This article provides information on the equation describing conservation of energy relevant to fluid dynamics and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). It first assembles an equation for combined mechanical and thermal energy, i.e. total energy, in terms of material derivatives. It then presents an equation for thermal, or internal, energy. The total energy equation is then provided in terms of local (partial) derivatives, both in terms of internal energy and enthalpy. The implementation of the energy equation in solvers in OpenFOAM is then described.
Energy Equation in OpenFOAM
