Developing a physical influence upwind scheme for pressure-based cell-centered finite volume methods

In the framework of a cell-centered finite volume method (FVM), the advection scheme plays the most important role in developing FVMs to solve complicated fluid flow problems for a wide range of Reynolds numbers. Advection schemes have been widely developed for FVMs employing pressure-velocity coupling methodology in the incompressible flow limit. In this regard, the physical influence upwind scheme (PIS) is developed for a cell-centered finite volume coupled solver (FVCS) using a pressure-weighted interpolation method for linking the pressure and velocity fields. The well-known exponential differencing scheme and skew upwind differencing scheme are also deployed in the current FVCS and their numerical results are presented. The accuracy and convergence of the present PIS are evaluated solving flow in a lid-driven square cavity, a lid-driven skewed cavity, and over a backward-facing step (BFS). The flow within the lid-driven square cavity is numerically solved at Reynolds numbers from 400 to 10 000 on a relatively coarse mesh with respect to other reported solutions. The lid-driven skewed cavity test case at Reynolds number of 1000 demonstrates the numerical performance of the present PIS on nonorthogonal grids. The flow over a BFS at Reynolds number of 800 is numerically solved to examine capabilities of current FVCS employing the current PIS in inlet-outlet flow computations. The numerical results obtained by the current PIS are in excellent agreement with those of benchmark solutions of corresponding test cases. Incorporating implicit role of pressure terms in a pressure-weighted interpolation method and development of PIS provides satisfactory solution convergence alongside the numerical accuracy for the current FVCS. A particular numerical verification is performed for the V velocity calculation within the BFS flow field, which confirms the reliability of present PIS.     

Reynolds stress modelling of rectangular open‐channel flow

A Reynolds stress model for the numerical simulation of uniform 3D turbulent open‐channel flows is described. The finite volume method is used for the numerical solution of the flow equations and transport equations of the Reynolds stress components. The overall solution strategy is the SIMPLER algorithm, and the power‐law scheme is used to discretize the convection and diffusion terms in the governing equations. The developed model is applied to a flow at a Reynolds number of 77000 in a rectangular channel with a width to depth ratio of 2. The simulated mean flow and turbulence structures are compared with measured and computed data from the literature. The computed flow vectors in the plane normal to the streamwise direction show a small vortex, called inner secondary currents, located at the juncture of the sidewall and the free surface as well as the free surface and bottom vortices. This small vortex causes a significant increase in the wall shear stress in the vicinity of the free surface. A budget analysis of the streamwise vorticity is carried out. It is found that both production terms by anisotropy of Reynolds normal stress and by Reynolds shear stress contribute to the generation of secondary currents. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vortex shedding and three-dimensional behaviour of flow past a cylinder confined in a channel

A numerical investigation of the flow past a circular cylinder centred in a two-dimensional channel of varying width is presented. For low Reynolds numbers, the flow is steady. For higher Reynolds numbers, vortices begin to shed periodically from the cylinder. In general, the Strouhal frequency of the shedding vortices increases with blockage ratio. In addition, a two-dimensional instability of the periodic vortex shedding is found, both empirically and by means of a Floquet stability analysis. The instability leads to a beating behaviour in the lift and drag coefficients of the cylinder, which occurs at a Reynolds number higher than the critical Reynolds number for the three-dimensional mode A-type instability, but lower than a Reynolds number for any mode B-type instability.     

Spiral vortices between concentric cylinders

Spiral vortices appearing in Couette-Taylor flows are studied by means of numerical simulation. Transition curves from Couette to spiral vortices for different radius ratios and wavenumbers have been calculated in order to test our technique. Critical Reynolds numbers, angular velocities and slopes of the spirals at the onset of the instability agree with previous results [1]. Non-linear solutions obtained by a pseudospectral collocation method are studied, and they show a weak net axial flow. In order to counteract this effect, which is absent in the usual experimental set-up, an axial pressure gradient has been included. This procedure has proved to be sufficient to make the axial flow negligible. The onset of a quasiperiodic flow for larger Reynolds numbers, corresponding to a secondary bifurcation is also presented.     

Prediction of asymmetric vortical flows around slender bodies using Navier-Stokes equations

Steady and unsteady asymmetric vortical flows around slender bodies at high angles of attack are solved using the unsteady, compressible, this-layer Navier-Stokes equations. An implicit, upwind-biased, flux-difference splitting, finite-volume scheme is used for the numerical computations. For supersonic flows past point cones, the locally conical flow assumption has been used for efficient computational studies of this phenomenon. Asymmetric flows past a 5° semiapex-angle circular cone at different angles of attack, free-stream Mach numbers, and Reynolds numbers has been studied in responses to different sources of disturbances. The effects of grid fineness and computational domain size have also been investigated. Next, the responses of three-dimensional supersonic asymmetric flow around a 5° circular cone at different angles of attack and Reynolds numbers to short-duration sideslip disturbances are presented. The results show that flow asymmetry becomes stronger as the Reynolds number and angles of attack are increased. The asymmetric solutions show spatial vortex shedding which is qualitatively similar to the temporal vortex shedding of the unsteady locally conical flow. A cylindrical afterbody is also added to the same cone to study the effect of a cylindrical part on the flow asymmetry. One of the cases of flow over a cone-cylinder configuration is validated fairly well by experimental data.     

A boundary element method for steady viscous fluid flow using penalty function formulation

A new boundary element method is presented for steady incompressible flow at moderate and high Reynolds numbers. The whole domain is discretized into a number of eight-noded cells, for each of which the governing boundary integral equation is formulated exclusively in terms of velocities and tractions. The kernels used in this paper are the fundamental solutions of the linearized Navier–Stokes equations with artificial compressibility. Significant attention is given to the numerical evaluation of the integrals over quadratic boundary elements as well as over quadratic quadrilateral volume cells in order to ensure a high accuracy level at high Reynolds numbers. As an illustration, square driven cavity flows are considered for Reynolds numbers up to 1000. Numerical results demonstrate both the high convergence rate, even when using simple (direct) iterations, and the appropriate level of accuracy of the proposed method. Although the method yields a high level of accuracy in the primary vortex region, the secondary vortices are not properly resolved. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flow of a viscous fluid past a flexible membrane at low Reynolds numbers

The numerical calculation of a steady two-dimensional viscous flow past a flexible membrane is treated. Both edges of the membrane are fixed in the flow and its chord is set normal to the flow. The Navier-Stokes equation in terms of the stream function and the vorticity is transformed to the body fitted coordinate system. The numerical calculations, based on a finite difference method and relaxation method, are carried out for several values of the membranes tension for cases when the Reynolds numbers are 5, 10 and 20. It is found that two different shapes of the membranes are possible at a given value of tension and Reynolds number: one with a small deformation, and the other with a large deformation. Two vortices appear in the concave region of the membrane if its deformation increases beyond a certain extent.     

Numerical study of a separated-reattaching flow

The flow over a normal plate with a long, downstream splitter plate is numerically studied with fine spatial and temporal resolutions. The time-dependent two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations are integrated in time using a high-order, upwind-biased finite-difference scheme. Calculations are performed at several Reynolds numbers to study the evolution of the unsteady nature of the flow. Steady separated flow has been observed for Reynolds numbers up to 150, after which unsteady vortical structures are seen to develop from the shear layer. The time-mean flow characteristics in the steady and unsteady regimes are described. The calculations are seen to agree fairly well with experimental data at high Reynolds numbers.This work was supported by the Office of Naval Research under Grant N-00014-92-J-1640.     

Application of a preconditioned high‐order accurate artificial compressibility‐based incompressible flow solver in wide range of Reynolds numbers

In the present study, the preconditioned incompressible Navier‐Stokes equations with the artificial compressibility method formulated in the generalized curvilinear coordinates are numerically solved by using a high‐order compact finite‐difference scheme for accurately and efficiently computing the incompressible flows in a wide range of Reynolds numbers. A fourth‐order compact finite‐difference scheme is utilized to accurately discretize the spatial derivative terms of the governing equations, and the time integration is carried out based on the dual time‐stepping method. The capability of the proposed solution methodology for the computations of the steady and unsteady incompressible viscous flows from very low to high Reynolds numbers is investigated through the simulation of different 2‐dimensional benchmark problems, and the results obtained are compared with the existing analytical, numerical, and experimental data. A sensitivity analysis is also performed to evaluate the effects of the size of the computational domain and other numerical parameters on the accuracy and performance of the solution algorithm. The present solution procedure is also extended to 3 dimensions and applied for computing the incompressible flow over a sphere. Indications are that the application of the preconditioning in the solution algorithm together with the high‐order discretization method in the generalized curvilinear coordinates provides an accurate and robust solution method for simulating the incompressible flows over practical geometries in a wide range of Reynolds numbers including the creeping flows.     

激波-涡干扰声场的数值研究

采用高精度差分格式求解非定常可压缩Navier-Stokes方程,对激波－单涡／双涡相互干扰产生的声场进行了直接数值。详细研究了波－涡干扰声场结构的早期发展阶段,将激波－单涡的计算结果和相应实验进行 对比,并给出近场声压的衰减规律。在此基础上模拟较为复杂的激波－双涡干扰,给出不同旋涡旋转方向下的声场结构。     

The merging of two co-rotating vortices: a numerical study

The merging of two-dimensional co-rotating vortices is analysed through direct numerical simulations at large Reynolds numbers. It is shown how the Reynolds number affects each of the three phases that characterise this phenomenon. In the first phase, we examine the merging onset and focus on its definition. During the second rapid phase, the contributions of various flow regions upon the dynamics of a vortex are quantitatively studied. These regions are respectively the companion vortex, the filaments and an intermediate zone between vortices and filaments. The third phase is interpreted in terms of an advection diffusion process. Finally the final profile and circulation of the merged vortex is determined: the two thirds of the total circulation of the two initial vortices is contained in the newly formed vortex.     

Transition phenomena in the wake of an inclined square cylinder

The division of flow regimes in a square cylinder wake at various angles of attack (α) is studied. This study provides evidence of the existence of modes A and B instabilities in the wake of an inclined square cylinder. The critical Reynolds numbers for the inception of these instability modes were identified through the determination of discontinuities in the Strouhal number versus Reynolds number curves. The spectra and time traces of wake streamwise velocity were observed to display three distinct patterns in different flow regimes. Streamwise vortices with different wavelengths at various Reynolds numbers were visualized. A PIV technique was employed to quantitatively measure the parameters of wake vortices. The wavelengths of the streamwise vortices in the modes A and B regimes were measured by using the auto-correlation method. From the present investigation, the square cylinder wake at various angles of attack undergoes a similar transition path to that of a circular cylinder, although various quantitative parameters measured which include the critical Reynolds numbers, spanwise wavelength of secondary vortices, and the circulation and vorticity of wake vortices all show an α dependence.     

用鲁棒Riemann求解器和运动重叠网格计算旋翼粘性绕流

发展了一种基于鲁棒Riemann求解器和运动重叠网格技术计算直升机悬停旋翼流场的方法。基于惯性坐标系,悬停旋翼流场是非定常流场,控制方程为可压缩Reynolds平均Navier-Stoke方程,其对流项采用Roe近似Reimann求解器离散,使用改进的五阶加权基本无振荡格式进行高阶重构,非定常时间推进采用含牛顿型LUSGS子迭代的全隐式双时间步方法。为实施旋转运动和便于捕捉尾迹,计算采用运动重叠网格技术。计算得到的桨叶表面压力分布及桨尖涡涡核位置都与实验结果吻合较好。数值结果表明:所发展方法对桨尖涡具有较高的分辨率,对激波具有较好的捕捉能力,该方法可进一步推广到前飞旋翼粘性绕流的计算。     

A high‐order accurate discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for laminar low Mach number flows

In this paper we present a discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method designed to improve the accuracy and efficiency of laminar flow simulations at low Mach numbers using an implicit scheme. The algorithm is based on the flux preconditioning approach, which modifies only the dissipative terms of the numerical flux. This formulation is quite simple to implement in existing implicit DG codes, it overcomes the time‐stepping restrictions of explicit multistage algorithms, is consistent in time and thus applicable to unsteady flows. The performance of the method is demonstrated by solving the flow around a NACA0012 airfoil and on a flat plate, at different low Mach numbers using various degrees of polynomial approximations. Computations with and without flux preconditioning are performed on different grid topologies to analyze the influence of the spatial discretization on the accuracy of the DG solutions at low Mach numbers. The time accurate solution of unsteady flow is also demonstrated by solving the vortex shedding behind a circular cylinder at the Reynolds number of 100. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A comparative study of central and upwind difference schemes using the primitive variables

The use of the velocity-pressure formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations for the numerical solution of fluid flow problems is favoured for free-surface problems, more involved flow configurations, and three-dimensional flows. Many engineering problems involve such features in addition to strong inertial effects. The computational instabilities arising from central-difference schemes for the convective terms of the governing equations impose serious limitations on the range of Reynolds numbers that can be investigated by the numerical method. Solutions for higher Reynolds numbers Re > 1000 could be reached using upwind-difference schemes. A comparative study of both schemes using a method based on the primitive variables is presented. The comparison is made for the model problem of the driven flow in a square cavity. Using a central scheme stable solutions of the pressure and velocity fields were obtained for Reynolds numbers up to 5000. The streamfunction and vorticity fields were calculated from the resulting velocity field and compared with previous solutions. It is concluded that total upwind differencing results in a considerable change in the flow pattern due to the false diffusion. For practical calculations, by a proper choice of a small amount of partial upwind differencing the vorticity diffusion near the walls and the global features of the solutions are not sigificantly altered.     

Asymmetric flows in planar symmetric channels with large expansion ratio

A continuation method has been used with a finite element grid and a geometric perturbation to compute two successive symmetry breaking flow transitions with increasing Reynolds number in flow of generalized Newtonian fluids through a sudden planar expansion. With an expansion ratio of 16, the onset Reynolds number is particularly sensitive to small geometric asymmetry and the critical Reynolds numbers for the two successive flow transitions are found to be very close. These transitions are delayed to higher onset Reynolds numbers by increasing the degree of pseudoplasticity. This trend is observed experimentally as well in this work and may be attributed to the competing effects of shear thinning and inertia on the size of the corner vortex before the symmetry breaking flow transition. After the second transition with an expansion ratio of 16, the two large staggered vortices on opposite walls occupy most of the transverse dimension so that the core flow between the vortices appears as a thin jet oscillating along the flow direction. This is more pronounced for the pseudoplastic liquid. After the second transition, the degree of flow asymmetry at a given location downstream of the expansion plane is larger for the pseudoplastic liquid than for the Newtonian liquid at comparable Reynolds numbers. The last feature is also evident in the experimentally observed velocity profiles. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Implicit preconditioned high‐order compact scheme for the simulation of the three‐dimensional incompressible Navier–Stokes equations with pseudo‐compressibility method

This paper combines the pseudo‐compressibility procedure, the preconditioning technique for accelerating the time marching for stiff hyperbolic equations, and high‐order accurate central compact scheme to establish the code for efficiently and accurately solving incompressible flows numerically based on the finite difference discretization. The spatial scheme consists of the sixth‐order compact scheme and 10th‐order numerical filter operator for guaranteeing computational stability. The preconditioned pseudo‐compressible Navier–Stokes equations are marched temporally using the implicit lower–upper symmetric Gauss–Seidel time integration method, and the time accuracy is improved by the dual‐time step method for the unsteady problems. The efficiency and reliability of the present procedure are demonstrated by applications to Taylor decaying vortices phenomena, double periodic shear layer rolling‐up problem, laminar flow over a flat plate, low Reynolds number unsteady flow around a circular cylinder at Re = 200, high Reynolds number turbulence flow past the S809 airfoil, and the three‐dimensional flows through two 90°curved ducts of square and circular cross sections, respectively. It is found that the numerical results of the present algorithm are in good agreement with theoretical solutions or experimental data. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vortex characteristics in laminar cavity flow at very low Mach number

In the present paper, a laminar cavity is analysed at very low Mach numbers. The characteristics of core-vortices are proposed and commented. The experiments were performed in an open subsonic wind tunnel using particle image velocimetry (PIV). A rectangular cavity with a length-to-depth ratio of 4 was used (shallow and open type). Three different Reynolds numbers, based on cavity depth and free stream velocity, were examined (Re_h=4,000, 9,000 and 13,000). The upstream boundary layer was investigated using classical hot-wire anemometry and was found to be laminar. For each Reynolds number, a total of 1,000 vectors fields were acquired. The results are given in terms of conventional quantities (mean flow velocity, turbulence characteristics, Reynolds shear stress) and also in terms of vortex characteristics (such as probability density function of vortex location, vortex size and vortex circulation). Some of these vortex characteristics are then proposed in a local averaged presentation. The extraction of vortices from instantaneous flow fields has been done through the use of a home-made algorithm based on continuous wavelet analysis.     

Orbital flow past a cylinder: A numerical approach

Orbital flow past a cylinder is relevant to offshore structures. The numerical scheme presented here is based on a finite-difference solution of the Navier–Stokes equations. Alternating-directional-implicit (ADI) and successive-over-relaxation (SOR) techniques are used to solve the vorticity-transport and stream-function equations. Theoretical simulations to low Reynolds number flows (up to 1000) are discussed for cases involving uniform flow past stationary and rotating cylinders and orbital flow past a cylinder. The separation points for cylinders that are rotating or immersed in an orbital flow are deduced from velocity profiles through the boundary layer using a hybrid mesh scheme. During the initial development of orbital flow surface vorticity on the impulsively started cylinder dominates the flow. A vortex then detaches from behind the cylinder and establishes the flow pattern of the orbit. After some time a collection of vortices circles the orbit and distorts its shape a great deal. These vortices gradually spiral outward as others detach from the cylinder and join the orbital path.     

The turbulent flow field around a circular cylinder

The flow field around a circular cylinder mounted vertically on a flat bottom has been investigated experimentally. This type of flow occurs in several technical applications, e.g. local scouring around bridge piers. Hydrogen bubble flow visualization was carried out for Reynolds numbers ranging from 6,600 to 65,000. The main flow characteristic upstream of the cylinder is a system of horse-shoe vortices which are shed quasi-periodically. The number of vortices depends on Reynolds number. The vortex system was found to be independent of the vortices that are shed in the wake of the cylinder. The topology of the separated flow contains several separation and attachment lines which are Reynolds number dependent. In the wake region different flow patterns exist for each constant Reynolds number.