Assessment and improvement of k-ω-γ model for separation-induced transition prediction

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to improve the k-ω-γ transition model for separation-induced transition prediction. The fundamental cause of the excessively small separation bubble predicted by k-ω-γ model is scrutinized from the perspective of model construction. On the basis, three rectifications are conducted to improve the k-ω-γ model for separation-induced transition. Firstly, a damping function is established via comparing the molecular diffusion timescale with the rapid pressure-strain timescale. The damping function is applied to prevent the effective length scale from incorrect distribution near the leading edge of the separation bubble. Secondly, the pressure gradient parameter λζ, is proposed as an indicator for local susceptibility to the separation instability. Additionally, λζ,-based separation intermittency γsep is constructed to accelerate the substantial growth of turbulent kinetic energy after flow separation. The improved model appropriate for both low- and high-speed flow has been calibrated against a variety of diverse and challenging experiments, including the subsonic T3L plate, Aerospatial A airfoil, transonic NLR-7301 airfoil and deformed hypersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator aeroshell. The improved model is strictly based on local variables and Galilean invariance. Besides, the proposed improvement for k-ω-γ model can be fairly convenient to incorporate into other existing intermittency-based transition models.