Modeling of Flow Around a Circular Cylinder in Sub-Critical Flow Regime With the Use of Dynamic Grid Adaptation

Abstract

In the present study a Dynamic Grid Adaptation (DGA) algorithm is used for predicting flow around a circular cylinder in sub-critical flow regime at a Reynolds number of 1.4·105. The reason for adopting a DGA algorithm is to use the flow field as a driving criteria for mesh refinement rather then the geometry of the computational domain or the judgment of the CFD user as common in conventional mesh. It is demonstrated how DGA reduces the mesh size significantly and also makes time consuming mesh testing unnecessary. The concept being adopted is to concentrate mesh refinement in regions with high gradients and high turbulent viscosity, while in the region further downstream where the flow is fully developed a coarser mesh will develop and turbulence is modeled with the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) turbulence model. The aim of the study is to present an appropriate variable for mesh refinement, which accomplishes a high rate of mesh refinement in the region with high gradients. The new variable is a product of the local mesh cell size and the rate of strain and includes two additional variables to allow control over the refinement behaviour.