Introduction

The main objective of this coursework is to investigate the concepts related to flow in a liddriven cavity. ANSYS fluent was used to simulate a flow in a lid-driven flow by building a 2D
model of a square cavity with 1cm depth as shown in figure 1.

The top wall velocity was simulated with different velocities while the bottom and side walls are
stationary. The density and dynamic viscosity of water are constant at 1000kg/m and 0.001
Pas. In this case, the fluid is incompressible (water) and is an adiabatic process. Several
characteristics of the flow such as streamline patterns; contours of stream function and velocity
profile were simulated and investigated. The fluid motion in the cavity is driven by shear force
due to a moving bondary condition in the top of cavity.

For the 2 dimensional incompressible steady state Navier Stoke equation, applying the
governing equations in streamfunction

+U
+V
T
X
Y

1
=

and vorticity ,

+
Y )

+ ( X

(1)


+
X Y

=-

(2)

In which Re is the Reynold number and x and y are the Cartesian coordinates. The first
equation is the vorticity transport equation and the second is the vorticity equation.

Formula of Re is given as:

uD

Inertial force
Viscous force

As the velocity increases, the inertial force increases and the viscous force becomes less
significant.
At 0.5 m/s,

Re=

0.05 m
)(0.01 m)
s
0.001 Pas

(1000 kg /m )(

=500

Boundary condition
No-slip boundary condition (u = v = 0) is applied on all sides of the walls, except the top lid. On
the top lid (U= 1 and V = 0) is applied. The bottom boundary is modeled as wall in the
simulation.

1) Stream function

Figure 1 (a) Stream function at velocity 0.05m/s, 0.1m/s, 0.2m/s

As shown in the above figure, the vortex in the center of the diagram is the primary vortex
generated in the cavity. The presence of secondary vortices at the cavity bottom becomes more
apparent as the velocity increases. In reality, secondary vortices are present in all the diagram
velocities but they are too small and negligible thus not shown in the diagram. As the velocity
increases, the primary vortex center moves toward the geometric center of the cavity.
At low velocities with low Reynolds number, the vortex wall interaction on the surrounding flow is
weak. A thin layer of fluid moves through the strong vorticity gradient layer near the wall,
becoming an external flow. This is called an unsteady boundary layer separation. At high
Reynold number value, the shear force drags the flow which induces the vortex to break to a
smaller vortex .The separated layer rolls into vortices, which induces vortex layer on the wall. As
the Reynolds number increases, the vorticity and strength of the vortices increases is proven in
the figure. The magnitude and strength pf the primary vortex will always be higher than the
secondary vortex.
In 2D flow, the primary vortex and secondary vortex are isolated from each other by separated
surfaces. Fluid particles are not able to cross these surfaces.

2) Velocity magnitude

Figure 1 (b) Velocity magnitude at velocity 0.05m/s, 0.1m/s, 0.2m/s

As the Reynolds number increase, boundary layer along the solid wall becomes thinner and the
core fluid moves as a solid body with an increasingly uniform vorticity.At the center core of the
vortex the velocity and vorticity is zero. It is shown that the velocity is gradually decreasing
toward to the center and the development of narrow boundary layers. For a higher Reynold
number, the boundary layer becomes thinner. Near the lid the stream shows thinner boundary
layer as the Re increased. At the top of the cavity the velocity is highest because fluid flow from
the top horizontally acros the cavity.The fluid flow in a circular motion in the cavity as a vortex is
formed. Initially, the fluid flow in a circular motion at higher velocity but reduces as the distance
moved increased. This is because as the fluid flows, the inertial force decreases as the viscous
force dominates. As the velocity and the Re increases, the fluid has more inertial force than
overcomes the viscous force. This allows the fluid to maintain the higher velocity at a longer
distance. At higher Re, the radius of the vortex increases.

3) Velocity vector

Figure 1 (c) velocity vectors at 0.2m/s

As shown on the figure, the primary vortex is moving on the clockwise direction.

Figure 3.1: Zoomed bottom right corner of figure 1(c)

The secondary vortices at the bottom of the diagram show that it is moving in the anti-clockwise
direction. Secondary vortices always move in the opposite direction as the primary vortex.
Study 1 (ii)

In this case, the lid direction is reversed while other parameter remains the same.

Figure 1 (ii)(a) Stream function at velocity 0.05m/s, 0.1m/s, 0.2m/s

Figure 1 (ii)(b) Velocity magnitude at velocity 0.05m/s, 0.1m/s, 0.2m/s

Figure 1 c) velocity vectors at 0.2m/s

The direction of flow changes to the opposite while no other changes in flow development was
observed.