scholarly journals Performance Assessment of Reynolds Stress and Eddy Viscosity Models on a Transitional DCA Compressor Blade

Aerospace ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 102
Author(s):  
Zinon Vlahostergios

In the current work a detailed investigation and a performance assessment of two eddy viscosity and two Reynolds stress turbulence models for modelling the transitional flow on a double circular arc (DCA) compressor blade is presented. The investigation is focused on the comparison of the obtained computational results with available experimental data for a specific DCA compressor blade cascade which can be found in the European Research Community on Flow, Turbulence and Combustion (ERCOFTAC) experimental database. The examined flow field is very challenging for the performance assessment of the turbulence models. The blade inlet angle departs +5° from the compressor blade design conditions resulting in a complex flow field having large regions of boundary layer transition both on the suction and pressure sides of the blade with the presence of an unsteady wake. The presented results include velocity and turbulence intensity distributions along the pressure, the suction sides, and the wake region of the blade. From the comparison with the available experimental data, it is evident that in order to accurately compute such complex velocity and turbulence fields that are met in aero engine components (compressors and turbines), it is obligatory to use more advanced turbulence models with the Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes Equations (URANS) adoption, or other simulation and hybrid methodologies which require unsteady calculations.

2015 ◽  
Vol 119 (1215) ◽  
pp. 631-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Ding ◽  
C.-B. Shen ◽  
W. Huang ◽  
J. Liu

AbstractA numerical study was conducted to analyse the performance of different turbulence models and different turbulence intensities and turbulence length scales specified for the boundary condition of the inflow to the internal compression flow field of a typical supersonic inlet. The effect of the back-pressure ratio on the properties of the flow field was also investigated. Computational results obtained by the commercial software FLUENT, which is used to solve the full two-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, were validated through both graphical and quantitative comparisons with previously published experimental data. The two-equation models that were considered in this study are the RNGk-ε, realisablek-ε, standardk-ε, and SSTk-ω turbulence models. The RNGk-ε model had the best performance among the four models and predicted good wall pressure distributions. The best agreement between the predicted results and experimental data was obtained when either the default values of the freestream turbulence intensity and length scale in the FLUENT solver were used, or the empirical formula was used to calculate the two parameters of the freestream turbulence properties. The shock wave pattern varied between the oblique mode and the fully developed normal mode with increasing back-pressure ratio, and the unstart phenomenon occurred when the back-pressure ratio was sufficiently high.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Dian Zheng ◽  
Yi Yang ◽  
Guang Lin Qiang ◽  
Zhengqi Gu

Purpose This paper aims to propose a precise turbulence model for automobile aerodynamics simulation, which can predict flow separation and reattachment phenomena more accurately. Design/methodology/approach As the results of wake flow simulation with commonly used turbulence models are unsatisfactory, by introducing a nonlinear Reynolds stress term and combining the detached Eddy simulation (DES) model, this paper proposes a nonlinear-low-Reynolds number (LRN)/DES turbulence model. The turbulence model is verified in a backward-facing step case and applied in the flow field analysis of the Ahmed model. Several widely applied turbulence models are compared with the nonlinear-LRN/DES model and the experimental data of the above cases. Findings Compared with the experimental data and several turbulence models, the nonlinear-LRN/DES model gives better agreement with the experiment and can predict the automobile wake flow structures and aerodynamic characteristics more accurately. Research limitations/implications The nonlinear-LRN/DES model proposed in this paper suffers from separation delays when simulating the separation flows above the rear slant of the Ahmed body. Therefore, more factors need to be considered to further improve the accuracy of the model. Practical implications This paper proposes a turbulence model that can more accurately simulate the wake flow field structure of automobiles, which is valuable for improving the calculation accuracy of the aerodynamic characteristics of automobiles. Originality/value Based on the nonlinear eddy viscosity method and the scale resolved simulation, a nonlinear-LRN/DES turbulence model including the nonlinear Reynolds stress terms for separation and reattachment prediction, as well as the wake vortex structure prediction is first proposed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
F. P. P. Tan ◽  
N. B. Wood ◽  
G. Tabor ◽  
X. Y. Xu

In this study, two different turbulence methodologies are investigated to predict transitional flow in a 75% stenosed axisymmetric experimental arterial model and in a slightly modified version of the model with an eccentric stenosis. Large eddy simulation (LES) and Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) methods were applied; in the LES simulations eddy viscosity subgrid-scale models were employed (basic and dynamic Smagorinsky) while the RANS method involved the correlation-based transitional version of the hybrid k-ε/k-ω flow model. The RANS simulations used 410,000 and 820,000 element meshes for the axisymmetric and eccentric stenoses, respectively, with y+ less than 2 viscous wall units for the boundary elements, while the LES used 1,200,000 elements with y+ less than 1. Implicit filtering was used for LES, giving an overlap between the resolved and modeled eddies, ensuring accurate treatment of near wall turbulence structures. Flow analysis was carried out in terms of vorticity and eddy viscosity magnitudes, velocity, and turbulence intensity profiles and the results were compared both with established experimental data and with available direct numerical simulations (DNSs) from the literature. The simulation results demonstrated that the dynamic Smagorinsky LES and RANS transitional model predicted fairly comparable velocity and turbulence intensity profiles with the experimental data, although the dynamic Smagorinsky model gave the best overall agreement. The present study demonstrated the power of LES methods, although they were computationally more costly, and added further evidence of the promise of the RANS transition model used here, previously tested in pulsatile flow on a similar model. Both dynamic Smagorinsky LES and the RANS model captured the complex transition phenomena under physiological Reynolds numbers in steady flow, including separation and reattachment. In this respect, LES with dynamic Smagorinsky appeared more successful than DNS in replicating the axisymmetric experimental results, although inflow conditions, which are subject to caveats, may have differed. For the eccentric stenosis, LES with Smagorinsky coefficient of 0.13 gave the closest agreement with DNS despite the known shortcomings of fixed coefficients. The relaminarization as the flow escaped the influence of the stenosis was amply demonstrated in the simulations, graphically so in the case of LES.


2001 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Gerolymos ◽  
J. Neubauer ◽  
V. C. Sharma ◽  
I. Vallet

In this paper an assessment of the improvement in the prediction of complex turbomachinery flows using a new near-wall Reynolds-stress model is attempted. The turbulence closure used is a near-wall low-turbulence-Reynolds-number Reynolds-stress model, that is independent of the distance-from-the-wall and of the normal-to-the-wall direction. The model takes into account the Coriolis redistribution effect on the Reynolds-stresses. The five mean flow equations and the seven turbulence model equations are solved using an implicit coupled OΔx3 upwind-biased solver. Results are compared with experimental data for three turbomachinery configurations: the NTUA high subsonic annular cascade, the NASA_37 rotor, and the RWTH 1 1/2 stage turbine. A detailed analysis of the flowfield is given. It is seen that the new model that takes into account the Reynolds-stress anisotropy substantially improves the agreement with experimental data, particularily for flows with large separation, while being only 30 percent more expensive than the k−ε model (thanks to an efficient implicit implementation). It is believed that further work on advanced turbulence models will substantially enhance the predictive capability of complex turbulent flows in turbomachinery.


Author(s):  
B. G. Vinod Kumar ◽  
John W. Chew ◽  
Nicholas J. Hills

Design and optimization of an efficient internal air system of a gas turbine requires thorough understanding of the flow and heat transfer in rotating disc cavities. The present study is devoted to numerical modelling of flow and heat transfer in a cylindrical cavity with radial inflow and comparison with the available experimental data. The simulations are carried out with axi-symmetric and 3-D sector models for various inlet swirl and rotational Reynolds numbers upto 2.1×106. The pressure coefficients and Nusselt numbers are compared with the available experimental data and integral method solutions. Two popular eddy viscosity models, the Spalart-Allmaras and the k-ε, and a Reynolds stress model have been used. For cases with particularly strong vortex behaviour the eddy viscosity models show some shortcomings with the Spalart-Allmaras model giving slightly better results than the k-ε model. Use of the Reynolds stress model improved the agreement with measurements for such cases. The integral method results are also found to agree well with the measurements.


Author(s):  
O. Z. Mehdizadeh ◽  
L. Temmerman ◽  
B. Tartinville ◽  
Ch. Hirsch

Turbulence modeling remains an active CFD development front for turbomachinery as well as for general industrial applications. While DNS and even LES still seem out of reach within the typical industrial design cycle due to their high computational cost, RANS-based models remain the workhorse of CFD. Currently, the most widely used models are Linear Eddy-Viscosity Models (LEVM), despite their known limitations for certain flow complexities. Therefore, extending the reliability of eddy-viscosity models to more complex flows without significantly increasing the computational cost can immediately contribute to more reliable CFD results for wider range of applications. This, in turn, can further reduce the need for costly tests and consequently can reduce the product development cost. A promising approach to achieve this goal is using Explicit Algebraic Reynolds Stress Models (EARSM), obtained through a simplification of the full Differential Reynolds Stress Models (DRSM), and can be perceived as an extension of LEVMs by including the non-linear relation between the turbulence stress tensor, the mean-flow gradient and the turbulence scales. These models are thus less demanding than DRSM, yet capable of capturing more complex turbulence features, compared to LEVM, such as anisotropy in the normal stresses. This may be particularly important in corner flows, for instance, in the hub-blade regions or in diffusers. This work explores the application of EARSM models to a double diffuser and a high-performance centrifugal compressor stage (HPCC). The results are compared to available experimental data [1,2] showing the importance of including the anisotropy of turbulence in the model, particularly in presence of turbulent corner flows in a diffuser. Furthermore, the EARSM results are also compared to results from the commonly used SST turbulence model. The CFD comparison includes details of the flow structure in the diffuser, where the most noticeable impact from the use of EARSM turbulence models is expected.


2006 ◽  
Vol 128 (6) ◽  
pp. 1172-1180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Mahon ◽  
Xin Zhang

The flow around an inverted double-element airfoil in ground effect was studied numerically, by solving the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations. The predictive capabilities of six turbulence models with regards to the surface pressures, wake flow field, and sectional forces were quantified. The realizable k−ε model was found to offer improved predictions of the surface pressures and wake flow field. A number of ride heights were investigated, covering various force regions. The surface pressures, sectional forces, and wake flow field were all modeled accurately and offered improvements over previous numerical investigations. The sectional forces indicated that the main element generated the majority of the downforce, whereas the flap generated the majority of the drag. The near field and far field wake development was investigated and suggestions concerning reduction of the wake thickness were offered. The main element wake was found to greatly contribute to the overall wake thickness with the contribution increasing as the ride height decreased.


Author(s):  
Marc C. Goldbach ◽  
Mesbah Uddin

While Reynolds-averaged simulatons (RAS) have found success in the evaluation of many canonical shear flows, and moderately separated flows, their application to highly separated flows have shown notable deficiencies. This study aims to investigate these deficiencies in the eddy-viscosity formulation of four commonly used turbulence models under separated flow in an attempt to aid in the improved formulation of such models. Analyses are performed on the flow field around a wall mounted cube at a Reynolds number of 40,000 based on the cube height, h, and free stream velocity, U0. While a common occurrence in industrial applications, this type of flow constitutes a complex structure exhibiting a large separated wake region, high anisotropy, and multiple vortex structures. As well, interactions between vortices developed off of different faces of the cube significantly alter the overall flow characteristics, posing a significant challenge for the commonly used industrial turbulence models. Comparison of mean flow characteristics show remarkable agreement between experimental values and turbulence models which are capable of predicting transitional flow. Evaluation of turbulence parameters show the general underestimation of Reynolds stress for transitional models, while fully turbulent models show this value to be overestimated, resulting in completely disparate representations of mean flow structures between the two classes of models (transitional and fully turbulent).


Author(s):  
Charles G. Speziale

The high-Reynolds-number turbulent flows of technological importance contain such a wide range of excited length and time scales that the application of direct or large-eddy simulations is all but impossible for the foreseeable future. Reynolds stress models remain the only viable means for the solution of these complex turbulent flows. It is widely believed that Reynolds stress models are completely ad hoc, having no formal connection with solutions of the full Navier-Stokes equations for turbulent flows. While this belief is largely warranted for the older eddy viscosity models of turbulence, it constitutes a far too pessimistic assessment of the current generation of Reynolds stress closures. It will be shown how secondorder closure models and two-equation models with an anisotropic eddy viscosity can be systematically derived from the Navier-Stokes equations when one overriding assumption is made: the turbulence is locally homogeneous and in equilibrium. A brief review of zero equation models and one equation models based on the Boussinesq eddy viscosity hypothesis will first be provided in order to gain a perspective on the earlier approaches to Reynolds stress modeling. It will, however, be argued that since turbulent flows contain length and time scales that change dramatically from one flow configuration to the next, two-equation models constitute the minimum level of closure that is physically acceptable. Typically, modeled transport equations are solved for the turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation rate from which the turbulent length and time scales are built up; this obviates the need to specify these scales in an ad hoc fashion. While two-equation models represent the minimum acceptable closure, second-order closure models constitute the most complex level of closure that is currently feasible from a computational standpoint. It will be shown how the former models follow from the latter in the equilibrium limit of homogeneous turbulence. However, the two-equation models that are formally consistent with second-order closures have an anisotropic eddy viscosity with strain-dependent coefficients - a feature that most of the commonly used models do not possess.


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