Large-Eddy Simulation of the Flow Over a Circular Cylinder at Reynolds Number 3900 Using the OpenFOAM Toolbox

Abstract

The flow over a circular cylinder at Reynolds number 3900 and Mach number 0.2 was predicted numerically using the technique of large-eddy simulation. The computations were carried out with an O-type curvilinear grid of size of 300 × 300 × 64. The numerical simulations were performed using a second-order finite-volume method with central-difference schemes for the approximation of convective terms. A conventional Smagorinsky and a dynamic k-equation eddy viscosity sub-grid scale models were applied. The integration time interval for data sampling was extended up to 150 vortex shedding periods for the purpose of obtaining a fully converged mean flow field. The present numerical results were found to be in good agreement with existing experimental data and previously obtained large-eddy simulation results. This gives an indication on the adequacy and accuracy of the selected large-eddy simulation technique implemented in the OpenFOAM toolbox.