[saleriCAE]

Dear OpenFOAM extend community,

I would like to run the ERCOFTAC centrifugal pump case study with OpenFOAM extend 3.2.

I would like to use the solver MRFSimpleFOAM and the mixingPlane capability in order to mesh only a periodic part of the impeller.

My problem is connecting the impeller outlet mixingPlane with the diffuser inlet mixingPlane.

Looking at the tutorials, for example the axial turbine tutorial, the mixingPlane is applied connecting flat patches in the axial direction.
In my case this can be applied for connecting inlet pipe outlet with impeller inlet.


The flow enters the impeller in -Z direction and my boundary files looks like:
inletpipe_outlet
{
type mixingPlane;
nFaces 100;
startFace 11840;
shadowPatch impeller_inlet;
zone inletpipe_outletZone;
coordinateSystem
{
type cylindrical;
name mixingCS;
origin (0 0 0);
e1 (1 0 0);
e3 (0 0 1);
inDegrees true;
}
ribbonPatch
{
sweepAxis Theta;
stackAxis R;
discretisation bothPatches;
}

}

impeller_inlet
{
type mixingPlane;
nFaces 100;
startFace 12820;
shadowPatch inletpipe_outlet;
zone impeller_inletZone;
coordinateSystem
{
type cylindrical;
name mixingCS;
origin (0 0 0);
e1 (1 0 0);
e3 (0 0 1);
inDegrees true;
}
ribbonPatch
{
sweepAxis Theta;
stackAxis R;
discretisation bothPatches;
}
}

But how should be written the boundary file for impeller outlet and vaned diffuser inlet since the interface is curved?
I have not found any tutorial nor material explaining that, can you please help me in setting up properly the boundary file for this application?

Thank you very much,
Remo