Direct numerical simulation of scalar transport using unstructured finite-volume schemes

An unstructured finite-volume method for direct and large-eddy simulations of scalar transport in complex geometries is presented and investigated. The numerical technique is based on a three-level fully implicit time advancement scheme and central spatial interpolation operators. The scalar variable at cell faces is obtained by a symmetric central interpolation scheme, which is formally first-order accurate, or by further employing a high-order correction term which leads to formal second-order accuracy irrespective of the underlying grid. In this framework, deferred-correction and slope-limiter techniques are introduced in order to avoid numerical instabilities in the resulting algebraic transport equation. The accuracy and robustness of the code are initially evaluated by means of basic numerical experiments where the flow field is assigned a priori. A direct numerical simulation of turbulent scalar transport in a channel flow is finally performed to validate the numerical technique against a numerical dataset established by a spectral method. In spite of the linear character of the scalar transport equation, the computed statistics and spectra of the scalar field are found to be significantly affected by the spectral-properties of interpolation schemes. Although the results show an improved spectral-resolution and greater spatial-accuracy for the high-order operator in the analysis of basic scalar transport problems, the low-order central scheme is found superior for high-fidelity simulations of turbulent scalar transport.