Assessment of the SST-IDDES with a shear-layer-adapted subgrid length scale for attached and separated flows

Abstract

A shear-layer-adapted subgrid length scale is applied to the improved delayed detached eddy simulation using the shear stress transport background model (SST-IDDES). The aim is to assess the combination of the wall-modeled LES (WMLES) branch of the SST-IDDES with the new length scale in computing attached flows, as well as to assess the effect of the new length scale when it is applied to the SST-IDDES for mitigating the “grey area” issue through initiating a dramatic drop of eddy viscosity in the initial region of a free shear layer. The assessment is conducted through simulations of a turbulent boundary layer, a fully developed channel flow, a near-sonic turbulent jet and a backward-facing step flow. The results provide strong evidence for the conclusion that the SST-IDDES combined with the new length scale performs the same as the original SST-IDDES when its WMLES branch is applied to compute the resolved parts of an attached flow, and the combination helps mitigate the “grey area” issue of the SST-IDDES and accurately represent the K-H instability in the initial region of a free shear layer. In addition, the superiority is particularly remarkable for the simulations with coarse grids.