Comparative evaluation of DES and SAS turbulence models for incompressible flow in a Venturi tube

Abstract

Computational fluid dynamics employs the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models and combines both models to perform a hybrid RANS/LES simulation of the transient state flow field, within which there are the Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) and Scale-Adaptive Simulation (SAS) models. In the present work, the objective is to evaluate the DES and SAS turbulence models for flow (water) in a Venturi tube, for 2D computational domains. The domain was discretized for grids with quadrilateral cells, and the flow field was studied for four flow rates. The results of the pressure flow field simulations for the DES and SAS models were compared with experimental data reported in the literature, which fit the experiments. However, the DES k-ε model presented a negative pressure drop for a region of the flow adjacent to the wall, at the entrance of the throat section, the other models DES S-A, DES SST k-ω and SAS presented positive pressures. The discharge coefficients yielded values in the range of 0.94-0.951, which were lower than the experiments, for errors in the range of 1.57-2.76%.