A corrected smoothed particle hydrodynamics method for solving transient viscoelastic fluid flows

In this work, a corrected smoothed particle hydrodynamics (CSPH) method is proposed and extended to the numerical simulation of transient viscoelastic fluid flows due to that its approximation accuracy in solving the Navier–Stokes equations is higher than that of the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method, especially near the boundary of the domain. The CSPH approach comes with the idea of combining the SPH approximation for the interior particles with the modified smoothed particle hydrodynamics (MSPH) method for the exterior particles, this is because that the later method has higher accuracy than the SPH method although it also needs more computational cost. In order to show the validity of CSPH method to simulate unsteady viscoelastic flows problems, the planar shear flow problems, including transient Poiseuille, Couette flow and transient combined Poiseuille and Couette flow for the Oldroyd-B fluid are solved and compared with the analytical and SPH results. Subsequently, the general viscoelastic fluid based on the eXtended Pom–Pom (XPP) model is numerically investigated and the viscoelastic free surface phenomena of impacting drop are simulated by the CSPH for its extended application and the purpose of illustrating the ability of the proposed method. The numerical results are presented and compared with available solutions, which shows a very good agreement. All the numerical results show the higher accuracy and better stability of the CSPH than the SPH, especially for larger Weissenberg numbers.     

Dynamics of regularized cavity flow at high Reynolds numbers

A numerical simulation of the unsteady incompressible flows in the unit cavity is performed by using a Chebychev-Tau approximation for the space variables. The high accuracy of the spectral methods and the condensed distribution of the Chebychev-collocation points near the boundary enable us to obtain reliable results for high Reynolds numbers with a moderate number of modes. It is found that a stationary solution always exists for Reynolds numbers up to 10000. For Reynolds numbers larger than a critical value which is between 10000 and 12000, no more steady solution is found, instead, there is a persistent oscillation indicating a Hopf bifurcation.     

Towards a better understanding of wall-driven square cavity flows using the lattice Boltzmann method

Wall-driven flow in square cavities has been studied extensively, yet it appears some main flow characteristics have not been fully investigated. Previous research on the classic lid-driven cavity (S1) flow has produced the critical Reynolds numbers separating the laminar steady and unsteady flows. Wall-driven cavities with two opposing walls moving at the same speed and the same (S2p) or opposite (S2a) directions have seldom been studied in the literature and no critical Reynolds numbers characterizing transitional flows have ever been investigated. After validating the LBM code for the three configurations studied, extensive numerical simulations have been undertaken to provide approximate ranges for the critical Hopf and Neimark-Sacker bifurcations for the classic and two two-sided cavity configurations. The threshold for transition to chaotic motion is also reported. The symmetries of the solutions are monitored across the various bifurcations for the two-sided wall driven cavities. The mirror-symmetry of the base solution for case S2p is lost at the Hopf bifurcation. The exact same scenario occurs with the pi-rotational symmetry of the base state for case S2a.     

2D numerical simulation of submerged hydraulic jumps

Hydraulic jumps are usually used to dissipate energy in hydraulic engineering. In this paper, the turbulent submerged hydraulic jumps are simulated by solving the unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations along with the continuity equation and the standard k–? equations for turbulence modeling. The Lagrangian moving grid method is employed for the simulation of the free surface. In the developed model, kinematic free-surface boundary condition is solved simultaneously with the momentum and continuity equations, so that the water elevation can be obtained along with velocity and pressure fields as part of the solution. Computational results are presented for Froude numbers ranging from 3.2 to 8.2 and submergence factors ranging from 0.24 to 0.85. Comparisons with experimental measurements show that numerical model can simulate the velocity field, variation of free surface, maximum velocity, Reynolds shear and normal stresses at various stations with reasonable accuracy.     

An immersed-boundary method for compressible viscous flows and its application in the gas-kinetic BGK scheme

An immersed-boundary (IB) method is proposed and applied in the gas-kinetic BGK scheme to simulate incompressible and compressible viscous flows with complex stationary and moving boundaries on stationary Cartesian grids. In this method the ghost-cell technique is used to satisfy the boundary condition on the immersed boundary. A novel idea, “local boundary determination”, is put forward to identify the ghost cells, each of which may have several different ghost-cell constructions corresponding to different boundary segments. Thus, the singular behavior of the ghost cell is eliminated. Furthermore, the so-called “fresh-cell” problem that occurs when implementing the IB method in a moving-boundary simulation is resolved by a simple temporal extrapolation. The method is first applied in the gas-kinetic BGK scheme to simulate the Taylor–Couette flow, wherein the second-order spatial accuracy of the method is validated and the “super-convergence” of the BGK scheme is observed. After that the flow between a circular cylinder and a square cylinder is used as a test case to showcase the advantage of this method in resolving the singularity problem. Then the supersonic flow around a stationary cylinder, the incompressible flow around an oscillating cylinder and the compressible flow around a moving airfoil are simulated to verify that this method can be used to simulate compressible flows and handle moving boundaries. These numerical tests demonstrate the good performance of the proposed immersed-boundary method for the study of incompressible/compressible flow problems with complex stationary/moving boundaries.     

On some unsteady flows of a non-Newtonian fluid

Some properties of unsteady unidirectional flows of a fluid of second grade are considered for flows impulsively started from rest by the motion of a boundary or two boundaries or by sudden application of a pressure gradient. Flows considered are: unsteady flow over a plane wall, unsteady Couette flow, flow between two parallel plates suddenly set in motion with the same speed, flow due to one rigid boundary moved suddenly and one being free, unsteady Poiseuille flow and unsteady generalized Couette flow. The results obtained are compared with those of the exact solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations. It is found that the stress at time zero on the stationary boundary for the flows generated by impulsive motion of a boundary or two boundaries is finite for a fluid of second grade and infinite for a Newtonian fluid. Furthermore, it is shown that for unsteady Poiseuille flow the stress at time zero on the boundary is zero for a Newtonian fluid, but it is not zero for a fluid of second grade.     

Radial basis function collocation method for the numerical solution of the two-dimensional transient nonlinear coupled Burgers’ equations

This paper examines the numerical solution of the transient nonlinear coupled Burgers’ equations by a Local Radial Basis Functions Collocation Method (LRBFCM) for large values of Reynolds number (Re) up to 10³. The LRBFCM belongs to a class of truly meshless methods which do not need any underlying mesh but works on a set of uniform or random nodes without any a priori node to node connectivity. The time discretization is performed in an explicit way and collocation with the multiquadric radial basis functions (RBFs) are used to interpolate diffusion-convection variable and its spatial derivatives on decomposed domains. Five nodded domains of influence are used in the local support. Adaptive upwind technique [1] and [54] is used for stabilization of the method for large Re in the case of mixed boundary conditions. Accuracy of the method is assessed as a function of time and space discretizations. The method is tested on two benchmark problems having Dirichlet and mixed boundary conditions. The numerical solution obtained from the LRBFCM for different value of Re is compared with analytical solution as well as other numerical methods [15], [47] and [49]. It is shown that the proposed method is efficient, accurate and stable for flow with reasonably high Reynolds numbers.     

A new family of unsteady boundary layers over a stretching surface

In this paper, a new family of unsteady boundary layers over a stretching flat surface was proposed and studied. This new class of unsteady boundary layers involves the flows over a constant speed stretching surface from a slot, and the slot is moving at a certain speed. Depending on the slot moving parameter, the flow can be treated as a stretching sheet problem or a shrinking sheet problem. Both the momentum and thermal boundary layers were studied. Under special conditions, the solutions reduce to the unsteady Rayleigh problem and the steady Sakiadis stretching sheet problem. Solutions only exist for a certain range of the slot moving parameter, α. Two solutions are found for −53.55° < α < −45°. There are also two solution branches for the thermal boundary layers at any given Prandtl number in this range. Compared with the upper solution branch, the lower solution branch leads to simultaneous reduction in wall drag and heat transfer rate. The results also show that the motion of the slot greatly affects the wall drag and heat transfer characteristics near the wall and the temperature and velocity distributions in the fluids.     

Interactive computing methods for aeroelastic analysis of turbomachinery

An interaction viscous‐inviscid method for efficiently computing steady and unsteady viscous flows is presented. The inviscid domain is modeled using a finite element discretization of the full potential equation. The viscous region is modeled using a finite difference boundary layer technique. The two regions are simultaneously coupled using the transpiration approach. A time linearization technique is applied to this interactive method. For unsteady flows, the fluid is assumed to be composed of a mean or steady flow plus a harmonically varying small unsteady disturbance. Numerically exact nonreflecting boundary conditions are used for the far field conditions. Results for some steady and unsteady, laminar and turbulent flow problems are compared to linearized Navier‐Stokes or time‐marching boundary layer methods. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On the initial phase of the triple deck stage in marginally separated flows

The method of matched asymptotic expansions is used to investigate marginally separated boundary layer flows (laminar or alternatively transitional separation bubbles) at high Reynolds numbers. Typical examples include, among others, the flow past slender airfoils at small to moderate angels of attack and channel flows with suction. As is well-known, classical (hierarchical) boundary layer computations usually break down under the action of an adverse pressure gradient on the flow, a scenario associated with the appearance of the Goldstein separation singularity. If, however, the parameter controlling the strength of the pressure gradient (the angle of attack or the relative suction rate in the examples mentioned above) is adjusted accordingly, the application of a local viscous-inviscid interaction strategy is capable of describing localized boundary layer separation. Moreover, taking into account unsteady effects and flow control devices allows the investigation of the conditions leading to forced or self-sustained vortex generation and the subsequent evolution process culminating in bubble bursting. Within the asymptotic formulation of this stage bubble bursting is associated with the formation of finite time singularities in the solution of the underlying equations and a corresponding break down. The distinct blow-up structure gives rise to a fully non-linear triple deck interaction stage featuring shorter spatio-temporal scales characteristic of the successive vortex evolution process. The paper will focus on the numerical treatment of the initial phase of the latter stage. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Exact Boundary Observability of Unsteady Supercritical Flows in a Tree-Like Network of Open Canals

The author establishes the exact boundary observability of unsteady supercritical flows in a tree-like network of open canals with general topology. An implicit duality between the exact boundary controllability and the exact boundary observability is also given for unsteady supercritical flows.     

Boundary layer growth on two spheres

An asymptotic solution of the unsteady Navier-Stokes' equations is derived for the problem of the mutual hydrodynamic interaction between two solid spheres immersed in a viscous fluid moving at infinity in a direction parallel to their line of centers. It is assumed that the Reynolds and Strouhal numbers are much larger than one but small enough for the flow to remain stable. The influence of (i) the separation distance between the two bodies, (ii) the ratio of their radii, (iii) the Reynolds number and (iv) the acceleration parameter of the flow on the formation and the initial stage of development of the two boundary layers around the two spheres are investigated. The movement of the detachment points and hydrodynamic forces experienced by the two bodies are calculated. Some typical relations and findings are shown graphically.     

Exact analytical solution of a generalized multiple moving boundary model of one-dimensional non-Darcy flow in heterogeneous multilayered low-permeability porous media with a threshold pressure gradient

A nonlinear generalized multiple moving boundary model of one-dimensional non-Darcy flow in heterogeneous multilayered low-permeability porous media with a threshold pressure gradient is constructed, in which the total rate of fluid injection into the porous media remains constant. The number of layers in the model can be arbitrary, and thus the generalized model will be very suitable for describing the one-dimensional non-Darcy flow characteristics in low-permeability reservoirs with strong heterogeneity. Through the similarity transformation method, the exact analytical solution of the multiple moving boundary model is obtained, and the formula for the subrate of fluid injection into every layer is provided. Moreover, it is strictly proved that the exact analytical solution can reduce to the solution of Darcy flow as the threshold pressure gradient in different layers simultaneously tends to zero. Through the exact analytical solution, the effects of the layer threshold pressure gradient, the layer permeability ratio, and the layer elastic storage ratio on the moving boundaries, the spatial pressure distributions, the transient pressure, and the layer subrate in low-permeability porous media are discussed. Through comparison of the exact analytical solutions, it is also demonstrated that incorporation of the multiple moving boundary conditions is very necessary in the modeling of non-Darcy flow in heterogeneous multilayered porous media with a threshold pressure gradient, especially when the threshold pressure gradient is large. In particular, an explicit formula is presented for estimating the relative error of the transient pressure introduced by ignoring the moving boundaries in the modeling. All in all, solid theoretical foundations are provided for non-Darcy flow problems in stratified reservoirs with a threshold pressure gradient. They can be very useful for strictly verifying numerical simulation results, and for giving some guidance for project design and optimization of layer production or injection during the development of heterogeneous low-permeability reservoirs and heavy oil reservoirs so as to enhance oil recovery.     

Assessment of an improved turbulence model in simulating the unsteady flows around a D-shaped cylinder and an open cavity

Most engineering flows are still predicted by the conventional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes method because of the low requirements of the computational quantities. However, the resolution capability of Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes models is still open to deliberation, especially in the recirculation and wake regions, where the vortical flows dominate. In the present work, an improved turbulence model derived from the original shear stress transport k-ω model is proposed and its superiority is assessed by our modeling the unsteady flows around a D-shaped cylinder and an open cavity, corresponding to two different Reynolds numbers. The results are compared with results from experiments and other turbulence models in terms of the flow morphology and mean velocity profiles. This shows that the predictive accuracy of the modified turbulence model is increased significantly in the bluff body wake flows and in the shear layer and separation flows of the cavity. Some special vortex structures can be captured in the open cavity, in which the secondary vortex emerging from the shear layer and the separation vortex near the trailing edge can induce large flow instability, and this phenomenon should be eliminated in engineering applications. It is believed that this improved turbulence model can be used for the more complex turbomachinery flows with better prediction of the hydrodynamic/aerodynamic performance and the unsteady vortical flows, which can provide some guidelines to design or optimize rotating machines.     

Forced Alveolar Flows and Mixing in the Lung

The air flows deep inside the lung are not only important in gas exchange processes but they also determine the efficiency of particle deposition and retention. The study aims at quantifying the relative influence of different flow components in the transport of small particles in alveolar geometries such as convective breathing patterns, wall movement, gravitational settling and Brownian motion. In addition, the possibility and efficiency of external forcing is studied, relying on the mechanism of internal acoustic streaming. A viscous oscillating boundary layer flow is converted into a steady, viscosity-independent bulk motion which is very efficient at low Reynolds numbers. The streaming can be controlled by external parameters (excitation amplitude, frequency, beam shape) and may thus be of diagnostic and therapeutic relevance. Numerical simulations are performed to analyze the flow patterns in 3D model geometries and to measure deposition rates. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Long Eddies in Sheared Flows

The characteristic feature of the wide variety of hydraulic shear flows analyzed in this study is that they all contain a critical level where some of the fluid is turned relative to the ambient flow. One example is the flow produced in a thin layer of fluid, contained between lateral boundaries, during the passage of a long eddy. The boundaries of the layer may be rigid, or flexible, or free; the fluid may be either compressible or incompressible. A further example is the flow produced when a shear layer separates from a rigid boundary producing a region of recirculating flow. The equations used in this study are those governing inviscid hydraulic shear flows. They are similar in form to the classical boundary layer equations with the viscous term omitted. The main result of the study is to show that when the hydraulic flow is steady and contained between lateral boundaries, the variation of vorticity ω(ψ) cannot be prescribed at any streamline which crosses the critical level. This variation is, in fact, determined by (1) the vorticity distribution at all streamlines which do not cross the critical level, by (2) the auxiliary conditions which must be satisfied at the boundaries of the fluid layer, and by (3) the dimensions of the region containing the turned flow. If at some instant the vorticity distribution is specified arbitrarily at all streamlines, generally the subsequent flow will be unsteady. In order to emphasize this point, a class of exact solutions describing unsteady hydraulic flows are derived. These are used to describe the flow produced by the passage of a long eddy which distorts as it is convected with the ambient flow. They are also used to describe the unsteady flow that is produced when a shear layer separates from a boundary. Examples are given both of flows in which the shear layer reattaches after separation and of flows in which the shear layer does not reattach. When the shear layer vorticity distribution has the form ωαyⁿ, where y is a distance measure across the layer, the steady flows are of Falkner-Skan type inside, and adjacent to, the separation region. The unsteady flows described in this paper are natural generalizations of these Falkner-Skan flows. One important result of the analysis is to show that if the unsteady flow inside the separation region is strongly sheared, then the boundary of the separation region moves upstream towards the point of separation, forming large transverse currents. Generally, the assumption of hydraulic flow becomes invalid in a finite time. On the other hand, if the flow inside the separation region is weakly sheared, this region is swept downstream and the flow becomes self-similar.     

The effect of modeling of velocity fluctuations on prediction of collection efficiency of cyclone separators

The effect of modeling of velocity fluctuations on the prediction of collection efficiency of cyclone separators has been numerically investigated using the Reynolds stress turbulence model (RSTM) and large eddy simulation (LES). The Eulerian–Lagrangian modeling approach of CFD code Fluent 6.3.26 has been employed to simulate the three dimensional, unsteady turbulent gas–solid flows in a Stairmand high efficiency cyclone. The simulated results have been compared with experimental observations available in the literature. The analysis of results shows that the RSTM and the LES have adequately predicted the mean flow field. Results of the present study demonstrate that the LES has good performance on prediction of fluctuating flow field and collection efficiency for each and every particle size. However, the performance of the RSTM is found poor in terms of prediction of velocity fluctuations and collection efficiency, especially for small particles. This relates to the precessing of the vortex core phenomenon, which is resolved more accurately by LES as compared to the RSTM simulation. The results suggest that the prediction of collection efficiency, especially for small particles is greatly influenced by the simulation of velocity fluctuations in cyclones.     

Performance and limitations of the unsteady RANS approach

Turbulent flows in complex geometries often exhibit an oscillating behavior of large coherent structures, even in the case of steady state boundary conditions. Recently, numerous efforts have been made to resolve these oscillations by means of numerical simulations. Unfortunately, large-eddy simulations are often very time- and memory-consuming in the case of complex flows. Therefore, the unsteady RANS (URANS) approach is an attractive alternative, especially when numerical simulations are used as a design and optimization tool. Here, two complex flow situations are presented, the tundish flow and a jet in a crossflow. For these flows, relationships between the Strouhal number and important flow parameters are known from experiments. In the paper, URANS models are applied to resolve those relationships also numerically. The evaluation of the numerical results demonstrates the abilities and the limitations of the URANS approach when resolving the dynamics of large coherent structures in complex flows. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A simple and efficient implicit direct forcing immersed boundary model for simulations of complex flow

This paper presents an implementation of an implicit immersed boundary (IB) method in a flow solver based on the fractional step method and the finite volume method for complex flows involving moving boundaries and complex geometries. In this implementation, a body force caused by the immersed body is first introduced into the N-S equation to model the effect of immersed boundary. However, the body force is not pre-calculated, but implicitly determined in such a way that the velocity at the immersed boundary interpolated from the corrected velocity field accurately satisfies the no-slip and no-penetration conditions. Then, the large-eddy simulation is applied in the solver, where the subgrid-scale stress is determined by the Smagorinsky–Lilly model. Near the immersed boundaries, the subgrid-scale stress is determined by a wall model where the wall shear stress is directly calculated from the Lagrangian force(which represents the action of fluid on solid) on the immersed boundary. Such treatment makes the simulations of high Reynolds number turbulent flows feasible with the IB method. The accuracy and capability of the present method are demonstrated by simulations of a variety of both two- and three-dimensional simulations, including laminar flow past static and oscillating cylinders, rotating hydrofoil and turbulent flow around a three-dimensional circular cylinder and a sphere. It shows that the present implementation provides an easy-to-use, inexpensive and accurate technique for computational fluid dynamics in industrially relevant problems.     

Validation of LES predictions for turbulent flow in a Confined Impinging Jets Reactor

This work focuses on the prediction of the turbulent flow in a three-dimensionial Confined Impinging Jets Reactor with a cylindrical reaction chamber by using Large Eddy Simulation. Three-dimensional unsteady simulations with different sub-grid scale models, numerical schemes and boundary conditions were performed for various flow rates, covering different flow regimes. First, a qualitative analysis of the flow field was carried out and then predictions of the mean and fluctuating velocities were compared with micro Particle Image Velocimetry data. Good agreement was found both for the mean velocity components and the fluctuations. For low to moderate Reynolds numbers the sub-grid scale model was found not to be very relevant, since small scales are of less importance, as long as scalar transport and chemical reaction are not in play. An important finding is the good prediction of the high velocity fluctuations detected in particular at higher Reynolds number due to the natural instability of the system, strongly enforced by the jets unsteadiness.