deepflame-case-setup

name	DeepFlame Case Setup
description	Set up DeepFlame combustion cases with chemistry, boundary conditions, and solver configuration. Use for combustion simulations involving dfLowMachFoam, dfSprayFoam, dfHighSpeedFoam.

DeepFlame Case Setup

TUTORIAL-FIRST WORKFLOW

ALWAYS start by examining DeepFlame example cases:

• Use list and read tools on deepflame/examples/ directory
• Grep for: dfLowMachFoam, dfSprayFoam, dfHighSpeedFoam, CanteraTorchProperties
• Copy and adapt existing cases rather than building from scratch

CRITICAL SETUP STEPS

1. CanteraTorchProperties Configuration

Grep patterns: CanteraMechanismFile, torchModel, loadBalancing

• File: constant/CanteraTorchProperties
• ABSOLUTE PATHS ONLY for mechanism files (e.g., /full/path/mechanism.yaml)
• Never use relative paths - causes simulation failures

2. Species Configuration

Grep patterns: Ydefault, species, mass fraction

• 0/Ydefault file provides default mass fractions for chemical species
• Essential for combustion cases with multiple species
• Usually set to 0 for species not explicitly defined

3. Boundary Conditions

Grep patterns: inlet, outlet, wall, fixedValue, zeroGradient

• Inlet: fixedValue for velocity, temperature, species mass fractions
• Outlet: zeroGradient or inletOutlet
• Walls: fixedValue for temperature, noSlip for velocity

4. Solver Selection

Grep patterns: dfLowMachFoam, dfSprayFoam, dfHighSpeedFoam

• dfLowMachFoam: Low Mach number combustion
• dfSprayFoam: Spray combustion with Lagrangian particles
• dfHighSpeedFoam: High-speed combustion flows

SETUP VERIFICATION PROTOCOL

ALWAYS set stopAt in system/controlDict to "writeNow" for initial testing:

• Ensures setup correctness before full production runs
• Test mesh generation, boundary conditions, initial convergence
• After successful test, set stopAt = "endTime" for production

TROUBLESHOOTING PATTERNS

Grep for error patterns:

• CanteraMechanismFile not found → Check absolute path in CanteraTorchProperties
• species not found → Verify Ydefault file and species names
• boundary condition error → Check inlet/outlet/wall BC consistency
• loadBalancing failed → Review CanteraTorchProperties loadBalancing section

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

For detailed configuration options, search DeepFlame documentation and examples:

• Grep docs/ for: combustion, chemistry, turbulence, boundary conditions
• Examine deepflame/examples/ cases for complete working configurations
• Use paper_analysis tool on combustion CFD papers for advanced techniques