Set a velocity inlet and a pressure outlet
The commonest pair. One patch fixes the speed, the other fixes the pressure level, and the application fans each one out across every field the case solves.
Runs on the free tier.
The inlet
Section titled “The inlet”- Select Boundary conditions, then the inlet patch in the tree beneath it.
- Set Type to
Velocity inlet. - Set Velocity, in m/s.
- Under Turbulence, set Intensity (%) and Length scale (m). The
hint gives roughly 7% of the body length, computed for this case. The
read-out below converts the pair into
k,ωandεso you can sanity-check them. - If the energy equation is on, set Temperature.
The outlet
Section titled “The outlet”- Select the outlet patch.
- Set Type to
Pressure outlet. - Set Gauge pressure, in Pa. The
writeslabel shows the kinematic value that reaches0/p, which is what OpenFOAM stores for an incompressible case.
A pressure outlet needs no velocity and no turbulence specification — the flow leaves on whatever the interior gives it.
What each type needs
Section titled “What each type needs”| Type | Velocity | Pressure | Turbulence |
|---|---|---|---|
Velocity inlet |
yes | — | yes |
Pressure inlet |
— | yes | yes |
Pressure outlet |
— | yes | — |
Far field |
yes (Freestream speed) | yes | yes |
Outflow |
— | — | — |
Outflow, Symmetry, Periodic, Empty (2D) and Wedge (axisymmetric) take
no parameters at all: they are purely geometric and are applied to every field.
Check it worked
Section titled “Check it worked”- The This writes block at the bottom of each patch lists a type against
every field, with no
—. - The row for each patch in the Boundary conditions list summarises it — a velocity inlet reads back as its speed, intensity and length scale.
- The Problems tab is clear. Every patch must have a condition on every field before the case can run, and it says so per patch rather than letting the solver find out.
- If the patch names do not match the generated mesh, a warning appears at the top of the list with the mesh’s own names, and Use the mesh’s patches adopts them.