A unified theory of turbulent flow

Summary A critical analysis is made of the assumptions underlying Reynolds' equations for turbulent flow. It is shown that there are regions in a flow field where these assumptions break down, and it is therefore necessary to separate the flow into a turbulent core and a laminar sublayer. The importance of the boundary conditions to be imposed on the mean velocities and Reynolds stresses at the junction is emphasized as this is the way in which the effect of surface roughness enters the theory. A set of equations for calculating turbulent flows is proposed. The distinctive feature is that the turbulent stresses are represented as the difference between viscous terms with a large eddy viscosity and terms satisfying auxiliary differential equations proposed by Broszko. These terms may be associated with the free and wall turbulence respectively. The theory enables the idea of a large eddy viscosity to be applied even where the velocity gradient is large. The results obtained for specific configurations, which will be reported in detail in future papers, are previewed.     

DNS,LES and RANS of turbulent heat transfer in boundary layer with suddenly changing wall thermal conditions

The objectives of this study are to investigate a thermal field in a turbulent boundary layer with suddenly changing wall thermal conditions by means of direct numerical simulation (DNS), and to evaluate predictions of a turbulence model in such a thermal field, in which DNS of spatially developing boundary layers with heat transfer can be conducted using the generation of turbulent inflow data as a method. In this study, two types of wall thermal condition are investigated using DNS and predicted by large eddy simulation (LES) and Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equation simulation (RANS). In the first case, the velocity boundary layer only develops in the entrance of simulation, and the flat plate is heated from the halfway point, i.e., the adiabatic wall condition is adopted in the entrance, and the entrance region of thermal field in turbulence is simulated. Then, the thermal boundary layer develops along a constant temperature wall followed by adiabatic wall. In the second case, velocity and thermal boundary layers simultaneously develop, and the wall thermal condition is changed from a constant temperature to an adiabatic wall in the downstream region. DNS results clearly show the statistics and structure of turbulent heat transfer in a constant temperature wall followed by an adiabatic wall. In the first case, the entrance region of thermal field in turbulence can be also observed. Thus, both the development and the entrance regions in thermal fields can be explored, and the effects upstream of the thermal field on the adiabatic region are investigated. On the other hand, evaluations of predictions by LES and RANS are conducted using DNS results. The predictions of both LES and RANS almost agree with the DNS results in both cases, but the predicted temperature variances near the wall by RANS give different results as compared with DNS. This is because the dissipation rate of temperature variance is difficult to predict by the present RANS, which is found by the evaluation using DNS results.     

Turbulent thermal diffusion in a multi-fan turbulence generator with imposed mean temperature gradient

We studied experimentally the effect of turbulent thermal diffusion in a multi-fan turbulence generator which produces a nearly homogeneous and isotropic flow with a small mean velocity. Using particle image velocimetry and image processing techniques, we showed that in a turbulent flow with an imposed mean vertical temperature gradient (stably stratified flow) particles accumulate in the regions with the mean temperature minimum. These experiments detected the effect of turbulent thermal diffusion in a multi-fan turbulence generator for relatively high Reynolds numbers. The experimental results are in compliance with the results of the previous experimental studies of turbulent thermal diffusion in oscillating grid turbulence (Buchholz et al. 2004; Eidelman et al. 2004). We demonstrated that the turbulent thermal diffusion is an universal phenomenon. It occurs independently of the method of turbulence generation, and the qualitative behavior of particle spatial distribution in these very different turbulent flows is similar. Competition between turbulent fluxes caused by turbulent thermal diffusion and turbulent diffusion determines the formation of particle inhomogeneities.     

Wall temperature effects on shock unsteadiness in a reattaching compressible turbulent shear layer

In this study, the effect of heat transfer on the compressible turbulent shear layer and shockwave interaction in a scramjet has been investigated. To this end, highly resolved Large Eddy Simulations (LES) are performed to explore the effect of wall thermal conditions on the behavior of a reattaching free shear layer interacting with an oblique shock in compressible turbulent flows. Various wall-to-recovery temperature ratios are considered, and results are compared to the adiabatic wall. It is found that the wall temperature affects the reattachment location and the shock behavior in the interaction region. Furthermore, fluctuating heat flux exhibits a strong intermittent behavior with severe heat transfer compared to the mean, characterized by scattered spots. The distribution of the Stanton number shows a strong heat transfer and complex pattern within the interaction, with the maximum thermal (heat transfer rates) and dynamic loads (root-mean-square wall pressure) found for the case of the cold wall. The analysis of LES data reveals that the thermal boundary condition can significantly impact the wall pressure fluctuations level. The primary mechanism for changes in the flow unsteadiness due to the wall thermal condition is linked to the reattaching shear layer, which agrees with the compressible turbulent boundary layer theory.     

Comparative Study of DNS,LES and Hybrid LES/RANS of Turbulent Boundary Layer with Heat Transfer Over 2d Hill

This paper first presents the turbulent heat transfer phenomenon of the boundary layer over a 2-dimensional hill using the direct numerical simulation (DNS). DNS results reveal turbulent heat transfer phenomena in the boundary layer over a 2-dimensional hill affected by the flow acceleration and the concave wall at the foreface of a hill, the convex wall at the top of the hill, and the flow deceleration, separation, and reattachment and the concave wall at the back of the hill. The prediction of turbulent heat transfer, the turbulence models of LES and HLR should be assessed in such heat transfer because these models have seldom been evaluated in the complex turbulent heat transfer. Therefore, this paper also presents evaluations of predictions of LES and HLR in the complicated turbulent heat transfer which is the boundary layer with heat transfer over a 2-dimensional hill. Consequently, this paper obviously shows the detailed turbulent heat transfer phenomena of a boundary layer over a 2-dimensional hill via DNS, and the evaluation results of prediction accuracy of LES and HLR for the heat transfer. LES and HLR give good prediction in comparison with DNS results, but the predicted reattachment and separation points are slightly different from DNS.     

Compound wall treatment with low‐Re turbulence model

A generalized treatment for the wall boundary conditions relating to turbulent flows is developed that blends the integration to a solid wall with wall functions. The blending function ensures a smooth transition between the viscous and turbulent regions. An improved low Reynolds number k?ε model is coupled with the proposed compound wall treatment to determine the turbulence field. The eddy viscosity formulation maintains the positivity of normal Reynolds stresses and Schwarz' inequality for turbulent shear stresses. The model coefficients/functions preserve the anisotropic characteristics of turbulence. Computations with fine and coarse meshes of a few flow cases yield appreciably good agreement with the direct numerical simulation and experimental data. The method is recommended for computing the complex flows where computational grids cannot satisfy a priori the prerequisites of viscous/turbulence regions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulation of the Effect of the Freestream Turbulence Parameters on Heat Transfer in an Unsteady Boundary Layer

A variant of the two-parameter turbulence model which makes it possible continuously to calculate a flow region with laminar, transition and turbulent regimes is proposed for investigating the flow under conditions of high freestream turbulence intensity. It is shown that the properties of the thermal transition can be theoretically described using the quasi-steady turbulence model in the case of periodic freestream velocity distribution. The numerical results are compared with theoretical and experimental data. The approach proposed is developed for determining the combined effect of the parameters of harmonic fluctuations of the external velocity and freestream turbulence on the heat transfer characteristics on a flat plate with different boundary conditions for the enthalpy.     

Influence of Density Fluctuation on DNS of Turbulent Channel Flow in the Presence of Temperature Stratification

To investigate the effect of density variation on turbulent heat transfer prediction, we perform a direct numerical simulation (DNS) of turbulent flow in a horizontal channel with varying wall temperature using a new method dealing with the effect of density variation. As a result, asymmetric profiles are observed in turbulence statistics. This tendency cannot be reproduced by the Boussinesq approximation, which is based on the constant-density formulation. A quadrant analysis of the turbulent shear stress finds that the density variation affects ejection events in the vicinity of the walls. It is also revealed that the variable viscosity and thermal conductivity change the dynamic and thermodynamic balances of the flow.     

Low Reynolds number axisymmetric turbulent boundary layer on a cylinder

In the present study, an axisymmetric turbulent boundary layer growing on a cylinder is investigated experimentally using hot wire anemometry. The combined effects of transverse curvature as well as low Reynolds number on the mean and turbulent flow quantities are studied. The measurements include the mean velocity, turbulence intensity, skewness and flatness factors in addition to wall shear stress. The results are presented separately for the near wall region and the outer region using dimensionless parameters suitable for each case. They are also compared with the results available in the open literature.The present investigation revealed that the mean velocity in near wall region is similar to other simple turbulent flows (flat plate boundary layer, pipe and channel flows); but it differs in the logarithmic and outer regions. Further, for dimensionless moments of higher orders, such as skewness and flatness factors, the main effects of the low Reynolds number and the transverse curvature are present in the near wall region as well as the outer region.     

Towards the numerical simulation of the horizontal slug front

Steps towards the numerical simulation of the flow behind the slug front in horizontal slug flow performed with a streamfunction-vorticity representation of the mean flow and an energy dissipation model for the turbulence are discussed. The flow field consists of two vortices, one saddle point and four stagnation regions. Attention is focused on the following boundary conditions: moving wall jet, moving wall, free jet velocity discontinuity and vertical liquid-gas open surface. A dissipation flux boundary condition is suggested to simulate the interaction of the turbulent eddies with the open surface. A method to assess the necessity to use a transport model equation for the dissipation rather than a geometric specification of a length is suggested. Three different ways to characterize the mixing zone length are proposed.     

Large-eddy simulation in a mixing tee junction: High-order turbulent statistics analysis

This study analyses the mixing and thermal fluctuations induced in a mixing tee junction with circular cross-sections when cold water flowing in a pipe is joined by hot water from a branch pipe. This configuration is representative of industrial piping systems in which temperature fluctuations in the fluid may cause thermal fatigue damage on the walls. Implicit large-eddy simulations (LES) are performed for equal inflow rates corresponding to a bulk Reynolds number Re = 39,080. Two different thermal boundary conditions are studied for the pipe walls; an insulating adiabatic boundary and a conducting steel wall boundary. The predicted flow structures show a satisfactory agreement with the literature. The velocity and thermal fields (including high-order statistics) are not affected by the heat transfer with the steel walls. However, predicted thermal fluctuations at the boundary are not the same between the flow and the solid, showing that solid thermal fluctuations cannot be predicted by the knowledge of the fluid thermal fluctuations alone. The analysis of high-order turbulent statistics provides a better understanding of the turbulence features. In particular, the budgets of the turbulent kinetic energy and temperature variance allows a comparative analysis of dissipation, production and transport terms. It is found that the turbulent transport term is an important term that acts to balance the production. We therefore use a priori tests to evaluate three different models for the triple correlation.     

Simulation of the Effect of the Freestream Turbulence Parameters on the Boundary Layer of a Curvilinear Airfoil

Modified variants of differential turbulence models which make it possible continuously to calculate both the entire flow region with laminar, transition and turbulent regimes and local low Reynolds number zones are proposed for investigating the flow and heat transfer in the boundary layers developing in compressible gas flow past curvilinear airfoils. The effect of the intensity and scale of free-stream turbulence and their variability along the outer boundary layer edge, as well as the combined action of the turbulence intensity and the streamwise pressure gradient in flow past blade profiles, on the heat transfer and near-wall turbulence characteristics is analyzed. The numerical results are compared with experimental and theoretical data.     

脊状表面减阻机理研究

针对脊状表面流场的特点,通过实验测量和数值模拟的方法对脊状表面微观流场进行了深入研究,获得了脊状表面湍流边界层的时均速度分布曲线、湍流度分布曲线和微观流场结构.为了得到脊状结构对壁面物性的影响,对脊状表面进行了疏水性测试,获得了液滴在脊状表面上的表观接触角,并通过水洞试验验证了脊状表面的减阻效果.研究表明,与光滑表面相比,脊状表面微观流场结构中存在"二次涡",近壁区的黏性底层厚度比平板的要厚得多,湍流度显著降低,且脊状表面表现出明显的疏水性.由此提出了基于壁面隔离效应、增大湍流阻尼效应和改变壁面物性效应的减阻机理.     

Experimental study on flow control of the turbulent boundary layer with micro-bubbles

The effect of micro-bubbles on the turbulent boundary layer in the channel flow with Reynolds numbers (Re) ranging from \(0.87\times 10 ^{5}\) to \(1.23\times 10^{5}\) is experimentally studied by using particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements. The micro-bubbles are produced by water electrolysis. The velocity profiles, Reynolds stress and instantaneous structures of the boundary layer, with and without micro-bubbles, are measured and analyzed. The presence of micro-bubbles changes the streamwise mean velocity of the fluid and increases the wall shear stress. The results show that micro-bubbles have two effects, buoyancy and extrusion, which dominate the flow behavior of the mixed fluid in the turbulent boundary layer. The buoyancy effect leads to upward motion that drives the fluid motion in the same direction and, therefore, enhances the turbulence intense of the boundary layer. While for the extrusion effect, the presence of accumulated micro-bubbles pushes the flow structures in the turbulent boundary layer away from the near-wall region. The interaction between these two effects causes the vorticity structures and turbulence activity to be in the region far away from the wall. The buoyancy effect is dominant when the Re is relatively small, while the extrusion effect plays a more important role when Re rises.     

Quenching of Premixed Flames at Cold Walls: Effects on the Local Flow Field

The presence of a turbulent premixed flame strongly influences the properties of the adjacent velocity boundary layer. This influence is studied here using a generic configuration where at atmospheric pressure turbulent premixed methane/air flames interact with a temperature stabilized wall. The experiment is optimized for well-defined boundary conditions and optical accessibility in the zone where the flame impinges at the wall. Laser based diagnostic methods are used to measure two components of the velocity field by particle image velocimetry simultaneously with the flame front position using laser induced fluorescence of the OH molecule. Two measurement planes are selected that are aligned perpendicularly to the surface of the wall. Based on this data, the flow field near the wall is analyzed by different methodologies using laboratory-fixed and flame-conditioned statistics, a quadrant splitting analysis of the Reynolds stresses and an evaluation of the production term of the turbulent kinetic energy. The results of chemically reactive cases are compared to their corresponding non-reactive flows for otherwise identical inflow conditions. In the zone of flame-wall interactions the boundary layer structure and its turbulence are dominated by the turbulent flame. Important features are that the flame compresses the boundary layer already upstream the location where the flame is finally quenched and that ejection and sweeps are no longer the dominant mechanisms as in non-reactive boundary layers. This experimental data may serve additionally as a database for model development for near wall reactive flows.     

Thermo-mechanical modeling of turbulent heat transfer in gas–solid flows including particle collisions

A thermo-mechanical turbulence model is developed and used for predicting heat transfer in a gas–solid flow through a vertical pipe with constant wall heat flux. The new four-way interaction model makes use of the thermal k_θ–τ_θ equations, in addition to the hydrodynamic k–τ transport, and accounts for the particle–particle and particle–wall collisions through a Eulerian/Lagrangian formulation. The simulation results indicate that the level of thermal turbulence intensity and the heat transfer are strongly affected by the particle collisions. Inter-particle collisions attenuate the thermal turbulence intensity near the wall but somewhat amplify the temperature fluctuations in the pipe core region. The hydrodynamic-to-thermal times-scale ratio and the turbulent Prandtl number in the region near the wall increase due to the inter-particle collisions. The results also show that the use of a constant or the single-phase gas turbulent Prandtl number produces error in the thermal eddy diffusivity and thermal turbulent intensity fields. Simulation results also indicate that the inter-particle contact heat conduction during collision has no significant effect in the range of Reynolds number and particle diameter studied.     

高超声速激波湍流边界层干扰直接数值模拟研究

高超声速激波与湍流边界层干扰会导致飞行器表面出现局部热流峰值,严重影响飞行器气动性能和飞行安全. 针对高马赫数激波干扰问题,以往数值研究多采用雷诺平均方法,而在直接数值模拟方面的相关工作较为少见. 开展高超声速激波与湍流边界层干扰的直接数值模拟研究,有助于进一步提升对其复杂流动机理认识和理解,同时也将为现有湍流模型和亚格子应力模型的改进提供理论依据. 采用直接数值模拟方法对来流马赫数6.0,34°压缩拐角内激波与湍流边界层的干扰问题进行了研究. 基于雷诺应力各向异性张量,分析了高超声速湍流边界层在压缩拐角内的演化特性. 通过对湍动能输运方程的逐项分析,系统地研究了可压缩效应对湍动能及其输运的影响机制. 采用动态模态分解方法,探讨了干扰流场的非定常运动历程. 研究结果表明,随着湍流边界层往下游发展,近壁湍流的雷诺应力状态由两组元轴对称状态逐渐演化为两组元状态,外层区域则由轴对称膨胀趋近于各向同性. 干扰流场内存在强内在压缩性效应(声效应),其对湍动能输运的影响主要体现在压力--膨胀项,而对膨胀--耗散项影响较小. 高超声速下压缩拐角内的非定常运动仍存在以分离泡膨胀/收缩为特征的低频振荡特性,其物理机制与分离泡剪切层密切相关.      

Extension of the local domain-free discretization method to large eddy simulation of turbulent flows

In this work, an immersed boundary method, called the local domain-free discretization (DFD) method, is extended to large eddy simulation (LES) of turbulent flows. The discrete form of partial differential equations at an interior node may involve some nodes outside the solution domain. The flow variables at these exterior dependent nodes are evaluated via linear extrapolation along the direction normal to the wall. To alleviate the requirement of mesh resolution in the near-wall region, a wall model based on the turbulence boundary layer equations is introduced. The wall shear stress yielded by the wall model and the no-penetration condition are enforced at the immersed boundary to evaluate the velocity components at an exterior dependent node. For turbulence closure, a dynamic subgrid scale (SGS) model is adopted and the Lagrangian averaging procedure is used to compute the model coefficient. The SGS eddy viscosity at an exterior dependent node is set to be equal to that at the outer layer. To maintain the mass conservation near the immersed boundary, a mass source/sink term is added into the continuity equation. Numerical experiments on relatively coarse meshes with stationary or moving solid boundaries have been conducted to verify the ability of the present LES-DFD method. The predicted results agree well with the published experimental or numerical data.