Turbulence Modeling Effects on the Prediction of Equilibrium States of Buoyant Shear Flows

Abstract.

The effects of turbulence modeling on the prediction of equilibrium states of turbulent buoyant shear flows were investigated. The velocity field models used include a two-equation closure, a Reynolds-stress closure assuming two different pressure-strain models and three different dissipation rate tensor models. As for the thermal field closure models, two different pressure-scrambling models and nine different temperature variance dissipation rate ɛ_τ) equations were considered. The emphasis of this paper is focused on the effects of the ɛ_τ-equation, of the dissipation rate models, of the pressure-strain models and of the pressure-scrambling models on the prediction of the approach to equilibrium turbulence. Equilibrium turbulence is defined by the time rate of change of the scaled Reynolds stress anisotropic tensor and heat flux vector becoming zero. These conditions lead to the equilibrium state parameters, given by \(\tilde{P}/ɛ, \(\tilde{P} _τ/ɛ_τ, $R \overline{\theta^2}/2 \varepsilon_{\theta}/(k/\varepsilon)$, Sk/ɛ and G/ɛ, becoming constant. Here, \(\tilde{P} and \(\tilde{P} _τ are the production of turbulent kinetic energy k and temperature variance \overline{\theta^2}, respectively, ɛ and ɛ_τ are their respective dissipation rates, R is the mixed time scale ratio, G is the buoyant production of k and S is the mean shear gradient. Calculations show that the ɛ_τ-equation has a significant effect on the prediction of the approach to equilibrium turbulence. For a particular ɛ_τ-equation, all velocity closure models considered give an equilibrium state if anisotropic dissipation is accounted for in one form or another in the dissipation rate tensor or in the ɛ-equation. It is further found that the models considered for the pressure-strain tensor and the pressure-scrambling vector have little or no effect on the prediction of the approach to equilibrium turbulence.