Hermann F. Fasel

Investigation of the stability of boundary layers by a finite-difference model of the Navier—Stokes equations

The stability of incompressible boundary-layer flows on a semi-infinite flat plate and the growth of disturbances in such flows are investigated by numerical integration of the complete Navier–;Stokes equations for laminar two-dimensional flows. Forced time-dependent disturbances are introduced into the flow field and the reaction of the flow to such disturbances is studied by directly solving the Navier–Stokes equations using a finite-difference method. An implicit finitedifference scheme was developed for the calculation of the extremely unsteady flow fields which arose from the forced time-dependent disturbances. The problem of the numerical stability of the method called for special attention in order to avoid possible distortions of the results caused by the interaction of unstable numerical oscillations with physically meaningful perturbations. A demonstration of the suitability of the numerical method for the investigation of stability and the initial growth of disturbances is presented for small periodic perturbations. For this particular case the numerical results can be compared with linear stability theory and experimental measurements. In this paper a number of numerical calculations for small periodic disturbances are discussed in detail. The results are generally in fairly close agreement with linear stability theory or experimental measurements.

NON-PARALLEL STABILITY OF A FLAT-PLATE BOUNDARY LAYER USING THE COMPLETE NAVIER-STOKES EQUATIONS

Non-parallel effects which are due to the growing boundary layer are investigated by direct numerical integration of the complete Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible flows. The problem formulation is spatial, i.e. disturbances may grow or decay in the downstream direction as in the physical experiments. In the past various non-parallel theories were published that differ considerably from each other in both approach and interpretation of the results. In this paper a detailed comparison of the Navier-Stokes calculation with the various non-parallel theories is provided. It is shown, that the good agreement of some of the theories with experiments is fortuitous and that the difference between experiments and theories concerning the branch I neutral location cannot be explained by non-parallel effects.

Dynamics of three-dimensional coherent structures in a flat-plate boundary layer

Using a data base generated by a numerical simulation, the three-dimensional coherent structures of a transitional, spatially evolving boundary layer are determined and their spatio-temporal behaviour is investigated in detail. The coherent structures are calculated by the proper orthogonal decomposition method (POD), which leads to an expansion of the flow field variables into Karhunen-Loeve eigenfunctions. It is shown that the dynamical coherent structures of the flat-plate boundary layer can be described by pairs of eigenfunctions that contain complete information on the spatial evolution of the structures. It is further demonstrated that first-order coherent structures determined by POD correspond to structures that are observed in experiments. In the region of the boundary layer where the spike signals of transition occur, higher-order coherent structures also play an essential role. By considering these higher-order structures as well as their dynamical behaviour in time, a compact description of the flow phenomena in the boundary layer can be obtained. The description of the events occurring at the spike stages of the transitional boundary layer shows, from a coherent structures point of view, striking similarities to the bursting event of fully turbulent boundary layers.

Direct numerical simulation of controlled transition in a flat-plate boundary layer

The three-dimensional development of controlled transition in a flat-plate boundary layer is investigated by direct numerical simulation (DNS) using the complete Navier-Stokes equations. The numerical investigations are based on the so-called spatial model, thus allowing realistic simulations of spatially developing transition phenomena as observed in laboratory experiments. For solving the Navier-Stokes equations, an efficient and accurate numerical method was developed employing fourth-order finite differences in the downstream and wall-normal directions and treating the spanwise direction pseudo-spectrally. The present paper focuses on direct simulations of the wind-tunnel experiments by Kachanov et al. (1984, 1985) of fundamental breakdown in controlled transition. The numerical results agreed very well with the experimental measurements up to the second spike stage, in spite of relatively coarse spanwise resolution. Detailed analysis of the numerical data allowed identification of the essential breakdown mechanisms. In particular, from our numerical data, we could identify the dominant shear layers and vortical structures that are associated with this breakdown process.

Numerical investigation of the three-dimensional development in boundary-layer transition

A numerical method for solving the complete Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible flows is introduced that is applicable for investigating three-dimensional transition phenomena in a spatially growing boundary layer. Results are discussed for a test case with small three-dimensional disturbances for which detailed comparison to linear stability theory is possible. The validity of our numerical model for investigating nonlinear transition phenomena is demonstrated by realistic spatial simulations of the experiments by Kachanov and Levchenko1 for a subharmonic resonance breakdown and of the experiments of Klebanoff et al.2 for a fundamental resonance breakdown.

High-Order-Accurate Numerical Method for Complex Flows

A numerical method employing high-order-accurate (higher than third) upwind discretizations for solving the compressible Navier-Stokes equations on structured grids is discussed. The inviscid fluxes are computed by a procedure based on a weighted essentially nonoscillatory interpolation of the characteristic variables and the Roe scheme. Application of the numerical method to a number of test cases of increasing complexity, that are prototypical for several of the key aspects of practical flows, demonstrates the accuracy and robustness of the method even when computing on distorted curvilinear grids. Significant reductions in computer time are possible when a second-order-accurate implicit Adams-Moulton scheme is employed for time integration. The combination of implicit time integration and high-order-accurate spatial discretization is shown to lead to significant savings in compute time as the grid resolution requirement is lowered and the time step can be increased.

Numerical investigation of supercritical Taylor-vortex flow for a wide gap

For a wide gap ( R 1 / R 2 = 0.5) and large aspect ratios L/d , axisymmetric Taylor-vortex flow has been observed in experiments up to very high supercritical Taylor (or Reynolds) numbers. This axisymmetric Taylor-vortex flow was investigated numerically by solving the Navier–Stokes equations using a very accurate (fourth-order in space) implicit finite-difference method. The high-order accuracy of the numerical method, in combination with large numbers of grid points used in the calculations, yielded accurate and reliable results for large supercritical Taylor numbers of up to 100 Ta c (or 10 Re c ). Prior to this study numerical solutions were reported up to only 16 Ta c . The emphasis of the present paper is placed upon displaying and elaborating the details of the flow field for large supercritical Taylor numbers. The flow field undergoes drastic changes as the Taylor number is increased from just supercritical to 100 Ta c . Spectral analysis (with respect to z ) of the flow variables indicates that the number of harmonics contributing substantially to the total solution increases sharply when the Taylor number is raised. The number of relevant harmonics is already unexpectedly high at moderate supercritical Ta . For larger Taylor numbers, the evolution of a jetlike or shocklike flow structure can be observed. In the axial plane, boundary layers develop along the inner and outer cylinder walls while the flow in the core region of the Taylor cells behaves in an increasingly inviscid manner.

Numerical investigation of transitional supersonic axisymmetric wakes

Transitional supersonic axisymmetric wakes are investigated by conducting various numerical experiments. The main objective is to identify hydrodynamic instability mechanisms in the flow at M =2 .46 for several Reynolds numbers, and to relate these to coherent structures that are found from various visualization techniques. The premise for this approach is the assumption that flow instabilities lead to the formation of coherent structures. Three high-order accurate compressible codes were developed in cylindrical coordinates for this work: a spatial Navier–Stokes (N-S) code to conduct direct numerical simulations (DNS), a linearized N-S code for linear stability investigations using axisymmetric basic states, and a temporal N-S code for performing local stability analyses. The ability of numerical simulations to exclude physical effects deliberately is exploited. This includes intentionally eliminating certain azimuthal/helical modes by employing DNS for various circumferential domain sizes. With this approach, the impact of structures associated with certain modes on the global wake-behaviour can be scrutinized. Complementary spatial and temporal calculations are carried out to investigate whether instabilities are of local or global nature. Circumstantial evidence is presented that absolutely unstable global modes within the recirculation region co-exist with convectively unstable shear-layer modes. The flow is found to be absolutely unstable with respect to modes k> 0f orReD > 5000 and with respect to the axisymmetric mode k =0 forReD > 100 000. It is concluded that azimuthal modes k =2 andk = 4 are the dominant modes in the trailing wake, producing a ‘four-lobe’ wake pattern. Two possible mechanisms responsible for the generation of longitudinal structures within the recirculation region are suggested.

Numerical Investigation of Low-Pressure Turbine Blade Separation Control

Laminar separation on the suction side of low-pressure turbine (LPT) blades at low operating Reynolds numbers can degrade overall engine efficiency and impose limitations on the flight envelope. In wind-tunnel experiments it was shown that laminar separation can be controlled by pulsed vortex generator jets. This active-flow-control technology could be transferred to real flight hardware with more confidence if the physical mechanisms involved in the control were better understood. Here, calculations of a linear LPT cascade at a Reynolds number based on axial chord of 2.5 x 10 4 are presented

Direct numerical simulation of complete transition to turbulence via oblique breakdown at Mach 3

A pair of oblique waves at low amplitudes is introduced in a supersonic flat-plate boundary layer at Mach 3. Its downstream development and the concomitant process of laminar to turbulent transition is then investigated numerically using linear-stability theory, parabolized stability equations and direct numerical simulations (DNS). In the present paper, the linear regime is studied first in great detail. The focus of the second part is the early and late nonlinear regimes. It is shown how the disturbance wave spectrum is filled up by nonlinear interactions and which flow structures arise and how these structures locally break down to small scales. Finally, the study answers the question whether a fully developed turbulent boundary layer can be reached by oblique breakdown. It is shown that the skin friction develops such as is typical of transitional and turbulent boundary layers. Initially, the skin friction coefficient increases in the streamwise direction in the transitional region and finally decays when the early turbulent state is reached. Downstream of the maximum in the skin friction, the flow loses its periodicity in time and possesses characteristic mean-flow and spectral properties of a turbulent boundary layer. The DNS data clearly demonstrate that oblique breakdown can lead to a fully developed turbulent boundary layer and therefore it is a relevant mechanism for transition in two-dimensional supersonic boundary layers.