Errors and uncertainties in CFD validation for non-equilibrium turbulent boundary layer flows at high Reynolds numbers

Abstract

NATO AVT-RTG-349 was dedicated to the validation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and statistical turbulence models for non-equilibrium turbulent-boundary-layer flows at high Reynolds numbers. This paper describes and discusses the errors and uncertainties arising in the comparison of RANS simulation results with experimental data from wind-tunnel experiments. These errors and uncertainties are associated with the CFD grid and the discretization, the physical modelling, the measurement accuracy, and the differences in the flow conditions between the experimental facility and the computational set-up. The results show the need for a grid-convergence study using systematically-refined families of CFD grids. The two major sources of errors are the RANS turbulence model and the uncertainty originating from the differences between the computational set-up and the wind-tunnel. Then two possible paths for future research are described: future CFD mesh generation, and future validation experiments at high Reynolds numbers.