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Implementation and Evaluation of an Embedded LES-RANS Solver

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Abstract

In the current work, we present the development and application of an embedded large-eddy simulation (LES) - Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) solver. The novelty of the present work lies in fully embedding the LES region inside a global RANS region through an explicit coupling at the arbitrary mesh interfaces, exchanging flow and turbulence quantities. In particular, a digital filter method (DFM) extracting mean flow, turbulent kinetic energy and Reynolds stress profiles from the RANS region is used to provide meaningful turbulent fluctuations to the LES region. The framework is developed in the open-source computational fluid dynamics software OpenFOAM. The embedding approach is developed and validated by simulating a spatially developing turbulent channel flow. Thereafter, flow over a surface mounted spanwise-periodic vertical fence is simulated to demonstrate the importance of the DFM and the effect of the location of the RANS-LES interface. Mean and second-order statistics are compared with direct numerical simulation (DNS) data from the literature. Results indicate that feeding synthetic turbulence at the LES interface is essential to achieve good agreement for the mean flow quantities. However, in order to obtain a good match for the Reynolds stresses, the LES interface needs to be placed sufficiently far upstream, which in the present case was six spoiler heights before the fence. Further, a realistic spoiler configuration with finite-width in the spanwise direction and inclined at 30 degrees was simulated using the embedding approach. As opposed to the vertical fence case this is a genuinely (statistically) three-dimensional case and a very good match with mean and second-order statistics was obtained with the experimental data. Finally, in order to test the present solver for high sub-sonic speed flows the flow over an open cavity was simulated. A good match with reference data is obtained for mean and turbulence profile comparisons. Tones in the pressure spectra were predicted reasonably well and an overall sound pressure level with a maximum deviation of 2.6 d B was obtained with the present solver when compared with the experimental data.

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Acknowledgments

This work was performed with support from Airbus Group Innovations and BAE Systems through the “Simulations at Off-Design (SimOD) conditions” project. The authors also acknowledge the computational support provided through the IRIDIS4 High Performance Computing Facility at the University of Southampton, and the ARCHER Supercomputer facility at the University of Edinburgh through the UK Turbulence Consortium under EPSRC grant EP/L000261/1. Fruitful discussions with Professor Michael A. Leschziner are gratefully acknowledged. We are grateful to Dr. Lionel Larchevêque for providing us with the open cavity data from his simulations for comparison purposes. We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their questions, comments and suggestions that helped to improve the quality of the present paper.

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  1. Kameswararao Anupindi

    Present address: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036, India

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  1. Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK

    Kameswararao Anupindi

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Melbourne, 3010, Victoria, Australia

    Richard D. Sandberg

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Anupindi, K., Sandberg, R.D. Implementation and Evaluation of an Embedded LES-RANS Solver. Flow Turbulence Combust 98, 697–724 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10494-016-9787-5

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