Wall-modeled large-eddy simulations of spanwise rotating turbulent channels—Comparing a physics-based approach and a data-based approach

Abstract

We develop wall modeling capabilities for large-eddy simulations (LESs) of channel flow subjected to spanwise rotation. The developed models are used for flows at various Reynolds numbers and rotation numbers, with different grid resolutions and in differently sized computational domains. We compare a physics-based approach and a data-based machine learning approach. When pursuing a data-based approach, we use the available direct numerical simulation data as our training data. We highlight the difference between LES wall modeling, where one writes all flow quantities in a coordinate defined by the wall-normal direction and the near-wall flow direction, and Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes modeling, where one writes flow quantities in tensor forms. Pursuing a physics-based approach, we account for system rotation by reformulating the eddy viscosity in the wall model. Employing the reformulated eddy viscosity, the wall model is able to predict the mean flow correctly. Pursuing a data-based approach, we train a fully connected feed-forward neural network (FNN). The FNN is informed about our knowledge (although limited) on the mean flow. We then use the trained FNNs as wall models in wall modeled LES (WMLES) and show that it predicts the mean flow correctly. While it is not the focus of this study, special attention is paid to the problem of log-layer mismatch, which is common in WMLES. Our study shows that log-layer mismatch, or rather, linear-layer mismatch in WMLES of spanwise rotating channels, is not present at high rotation numbers, even when the wall-model/LES matching location is at the first grid point.