Direct numerical simulation of transition to turbulence from a high‐symmetry initial condition

1994 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 2757-2784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluş N. Boratav ◽  
Richard B. Pelz
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Direct Numerical Simulation ◽  
Transition To Turbulence ◽  
High Symmetry ◽  
Initial Condition

Direct numerical simulation of the flow over a sphere at Re = 3700

2011 ◽  
Vol 679 ◽  
pp. 263-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
IVETTE RODRIGUEZ ◽  
RICARD BORELL ◽  
ORIOL LEHMKUHL ◽  
CARLOS D. PEREZ SEGARRA ◽  
ASSENSI OLIVA
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Direct Numerical Simulation ◽  
Shear Layer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Power Spectra ◽  
Numerical Data ◽  
Transition To Turbulence ◽  
Stream Velocity ◽  
Sphere Diameter ◽  
Mean Flow

The direct numerical simulation of the flow over a sphere is performed. The computations are carried out in the sub-critical regime at Re = 3700 (based on the free-stream velocity and the sphere diameter). A parallel unstructured symmetry-preserving formulation is used for simulating the flow. At this Reynolds number, flow separates laminarly near the equator of the sphere and transition to turbulence occurs in the separated shear layer. The vortices formed are shed at a large-scale frequency, St = 0.215, and at random azimuthal locations in the shear layer, giving a helical-like appearance to the wake. The main features of the flow including the power spectra of a set of selected monitoring probes at different positions in the wake of the sphere are described and discussed in detail. In addition, a large number of turbulence statistics are computed and compared with previous experimental and numerical data at comparable Reynolds numbers. Particular attention is devoted to assessing the prediction of the mean flow parameters, such as wall-pressure distribution, skin friction, drag coefficient, among others, in order to provide reliable data for testing and developing statistical turbulence models. In addition to the presented results, the capability of the methodology used on unstructured grids for accurately solving flows in complex geometries is also pointed out.

Direct Numerical Simulation and Large Eddy Simulation of Laminar Separation Bubbles at Moderate Reynolds Numbers

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francois Cadieux ◽  
Julian A. Domaradzki ◽  
Taraneh Sayadi ◽  
Sanjeeb Bose
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Direct Numerical Simulation ◽  
Separation Bubble ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Transition To Turbulence ◽  
Laminar Separation Bubble ◽  
Laminar Separation ◽  
Large Eddy

Flows over airfoils and blades in rotating machinery for unmanned and microaerial vehicles, wind turbines, and propellers consist of different flow regimes. A laminar boundary layer near the leading edge is often followed by a laminar separation bubble with a shear layer on top of it that experiences transition to turbulence. The separated turbulent flow then reattaches and evolves downstream from a nonequilibrium turbulent boundary layer to an equilibrium one. Typical Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) turbulence modeling methods were shown to be inadequate for such laminar separation bubble flows (Spalart and Strelets, 2000, “Mechanisms of Transition and Heat Transfer in a Separation Bubble,” J. Fluid Mech., 403, pp. 329–349). Direct numerical simulation (DNS) is the most reliable but is also the most computationally expensive alternative. This work assesses the capability of large eddy simulations (LES) to reduce the resolution requirements for such flows. Flow over a flat plate with suitable velocity boundary conditions away from the plate to produce a separation bubble is considered. Benchmark DNS data for this configuration are generated with the resolution of 59 × 106 mesh points; also used is a different DNS database with 15 × 106 points (Spalart and Strelets, 2000, “Mechanisms of Transition and Heat Transfer in a Separation Bubble,” J. Fluid Mech., 403, pp. 329–349). Results confirm that accurate LES are possible using O(1%) of the DNS resolution.

Direct numerical simulation of transition to turbulence in Görtler flow

1993 ◽  
Vol 246 ◽  
pp. 267-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Liu ◽  
J. Andrzej Domaradzki
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Direct Numerical Simulation ◽  
Linear Stability ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Vertical Direction ◽  
Velocity Profiles ◽  
Vertical Shear ◽  
Transition To Turbulence ◽  
Concave Wall

Using direct numerical simulation techniques we investigate transition to turbulence in a boundary-layer flow containing two large-scale counter-rotating vortices with axes aligned in the streamwise direction. The vortices are assumed to have been generated by the Görtler instability mechanism operating in boundary-layer flows over concave walls. Full, three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations in a natural curvilinear coordinate system for a flow over concave wall are solved by a pseudospectral numerical method. The simulations are initialized with the most unstable mode of the linear stability theory for this flow with its amplitude taken from the experimental measurements of Swearingen & Blackwelder (1987). The evolution of the Görtler vortices for two different spanwise wavenumbers has been investigated. In all cases the development of strong inflexional velocity profiles is observed in both spanwise and vertical directions. The instabilities of these velocity profiles are identified as a primary mechanism of the transition process. The results indicate that the spanwise shear plays a more prominent role in the transition to turbulence than the vertical shear, in agreement with the hypothesis originally proposed by Swearingen & Blackwelder (1987). The following features of the transition, consistent with this hypothesis, were observed. Instability oscillations start in the spanwise direction and are followed later by oscillations in the vertical direction. A two-dimensional linear stability analysis predicts that the maximum growth rates of perturbations associated with the spanwise profiles are greater than those associated with the vertical profiles. Regions of high perturbation velocity correlate well with the regions of high spanwise shear and no obvious correlation with the vertical shear regions is observed. Finally, the analysis of the kinetic energy balance equation reveals that most of the perturbation energy production in the initial stages of transition occurs in the region characterized by large spanwise shear created by the action of the vortices moving low-speed fluid away from the wall. Our results are consistent qualitatively and quantitatively with other experimental, theoretical, and numerical investigations of this flow.

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