Visualize the flow with traces in a valve model

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In Autodesk CFD, you can create particle traces to visualize simulation results in 3D.

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This complete view can help you to better understand the flow through your valve model.

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In this case, a previously created results plane needs to be deleted.

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To delete a plane, on the ribbon, Results tab, in the Planes context panel, click Remove.

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Now, create the traces.

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On the Results tab, Results Tasks panel, select Traces.

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On the Create Set context panel, set the Seed Type to Circular, and set the Seed Pattern to Grid.

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Then, click Add.

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While you can create traces on nearly any surface in the model, the inlet valve is often the most convenient place.

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To create the trace seed grid, click in the center of the inlet, then use your mouse to drag the grid to the outer edge of the inlet.

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In the resulting view, you see only the traces, but it would be better to see how the traces interact with the solid parts.

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This can be accomplished by displaying the pipe and poppet transparently.

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In the Design Study Bar, under Results, expand Parts.

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Right-click Steel and select Transparent.

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Right-click Steel again, and this time, select Set Transparency.

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In the Transparency popup, drag the slider to 80%.

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You can now see how the flow moves through the valve.

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The traces are colored by velocity magnitude, so you can also see how the flow accelerates as the water enters the outlet pipe.

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Now that you know how to create and configure the display of particle traces,

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you can set up this complete 3D view for a better understanding of flow through the model.