Charles Hirsch

Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes modelling for industrial applications and some challenging issues

CFD simulations with the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model have become the widespread standard in industry, forming the underlying base for numerous design procedures. This raises the issue of the reliability of the associated turbulence models and to a lesser extent of the numerical accuracy and associated errors. The article provides an overview of representative industrial applications and questions raised concerning identified weaknesses of current turbulence models.

Quantification of Combined Operational and Geometrical Uncertainties in Turbo-Machinery Design

The NASA rotor 37 is investigated accounting for as many as 9 simultaneous operational and geometrical uncertainties. The combined influence of uncertainties on input quantities such as the total inlet pressure, static outlet pressure, tip gap or leading and trailing edge angles on output quantities is studied. These simulations provide results which go far beyond the standard deterministic simulation. A probabilistic collocation method in combination with a sparse grid quadrature is introduced into the software suite FINE™ propagating combined operational and geometrical uncertainties in complex 3D CFD simulations. The modification of the parameterized geometry and the consequent re-meshing is provided by a fully automatic tool, which also couples with the flow solver and provides post-treatment routines. It is this automation, which makes this kind of study feasible. A manual modification of geometry, manual meshing and simulation set-up accounting for a multitude of simultaneous uncertainties is simply unfeasible for as many as hundreds of complex 3D turbo-machinery simulations. This work represents thus a break-through in the uncertainty management towards the application of uncertainty propagation in the daily engineering practice.© 2015 ASME

Development and Assessment of Combustion Models for Gas Turbine and Aero-Engine Applications

The classical flamelet method, the new Flamelet Generated Manifolds method (FGM), and the hybrid BML/flamelet approach are assessed in the context of the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations on a large range of configurations for both gaseous and spray flames. The conceptual differences, advantages, and shortcomings of the models are discussed in detail both from a theoretical and a practical point of view.In order to assess the models under gas turbine like conditions, the reactive flow in TU Darmstadt’s Generic Gas Turbine (GGT), DLR Stuttgart’s PRECCINSTA burner, and a premixed industrial combustor are computed. The computational results are compared to available measurement data and are used to discuss the strengths and the weaknesses of each of the aforementioned combustion models.In the current study it is shown that the hybrid BML/flamelet method globally performs well, but that it can be difficult to obtain a burning solution with this method, especially when the combustion process is operated close to the flammability limits. While the flamelet method is very robust, it is outperformed by the FGM method even for purely non-premixed configurations. It is demonstrated that the FGM approach can be used for the whole range of combustion modes, from non-premixed over to premixed combustion processes. Since the model did not lead to any difficulties with attaining a burning solution, and is computationally as efficient as the flamelet approach, the authors recommend the usage of this model over the other models investigated.Copyright