- Well, my head's full of questions
- My temp'rature's risin' fast
- Bob Dylan (Mixed Up Confusion)
Questions that have been asked more than once.
The structure of this page is still evolving. Once enough questions are inserted it will be clear which structure is the best.
Contents
1 General
Questions concerning the history of OpenFOAM, the license etc
1.1 What is OpenFOAM ?
TODO
1.2 Can I use OpenFOAM ?
TODO
2 Installation and Running
Problems with the installation and running of applications
2.1 Which platforms are supported by OpenFOAM ?
Currently binaries exist for two platforms:
- Linux
- i386-Architecture
- AMD Opteron (probably also Intel Xeaons with 64 Bit extension)
- Solaris
Ports to other operating systems that have been discussed on the message board are
- SGI Irix 6.5: Status unknown
- True 64: Status unknown
- Mac OS X: Status unknown
2.2 Why isn't there a Windows port of OpenFOAM ?
The only feasible way to port OpenFOAM to Windows is by using Cygwin, an application that implements the most common UNIX APIs on Windows.
The problem is that the file-sytem NTFS, that is used by most modern Windows Versions, is case-insensitive (hello.c and Hello.C are the same file). The OpenFOAM-sources need a case-sensitive file-system and can't even be unpacked properly on a Windows sytem (see [1]).
2.3 How do I port OpenFOAM to an unsupported platform ?
If your platform is not some kind of UNIX-flavour you're probably going to have a hard time.
For a starter see Porting to a new platform.
3 Physical
Questions about the physics implemented (boundary conditions and similar)
3.1 Boundary Conditions
3.1.1 What's the difference between the symmetryPlane and the zeroGradient boundary conditions?
TODO: [2]
3.1.2 What does the lInf parameter mean in pressureTransmissive boundary condition?
lInf is the relaxation length-scale (in m) for outgoing pressure waves to return to pInf. This stops the pressure in the domain floating about it the inlet pressure is not specified. (source: [3])
4 Solution procedure
Manipulating the solution procedure by non-programming means
4.1 How does one turn off the dimensional checking?
Dimensional checking is one of the cool features in OpenFOAM that helps to develop solvers that do something physicaly meaningfull. Therefore: don't do this if not absolutely necessary.
To switch it off at run-time set
dimensionSet 0;
in OpenFOAM-1.1/.OpenFOAM-1.1/controlDict.
A more controlled way is to use the dimensions()-method to set the dimension of the volXXXField in question to the desired dimension.
(source: [4])
4.2 Is there a way to switch between single and double precision?
Only by editing src/OpenFOAM/primitives/scalar/scalar.H and recompiling OpenFOAM. But why would you want to do that (except for memory issues).
(source: [5])
5 Preprocessing
Preparing the simulations
5.1 FoamX doesn't know my new solver
Look here: Howto_adding_a_new_solver_to_foamX
6 Postprocessing
Working with the results
7 Programming
Questions about writting applications and solvers
