Large-eddy simulation of transition to turbulence in a boundary layer developing spatially over a flat plate

1996 ◽  
Vol 326 ◽  
pp. 1-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
FréDÉRic Ducros, Pierre Comte ◽  
Marcel Lesieur

It is well known that subgrid models such as Smagorinsky's cannot be used for the spatially growing simulation of the transition to turbulence of flat-plate boundary layers, unless large-amplitude perturbations are introduced at the upstream boundary: they are over-dissipative, and the flow simulated remains laminar. This is also the case for the structure-function model (SF) of Métais & Lesieur (1992). In the present paper we present a sequel to this model, the filtered-structure-function (FSF) model. It consists of removing the large-scale fluctuations of the field before computing its second-order structure function. Analytical arguments confirm the superiority of the FSF model over the SF model for large-eddy simulations of weakly unstable transitional flows. The FSF model is therefore used for the simulation of a quasi-incompressible (M∞ = 0.5) boundary layer developing spatially over an adiabatic flat plate, with a low level of upstream forcing. With the minimal resolution 650 × 32 × 20 grid points covering a range of streamwise Reynolds numbers Rex1 ε [3.4 × 105, 1.1 × 106], transition is obtained for 80 hours of time-processing on a CRAY 2 (whereas DNS of the whole transition takes about ten times longer). Statistics of the LES are found to be in acceptable agreement with experiments and empirical laws, in the laminar, transitional and turbulent parts of the domain. The dynamics of low-pressure and high-vorticity distributions is examined during transition, with particular emphasis on the neighbourhood of the critical layer (defined here as the height of the fluid travelling at a speed equal to the phase speed of the incoming Tollmien–Schlichting waves). Evidence is given that a subharmonic-type secondary instability grows, followed by a purely spanwise (i.e. time-independent) mode which yields peak-and-valley splitting and transition to turbulence. In the turbulent region, flow visualizations and local instantaneous profiles are provided. They confirm the presence of low- and high-speed streaks at the wall, weak hairpins stretched by the flow and bursting events. It is found that most of the vorticity is produced in the spanwise direction, at the wall, below the high-speed streaks. Isosurfaces of eddy viscosity confirm that the FSF model does not perturb transition much, and acts mostly in the vicinity of the hairpins.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Wagner ◽  
Andre Souza ◽  
Adeline Hillier ◽  
Ali Ramadhan ◽  
Raffaele Ferrari

<p>Parameterizations of turbulent mixing in the ocean surface boundary layer (OSBL) are key Earth System Model (ESM) components that modulate the communication of heat and carbon between the atmosphere and ocean interior. OSBL turbulence parameterizations are formulated in terms of unknown free parameters estimated from observational or synthetic data. In this work we describe the development and use of a synthetic dataset called the “LESbrary” generated by a large number of idealized, high-fidelity, limited-area large eddy simulations (LES) of OSBL turbulent mixing. We describe how the LESbrary design leverages a detailed understanding of OSBL conditions derived from observations and large scale models to span the range of realistically diverse physical scenarios. The result is a diverse library of well-characterized “synthetic observations” that can be readily assimilated for the calibration of realistic OSBL parameterizations in isolation from other ESM model components. We apply LESbrary data to calibrate free parameters, develop prior estimates of parameter uncertainty, and evaluate model errors in two OSBL parameterizations for use in predictive ESMs.</p>


2016 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis B. Wonnell ◽  
James Chen

A boundary layer with Re = 106 is simulated numerically on a flat plate using morphing continuum theory. This theory introduces new terms related to microproperties of the fluid. These terms are added to a finite-volume fluid solver with appropriate boundary conditions. The success of capturing the initial disturbances leading to turbulence is shown to be a byproduct of the physical and mathematical rigor underlying the balance laws and constitutive relations introduced by morphing continuum theory (MCT). Dimensionless equations are introduced to produce the parameters driving the formation of disturbances leading to turbulence. Numerical results for the flat plate are compared with the experimental results determined by the European Research Community on Flow, Turbulence, and Combustion (ERCOFTAC) database. Experimental data show good agreement inside the boundary layer and in the bulk flow. Success in predicting conditions necessary for turbulent and transitional (T2) flows without ad hoc closure models demonstrates the theory's inherent advantage over traditional turbulence models.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha A. Miller ◽  
Derek Mamrol ◽  
Joel J. Redmond ◽  
Karl Jantze ◽  
Carlo Scalo ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 622 ◽  
pp. 33-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. HUMBLE ◽  
G. E. ELSINGA ◽  
F. SCARANO ◽  
B. W. van OUDHEUSDEN

An experimental study is carried out to investigate the three-dimensional instantaneous structure of an incident shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interaction at Mach 2.1 using tomographic particle image velocimetry. Large-scale coherent motions within the incoming boundary layer are observed, in the form of three-dimensional streamwise-elongated regions of relatively low- and high-speed fluid, similar to what has been reported in other supersonic boundary layers. Three-dimensional vortical structures are found to be associated with the low-speed regions, in a way that can be explained by the hairpin packet model. The instantaneous reflected shock wave pattern is observed to conform to the low- and high-speed regions as they enter the interaction, and its organization may be qualitatively decomposed into streamwise translation and spanwise rippling patterns, in agreement with what has been observed in direct numerical simulations. The results are used to construct a conceptual model of the three-dimensional unsteady flow organization of the interaction.


2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yousef Kanani ◽  
Sumanta Acharya ◽  
Forrest Ames

Vane pressure side heat transfer is studied numerically using large eddy simulation (LES) on an aft-loaded vane with a large leading edge over a range of turbulence conditions. Numerical simulations are performed in a linear cascade at exit chord Reynolds number of Re = 5.1 × 105 at low (Tu ≈ 0.7%), moderate (Tu ≈ 7.9%), and high (Tu ≈ 12.4%) freestream turbulence with varying length scales as prescribed by the experimental measurements of Varty and Ames (2016, “Experimental Heat Transfer Distributions Over an Aft Loaded Vane With a Large Leading Edge at Very High Turbulence Levels,” ASME Paper No. IMECE2016-67029). Heat transfer predictions on the vane pressure side are in a very good agreement with the experimental measurements and the heat transfer augmentation due to the freestream turbulence is well captured. At Tu ≈ 12.4%, freestream turbulence enhances the Stanton number on the pressure surface without boundary layer transition to turbulence by a maximum of about 50% relative to the low freestream turbulence case. Higher freestream turbulence generates elongated structures and high-velocity streaks wrapped around the leading edge that contain significant energy. Amplification of the velocity streaks is observed further downstream with max rms of 0.3 near the trailing edge but no transition to turbulence or formation of turbulence spots is observed on the pressure side. The heat transfer augmentation at the higher freestream turbulence is primarily due to the initial amplification of the low-frequency velocity perturbations inside the boundary layer that persist along the entire chord of the airfoil. Stanton numbers appear to scale with the streamwise velocity fluctuations inside the boundary layer.


Author(s):  
Takashi Takata ◽  
Akira Yamaguchi ◽  
Masaaki Tanaka ◽  
Hiroyuki Ohshima

Turbulent statistics near a structural surface, such as a magnitude of temperature fluctuation and its frequency characteristic, play an important role in damage progression due to thermal stress. A Large Eddy Simulation (LES) has an advantage to obtain the turbulent statistics especially in terms of the frequency characteristic. However, it still needs a great number of computational cells near a wall. In the present paper, a two-layer approach based on boundary layer approximation is extended to an energy equation so that a low computational cost is achieved even in a large-scale LES analysis to obtain the near wall turbulent statistics. The numerical examinations are carried out based on a plane channel flow with constant heat generation. The friction Reynolds numbers (Reτ) of 395 and 10,000 are investigated, while the Prandtl number (Pr) is set to 0.71 in each analysis. It is demonstrated that the present method is cost-effective for a large-scale LES analysis.


1982 ◽  
Vol 119 ◽  
pp. 91-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Kataoka ◽  
Y. Kamiyama ◽  
S. Hashimoto ◽  
T. Komai

Local measurement of the mass-transfer rate and velocity gradient when an axisymmetric jet impinges on a flat plate was carried out using an electrochemical technique. Local measurement of the surface pressure on the flat plate was carried out separately using piezoelectric pressure transducers. The stagnation-point mass-transfer coefficient reaches a maximum when the flat plate is placed at 6 nozzle diameters from a convergent nozzle. It has been confirmed that the mass transfer to the flat plate for a high Schmidt number is greatly enhanced owing to the velocity-gradient disturbances in the wall region of the boundary layer, while the momentum transfer is insensitive to such disturbances. The relative intensity of the velocity-gradient fluctuations on the wall has an extremely large value at and near to the stagnation point, and decreases downstream, approaching a large constant value.These velocity-gradient disturbances are not due to the usual interaction of Reynolds stress with the shear stress of the mean flow, but are due to the interaction with the surface-pressure fluctuations converted from the velocity fluctuations of the oncoming jet.The three co-ordinate dimensions of large-scale eddies are calculated from the auto- and spatial correlations of the surface-pressure fluctuations. It is considered that such large-scale eddies play an important role in the production of a velocity-gradient disturbance in the wall region of the boundary layer from the velocity turbulence of the approaching jet.


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