ElmerGUI Tutorial 5 (Electrostatics Capacitance)

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Gary R
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ElmerGUI Tutorial 5 (Electrostatics Capacitance)

Post by Gary R »

Hi all,
I have been trying to run tutorial 5 in the ElmerGUI tutorial. There are 2 balls enclosed inside a far field sphere. How do I get to the enclosed spheres to set their characteristics. The manual shows a nice cut-away of the far field sphere but ElmerGUI has no such capability that I can find. How do I handle this example?

Gary R.
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Re: ElmerGUI Tutorial 5 (Electrostatics Capacitance)

Post by raback »

Hi

I recommend always using Paraview (and .vtu files for output) since paraview has all the features you could wish for, and a huge user community to support you.

Neither ElmerPost or the VTK widget of ElmerGUI are developed any more.

-Peter
Gary R
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Re: ElmerGUI Tutorial 5 (Electrostatics Capacitance)

Post by Gary R »

Thanks for the reply.
I do use Paraview for output display and completely agree that it is the only way to go. But my problem occurs before the paraview file is produced. My problem is at the mesh file level. I can't get to the enclosed bodies to set their model characteristics.

Gary R
mzenker
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Re: ElmerGUI Tutorial 5 (Electrostatics Capacitance)

Post by mzenker »

Hi,

you can try to zoom in until you see the inner bodies. You can also select the outer body/boundary and use "View->Hide/Show selected" to hide it and be able to select the inner bodies. Alternatively, if you know the number of the body (or boundary), you can check it in the dialogs for material, bodyforce and boundary condition.

HTH,

Matthias
Gary R
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Re: ElmerGUI Tutorial 5 (Electrostatics Capacitance)

Post by Gary R »

A belated thanks for the reply. So simple. I missed the Ctl H key thing. That solved the initial problem but uncovered another. My solver log is as follows:

Code: Select all

ELMER SOLVER (v 8.3) STARTED AT: 2018/01/13 18:03:12
ParCommInit:  Initialize #PEs:            1
WARNING:: MAIN: OMP_NUM_THREADS not set. Using only 1 thread.
MAIN: 
MAIN: =============================================================
MAIN: ElmerSolver finite element software, Welcome!
MAIN: This program is free software licensed under (L)GPL
MAIN: Copyright 1st April 1995 - , CSC - IT Center for Science Ltd.
MAIN: Webpage http://www.csc.fi/elmer, Email elmeradm@csc.fi
MAIN: Version: 8.3 (Rev: unknown, Compiled: 2017-12-06)
MAIN:  Trilinos library linked in.
MAIN:  MUMPS library linked in.
MAIN: =============================================================
MAIN: 
MAIN: 
MAIN: -------------------------------------
MAIN: Reading Model: case.sif
LoadInputFile: Scanning input file: case.sif
LoadInputFile: Loading input file: case.sif
Loading user function library: [StatElecSolve]...[StatElecSolver_Init0]
LoadMesh: Base mesh name: ./.
LoadMesh: Elapsed REAL time:     0.4010 (s)
WARNING:: CheckTimer: Requesting time from non-existing timer: LoadMesh
WARNING:: CheckTimer: Requesting time from non-existing timer: MeshStabParams
MAIN: -------------------------------------
AddVtuOutputSolverHack: Adding ResultOutputSolver to write VTU output in file: case
Loading user function library: [StatElecSolve]...[StatElecSolver_Init]
Loading user function library: [StatElecSolve]...[StatElecSolver_bulk]
Loading user function library: [StatElecSolve]...[StatElecSolver]
OptimizeBandwidth: ---------------------------------------------------------
OptimizeBandwidth: Computing matrix structure for: electrostatics...done.
OptimizeBandwidth: Half bandwidth without optimization: 35994
OptimizeBandwidth: 
OptimizeBandwidth: Bandwidth Optimization ...done.
OptimizeBandwidth: Half bandwidth after optimization: 3166
OptimizeBandwidth: ---------------------------------------------------------
Loading user function library: [ResultOutputSolve]...[ResultOutputSolver_Init]
Loading user function library: [ResultOutputSolve]...[ResultOutputSolver_bulk]
Loading user function library: [ResultOutputSolve]...[ResultOutputSolver]
MAIN: 
MAIN: -------------------------------------
MAIN:  Steady state iteration:            1
MAIN: -------------------------------------
MAIN: 
SingleSolver: Attempting to call solver
SingleSolver: Solver Equation string is: electrostatics
ERROR:: StatElecSolve: Capacitance calculation requested without any > Capacitance Body <
Note: The following floating-point exceptions are signalling: IEEE_INVALID_FLAG
As you can see, the solver errors out. My SIF file is as follows:

Code: Select all

Header
  CHECK KEYWORDS Warn
  Mesh DB "." "."
  Include Path ""
  Results Directory ""
End

Simulation
  Max Output Level = 5
  Coordinate System = Cartesian
  Coordinate Mapping(3) = 1 2 3
  Simulation Type = Steady state
  Steady State Max Iterations = 1
  Output Intervals = 1
  Timestepping Method = BDF
  BDF Order = 1
  Solver Input File = case.sif
  Post File = case.vtu
End

Constants
  Gravity(4) = 0 -1 0 9.82
  Stefan Boltzmann = 5.67e-08
  Permittivity of Vacuum = 1.0
  Boltzmann Constant = 1.3807e-23
  Unit Charge = 1.602e-19
End

Body 1
  Target Bodies(1) = 1
  Name = "Body 1"
  Equation = 1
  Material = 1
End

Solver 1
  Equation = Electrostatics
  Calculate Capacitance Matrix = True
  Variable = Potential
  Procedure = "StatElecSolve" "StatElecSolver"
  Calculate Electric Field = True
  Calculate Electric Energy = True
  Exec Solver = Always
  Stabilize = True
  Bubbles = False
  Lumped Mass Matrix = False
  Optimize Bandwidth = True
  Steady State Convergence Tolerance = 1.0e-5
  Nonlinear System Convergence Tolerance = 1.0e-7
  Nonlinear System Max Iterations = 20
  Nonlinear System Newton After Iterations = 3
  Nonlinear System Newton After Tolerance = 1.0e-3
  Nonlinear System Relaxation Factor = 1
  Linear System Solver = Iterative
  Linear System Iterative Method = BiCGStab
  Linear System Max Iterations = 500
  Linear System Convergence Tolerance = 1.0e-10
  BiCGstabl polynomial degree = 2
  Linear System Preconditioning = Diagonal
  Linear System ILUT Tolerance = 1.0e-3
  Linear System Abort Not Converged = False
  Linear System Residual Output = 1
  Linear System Precondition Recompute = 1
End

Equation 1
  Name = "Electorstatics"
  Active Solvers(1) = 1
End

Material 1
  Name = "Ideal"
  Relative Permittivity = 1.0
End

Boundary Condition 1
  Target Boundaries(1) = 3 
  Name = "FarField"
  Electric Infinity BC = True
End

Boundary Condition 2
  Target Boundaries(1) = 1 
  Name = "CapBody1"
End

Boundary Condition 3
  Target Boundaries(1) = 2 
  Name = "CapBody2"
End
What am I doing wrong?

Gary R.
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Re: ElmerGUI Tutorial 5 (Electrostatics Capacitance)

Post by adoldesa »

I don't know if it is too late but I had the same problem. The solution is to give a value to the field "capacitance body" in the BC tab. This should be an index which then makes up the (i,j)'s of the capacitance matrix.
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