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GP-PH-08X8I9XPhysicsOpen for request

OpenFOAM natural-convection simulation

An OpenFOAM-only study of buoyancy-driven flow, heat transfer, and transition behaviour in a differentially heated cavity.

  • OpenFOAM v2606
  • ParaView
  • Gmsh
  • Python
  • Docker

Software compatibility

OpenFOAM v2606 only

Cases are prepared for the OpenCFD OpenFOAM v2606 distribution. No ANSYS Fluent, COMSOL, STAR-CCM+, or OpenFOAM Foundation v14 files are included.

Project definition

Problem statement

Natural convection couples density variation, momentum, and heat transport, with flow structure and wall heat transfer changing strongly with Rayleigh and Prandtl number.

Project objectives

  • Model a standard differentially heated cavity under documented Boussinesq assumptions.
  • Simulate selected Rayleigh-number regimes and steady or transient behaviour.
  • Calculate wall heat transfer, Nusselt number, circulation, and temperature stratification.
  • Perform mesh, time-step, and conservation checks.
  • Compare centreline profiles and heat-transfer measures with benchmark data.

System design

System modules

01

Dimensionless setup

Maps Rayleigh, Prandtl, geometry, gravity, and thermal properties into case parameters.

02

Buoyant cases

Configures OpenFOAM thermal and momentum solvers with Boussinesq density effects.

03

Regime runner

Runs controlled Rayleigh, mesh, and time-step cases with consistent initial conditions.

04

Heat-transfer analyser

Calculates local and average Nusselt number, circulation, profiles, and energy balance.

05

Benchmark comparison

Compares standard quantities with permitted published cavity results.

Methodology

System workflow

  1. 01
    Verify low Rayleigh case

    A conduction-dominated case checks thermal boundaries and energy balance.

  2. 02
    Increase buoyancy

    Prepared Rayleigh cases develop circulation and boundary layers.

  3. 03
    Check numerics

    Mesh, time step, residuals, and heat balances are compared.

  4. 04
    Extract measures

    Nusselt, velocity, and temperature profiles are calculated consistently.

  5. 05
    Validate

    Results and regime changes are compared with cavity benchmarks.

Demonstration scenario

Three cavity cases progress from conduction-dominated to strong convection. Streamlines, isotherms, wall heat transfer, and centreline profiles are compared across meshes and against benchmark Nusselt values.

Engineering

Technical architecture

Case format
Native OpenCFD OpenFOAM v2606 buoyant-flow cases and result function objects.
Physics
Laminar or selected turbulent natural convection using documented Boussinesq validity limits.
Numerics
Boundary-layer refinement, transient controls where needed, and conservation monitoring.
Analysis
Python scripts for dimensionless values, profiles, Nusselt numbers, errors, and plots.

Testing

Evaluation

Evaluation measures

  • Thermal energy-balance closure
  • Average and local Nusselt-number error
  • Centreline velocity and temperature-profile error
  • Mesh and time-step sensitivity
  • Steady or transient regime identification
  • Runtime across Rayleigh-number cases

System boundaries

  • Only OpenCFD OpenFOAM v2606 cases are delivered.
  • The Boussinesq approximation is used only within its documented temperature and property range.
  • Radiation, surface roughness, and complex enclosure geometry are excluded.
  • The study is a physics benchmark and not a certified thermal design.

Included

  1. 01Cavity geometry and thermal-boundary workflow
  2. 02OpenFOAM buoyant-flow case files
  3. 03Nusselt, circulation, balance, and benchmark scripts
  4. 04Prepared meshes, Rayleigh cases, and results
  5. 05Complete source code in a private GitHub repository
  6. 06Complete project documentation with synopsis, abstract, methodology, convection equations, CFD setup, validation results, screenshots, and conclusion
  7. 07Setup and usage guide

Project record

No buyer information is collected on this page.

Permanent project ID
GP-PH-08X8I9X
Catalogued
22 Aug 2026
Completed
Pending
Verified
Pending
Demonstration
Added when ready

Handover

After purchase

  1. 01
    Payment is confirmed

    The project is marked unavailable and cannot be purchased again.

  2. 02
    Repository access is granted

    The buyer's submitted GitHub account receives access to the private repository.

  3. 03
    The purchase record is delivered

    The certification sheet is prepared from the reviewed buyer details and sent privately by email.