Assessment of Different CFD Modeling and Solving Approaches for a Supersonic Steam Ejector Simulation

The effects of different modeling and solving approaches on the simulation of a steam ejector have been investigated with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique. The four most frequently used and recommended turbulence models (standard k-ε, RNG k-ε, realizable k-ε and SST k-ω), two near-wall treatments (standard wall function and enhanced wall treatment), two solvers (pressure- and density-based solvers) and two spatial discretization schemes ( the second-order upwind scheme and the quadratic upstream interpolation for convective kinematics (QUICK) of the convection term have been tested and compared for a supersonic steam ejector under the same conditions as experimental data. In total, more than 185 cases of 17 different modeling and solving approaches have been carried out in this work. The simulation results from the pressure-based solver (PBS) are slightly closer to the experimental data than those from the density-based solver (DBS) and are thus utilized in the subsequent simulations. When a high-density mesh with y+ < 1 is used, the SST k-ω model can obtain the best predictions of the maximum entrainment ratio (ER) and an adequate prediction of the critical back pressure (CBP), while the realizable k-ε model with the enhanced wall treatment can obtain the best prediction of the CBP and an adequate prediction of the ER. When the standard wall function is used with the three k-ε models, the realizable k-ε model can obtain the best predictions of the maximum ER, and the three k-ε models can gain the same CBP value. For a steam ejector with recirculation inside the diffuser, the realizable k-ε model or the enhanced wall treatment is recommended for adoption in the modeling approach. When the spatial discretization scheme of the convection term changes from a second-order upwind scheme to a QUICK scheme, the effect can be ignored for the maximum ER calculation, while only the CBP value from the standard k-ε model with the standard wall function is reduced by 2.13%. The calculation deviation of the ER between the two schemes increases with the back pressure at the unchoked flow region, especially when the standard k-ε model is adopted. The realizable k-ε model with the two wall treatments and the SST k-ω model is recommended, while the standard k-ε is more sensitive to the near-wall treatment and the spatial discretization scheme and is not recommended for an ejector simulation.

Analysis of Swirl number effects on effusion flow behaviour using time resolved PIV

The analysis of the interaction between the swirling and liner film-cooling flows is a fundamental task for the design of turbine combustion chambers since it influences different aspects such as emissions and cooling capability. Particularly, high turbulence values, flow instabilities, and tangential velocity components induced by the swirlers deeply affect the behavior of effusion cooling jets, demanding for dedicated time-resolved near-wall analysis. The experimental setup of this work consists of a non-reactive single-sector linear combustor test rig scaled up with respect to engine dimensions; the test section was equipped with an effusion plate with standard inclined cylindrical holes to simulate the liner cooling system. The rig was instrumented with a 2D Time-Resolved Particle Image Velocimetry system, focused on different field of views. The degree of swirl is usually characterized by the swirl number, Sn, defined as the ratio of the tangential momentum to axial momentum flux. To assess the impact of such parameter on the near-wall effusion behavior, a set of three axial swirlers with swirl number equal to Sn = 0.6 − 0.8 − 1.0 were designed and tested in the experimental apparatus. An analysis of the main flow by varying the Sn was first performed in terms of average velocity, RMS, and Tu values, providing kinetic energy spectra and turbulence length scale information. Following, the analysis was focused on the near-wall regions: the effects of Sn on the coolant jets was quantified in terms of vorticity analysis and jet oscillation.

On locally embedded two-scale solution for wall-bounded turbulent flows

Recent findings on wall-bounded turbulence have prompted a new impetus for modelling development to capture and resolve the Reynolds-number-dependent influence of outer flow on near-wall turbulence in terms of the ‘foot-printing’ of the large-scale coherent structures and the scale-interaction associated ‘modulation’. We develop a two-scale method to couple a locally embedded near-wall fine-mesh direct numerical simulation (DNS) block with a global coarser mesh domain. The influence of the large-scale structures on the local fine-mesh block is captured by a scale-dependent coarse–fine domain interface treatment. The coarse-mesh resolved disturbances are directly exchanged across the interface, while only the fine-mesh resolved fluctuations around the coarse-mesh resolved variables are subject to periodic conditions in the streamwise and spanwise directions. The global near-wall coarse-mesh region outside the local fine-mesh block is governed by the augmented flow governing equations with forcing source terms generated by upscaling the space–time-averaged fine-mesh solution. The validity and effectiveness of the method are examined for canonical incompressible channel flows at several Reynolds numbers. The mean statistics and energy spectra are in good agreement with the corresponding full DNS data. The results clearly illustrate the ‘foot-printing’ and ‘modulation’ in the local fine-mesh block. Noteworthy also is that neither spectral-gap nor scale-separation is assumed, and a smooth overlap between the global-domain and the local-domain energy spectra is observed. It is shown that the mesh-count scaling with Reynolds number is potentially reduced from $O(R{e^2})$ for the conventional fully wall-resolved large-eddy simulation (LES) to $O(Re)$ for the present locally embedded two-scale LES.

Precursors of backflow events and their relationship with the near-wall self-sustaining process

This study examines the precursors and consequences of rare backflow events at the wall using direct numerical simulation of turbulent pipe flow with a high spatiotemporal resolution. The results obtained from conditionally averaged fields reveal that the precursor of a backflow event is the asymmetric collision between a high- and a low-speed streak (LSS) associated with the sinuous mode of the streaks. As the collision occurs, a lifted shear layer with high local azimuthal enstrophy is formed at the trailing end of the LSS. Subsequently, a spanwise or an oblique vortex spontaneously arises. The dominant nonlinear mechanism by which this vortex is engendered is enstrophy intensification due to direct stretching of the lifted vorticity lines in the azimuthal direction. As time progresses, this vortex tilts and orientates towards the streamwise direction and, as its enstrophy increases, it induces the breakdown of the LSS located below it. Subsequently, this vortical structure advects as a quasi-streamwise vortex, as it tilts and stretches with time. As a result, it is shown that reverse flow events at the wall are the signature of the nonlinear mechanism of the self-sustaining process occurring at the near-wall region. Additionally, each backflow event has been tracked in space and time, showing that approximately 50 % of these events are followed by at least one additional vortex generation that gives rise to new backflow events. It is also found that up to a maximum of seven regenerations occur after a backflow event has appeared for the first time.

Topological description of near-wall flows around a surface-mounted square cylinder at high Reynolds numbers

This study topologically describes near-wall flows around a surface-mounted cylinder at a high Reynolds number ( $Re$ ) of $5\times 10^4$ and in a very thick boundary layer, which were partially measured or technically approximated from the literature. For complete and rational flow construction, we use high-resolution simulations and critical-point theory. The large-scale near-wake vortex is composed of two connected segments rolled up from the sides of the cylinder and from the free end. Another large-scale side vortex clearly roots on two notable foci on the lower side wall. In the junction region, the side vortex moves upwards with a curved trajectory, which induces the formation of nodes on the ground surface. In the free-end region, the side vortex is compressed, which results in a smaller trailing-edge vortex and its downstream movement. Only tip vortices are observed in the far wake. The origin of the tip vortices and their distinction from the near-wake vortex are discussed. Further analyses suggest that $Re$ independence should be treated with high caution when $Re$ increases from 500 to ${O}(10^4)$ . The occurrence of upwash flow behind the cylinder strongly depends on the increase in $Re$ , the mechanism of which is also provided. The separation–reattachment process in the junction region and the trailing-edge vortices are discovered only at a high $Re$ . The former should significantly affect the strength of the side vortex in the junction region and the latter should cause a sharp drop in pressure near the trailing edge.

Ridge-type roughness: from turbulent channel flow to internal combustion engine

While existing engineering tools enable us to predict how homogeneous surface roughness alters drag and heat transfer of near-wall turbulent flows to a certain extent, these tools cannot be reliably applied for heterogeneous rough surfaces. Nevertheless, heterogeneous roughness is a key feature of many applications. In the present work we focus on spanwise heterogeneous roughness, which is known to introduce large-scale secondary motions that can strongly alter the near-wall turbulent flow. While these secondary motions are mostly investigated in canonical turbulent shear flows, we show that ridge-type roughness—one of the two widely investigated types of spanwise heterogeneous roughness—also induces secondary motions in the turbulent flow inside a combustion engine. This indicates that large scale secondary motions can also be found in technical flows, which neither represent classical turbulent equilibrium boundary layers nor are in a statistically steady state. In addition, as the first step towards improved drag predictions for heterogeneous rough surfaces, the Reynolds number dependency of the friction factor for ridge-type roughness is presented. Graphic abstract

Withdrawing a non-Newtonian fluid by a moving inclined plate with account for the near-wall split effect

A fluid withdrawn by a moving inclined surface with account for the near-wall slip effect is analyzed theoretically. A non-Newtonian fluid task is stated in general form. The solving of this task enables revealing the basic physical principles and mechanisms of the process over the entire withdrawal velocity range realized in practice. The case of withdrawing a finite yield stress viscoplastic fluid is considered.

Asymptotic behaviour at the wall in compressible turbulent channels

The asymptotic behaviour of Reynolds stresses close to walls is well established in incompressible flows owing to the constraint imposed by the solenoidal nature of the velocity field. For compressible flows, thus, one may expect a different asymptotic behaviour, which has indeed been noted in the literature. However, the transition from incompressible to compressible scaling, as well as the limiting behaviour for the latter, is largely unknown. Thus, we investigate the effects of compressibility on the near-wall, asymptotic behaviour of turbulent fluxes using a large direct numerical simulation (DNS) database of turbulent channel flow at higher than usual wall-normal resolutions. We vary the Mach number at a constant friction Reynolds number to directly assess compressibility effects. We observe that the near-wall asymptotic behaviour for compressible turbulent flow is different from the corresponding incompressible flow even if the mean density variations are taken into account and semi-local scalings are used. For Mach numbers near the incompressible regimes, the near-wall asymptotic behaviour follows the well-known theoretical behaviour. When the Mach number is increased, turbulent fluxes containing wall-normal components show a decrease in the slope owing to increased dilatation effects. We observe that $R_{vv}$ approaches its high-Mach-number asymptote at a lower Mach number than that required for the other fluxes. We also introduce a transition distance from the wall at which turbulent fluxes exhibit a change in scaling exponents. Implications for wall models are briefly presented.