Computation of Conditional Average Scalar Dissipation in Turbulent Jet Diffusion Flames

The modelling of conditional scalar dissipation in locally self-similar turbulent reacting jets is considered. The streamwise dependence in the transport equation of the conserved scalar pdf is represented by a function solely dependent on centreline mixture fraction. This procedure provides a simple model suitable for non-homogeneous flows and ensures positive values for conditional scalar dissipation. It has been tested in pure hydrogen-air jet diffusion flames using a Conditional Moment Closure method with detailed 12species, 23 reactions chemistry. The calculations show good agreement of the averaged scalar dissipation with reference values and the model proves to be superior to previous models based on homogeneous flows if the distribution of the conditional scalar dissipation in mixture fraction space is compared with experimental results. A dependence of NO predictions on the model of conditional scalar dissipation can be observed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Large Eddy Simulation of Scalar Mixing in a Coaxial Confined Jet

The highly turbulent flow occurring inside gas-turbine combustors requires accurate simulation of scalar mixing if CFD methods are to be used with confidence in design. This has motivated the present paper, which describes the implementation of a passive scalar transport equation into an LES code, including assessment/testing of alternative discretisation schemes to avoid over/undershoots and excessive smoothing. Both second order accurate TVD and higher order accurate DRP schemes are assessed. The best performance is displayed by a DRP method, but this is only true on fine meshes; it produces similar (or larger) errors to a TVD scheme on coarser meshes, and the TVD approach has been retained for LES applications. The unsteady scalar mixing performance of the LES code is validated against published DNS data for a slightly heated channel flow. Excellent agreement between the current LES predictions and DNS data is obtained, for both velocity and scalar statistics. Finally, the developed methodology is applied to scalar transport in a confined co-axial jet mixing flow, for which experimental data are available. Agreement with statistically averaged fields for both velocity and scalar, is demonstrated to be very good, and a considerable improvement over the standard eddy viscosity RANS approach. Illustrations are presented of predicted time-resolved information e.g. time histories, and scalar pdf predictions. The LES results are shown, even using a simple Smagorinsky SGS model, to predict (correctly) lower values of the turbulent Prandtl number in the free shear regions of the flow, compared to higher values in the wall-affected regions. The ability to predict turbulent Prandtl number variations (rather than input these as in combustor RANS CFD models) is an important and promising feature of the LES approach for combustor flow simulation since it is known to be important in determining combustor exit temperature traverse.     

Some Aspects of Scalar Dissipation

Scalar dissipation is of great importance in the theory and modelling of combustion and other reacting turbulent flows. Measurements of scalar dissipation are found to lack the quality assurance of checks available from the conservation equations. Conditional averages of the scalar dissipation, so important in turbulent reacting flow theory and modelling, have qualitative and quantitative dependences that are very dependent on the details of the flow and mixing conditions. Accordingly, effort needs to focus on viable means of modelling it. Fluctuations of the scalar dissipation about the conditional mean are also important. Research results in this area need to be made more accessible to the combustion scientist. Heat release effects, so important in turbulent premixed combustion, are found to be much less important in non-premixed combustion.     

Lower Bounds on Scalar Dissipation in Bounded Rectilinear Flows

Lower bounds on the scalar dissipation rate in rectilinear flows are found for three sets of constraints. The bounding dissipation rates provide upper bound estimates of the scalar concentration variance. One of the lower bounds on the dissipation rate is close to the dissipation rate assessed from detailed numerical simulation. This proximity enables a simplified model of concentration variance. For a pulse input of solute, the predictions of concentration variance by the simplified model are in agreement with the results of detailed simulation. The large-time bimodality of the concentration variance and its rate of decay observed in the detailed numerical simulations is predicted by the simplified model.     

A Posteriori Assessment of Algebraic Scalar Dissipation Models for RANS Simulation of Premixed Turbulent Combustion

This paper examines the effects of scalar dissipation rate modelling on mean reaction rate predictions in turbulent premixed flames. The sensitivity of the mean reaction rate is explored by using different closures for scalar dissipation and the sensitivity of the scalar dissipation models themselves is also examined with respect to their defining constants. The influence of different scalar dissipation models on the flame location and mean velocities is reported and compared with experimental results. The predicted reaction rate is found to be sensitive to the choice of closure used for scalar dissipation and also to the respective constants used in the scalar dissipation models. It is also found that the scalar dissipation models involving chemical and turbulent time scales yield a more physically plausible reaction rate when compared with the scalar dissipation models relying only on the turbulent time scale.     

The Scalar Gradient Alignment Statistics of Flame Kernels and its Modelling Implications for Turbulent Premixed Combustion

The effects of mean flame curvature on reaction progress variable gradient, $\nabla c$ , alignment with local turbulent strain rate are studied based on three-dimensional Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) data of turbulent premixed flame kernels with different initial radii under decaying turbulence. A statistically planar flame is also considered in order to compare the results obtained from the kernels with a flame of zero mean curvature. It is found that the dilatation rate effects diminish with decreasing kernel radius due to defocusing of heat in the positively curved regions. This gives rise to a decrease in the extent of reaction progress variable gradient alignment with most extensive principal strain rate with decreasing kernel radius. The modelling implications of the statistics of the alignment of $\nabla c$ with local strain rate have been studied in terms of scalar dissipation rate transport. A new modelling methodology for the contribution of the scalar-turbulence interaction term in the transport equation for the mean scalar dissipation is suggested addressing the reduced effects of dilatation rate for flame kernels and the diminished value of turbulent straining at the small length scales at which turbulence interacts with small flame kernels. The performance of the new models is found to be satisfactory while comparing to DNS results. The existing models for the dilatation contribution and the combined chemical reaction and molecular dissipation contributions to the transport of mean scalar dissipation, which were originally proposed for statistically planar flames, are found to satisfactorily predict the corresponding quantities for turbulent flame kernels.     

Computational Modelling of Turbulent Mixing in Confined Swirling Environment Under Constant and Variable Density Conditions

A high-intensity swirling flow in a model combustor subjected to large density variations has been examined computationally. The focus is on the Favre-averaged Navier–Stokes computations of the momentum and scalar transport employing turbulence models based on the differential second-moment closure (SMC) strategy. An updated version of the basic, high-Reynolds number SMC model accounting for a quadratic expansion of both the pressure–strain and dissipation tensors and a near-wall SMC model were used for predicting the mean velocity and turbulence fields. The accompanied mixing between the annular swirling air flow and the central non-swirling helium jet was studied by applying three scalar flux models differing mainly in the model formulation for the pressure-scalar gradient correlation. The computed axial and circumferential velocities agree fairly well with the reference experiment [So et al., NASA Contractor Report 3832, 1984; Ahmed and So, Exp. Fluids 4 (1986) 107], reproducing important features of such a weakly supercritical flow configuration (tendency of the flow core to separate). Although the length at which the mixing was completed was reproduced in reasonable agreement with the experimental results, the mixing activity in terms of the spreading rate of the shear/mixing layer, that is its thickness, was somewhat more intensive. Prior to these investigations, the model applied was validated by computing the transport of the passive scalar in the non-swirling (Johnson and Bennet, Report NASA CR-165574, UTRC Report R81-915540-9, 1981) and swirling (Roback and Johnson, NASA Contractor Report 168252, 1983) flow in a model combustor.     

A-Priori Validation of Scalar Dissipation Rate Models for Turbulent Non-Premixed Flames

The modelling of scalar dissipation rate in conditional methods for large-eddy simulations is investigated based on a priori direct numerical simulation analysis using a dataset representing an igniting non-premixed planar jet flame. The main objective is to provide a comprehensive assessment of models typically used for large-eddy simulations of non-premixed turbulent flames with the Conditional Moment Closure combustion model. The linear relaxation model gives a good estimate of the Favre-filtered scalar dissipation rate throughout the ignition with a value of the related constant close to the one deduced from theoretical arguments. Such value of the constant is one order of magnitude higher than typical values used in Reynolds-averaged approaches. The amplitude mapping closure model provides a satisfactory estimate of the conditionally filtered scalar dissipation rate even in flows characterised by shear driven turbulence and strong density variation.

     

New Molecular Transport Model for FDF/LES of Turbulence with Passive Scalar

The paper addresses the issue of modelling and computation of wall-bounded turbulent flows with passive scalars. In the present approach, the large eddy simulation (LES) method is used to compute the velocity field in the near-wall zone. The LES is coupled with the Lagrangian filtered density function (FDF) model for the transport of a passive scalar. In the paper, we propose two models to account for the molecular transport near the wall and investigate their behaviour in the limit case of small filter widths. One of the models is tested numerically, and computational results for a heated channel flow are compared with the available DNS data.     

湍流被动标量研究的最新进展

被动标量场的统计性质, 在湍流理论以及湍流燃烧、污染物防治等工程领域都有非常重要的意义. 最近十几年, 大量的实验测量、数值模拟和理论分析结果表明, 标量场具有很多自身独特的性质, 甚至有些性质并不依赖于速度场本身. 这就促使人们对传统经典理论进行重新认识、修正或者提出新的理论来取代. 本文对标量场的各向异性、标量和标量耗散率的概率密度函数(PDF)、标量场的空间结构及演化过程、还有标量小尺度混合模型等几个方面进行综述.      

A robust low‐dissipation AUSM‐family scheme for numerical shock stability on unstructured grids

The simple low‐dissipation advection upwind splitting method (SLAU) scheme is a parameter‐free, low‐dissipation upwind scheme that has been applied in a wide range of aerodynamic numerical simulations. In spite of its successful applications, the SLAU scheme could be showing shock instabilities on unstructured grids, as many other contact resolved upwind schemes. Therefore, a hybrid upwind flux scheme is devised for improving the shock stability of SLAU scheme, without compromising on accuracy and low Mach number performance. Numerical flux function of the hybrid scheme is written in a general form, in which only the scalar dissipation term is different from that of the SLAU scheme. The hybrid dissipation term is defined by using a differentiable multidimensional‐shock‐detection pressure weight function, and the dissipation term of SLAU scheme is combined with that of the Van Leer scheme. Furthermore, the hybrid dissipation term is only applied for the solution of momentum fluxes in numerical flux function. Based on the numerical test results, the hybrid scheme is deemed to be a successful improvement on the shock stability of SLAU scheme, without compromising on the efficiency and accuracy. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Presumed Mapping Functions for Eulerian Modelling of Turbulent Mixing

The mapping closure of Chen et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett., 63, 1989] is a transported probability density function (PDF) method that has proven very efficient for modelling of turbulent mixing in homogeneous turbulence. By utilizing a Gaussian reference field, the solution to the mapping function (in homogeneous turbulence) can be found analytically for a range of initial conditions common for turbulent combustion applications, e.g. for binary or trinary mixing. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possibility of making this solution a presumed mapping function (PMF) for inhomogeneous flows. The PMF in turn will imply a presumed mixture fraction PDF that can be used for a wide range of models in turbulent combustion, e.g. flamelet models, the conditional moment closure (CMC) or large eddy simulations. The true novelty of the paper, though, is in the derivation of highly efficient, closed algebraic expressions for several existing models of conditional statistics, e.g. for the conditional scalar dissipation/diffusion rate or the conditional mean velocity. The closed form expressions nearly eliminates the overhead computational cost that usually is associated with nonlinear models for conditional statistics. In this respect it is argued that the PMF is particularly well suited for CMC that relies heavily on manipulations of the PDF for consistency. The accuracy of the PMF approach is shown with comparison to DNS of a single scalar mixing layer to be better than for the β-PDF. Not only in the shape of the PDF itself, but also for all conditional statistics models computed from the PDF.     

Effects of Lewis Number on Scalar Variance Transport in Premixed Flames

The influences of differential diffusion rates of heat and mass on the transport of the variances of Favre fluctuations of reaction progress variable and non-dimensional temperature have been studied using three-dimensional simplified chemistry based Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) data of statistically planar turbulent premixed flames with global Lewis number ranging from Le?= 0.34 to 1.2. The Lewis number effects on the statistical behaviours of the various terms of the transport equations of variances of Favre fluctuations of reaction progress variable and non-dimensional temperature have been analysed in the context of Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) simulations. It has been found that the turbulent fluxes of the progress variable and temperature variances exhibit counter-gradient transport for the flames with Lewis number significantly smaller than unity whereas the extent of this counter-gradient transport is found to decrease with increasing Lewis number. The Lewis number is also shown to have significant influences on the magnitudes of the chemical reaction and scalar dissipation rate contributions to the scalar variance transport. The modelling of the unclosed terms in the scalar variance equations for the non-unity Lewis number flames have been discussed in detail. The performances of the existing models for the unclosed terms are assessed based on a-priori analysis of DNS data. Based on the present analysis, new models for the unclosed terms of the active scalar variance transport equations are proposed, whenever necessary, which are shown to satisfactorily capture the behaviours of unclosed terms for all the flames considered in this study.     

Pr数对湍流被动标量输运的影响

采用直接数值模拟的方法,研究分子Pг数对湍流被动标量输运的影响,并提供充分的证据证明,湍流Pг数明显依赖于分子Pг数.在算例中,湍流雷诺平均PгT数与分子Pг数的倒数呈线性关系;湍流亚格子Pгt数与分子Pг数的关系较为复杂,在分子Pг数为1附近时,湍流亚格子Pгt数出现极小值.     

Molecular transfer in turbulent flows

For modeling the molecular transfer of a passive scalar in a known turbulent field, the equations for the average scalar value and the correlation function for the scalar field are written in a form which makes it possible to examine the effect of molecular transfer on turbulent transfer and scalar dissipation. For the closure of the equation for the correlation function, the Prandtl hypothesis is used. The statistical reliability of this closure is demonstrated. The system proposed makes it possible to predict the dynamics of a decaying uniform scalar field and to explain why the effect of the real value of the molecular-transfer coefficient on the decaying scalar field is weak. Specific features of the transport process in a plane layer with prescribed scalar values on the layer boundaries are considered.     

An Experimental Study of the Near-Field Mixing Characteristics of a Swirling Jet

The present experimental investigation is devoted to the mixing characteristics of a passive scalar in the near-field region of a moderately swirling jet issuing from a fully developed axially rotating pipe flow. Instantaneous streamwise and azimuthal velocity components as well as the temperature were simultaneously accessed by means of a combined X-wire and cold-wire probe. The results indicate a modification of the turbulence structures to that effect that the swirling jet spreads, mixes and evolves faster compared to its non-swirling counterpart. The high correlation between streamwise velocity and temperature fluctuations as well as the streamwise passive scalar flux are even more enhanced due to the addition of swirl, which in turn shortens the distance and hence time needed to mix the jet with the ambient air.     

Reconstruction of Scalar Source Intensity Based on Sensor Signal in Turbulent Channel Flow

We consider a turbulent channel flow, where a scalar point source with a time-harmonic intensity releases a substance that can be modeled as a passive scalar. With the source location known, our objective is to estimate the time history of the source intensity based on sensor measurements at different locations downstream of the source by adopting an adjoint approach. It is shown that the proposed algorithm reproduces the original coherent sinusoidal wave of the scalar source accurately from the chaotic scalar signals measured by our sensors. By systematically changing the source-sensor distance and the pulsation frequency of the source, we clarify how these two factors affect the estimation accuracy. The proposed scheme is also applicable to estimation with multiple sensors. We demonstrate that increasing the number of sensors improves the estimation greatly when the scalar is released from a source away from the wall, where large-scale eddies dominate the scalar dispersion. In contrast, the estimation performance remains poor even with multiple sensors when the scalar source is located near the wall, where the source information is quickly lost due to the strong turbulence activity and the scalar diffusion in the near-wall region.     

DNS of passive scalar transport in turbulent channel flow at high Schmidt numbers

We perform DNS of passive scalar transport in low Reynolds number turbulent channel flow at Schmidt numbers up to Sc = 49. The high resolutions required to resolve the scalar concentration fields at such Schmidt numbers are achieved by a hierarchical algorithm in which only the scalar fields are solved on the grid dictated by the Batchelor scale. The velocity fields are solved on coarser grids and prolonged by a conservative interpolation to the fine-grid.

The trends observed so far at lower Schmidt numbers Sc  10 are confirmed, i.e. the mean scalar gradient steepens at the wall with increasing Schmidt number, the peaks of turbulent quantities increase and move towards the wall. The instantaneous scalar fields show a dramatic change. Observable structures get longer and thinner which is connected with the occurrence of steeper gradients, but the wall concentrations penetrate less deeply into the plateau in the core of the channel.

Our data shows that the thickness of the conductive sublayer, as defined by the intersection point of the linear with the logarithmic asymptote scales with Sc^−0.29. With this information it is possible to derive an expression for the dimensionless transfer coefficient K⁺ which is only dependent on Sc and Re_τ. This expression is in full accordance to previous results which demonstrates that the thickness of the conductive sublayer is the dominating quantity for the mean scalar profile.     

Noise Correction and Length Scale Estimation for Scalar Dissipation Rate Measurements in Turbulent Partially Premixed Flames

A recently developed conditional sampling-based method for correcting noise effects in scalar dissipation rate measurements and for estimating the extent of resolution of the dissipation rate is employed to analyze the data obtained in turbulent partially premixed (Sandia) flames. The method uses conditional sampling to select instantaneous fully resolved local scalar fields, which are analyzed to determine the measurement noise and to correct the Favre mean, conditional, and conditionally filtered dissipation rates. The potentially under-resolved local scalar fields, also selected using conditional sampling, are corrected for noise and are analyzed to examine the extent of resolution. The error function is used as a model for the potentially under-resolved local scalar to evaluate the scalar dissipation length scales and the percentage of the dissipation resolved. The results show that the Favre mean dissipation rate, the mean dissipation rate conditional on the mixture fraction, and dissipation rate filtered conditionally on the mixture fraction generally are well resolved in the flames. Analyses of the dissipation rates filtered conditionally on the mixture fraction and temperature show that the length scale increases with temperature, due to lower dissipation rate and higher diffusivity. The dissipation rate is well resolved for temperatures above 1,300 K but is less resolved at lower temperatures, although the probability of very low temperature events is low. To fully resolve these rare events the sample spacing needs to be reduced by approximately one half. The present study further demonstrates the effectiveness of the new noise correction and length scale estimation method.