Plume and Crosswind Interaction, Prediction and Validation

Abstract

The prediction of the behaviour of a jet in a crossflow using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods is an important area of study, with many applications in industry. The methods by which the CFD code solves the kinetic equations of fluid flow, greatly affects the accuracy of the solution. As the use of CFD becomes increasingly relied upon in industry, it is necessary to investigate different modelling techniques, and to provide validation of the techniques used. This paper describes work to develop an effective means of predicting the behaviour of a subsonic jet in a crossflow using a modified version of a commercial CFD code. The effect of mesh resolution and distribution on the accuracy of the results was studied, along with the discretisation and solution methods used to solve the Navier-Stokes equations. This was done with the aim of establishing a modelling strategy for future applications, and to appraise current methods. The treatment of species and heat transport was examined. The effect of buoyancy was modelled and found to be negligible. The results from these modelling approaches were then compared to experimental data. This revealed a reasonably high level of confidence in the usefulness of CFD as a tool for predicting jet plume and crosswind interactions.