Sensitization of a Transition-Sensitive Linear Eddy-Viscosity Model to Rotation and Curvature Effects

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Varun Chitta ◽  
Tej P. Dhakal ◽  
D. Keith Walters

A new scalar eddy-viscosity turbulence model is proposed, designed to exhibit physically correct responses to flow transition, streamline curvature, and system rotation effects. The eddy-viscosity model (EVM) developed herein is based on the k–ω framework and employs four transport equations. The transport equation for a structural variable (v2) from a curvature-sensitive Shear Stress Transport (SST) k–ω–v2 model, analogous to the transverse turbulent velocity scale, is added to the three-equation transition-sensitive k–kL–ω model. The physical effects of rotation and curvature (RC) enter the model through the added transport equation. The new model is implemented into a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver and is tested on a number of flow problems involving flow transition and streamline curvature effects. The results obtained from the test cases presented here are compared with available experimental data and several other Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) based turbulence models. For the cases tested, the new model successfully resolves both flow transition and streamline curvature effects with reasonable engineering accuracy, for only a small increase in computational cost. The results suggest that the model has potential as a practical tool for the prediction of flow transition and curvature effects over blunt bodies.

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tej P. Dhakal ◽  
D. Keith Walters

A new variant of the SST k-ω model sensitized to system rotation and streamline curvature is presented. The new model is based on a direct simplification of the Reynolds stress model under weak equilibrium assumptions [York et al., 2009, “A Simple and Robust Linear Eddy-Viscosity Formulation for Curved and Rotating Flows,” International Journal for Numerical Methods in Heat and Fluid Flow, 19(6), pp. 745–776]. An additional transport equation for a transverse turbulent velocity scale is added to enhance stability and incorporate history effects. The added scalar transport equation introduces the physical effects of curvature and rotation on turbulence structure via a modified rotation rate vector. The modified rotation rate is based on the material rotation rate of the mean strain-rate based coordinate system proposed by Wallin and Johansson (2002, “Modeling Streamline Curvature Effects in Explicit Algebraic Reynolds Stress Turbulence Models,” International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow, 23, pp. 721–730). The eddy viscosity is redefined based on the new turbulent velocity scale, similar to previously documented k-ɛ- υ2 model formulations (Durbin, 1991, “Near-Wall Turbulence Closure Modeling without Damping Functions,” Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics, 3, pp. 1–13). The new model is calibrated based on rotating homogeneous turbulent shear flow and is assessed on a number of generic test cases involving rotation and/or curvature effects. Results are compared to both the standard SST k-ω model and a recently proposed curvature-corrected version (Smirnov and Menter, 2009, “Sensitization of the SST Turbulence Model to Rotation and Curvature by Applying the Spalart-Shur Correction Term,” ASME Journal of Turbomachinery, 131, pp. 1–8). For the test cases presented here, the new model provides reasonable engineering accuracy without compromising stability and efficiency, and with only a small increase in computational cost.


Author(s):  
Zinon Vlahostergios ◽  
Kyros Yakinthos

This paper presents an effort to model separation-induced transition on a flat plate with a semi-circular leading edge, by using two advanced turbulence models, the three equation non-linear model k-ε-A2 of Craft et al. [16] and the Reynolds-stress model of Craft [13]. The mechanism of the transition is governed by the different inlet velocity and turbulence intensity conditions, which lead to different recirculation bubbles and different transition onset points for each case. The use of advanced turbulence models in predicting the development of transitional flows has shown, in past studies, good perspectives. The k-ε-A2 model uses an additional transport equation for the A2 Reynolds stress invariant and it is an improvement of Craft et al. [12] non-linear eddy viscosity model. The use of the third transport equation gives improved results in the prediction of the longitudinal Reynolds stress distributions and especially, in flows where transitional phenomena may occur. Although this model is a pure eddy-viscosity model, it borrows many aspects from the more complex Reynolds-stress models. On the other hand, the use of an advanced Reynolds-stress turbulence model, such as the one of Craft [13], can predict many complex flows and there are indications that it can be applied to transitional flows also, since the crucial terms of Reynolds stress generation are computed exactly and normal stress anisotropy is resolved. The model of Craft [13], overcomes the drawbacks of the common used Reynolds-stress models regarding the computation of wall-normal distances and vectors in order to account for wall proximity effects. Instead of these quantities, it employs “normalized turbulence lengthscale gradients” which give the ability to identify the presence of strong inhomogeneity in a flow development, in an easier way. The final results of both turbulence models showed acceptable agreement with the experimental data. In this work it is shown that there is a good potential to model separation-induced transitional flows, with advanced turbulence modeling without any additional use of ad-hoc modifications or additional equations, based on various transition models.


Author(s):  
Feng Wang ◽  
Mauro Carnevale ◽  
Luca di Mare ◽  
Simon Gallimore

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been widely used for compressor design, yet the prediction of performance and stage matching for multi-stage, high-speed machines remain challenging. This paper presents the authors’ effort to improve the reliability of CFD in multistage compressor simulations. The endwall features (e.g. blade fillet and shape of the platform edge) are meshed with minimal approximations. Turbulence models with linear and non-linear eddy viscosity models are assessed. The non-linear eddy viscosity model predicts a higher production of turbulent kinetic energy in the passages, especially close to the endwall region. This results in a more accurate prediction of the choked mass flow and the shape of total pressure profiles close to the hub. The non-linear viscosity model generally shows an improvement on its linear counterparts based on the comparisons with the rig data. For geometrical details, truncated fillet leads to thicker boundary layer on the fillet and reduced mass flow and efficiency. Shroud cavities are found to be essential to predict the right blockage and the flow details close to the hub. At the part speed the computations without the shroud cavities fail to predict the major flow features in the passage and this leads to inaccurate predictions of massflow and shapes of the compressor characteristic. The paper demonstrates that an accurate representation of the endwall geometry and an effective turbulence model, together with a good quality and sufficiently refined grid result in a credible prediction of compressor matching and performance with steady state mixing planes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 140 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Wang ◽  
Mauro Carnevale ◽  
Luca di Mare ◽  
Simon Gallimore

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been widely used for compressor design, yet the prediction of performance and stage matching for multistage, high-speed machines remains challenging. This paper presents the authors' effort to improve the reliability of CFD in multistage compressor simulations. The endwall features (e.g., blade filet and shape of the platform edge) are meshed with minimal approximations. Turbulence models with linear and nonlinear eddy viscosity models are assessed. The nonlinear eddy viscosity model predicts a higher production of turbulent kinetic energy in the passages, especially close to the endwall region. This results in a more accurate prediction of the choked mass flow and the shape of total pressure profiles close to the hub. The nonlinear viscosity model generally shows an improvement on its linear counterparts based on the comparisons with the rig data. For geometrical details, truncated filet leads to thicker boundary layer on the filet and reduced mass flow and efficiency. Shroud cavities are found to be essential to predict the right blockage and the flow details close to the hub. At the part speed, the computations without the shroud cavities fail to predict the major flow features in the passage, and this leads to inaccurate predictions of mass flow and shapes of the compressor characteristic. The paper demonstrates that an accurate representation of the endwall geometry and an effective turbulence model, together with a good quality and sufficiently refined grid, result in a credible prediction of compressor matching and performance with steady-state mixing planes.


Author(s):  
Tej Prasad Dhakal ◽  
D. Keith Walters

To date, eddy viscosity models are the most accepted and widely used RANS-based turbulence closures, attributable to their computational efficiency and relative robustness. One notable shortcoming of these models is their insensitivity to system rotation and streamline curvature. In this article, we present a variation of the SST k-ω model properly sensitized to system rotation and streamline curvature. The new model is based on a direct simplification of the Reynolds Stress Model under weak equilibrium conditions. To enhance stability and include history effects, an additional transport equation for a transverse turbulent velocity scale is added to the model. The new transport equation incorporates the physical effect of curvature and rotation on the turbulence structure. The eddy viscosity is then redefined based on the new turbulent velocity scale. The model is calibrated based on rotating homogeneous shear flow and implemented for a number of test cases including rotating channel, U-duct, and hump model flow. Compared to popular two equation models, the new model shows improved performance in system rotation and/or streamline curvature dominated flows.


1996 ◽  
Vol 308 ◽  
pp. 219-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Harris ◽  
S. E. Belcher ◽  
R. L. Street

We develop a numerical model of the interaction between wind and a small-amplitude water wave. The model first calculates the turbulent flows in both the air and water that would be obtained with a flat interface, and then calculates linear perturbations to this base flow caused by a travelling surface wave. Turbulent stresses in the base flow are parameterized using an eddy viscosity derived from a low-turbulent-Reynolds-number κ – ε model. Turbulent stresses in the perturbed flow are parameterized using a new damped eddy viscosity model, in which the eddy viscosity model is used only in inner regions, and is damped exponentially to zero outside these inner regions. This approach is consistent with previously developed physical scaling arguments. Even on the ocean the interface can be aerodynamically smooth, transitional or rough, so the new model parameterizes the interface with a roughness Reynolds number and retains effects of molecular stresses (on both mean and turbulent parts of the flow).The damped eddy viscosity model has a free constant that is calibrated by comparing with results from a second-order closure model. The new model is then used to calculate the variation of form drag on a stationary rigid wave with Reynolds number, R. The form drag increases by a factor of almost two as R drops from 2 × 104 to 2 × 103 and shows remarkably good agreement with the value measured by Zilker & Hanratty (1979). These calculations show that the damped eddy viscosity model captures the physical processes that produce the asymmetric pressure that leads to form drag and also wave growth.Results from the numerical model show reasonable agreement with profiles measured over travelling water waves by Hsu & Hsu (1983), particularly for slower moving waves. The model suggests that the wave-induced flow in the water is irrotational except in an extremely thin interface layer, where viscous stresses are as likely to be important as turbulent stresses. Thus our study reinforces previous suggestions that the region very close to the interface is crucial to wind-wave interaction and shows that scales down to the viscous length may have an order-one effect on the development of the wave.The energy budget and growth rate of the wave motions, including effects of the sheared current and Reynolds number, will be examined in a subsequent paper.


Author(s):  
Varun Chitta ◽  
Tausif Jamal ◽  
Keith Walters

Turbulent flow over an axisymmetric hill is highly three-dimensional (3D) due to the presence of both streamwise and spanwise pressure gradients. Complex vortical separations and reattachments of the turbulent boundary layer are observed on the lee side, accurate prediction of which presents a demanding task for linear eddy-viscosity models (EVMs) when compared to attached boundary layer flows. In this study, an axisymmetric hill is investigated using three Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models — fully turbulent model (SST k-ω), transition-sensitive model (k-kL-ω), and a new four-equation model (k-kL-ω-v2). The new model is designed to exhibit physically correct responses to flow transition, streamline curvature, and system rotation effects. The test case includes a hill mounted in a channel with hill height H = 2δ, where δ is the approach turbulent boundary layer thickness. The flow Reynolds number (Re) based on the hill height is ReH = 1.3 × 105. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation results obtained using the new model are compared with the other two RANS models and with experimental data. Improved mean flow statistics are obtained using the new model that match well with the experiments. The results from this study highlight the need for a model that is able to resolve both flow transition and streamline curvature effects over blunt/curved bodies with reasonable engineering accuracy and computational cost.


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