Particle statistics in a two-way coupled turbulent boundary layer flow over a flat plate

Abstract

In the present study, we investigate heavy solid particle statistics in a spatially developing turbulent boundary layer over a flat plate using the two-way coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian point-particle approach. The particles are much smaller than the Kolmogorov length scale in the dilute gas-solid flow. The simulation results show that the particle streamwise fluctuating velocity exceeds the fluid streamwise fluctuating velocity across the entire boundary layer. In the wall-normal and spanwise directions, however, the velocity fluctuations of the particles generally tend to be lower than those of the fluid. Moreover, the particle wall-normal and spanwise fluctuating velocities decrease monotonically with particle Stokes number and mass loading. In addition, it is found that the spatial evolution of the particle wall concentration along the streamwise direction is similar to that of the mean skin-friction coefficient. These new findings are of great importance in the industrial and environmental applications.