Numerical Simulation of Density Underflow by The k-ε Turbulence Model

Abstract

The turbulent structure of density underflow is investigated by theoretically. The standard k-ε turbulence model is adopted in the numerical model. The partial differential equations are discretized by the SIMPLE method in order to carry out the numerical calculation. The turbulent properties such as kinetic energy of turbulence, Reynolds stresses, viscous dissipation rate of turbulence and eddy viscosity are simulated by the numerical analysis and compared with the experimental data. The whole reservoir is considered to be the calculational domain. Thus the inverse flow resultant of the entrainment of the upper water can be taken into account. It is shown that the numerical model explains well the mean flow properties such as the distributions of velocity and relative density difference.