A rapid and low noise switch from RANS to WMLES on curvilinear grids with compressible flow solvers

Abstract

A turbulent inflow for a rapid and low noise switch from RANS to Wall-Modelled LES on curvilinear grids with compressible flow solvers is presented. It can be embedded within the computational domain in practical applications with WMLES grids around three-dimensional geometries in a flexible zonal hybrid RANS/LES modelling context. It relies on a physics-motivated combination of Zonal Detached Eddy Simulation (ZDES) as the WMLES technique together with a Dynamic Forcing method processing the fluctuations caused by a Zonal Immersed Boundary Condition describing roughness elements. The performance in generating a physically-sound turbulent flow field with the proper mean skin friction and turbulent profiles after a short relaxation length is equivalent to more common inflow methods thanks to the generation of large-scale streamwise vorticity by the roughness elements. Comparisons in a low Mach-number zero-pressure-gradient flat-plate turbulent boundary layer up to Reθ=6100 reveal that the pressure field is dominated by the spurious noise caused by the synthetic turbulence methods (Synthetic Eddy Method and White Noise injection), contrary to the new low-noise approach which may be used to obtain the low-frequency component of wall pressure and reproduce its intermittent nature. The robustness of the method is tested in the flow around a three-element airfoil with WMLES in the upper boundary layer near the trailing edge of the main element. In spite of the very short relaxation distance allowed, self-sustainable resolved turbulence is generated in the outer layer with significantly less spurious noise than with the approach involving White Noise. The ZDES grid count for this latter test case is more than two orders of magnitude lower than the Wall-Resolved LES requirement and a unique mesh is involved, which is much simpler than some multiple-mesh strategies devised for WMLES or turbulent inflow.