Next: Two-node unidirectional gap element Up: Element Types Previous: Three-node beam element (B32 Contents

###
Three-node fluid element (D)

This is a general purpose fluid element used in forced convection applications. It consists of three nodes: two end nodes and one middle node. The node numbering is shown in Figure 37. In the end nodes the only active degrees of freedom are the temperature degree of freedom (degree of freedom 11) and the pressure degree of freedom (degree of freedom 2). These nodes can be used in forced convection *FILM conditions. In the middle node the only active degree of freedom is degree of freedom 1, and stands for the mass flow rate through the element. A positive mass flow rate flows from local node 1 to local node 3, a negative mass flow rate in the reverse direction. It can be defined using a *BOUNDARY card for the first degree of freedom of the middle node of the element. Fluid material properties can be defined using the *MATERIAL, *FLUID CONSTANTS and *SPECIFIC GAS CONSTANT cards and assigned by the *FLUID SECTION card.

Fluid elements form fluid dynamic networks and should not share any node with any other type of element. Basically, analyses involving fluid dynamic networks belong to one of the following two types of calculations:

- Pure thermomechanical calculations. In that case the mass flow in all elements of the network is known and the only unknowns are the temperature (in the network and the structure) and displacements (in the structure). This mode is automatically activated if all mass flows are specified using boundary cards. In that case, pressures in the network are NOT calculated. Furthermore, the type of fluid element is not relevant and needs not to be specified.
- Fully coupled calculations involving fluid thermodynamical calculations with structural thermomechanical calculations. This mode is triggered if the mass flow in at least one of the fluid elements is not known. It requires for each fluid element the specification of its fluid section type.

The available types of fluid sections are listed in subsection 4.2 and 4.3.

Notice that fluid elements are one-dimensional and can account for two- or three-dimensional effects in the fluid flow only to a limited degree.

A special kind of fluid element is one in which one of the end nodes is zero (also called a dummy fluid element). This type is element is used at those locations where mass flow enters or leaves the network. In this case the end node which is not connected to any other fluid element gets the label zero. This node has no degrees of freedom. The degree of freedom 1 of the middle node corresponds to the entering or leaving mass flow.

Next: Two-node unidirectional gap element Up: Element Types Previous: Three-node beam element (B32 Contents