Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mass conservative fluid flow visualization for CFD velocity fields

  • Special Issue in Flow Visualization
  • Published:
KSME International Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Mass conservation is a key issue for accurate streamline and stream surface visualization of flow fields. This paper complements an existing method (Feng et al., 1997) for CFD velocity fields defined at discrete locations in space that uses dual stream functions to generate streamlines and stream surfaces. Conditions for using the method have been examined and its limitations defined. A complete set of dual stream functions for all possible cases of the linear fields on which the method relies are presented. The results in this paper are important for developing new methods for mass conservative streamline visualization from CFD data and using the existing method.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Beale, S. B., 1997, “Visualisation of Three-dimensional Flow Fields Using Two Stream Functions,”10 th International Symposium on Transport Phenomena, Kyoto, Japan.

  • Buning, P., 1988, “Sources of Error in the Graphical Analysis of CFD Results,”J. Scientific Computing, Vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 149–164.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Feng, D., Wang, X., Cai W. and Shi, J., 1997, “A Mass Conservative Flow Field Visualization Method,”Computers & Graphics, Vol. 21, No. 6, pp. 749–756.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Handscomb, D. C, 1984, “Spline Representation of Incompressible Flow,”IMA J. Numerical Analysis, Vol. 4, pp. 491–502.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Handscomb, D. C, 1991, “Interpolation and Differentiation of Multivariate Functions and Interpolation of Divergence-Free Vector Fields Using Surfaces Splines,”Technical Report 91/5, Oxford Univ. Computing Laboratory.

  • Knight, D. and Mallinson, G. D., 1996, “Visualising Unstructured Flow Data Using Dual Stream Functions,”IEEE Transaction and Computer Graphics, Vol. 2(4), pp. 355–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mallinson, G. D., 1988, “The Calculation of the Lines of a Three Dimensional Vector Fields,”Computational Fluid Mechanics, G. de Vahl Davies and C. Fletcher, eds. , North Holland, pp. 525–534.

  • Nielson, G. M. and Jung, I. -H., 1999, “Tools for Computing Tangent Curves for Linearly Varying Vector Fields over Tetrahedral Domains,”IEEE Trans, on Visualization and Computer Graphics, Vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 360–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeung, P. K. and Pope, S. B., 1988, “An Algorithm for Tacking Fluid Particles in Numerical Simulations of Homogeneous Turbulence,”J. Computational Physics, Vol. 79, pp. 373–416.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Yih, C. S., 1957, “Stream Functions in Three Dimensional Flows,”La Houlle Blanche, Vol. 3, pp. 445–450.

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Auckland, New Zealand

    Zhenquan Li & Gordon D. Mallinson

Authors
  1. Zhenquan Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gordon D. Mallinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhenquan Li.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Li, Z., Mallinson, G.D. Mass conservative fluid flow visualization for CFD velocity fields. KSME International Journal 15, 1794–1800 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03185136

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03185136

Key Words

Search

Navigation