Non-Equilibrium Turbulence Modelling for Compressor Corner Separation Flows

Corner separation is one type of the three-dimensional (3D) separated flows which is commonly observed at the junction of the blade suction surface and endwall of an axial compressor. The commonly used Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence models, namely Spalart-Allmaras (SA) and Menter’s Shear Stress Transport (SST) models, have been found to overpredict the size of corner separation. The physical reason is partly attributed to the underestimation of turbulence mixing between the mainstream flow and the endwall boundary-layer flow. This makes the endwall boundary layer unable to withstand the bulk adverse pressure gradients, and in turn leads to its premature separation from the endwall surface during its migration towards the endwall/blade suction surface corner. The endwall flow characteristics within the compressor stator cascade are then studied to facilitate understanding the physical mechanisms that drive the formation of 3D flow structures, and the physical reasons that lead to RANS modelling uncertainties. It is found that the insufficient near-wall boundary layer mixing is partly due to the failure of both SA and SST models to reasonably model the non-equilibrium turbulence behaviors inside the endwall boundary layer, which is caused by the boundary layer skewness. Based on the understanding of the skew-induced turbulence characteristics and its effect on mixing, a detailed effort is presented towards the physical-based modelling of the skew-induced non-equilibrium wall-bounded turbulence. The source terms in the SA and SST models that control mixing are identified and modified, in order to enhance mixing and strengthen the endwall boundary layer. The improved turbulence models are then validated against the compressor corner separation flows under various operating conditions to prove that the location and extent of the corner separation are more realistically predicted.

Magnetohydrodynamic Control of Hypersonic Separation Flows

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) control of hypersonic laminar separation flows is investigated in this paper. A series of numerical simulations over various geometry configurations, namely, a compression corner and a double wedge ramp hypersonic inlet, have been conducted by application of an external electromagnetic field. Results show that the performance of MHD separation flow control is mainly determined by flow acceleration of the Lorentz force directed in the streamwise direction. The Joule heating term always brings negative effects on the MHD separation flow control and increased the static pressure locally, where the electromagnetic field is applied. With an external electromagnetic field applied, the low velocity fluid in the boundary layer can be accelerated. Moreover, there exists a best location for the MHD zone to be applied and completely eliminate the separation of the flow from the surface.

Proper orthogonal decomposition analysis of boundary layer oscillating aspiration controlling separation flows in two-dimensional compressor cascades

Vortex structures of the separation flow fields in two-dimensional compressor cascades controlled by the boundary layer oscillating suction are numerically investigated. The proper orthogonal decomposition method is adopted to present the variation of characteristics owned by large-scale vortices. It is found that introducing unsteady excitations with proper frequencies into the steady aspiration results in a more effective control effect and the optimal oscillation frequency should be in line with the characteristic frequencies of the steady aspirated flow field. The separation flows can be decomposed in to several basic structures with the dominant one being in the manner of Karman vortex street regardless of the control method adopted. The boundary layer oscillating suction not only alleviates the separation by removing low-energy fluid, but also intensifies the harmonic flow element represented by proper orthogonal decomposition modes with others suppressed. The well-organized vortex shedding process could contribute to the loss reduction to some extent.

Detached Eddy Simulation of Complex Separation Flows Over a Modern Fighter Model at High Angle of Attack

This paper presents the simulation of complex separation flows over a modern fighter model at high angle of attack by using an unstructured/hybrid grid based Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) solver with an adaptive dissipation second-order hybrid scheme. Simulation results, including the complex vortex structures, as well as vortex breakdown phenomenon and the overall aerodynamic performance, are analyzed and compared with experimental data and unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) results, which indicates that with the DES solver, clearer vortical flow structures are captured and more accurate aerodynamic coefficients are obtained. The unsteady properties of DES flow field are investigated in detail by correlation coefficient analysis, power spectral density (PSD) analysis and proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis, which indicates that the spiral motion of the primary vortex on the leeward side of the aircraft model is highly nonlinear and dominates the flow field. Through the comparisons of flow topology and pressure distributions with URANS results, the reason why higher and more accurate lift can be obtained by DES is discussed. Overall, these results show the potential capability of present DES solver in industrial applications.

MESH CONVERGENCE STUDY FOR 2-D STRAIGHT-BLADE VERTICAL AXIS WIND TURBINE SIMULATIONS AND ESTIMATION FOR 3-D SIMULATIONS

Mesh resolution requirements are investigated for 2-D and 3-D simulations of the complex flow around a straight-blade vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). The resulting flow, which may include large separation flows over the blades, dynamic stall, and wake-blade interaction, is simulated by an Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes analysis, based on the Spalart-Allmaras (S–A) turbulence model. A grid resolution study is conducted on 2-D grids to examine the convergence of the CFD model. Hence, an averaged-grid residual of y+ > 30 is employed, along with a wall treatment, to capture the near-wall region’s flow structures. Furthermore a 3-D simulation on a coarse grid of the VAWT model is performed in order to explore the influence of the 3-D effects on the aerodynamic performance of the turbine. Finally, based on the 2-D grid convergence study and the 3-D results, the required computational time and mesh to simulate 3-D VAWT accurately is proposed.

Scale Adaptive Simulation of Flows Past an Airfoil After Stall

The Scale Adaptive Simulation (SAS) models can keep standard RANS capabilities in stable flow regions but resolve turbulent structures in unsteady regions of flow field like LES. This RANS/LES property of SAS model relies on the v. Karman length-scale as a scale determining variable, which allows the model to automatically adapt to the appropriate length-scales in the simulated flows. Although SAS is young and still in developing, it has been proved to be very suitable for the predictions of massive separation flows. In the current study, the SST-SAS model is implemented in an in-house CFD code. First, the test case of decaying homogenous isotropic turbulence is selected for calibrating a constant associated with high wave number damping. Then, the simulation of flow past NACA 0021 airfoil at 60° attack angle is carried out for the validation of this turbulence model in our code. After that, the numerical results of NACA 0021 airfoil at a range of attack angles after stall are also presented for the comprehensive understanding of the SAS model.