Guillaume Balarac

High order conservative finite difference scheme for variable density low Mach number turbulent flows

The high order conservative finite difference scheme of Morinishi et al. Y. Morinishi, O.V. Vasilyev, T. Ogi, Fully conservative finite difference scheme in cylindrical coordinates for incompressible flow simulations, J. Comput. Phys. 197 (2004) 686] is extended to simulate variable density flows in complex geometries with cylindrical or cartesian non-uniform meshes. The formulation discretely conserves mass, momentum, and kinetic energy in a periodic domain. In the presence of walls, boundary conditions that ensure primary conservation have been derived, while secondary conservation is shown to remain satisfactory. In the case of cylindrical coordinates, it is desirable to increase the order of accuracy of the convective term in the radial direction, where most gradients are often found. A straightforward centerline treatment is employed, leading to good accuracy as well as satisfactory robustness. A similar strategy is introduced to increase the order of accuracy of the viscous terms. The overall numerical scheme obtained is highly suitable for the simulation of reactive turbulent flows in realistic geometries, for it combines arbitrarily high order of accuracy, discrete conservation of mass, momentum, and energy with consistent boundary conditions. This numerical methodology is used to simulate a series of canonical turbulent flows ranging from isotropic turbulence to a variable density round jet. Both direct numerical simulation (DNS) and large eddy simulation (LES) results are presented. It is observed that higher order spatial accuracy can improve significantly the quality of the results. The error to cost ratio is analyzed in details for a few cases. The results suggest that high order schemes can be more computationally efficient than low order schemes.

Development of a dynamic model for the subfilter scalar variance using the concept of optimal estimators

The concept of optimal estimators, recently introduced by Moreau et al. [Phys. Fluids 18, 1 (2006)] is used as an a priori tool to discuss the accuracy of subfilter models. Placed in the framework of large-eddy simulation of combustion problems, this work focuses on the subfilter models used to evaluate the subfilter variance of a conserved scalar, the mixture fraction. The a priori tests are performed using 5123 direct numerical simulation data of forced homogeneous isotropic turbulence. First, the performance of the most commonly used models for the subfilter variance is studied. Using optimal estimators, the Smagorinsky-type model [Pierce and Moin, Phys. Fluids 10, 3041 (1998)] is shown to have the best set of parameters. However, the conventional dynamic formulation of the model leads to large errors in the variance prediction. It was found that assumptions used in the model formulation are not verified. A new dynamic procedure based on a Taylor series expansion is then proposed to improve the predict...

A wall-layer model for large-eddy simulations of turbulent flows with/out pressure gradient

In this work, modeling of the near-wall region in turbulent flows is addressed. A new wall-layer model is proposed with the goal to perform high-Reynolds number large-eddy simulations of wall bounded flows in the presence of a streamwise pressure gradient. The model applies both in the viscous sublayer and in the inertial region, without any parameter to switch from one region to the other. An analytical expression for the velocity field as a function of the distance from the wall is derived from the simplified thin-boundary equations and by using a turbulent eddy coefficient with a damping function. This damping function relies on a modified van Driest formula to define the mixing-length taking into account the presence of a streamwise pressure gradient. The model is first validated by a priori comparisons with direct numerical simulation data of various flows with and without streamwise pressure gradient and with eventual flow separation. Large-eddy simulations are then performed using the present wall model as wall boundary condition. A plane channel flow and the flow over a periodic arrangement of hills are successively considered. The present model predictions are compared with those obtained using the wall models previously proposed by Spalding, Trans. ASME, J. Appl. Mech 28, 243 (2008) and Manhart et al., Theor. Comput. Fluid Dyn. 22, 243 (2008) . It is shown that the new wall model allows for a good prediction of the mean velocity profile both with and without streamwise pressure gradient. It is shown than, conversely to the previous models, the present model is able to predict flow separation even when a very coarse grid is used.

Direct numerical simulations of high velocity ratio coaxial jets : mixing properties and influence of upstream conditions.

Direct numerical simulations (DNS) are performed to investigate mixing in free round coaxial jets. A great attention has been put on the influence of upstream conditions upon the global flow structure and the mixing process. The mixing behavior is studied through the spatial and temporal development of the mixture fraction of the annular and the inner fluids, and examined by means of flow visualization and statistics. It is shown that the turbulent mixing process and the mixture fraction field in coaxial jets depend on the upstream conditions, even though a quasi self-similar state is reached. The mixing alterations are explained by the understanding of the flow dynamics modifications implied by the different upstream conditions. These alterations are mainly due to the intense generation of streamwise vortices, favored by high inlet velocity gradients and velocity ratios, as well as low ratios between the inner and the outer jet diameters. This is associated with a high quality of mixing, as far as global mixedness is concerned. It is also shown that the annular fluid reaches the inner fluid and mixes swiftly into it. Conversely, the latter remains confined. Additionally, spots of pure unmixed species are observed at the end of the computational domain, and shown to be due to the annular jet.

Numerical errors in the computation of subfilter scalar variance in large eddy simulations

Subfilter scalar variance is a key quantity for scalar mixing at the small scales of a turbulent flow and thus plays a crucial role in large eddy simulation of combustion. While prior studies have mainly focused on the physical aspects of modeling subfilter variance, the current work discusses variance models in conjunction with the numerical errors due to their implementation using finite-difference methods. A priori tests on data from direct numerical simulation of homogeneous turbulence are performed to evaluate the numerical implications of specific model forms. Like other subfilter quantities, such as kinetic energy, subfilter variance can be modeled according to one of two general methodologies. In the first of these, an algebraic equation relating the variance to gradients of the filtered scalar field is coupled with a dynamic procedure for coefficient estimation. Although finite-difference methods substantially underpredict the gradient of the filtered scalar field, the dynamic method is shown to ...

Transition in high velocity ratio coaxial jets analysed from direct numerical simulations

Direct numerical simulations are performed to analyse the instability, transition scenario and resulting topology from high velocity ratio coaxial jets (ru  = 3.3 and 23.5). The inner and outer shear layers roll up into axisymmetric vortex rings due to the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. For ru  = 3.3 the outer primary vortices evolve according to the theory considering an isolated mixing layer profile, and impose their evolution upon the inner structures which are ‘locked’ into the outer ones. For ru  = 23.5 there is a big recirculation region that does not affect the development of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities. The preferred mode for simple (non-coaxial) round jets is well recovered at the end of the potential core region in the case ru  = 3.3 but not when ru  = 23.5 due to the presence of the backflow region. The structure of the preferred mode is the same in both cases, however, and consists in a helical arrangement (m = 1). Finally, when the bubble is present one can see that the inner streamwise...

Modeling of the subfilter scalar dissipation rate using the concept of optimal estimators

In this work, modeling of the subfilter scalar dissipation rate is addressed. First, the best set of quantities to write a model is determined using the concept of optimal estimators. This study shows that the best approach is to assume a proportionality between the turbulent time scale and turbulent scalar mixing time scale. It is shown that the turbulent time scale should be defined by the subfilter kinetic energy. To define the coefficient appearing in this model, a dynamic determination based on a global subfilter equilibrium assumption between the dissipation and the production terms leads to the best results.

The near field of coaxial jets: A numerical study

The near-field behavior of coaxial jets is studied through direct numerical simulation (DNS) with a particular focus on the influence of the inner shear layer steepness characterized by its momentum thickness θ01 thus mimicking the variation in the lip thickness of a real jet nozzle. We investigate the two distinct jet regimes ru>ruc for which a recirculation bubble is present near the jet inlet and ru<ruc without any recirculation bubble, ru being the velocity ratio between the outer jet and inner jet velocities. It is shown that small values of θ01 lead to a fast transition to turbulence. The various mechanisms leading to this transition are investigated in detail: the three-dimensionality growth, the appearance of secondary vortices superimposed on the main ring vortices, and the subsequent longitudinal stretching of streamwise vortices. This stretching mechanism is shown to play a dominant role in the transition processes towards a fully developed turbulent state. For high enough values of ru, a pinch...

RANS and LES computations of the tip-leakage vortex for different gap widths

In hydraulic turbines, the tip-leakage vortex is responsible for flow instabilities and for promoting erosion due to cavitation. To better understand the tip vortex flow, Reynolds- averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and large eddy simulation (LES) computations are carried out to simulate the flow around a NACA0009 blade including the gap between the tip and the wall. The main focus of the study is to understand the influence of the gap width on the development of the tip vortex, as for instance its trajectory. The RANS computations are performed using the open source solver OpenFOAM 2.1.0, two incidences and five gaps are considered. The LESs are achieved using the YALES2 solver for one incidence and two gaps. The validation of the results is performed by comparisons with experimental data available downstream the trailing edge. The position of the vortex core, the mean velocity and the mean axial vorticity fields are compared at three different downstream locations. The results show that the mean behaviour of the tip vortex is well captured by the RANS and LES computations compared to the experiment. The LES results are also analysed to bring out the influence of the gap width on the development of the tip-leakage vortex. Finally, a law that matches the vortex trajectory from the leading edge to the mid-chord is proposed. Such a law can be helpful to determine, in case of cavitation, if the tip vortex will interact with the walls and cause erosion.

Hybrid spectral-particle method for the turbulent transport of a passive scalar

This paper describes a novel hybrid method, combining a spectral and a particle method, to simulate the turbulent transport of a passive scalar. The method is studied from the point of view of accuracy and numerical cost. It leads to a significative speed up over more conventional grid-based methods and allows to address challenging Schmidt numbers. In particular, theoretical predictions of universal scaling in forced homogeneous turbulence are recovered for a wide range of Schmidt numbers for large, intermediate and small scales of the scalar.