Numerical study of flow in a plane suddenly expanding channel based on Wilcox and two-fluid turbulence models

Abstract

The article presents the results of a numerical study of the flow structure in a flat channel in the zone of its sudden expansion. The calculations are based on the two-fluid turbulence model and the Wilcox turbulence model. The stationary solution of the problem was obtained by the establishment method, for which non-stationary equations of hydrodynamics were used. The paper investigates the velocity fields and turbulent stresses of the flow, as well as the drag coefficient in different sections of the channel. The main calculations were performed on a uniform grid with 300 × 90 nodes. For the difference approximation of the original equations, the control volume method of the second order in space is used. The correctness of the results was confirmed for Reynolds numbers Re = 36000 by comparison with experimental data found in the literature.