameter up to maxDownstream

Operands

Operand Type Location
input - -
output file - $FOAM_CASE/postProcessing/<FO>/<time>/<files>
output field - -

Usage

Example of the regionSizeDistribution function object by using functions sub-dictionary in system/controlDict file: 

regionSizeDistribution1
{
    // Mandatory entries (unmodifiable)
    type            regionSizeDistribution;
    libs            (fieldFunctionObjects);

    // Mandatory entries (runtime modifiable)
    field           alpha;
    patches         (inlet);
    fields          (p U);
    threshold       0.4;
    maxDiameter     5e-5;
    nBins           100;
    setFormat       gnuplot;

    // Optional entries (runtime modifiable)
    minDiameter     0.0;
    coordinateSystem
    {
        origin  (0 0 0);
        rotation
        {
            type    axes;
            e3      (0 0 1);
            e1      (1 0 0);
        }
    }

    // Optional downstream iso-plane bins
    isoPlanes       true;

        // Mandatory entries if isoPlanes=true   (runtime modifiable)
        // Plane normal and point definition
        origin          (1e-4 0 5e-4);
        direction       (1 0 1);

        // Maximum diameter of the cylinder formed by the origin point
        // and direction
        maxD            3e-4;

        // Maximum downstream distance
        maxDownstream   6e-4;

        // Number of iso-plane bins
        nDownstreamBins 20;

    // Optional (inherited) entries
    writePrecision  8;
    writeToFile     true;
    useUserTime     true;
    region          region0;
    enabled         true;
    log             true;
    timeStart       0;
    timeEnd         1000;
    executeControl  timeStep;
    executeInterval 1;
    writeControl    timeStep;
    writeInterval   1;
}

where the entries mean:

Property Description Type Required Default
type Type name: regionSizeDistribution word yes -
libs Library name: fieldFunctionObjects word yes -
field Phase field to interrogate word yes -
patches Patches wherefrom the liquid core is identified wordList yes -
fields Fields to sample wordList yes -
threshold Phase fraction applied to delimit regions scalar yes -
maxDiameter Maximum droplet diameter scalar yes -
minDiameter Minimum droplet diameter scalar no 0.0
nBins Number of bins for histogram label yes -
setFormat Output format word yes -
isoPlanes Flag for isoPlanes bool no false
origin Origin of the plane when isoPlanes is used vector yes -
direction Direction of the plane when isoPlanes is used vector yes -
maxD Maximum diameter of the sampling cylinder when isoPlanes is used vector yes -
nDownstreamBins Number of bins when isoPlanes is used label yes -
maxDownstream Maximum distance from origin when isoPlanes is used scalar yes -

The inherited entries are elaborated in:

Usage by the postProcess utility is not available.

Further information

Tutorial:

Source code:

History

  • Introduced in version v1606+