Analysis of incompressible massively separated viscous flows using unsteady Navier–Stokes equations

The unsteady incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are formulated in terms of vorticity and stream-function in generalized curvilinear orthogonal co-ordinates to facilitate analysis of flow configurations with general geometries. The numerical method developed solves the conservative form of the vorticity transport equation using the alternating direction implicit method, whereas the streamfunction equation is solved by direct block Gaussian elimination. The method is applied to a model problem of flow over a backstep in a doubly infinite channel, using clustered conformal co-ordinates. One-dimensional stretching functions, dependent on the Reynolds number and the asymptotic behaviour of the flow, are used to provide suitable grid distribution in the separation and reattachment regions, as well as in the inflow and outflow regions. The optimum grid distribution selected attempts to honour the multiple length scales of the separated flow model problem. The asymptotic behaviour of the finite differenced transport equation near infinity is examined and the numerical method is carefully developed so as to lead to spatially second-order-accurate wiggle-free solutions, i.e. with minimum dispersive error. Results have been obtained in the entire laminar range for the backstep channel and are in good agreement with the available experimental data for this flow problem, prior to the onset of three-dimensionality in the experiment.     

Projection conditions on the vorticity in viscous incompressible flows

The problem of establishing appropriate conditions for the vorticity transport equation is considered. It is shown that, in viscous incompressible flows, the boundary conditions on the velocity imply conditions of an integral type on the vorticity. These conditions determine a projection of the vorticity field on the linear manifold of the harmonic vector fields. Some computational consequences of the above result in two-dimensional calculations by means of the nonprimitive variables, stream function and vorticity, are examined. As an example of the application of the discrete analogue of the projection conditions, numerical solutions of the driven cavity problem are reported.     

A consistent splitting scheme for unsteady incompressible viscous flows I. Dirichlet boundary condition and applications

A well‐recognized approach for handling the incompressibility constraint by operating directly on the discretized Navier–Stokes equations is used to obtain the decoupling of the pressure from the velocity field. By following the current developments by Guermond and Shen, the possibilities of obtaining accurate pressure and reducing boundary‐layer effect for the pressure are analysed. The present study mainly reports the numerical solutions of an unsteady Navier–Stokes problem based on the so‐called consistent splitting scheme (J. Comput. Phys. 2003; 192 :262–276). At the same time the Dirichlet boundary value conditions are considered. The accuracy of the method is carefully examined against the exact solution for an unsteady flow physics problem in a simply connected domain. The effectiveness is illustrated viz. several computations of 2D double lid‐driven cavity problems. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Necessary and sufficient conditions for the stability of flows of incompressible viscous fluids

Summary We perturb a steady flow of an incompressible viscous fluid and derive a necessary and sufficient condition for the marginal cases for monotonie energy stability and stability against small (infinitesimal) disturbances to coincide. Evaluation of this condition in two examples singles out, in terms of the parameters of the problem, the cases where necessary and sufficient conditions for stability coincide and thus the steady flow first becomes unstable, together with the class of perturbations responsible for the instability. The analysis is done within the range of strict solutions of each underlying problem; the precise regularity and existence classes are given in Sec. 0. The examples we treat are plane parallel shear flow with a non-symmetric profile in an infinite rotating layer and the effect of rotation on convection.     

Perturbations of flows of incompressible nonlinearly viscous and viscoplastic fluids caused by variations in material functions

Material functions are necessary element of the constitutive relations determining any model of continuum. These functions can be defined as a collection of objects from which the operator of constitutive relations can be reconstructed completely. The material functions are found in test experiments and show the differences between a given medium and other media in the framework of the same model [1]. The “test experiment theory” is an important part of modern experimental mechanics.Just as in any experiment, from determining the viscosity coefficient by using the rotational viscosimeters to constructing the yield surface by using machines combined loading, the material functions are determined with an unavoidable error. For example, experimenters know that, in experiments with arbitrary accuracy, the moduli of elasticity can only be measured with an unimprovable tolerance of about 7%. Starting already from [2], the investigators’ attention has been repeatedly drawn to the fact that it is necessary to take into account this tolerance in determining the material constants, functions, and functionals in problems of mechanics and especially in analyzing the stability of deformation processes. Mathematically, this means that problems of stability under perturbations of the initial data, external constantly acting forces, domain boundaries, etc. should be supplemented with the assumption that the material functions have unknown perturbations of a certain class [3].The variations of material functions in the framework of the linearized stability theory were considered in [2, 4, 5]. In what follows, we study isotropic tensor functions in the most general case of scalar and tensor nonlinearity. These functions are assigned the meaning of constitutive relations between the stress and strain rate tensors in continuum. These constitutive relations contain scalar material functions of invariants on which, as follows from the above, some variations proportional to a small physical parameter α can be imposed. These variations imply perturbations of the tensor function itself. The components of such perturbations linear and quadratic in α are determined. In each of the approximations, we write out a closed system of equations consisting of the equations of motion (linear in the variables of the respective approximation) and the incompressibility condition.We analyze tensor-linear functions with arbitrary scalar rheology inmore detail. Materials with such constitutive relations include non-Newtonian viscous fluids and viscoplastic materials. Viscoplastic materials are characterized by the existence of rigidity zones, where the stress intensity is less than the yield strength. We derive equations for the boundaries of the rigidity zones in the perturbed motion, in particular, for the case in which the unperturbed medium is a viscous Newtonian fluid. Throughout the paper, index-free notation is used.     

Cell face velocity alternatives in a structured colocated grid for the unsteady Navier–Stokes equations

The use of a colocated variable arrangement for the numerical solution of fluid flow is becoming more and more popular due to its coding simplicity. The inherent decoupling of the pressure and velocity fields in this arrangement can be handled via a special interpolation procedure for the calculation of the cell face velocity named pressure‐weighted interpolation method (PWIM) (AIAA J. 1983; 21 (11):1525–1532). In this paper a discussion on the alternatives to extend PWIM to unsteady flows is presented along with a very simple criterion to ascertain if a given interpolation practice will produce steady results that are relaxation dependent or time step dependent. Following this criterion it will be shown that some prior schemes presented as time step independent are actually not, although by using special interpolations can be readily adapted to be. A systematic way of deriving different cell face velocity expressions will be presented and new formulae free of Δt dependence will be derived. Several computational exercises will accompany the theoretical discussion to support our claims. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lagrangian evaluations of viscous models for velocity gradient dynamics in non-stationary turbulence

Simple autonomous dynamical models of velocity gradients are found to be useful in understanding the essential physics of non-linear turbulent processes. Such models can also be employed as closure models for the Lagrangian PDF methods of turbulence computations. The pressure Hessian and the viscous processes incumbent in the exact velocity gradient evolution equation are non-local in nature. Several models have been proposed for these processes. In this work, we focus specifically on two models meant for the incumbent viscous process: the linear Lagrangian diffusion model (LLDM) and the recent fluid deformation closure model (RFDM). Performance of both the models have indeed been examined earlier, but most evaluations have been restricted to statistical stationary flow fields. In this work, we subject these models to further scrutiny. Our evaluation procedure (i) uses direct numerical simulation data of decaying isotropic (non-stationary) turbulence, (ii) follows identified fluid particles (the so-called Lagrangian evolution), (iii) uses both compressible and nearly incompressible flow fields. In nearly incompressible regime, the RFD model is found to be satisfactory, while the LLDM model overestimates viscous effects at late times. In the compressible regime, both the models show inadequacies. For compressible flows, we propose an alternative modelling strategy which shows improvement over both LLD and RFD models.     

Second gradient electrodynamics: Green functions,wave propagation,regularization and self-force

In this work, the theory of second gradient electrodynamics, which is an important example of generalized electrodynamics, is proposed and investigated. Second gradient electrodynamics is a gradient field theory with up to second-order derivatives of the electromagnetic field strengths in the Lagrangian density. Second gradient electrodynamics possesses a weak nonlocality in space and time. In the framework of second gradient electrodynamics, the retarded Green functions, first-order derivatives of the retarded Green functions, retarded potentials, retarded electromagnetic field strengths, generalized Liénard–Wiechert potentials and the corresponding electromagnetic field strengths are derived for three, two and one spatial dimensions. The behaviour of the electromagnetic fields is investigated on the light cone. In particular, the retarded Green functions and their first-order derivatives show oscillations around the classical solutions inside the forward light cone and it is shown that they are singularity-free and regular on the light cone in three, two and one spatial dimensions. In second gradient electrodynamics, the self-force and the energy release rate are calculated and the equation of motion of a charged point particle, which is an integro-differential equation where the infamous third-order time-derivative of the position does not appear, is determined.     

Analysis of velocity equation of steady flow of a viscous incompressible fluid in channel with porous walls

Steady flow of a viscous incompressible fluid in a channel, driven by suction or injection of the fluid through the channel walls, is investigated. The velocity equation of this problem is reduced to nonlinear ordinary differential equation with two boundary conditions by appropriate transformation and convert the two‐point boundary‐value problem for the similarity function into an initial‐value problem in which the position of the upper channel. Then obtained differential equation is solved analytically using differential transformation method and compare with He's variational iteration method and numerical solution. These methods can be easily extended to other linear and nonlinear equations and so can be found widely applicable in engineering and sciences. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A comparative study of GLS finite elements with velocity and pressure equally interpolated for solving incompressible viscous flows

A comparative study of the bi‐linear and bi‐quadratic quadrilateral elements and the quadratic triangular element for solving incompressible viscous flows is presented. These elements make use of the stabilized finite element formulation of the Galerkin/least‐squares method to simulate the flows, with the pressure and velocity fields interpolated with equal orders. The tangent matrices are explicitly derived and the Newton–Raphson algorithm is employed to solve the resulting nonlinear equations. The numerical solutions of the classical lid‐driven cavity flow problem are obtained for Reynolds numbers between 1000 and 20 000 and the accuracy and converging rate of the different elements are compared. The influence on the numerical solution of the least square of incompressible condition is also studied. The numerical example shows that the quadratic triangular element exhibits a better compromise between accuracy and converging rate than the other two elements. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An ‘assumed deviatoric stress-pressure-velocity’ mixed finite element method for unsteady,convective, incompressible viscous flow: Part II: Computational studies

In Part I of this paper we presented a mixed finite element method, for solving unsteady, incompressible, convective flows, based on assumed ‘deviatoric stress–velocity–pressure’ fields in each element, which have the features: (i) the convective term is treated by the usual Galerkin technique; (ii) the unknowns in the global system of finite element equations are the nodal velocities, and the ‘constant term’ in the arbitrary pressure field over each element; and (iii) exact integrations are performed over each element. In this paper we present numerical studies, both for steady as well as unsteady cases, of the problems: (a) the driven cavity, (b) Jeffry–Hamel flow in a channel, (c) flow over a ‘backward’ or ‘downstream’ facing step, and (d) flow over a square step. All these problems are two-dimensional in nature, although certain 3-D solutions are to be presented in a separate paper. The present results are compared with those which are available in the literature and are based on alternative approaches to treat incompressibility and convective acceleration. The possible merits of the present method are thus pointed out.     

Computation of unsteady viscous incompressible flows in generalized non‐inertial co‐ordinate system using Godunov‐projection method and overlapping meshes

Time‐dependent incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are formulated in generalized non‐inertial co‐ordinate system and numerically solved by using a modified second‐order Godunov‐projection method on a system of overlapped body‐fitted structured grids. The projection method uses a second‐order fractional step scheme in which the momentum equation is solved to obtain the intermediate velocity field which is then projected on to the space of divergence‐free vector fields. The second‐order Godunov method is applied for numerically approximating the non‐linear convection terms in order to provide a robust discretization for simulating flows at high Reynolds number. In order to obtain the pressure field, the pressure Poisson equation is solved. Overlapping grids are used to discretize the flow domain so that the moving‐boundary problem can be solved economically. Numerical results are then presented to demonstrate the performance of this projection method for a variety of unsteady two‐ and three‐dimensional flow problems formulated in the non‐inertial co‐ordinate systems. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Specific features of propagation of unsteady waves in a rotating spherical layer of an ideal incompressible stratified electroconducting fluid in the equatorial latitude belt

Three-dimensional large-scale motions of a rotating inviscid incompressible stratified ideal electroconducting fluid in a spherical equatorial latitude belt are studied. The mathematical model of this physical process is a closed system of partial differential equations consisting of hydrodynamic equations, which take into account the Earth rotation and the Lorentz force, and corresponding equations of magnetic dynamics with appropriate boundary conditions. An analytical solution of the system is constructed in the approximation of an equatorial β-plane, which describes propagation of lowamplitude waves.     

Convection of a viscous incompressible gas in rectangular regions with inlet and outlet channels

A study is made of two-dimensional problems of thermal convection of a viscous incompressible gas in rectangular regions that have gas inlet and outlet channels in the presence of a temperature difference between the bottom and the top (the bottom is heated). In contrast to the well-studied case of natural convection, when no-slip conditions are specified on all boundaries of the region and motion in the region occurs only through the temperature difference [1–4], the heat transfer in the investigated flows is complicated by the additional influence of the forced convection of the gas due to the motion of gas through the inlet and outlet channels. Flows of such type simulate well the processes that take place in many heat transfer devices and in ventilated and air-conditioned industrial premises. Two formulations of the problem are considered. In the first, the gas flow through the inlet and outlet channels is assumed given, and the solution of the problem is determined by the dimensionless Prandtl, Grashof, and Reynolds numbers. In the second case, this flow rate is not given but determined during the solution of the problem. The motion in the region arises from the difference between the temperatures of the bottom and the top of the region, and the motion, in its turn, causes a flow of gas through the inlet and outlet channels. As in the case of natural convection, the solution of the problem in this case is determined by only two dimensionless numbers — the Grashof and Prandtl numbers. By numerical solution of the boundary-value problems for the equations of heat transfer a study is made of the influence of the characteristic dimensionless numbers on the hydrodynamic and temperature fields and the heat fluxes through the boundaries of the region. The solutions of the problems in the two formulations are compared for different positions of the outlet channels.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 126–131, September–October, 1979.We thank G. I. Petrov for discussing the results.     

Effect of slip velocity on Casson thin film flow and heat transfer due to unsteady stretching sheet in presence of variable heat flux and viscous dissipation

The aim of the present paper is to study flow and heat transfer characteristics of a viscous Casson thin film flow over an unsteady stretching sheet subject to variable heat flux in the presence of slip velocity condition and viscous dissipation. The governing equations are partial differential equations. They are reduced to a set of highly nonlinear ordinary differential equations by suitable similarity transformations. The resulting similarity equations are solved numerically with a shooting method. Comparisons with previous works are made, and the results are found to be in excellent agreement. In the present work, the effects of the unsteadiness parameter, the Casson parameter, the Eckert number, the slip velocity parameter, and the Prandtl number on flow and heat transfer characteristics are discussed. Also, the local skin-friction coefficient and the local Nusselt number at the stretching sheet are computed and discussed.     

Domain decomposition for the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations: solving subdomain problems accurately and inaccurately

For the solution of practical flow problems in arbitrarily shaped domains, simple Schwarz domain decomposition methods with minimal overlap are quite efficient, provided Krylov subspace methods, e.g. the GMRES method, are used to accelerate convergence. With an accurate subdomain solution, the amount of time spent solving these problems may be quite large. To reduce computing time, an inaccurate solution of subdomain problems is considered, which requires a GCR-based acceleration technique. Much emphasis is put on the multiplicative domain decomposition algorithm since we also want an algorithm which is fast on a single processor. Nevertheless, the prospects for parallel implementation are also investigated. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The improvement of numerical modeling in the solution of incompressible viscous flow problems using finite element method based on spherical Hankel shape functions

In this paper, the finite element method with new spherical Hankel shape functions is developed for simulating 2‐dimensional incompressible viscous fluid problems. In order to approximate the hydrodynamic variables, the finite element method based on new shape functions is reformulated. The governing equations are the Navier‐Stokes equations solved by the finite element method with the classic Lagrange and spherical Hankel shape functions. The new shape functions are derived using the first and second kinds of Bessel functions. In addition, these functions have properties such as piecewise continuity. For the enrichment of Hankel radial basis functions, polynomial terms are added to the functional expansion that only employs spherical Hankel radial basis functions in the approximation. In addition, the participation of spherical Bessel function fields has enhanced the robustness and efficiency of the interpolation. To demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of these shape functions, 4 benchmark tests in fluid mechanics are considered. Then, the present model results are compared with the classic finite element results and available analytical and numerical solutions. The results show that the proposed method, even with less number of elements, is more accurate than the classic finite element method.     

Numerical investigation of three-dimensional viscous incompressible flows in divergent curved channels and turbulent model study

In order to make the numerical calculation of viscous flows more convenient for the flows in channel with complicated profile governing equations expressed in the arbitrary curvilinear coordinates were derived by means of Favre density- weighted averaged method, and a turbulent model with effect of curvature modification was also derived. The numerical calculation of laminar and turbulent flows in divergent curved channels was carried out by means of parabolized computation method. The calculating results were used to analyze and investigate the aerodynamic performance of stator cascades in compressors preliminarily.