Stress-blended Eddy Simulation Model Research Articles

Application of Stress Blended Eddy Simulation to the prediction of clarified layer depth and solids suspension in a draft tube reactor

Predictions of clarified layer depth and solids suspension in a draft tube reactor were investigated at a moderate solids loading of 16% v/v using both a RANS approach (k−ε) and a scale-resolving approach using Stress Blended Eddy Simulation (SBES). The multiphase flow was modelled using an Algebraic Slip model and the impact of drag law, turbulent particle diffusion and number of particle size classes was examined. The inclusion or exclusion of turbulent particle diffusion is found to dominate the RANS results, with resulting poor prediction of clarified layer depth and solids suspension under some conditions. In contrast, the SBES model is found to give good agreement with experimental data and the results show there is no need for a modelled turbulent dispersion force in this system if the large-scale turbulence structures responsible for particle transport are explicitly resolved.

Simulation and Validation of Cavitating Flow in a Torque Converter with Scale-Resolving Methods

The purpose of this paper is to study the mechanism and improve the prediction accuracy of transient torque converter cavitation flow by the application of scale-resolving simulation (SRS) methods with particular focus on cavitation vortex flow. Firstly, the numerical analysis of the entire internal flow field of the torque converter was carried out using different turbulence models, and the prediction accuracy of the hydraulic characteristics of the adopted models was analyzed and validated via test data. Secondly, the cavitation and turbulence behavior in the internal flow field were analyzed, and the blade surface pressure according to different turbulence models was compared and validated through test data. Finally, the transient cavitation characteristics of the flow field were studied based on the stress-blended eddy simulation (SBES) model. The prediction accuracy of the cavitation flow field simulation of the torque converter is significantly improved using the SRS model. The maximum error of capacity constant, torque ratio and efficiency are reduced to 3.1%, 2.3%, and 1.3% at stall, respectively. The stator is more prone to cavitation than pump and turbine. The SBES model has the highest prediction accuracy in multiple measurement points, and the maximum deviation can reach 13.32% under stall. Attached cavitation bubbles and periodic shedding cavitation can be found in the stator, and the evolution period is about 0.0036 s, i.e., 279 Hz. The prediction accuracy of different models was compared and analyzed, which has important guiding significance for the high-precision prediction and analysis of fluid machinery.

Numerical prediction nonlinear heat-driven acoustics behaviours in standing-wave thermoacoustic engines using stress-blended Eddy simulation method

The present work investigated a standing-wave heat-driven thermoacoustic engine (SWTAE) system by capturing its nonlinear thermoacoustic features with three-dimensional (3D) unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) and hybrid URANS/LES (large Eddy simulation) models such as detached-Eddy simulations (DES) and stress-blended Eddy simulation (SBES) models. The comparison studies show that the prediction of the acoustic power of SWTAE using URANS is about 21.0% lower than that using LES, while the results from SBES and DES are relatively in good agreement with LES. Comparative studies of nonlinear hydrodynamics in the flow fields show that the results from SBES are closer to LES than DES, which can be attributed to the SBES model providing a faster transition to an explicit LES model outside the wall boundary layer. Furthermore, the heat transfer characteristics are compared by analyzing heat leaks and transversal heat flux, and it is found that the URANS model over-estimates the heat transfer characteristics, while the results of the other three models are relatively smaller than those obtained by URANS. In conclusion, the SBES model has great potential to be applied in simulating thermoacoustic nonlinear, heat transfer and flow behaviors of heat-driven SWTAEs.

Predicting unsteady heat-fluid interaction features and nonlinear acoustic behaviors in standing-wave thermoacoustic engines using unsteady RANS, LES and hybrid URANS/LES methods

The study presented in this paper aims to simulate a standing-wave thermoacoustic engine (SWTAE) system by capturing its nonlinear thermoacoustic features with three-dimensional (3D) unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) and hybrid URANS/LES (Large Eddy Simulation) models such as Detached-Eddy Simulations (DES) and Stress-blended Eddy Simulation (SBES) models. For comparison, LES is also conducted as a reference case to examine the turbulence model effect on capturing the nonlinear features of heat-driven acoustics in the SWTAE system. The 3D model is validated against numerical results available in the literature, along with mesh- and time-independence studies. The comparison studies show that the computation time required for modeling SWTAE using SBES and DES is 28.4% and 36.5% less than LES, respectively. It is also shown that the prediction of the acoustic power of SWTAE using URANS is about 21.0% lower than that using LES, while the results from SBES and DES are in relatively good agreement with LES. Comparative studies of nonlinear hydrodynamics in the flow fields show that the results from SBES are closer to LES than DES, which can be attributed to the SBES model providing a faster transition to an explicit LES model outside the wall boundary layer. Furthermore, the heat transfer characteristics are compared by analyzing heat leaks and transversal heat flux, and it is found that the URANS model overestimates the heat transfer characteristics, while the results of the other three models are smaller than those obtained by URANS. In conclusion, the SBES model has great potential to be applied in simulating thermoacoustic nonlinear and flow behaviors of SWTAEs. It has the attractive features of delivering relatively accurate predictions and a significant reduction in computational times and costs compared to LES.

Impact of impeller modelling approaches on SBES simulations of flow and residence time in a draft tube reactor

Predictions for flow and residence time in a draft tube reactor were investigated using momentum source, Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) and sliding mesh approaches together with the Stress Blended Eddy Simulation (SBES) turbulence model. Predictions of mean and fluctuating velocities in the annulus, and the exit residence time distribution, are found to be similar and in close agreement with experimental data with all impeller modelling approaches, confirming that the flow in the bulk of the vessel is dominated by the turbulence generated at the draft tube exit and is relatively insensitive to the small-scale turbulence generated by the impeller. On consideration of both accuracy and computational cost, momentum source and MRF approaches offer significant advantages for industrial simulation in this geometry. The SBES model is found to work well in a complex internal flow geometry with an impeller, negating the need for simplifications like zonal LES approaches.

Numerical investigation of unsteady cavitating turbulent flows around a three-dimensional hydrofoil using stress-blended eddy simulation

The mechanism of flow instability, which involves complex gas–liquid interactions and multiscale vortical structures, is one of the hot research areas in cavitating flow. The role of turbulence modeling is crucial in the numerical investigation of unsteady flow characteristics. Although large-eddy simulation (LES) has been used as a reliable numerical method, it is computationally costly. In this work, we used a hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and LES model, that is, stress-blended eddy simulation (SBES), to improve the prediction capability for the cloud cavitating flow. Our hybrid approach introduces a shielding function to integrate the RANS model with the LES applied only regionally, such as to large-scale separated flow regions. The results showed that the periodic shedding of cavity growth, break off, and collapse around a three-dimensional Clark-Y hydrofoil was reproduced in accordance with experimental observations. The lift/drag coefficients, streamwise velocity profiles, and cavity patterns obtained by the SBES model were in better agreement with the experimental data than those obtained by the modified RANS model. The re-entrant jet dynamics responsible for the break off of the attached cavity were discussed. Further analysis of vorticity transportation indicated that the stretching and dilatation terms dominated the development of vorticity around the hydrofoil. In conclusion, the SBES model can be used to predict cavitating turbulent flows in practical engineering applications.

Aerodynamic and Aeroacoustic Analysis of a Harmonically Morphing Airfoil Using Dynamic Meshing

This work explores the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic responses of an airfoil fitted with a harmonically morphing Trailing Edge Flap (TEF). An unsteady parametrization method adapted for harmonic morphing is introduced, and then coupled with dynamic meshing to drive the morphing process. The turbulence characteristics are calculated using the hybrid Stress Blended Eddy Simulation (SBES) RANS-LES model. The far-field tonal noise is predicted using the Ffowcs-Williams and Hawkings (FW-H) acoustic analogy method with corrections to account for spanwise effects using a correlation length of half the airfoil chord. At various morphing frequencies and amplitudes, the 2D aeroacoustic tonal noise spectra are obtained for a NACA 0012 airfoil at a low angle of attack (AoA = 4°), a Reynolds number of 0.62 × 106, and a Mach number of 0.115, respectively, and the dominant tonal frequencies are predicted correctly. The aerodynamic coefficients of the un-morphed configuration show good agreement with published experimental and 3D LES data. For the harmonically morphing TEF case, results show that it is possible to achieve up to a 3% increase in aerodynamic efficiency (L/D). Furthermore, the morphing slightly shifts the predominant tonal peak to higher frequencies, possibly due to the morphing TEF causing a breakup of large-scale shed vortices into smaller, higher frequency turbulent eddies. It appears that larger morphing amplitudes induce higher sound pressure levels (SPLs), and that all the morphing cases induce the shift in the main tonal peak to a higher frequency, with a maximum 1.5 dB reduction in predicted SPL. The proposed dynamic meshing approach incorporating an SBES model provides a reasonable estimation of the NACA 0012 far-field tonal noise at an affordable computational cost. Thus, it can be used as an efficient numerical tool to predict the emitted far-field tonal noise from a morphing wing at the design stage.

Calculation and analysis of thermal flow field in hydrodynamic torque converter with a new developed stress-blended eddy simulation

Purpose The flow phenomenon of particle image velocimetry has revealed the transition process of the complex multi-scale vortex between the boundary layer and mainstream region. Nonetheless, present computational fluid dynamics methods inadequately distinguish the discernable flows in detail. A multi-physical field coupling model, which was applied in rotor-stator fluid machinery (Umavathi, 2015; Syawitri et al., 2020), was put forward to ensure the identification of multi-scale vortexes and the improvement of performance prediction in torque converter. Design/methodology/approach A newly-developed multi-physical field simulation framework that coupled the scale-resolving simulation method with a dynamic modified viscosity coefficient was proposed to comparatively investigate the influence of energy exchange on thermal and flow characteristics and the description of the flow field in detail. Findings Regardless of whether quantitative or qualitative, its description ability on turbulence statistics, pressure-streamline, vortex structure and eddy viscosity ratio were visually experimentally and numerically analyzed. The results revealed that the modification of transmission medium viscous can identify flows more exactly between the viscous sublayer and outer boundary layer. Compared with RANS and large eddy simulation, a stress-blended eddy simulation model with a dynamic modified viscosity coefficient, which was further used to achieve blending on the stress level, can effectively solve the calculating problem of the transition region between the near-wall boundary layer and mainstream region. Research limitations/implications This indeed provides an excellent description of the transient flow field and vortex structure in different physical flow states. Furthermore, the experimental data has proven that the maximum error of the external performance prediction was less than 4%. Originality/value An improved model was applied to simulate and analyze the flow mechanism through the evolution of vortex structures in a working chamber, to deepen the designer with a fundamental understanding on how to reduce flow losses and flow non-uniformity in manufacturing.

Stress-Blended Eddy Simulation/Flamelet Generated Manifold Simulation of Film-Cooled Surface Heat Transfer and Near-Wall Reaction

Abstract Accurate numerical prediction of surface heat transfer in the presence of film cooling within aero-engine sub-components, such as blade effusion holes and combustor liners, has long been a goal of the aero-engine industry. It requires accurate simulation of the turbulent mixing and reaction processes between freestream and the cooling flow. In this study, the stress-blended eddy simulation (SBES) turbulence model is used together with the flamelet generated manifold (FGM) combustion model to calculate the surface heat flux upstream and downstream of an effusion cooling hole. The SBES model employs a blending function to automatically switch between Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and large eddy simulation (LES) based on the local flow features, and thus significantly reduces the computational cost compared to a full LES simulation. All simulations are run using ansys fluent®, a commercial finite-volume computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver. The test case corresponds to an experimental rig run at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which is essentially a flat plate brushed by a uniform freestream of argon with ethylene seeded inside, and is cooled by either a reacting air or a non-reacting nitrogen jet inclined at 35 deg to the freestream. Calculations are performed for both reacting and non-reacting jet cooling cases across a range of jet-to-stream blowing ratios and compared with the experimental data. The effects of mesh resolution are also investigated. Calculations are also performed across a range of Damköhler number (i.e., flow to chemical time ratio) from zero to 30, with unity blowing ratio, and the differences in the maximum surface heat flux magnitude in the reacting and non-reacting cases at a specific location downstream of the hole are investigated. Results from these analyses show good correlation with the experimental heat flux data upstream and downstream of the cooling hole, including the heat flux augmentation due to local reaction. Results from the Damköhler number sweep also show a good match with the experimental data across the range investigated.

Scale-resolving simulations and investigations of the flow in a hydraulic retarder considering cavitation

Cavitation has a significant influence on the accurate control of the liquid filling rate and braking performance of a hydraulic retarder; however, previous studies of the flow field in hydraulic retarders have provided insufficient information in terms of considering cavitation. Here, the volume of fluid (VOF) method and a scale-resolving simulation (SRS) were employed to numerically and more comprehensively calculate and analyze the flow field in a retarder considering the cavitation phenomenon. The numerical models included the improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) model, stress-blended eddy simulation (SBES) model, dynamic large eddy simulation (DLES) model, and shear stress transport (SST) model in the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model. All the calculations were typically validated by the brake torque in the impeller rather than the internal flow. The unsteady flow field indicated that the SBES and DLES models could better capture unsteady flow phenomena, such as the chord vortex. The SBES and DLES models could also better capture bubbles than the SST and IDDES models. Since the braking torque error of the SBES model was the smallest, the transient variation of the bubble volume fraction over time on a typical flow surface was analyzed in detail with the SBES model. It was found that bubbles mainly appeared in the center area of the blade suction surface, which coincided with the experiments. The accumulation of bubbles resulted in a larger bubble volume fraction in the center of the blade over time. In addition, the temperature variations of the pressure blade caused by heat transfer were further analyzed. More bubbles precipitated in the center of the blade, leading to a lower temperature in this area.

Assessment of Hybrid RANS/LES Models in Heat and Fluid Flows around Staggered Pin-Fin Arrays

In the present work, the three-dimensional heat and fluid flows around staggered pin-fin arrays are predicted using two hybrid RANS/LES models (an improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) model and a stress-blended eddy simulation (SBES) model), and one transitional unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) model, called k-ω SSTLM. The periodic segment geometry with a total of nine pins is considered with a channel height of 2D and a distance of 2.5D between each pin. The corresponding Reynolds number based on the pin diameter and the maximum velocity between pins is 10,000. The two hybrid RANS/LES results show the superior prediction of the mean velocity profiles around the pins, pressure distributions on the pin wall, and Nusselt number distributions. However, the transitional model, k-ω SSTLM, shows large discrepancies except in front of the pins where the flow is not fully developed. The vortical structures are well resolved by the two hybrid RANS/LES models. The SBES model is particularly adept at capturing the 3-D vortex structures after the pins. The effects of the blending function switching between RANS and LES mode of the two hybrid RANS/LES models are also investigated.

Numerical investigation of passive cavitation control using a slot on a three-dimensional hydrofoil

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the mechanism and suppression of instabilities induced by cavitating flow around a three-dimensional hydrofoil with a particular focus on cavitation control with a slot. Design/methodology/approach The transient cavitating flow around a Clark-Y hydrofoil was investigated using a transport-equation-based cavitation model and the stress-blended eddy simulation model was used to capture the flow turbulence. A homogeneous Rayleigh–Plesset cavitation model was used to model the transient cavitation process and the results were validated with test data. A slot was applied to the hydrofoil to suppress cavitation instabilities, and various slot widths and exit locations were applied to the blade and the cavitation behavior, as well as drag/lift forces, were simulated and compared to investigate the effects of slot geometries on cavitation suppression. Findings The large eddy simulation based turbulence model was able to capture the interactions between the cavitation and turbulence. Moreover, the simulation revealed that the re-entrant jet was responsible for the periodic shedding of cavities. The results indicated that a slot was able to mitigate or even suppress cavitation-induced instabilities. A jet flow was generated at the slot exit and disturbed the re-entrant jet. If the slot geometry was properly designed, the jet could block the re-entrant jet and suppress the unsteady cavitation behavior. Originality/value This study provides unique insights into the complicated transient cavitation flows around a three-dimensional hydrofoil and introduces an effective passive cavitation control technique useful to researchers and engineers in the areas of fluid dynamics and turbomachinery.

A Hybrid RANS-LES Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of an FDA Medical device benchmark

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a valuable tool that complements experimental data in the development of medical devices. The reliability of CFD still presents an issue and for that reason, no standardized approaches are currently available. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has initiated the development of a program for CFD validation, and has presented an idealized nozzle benchmark model. In this study, a nozzle flow with sudden expansion has been simulated using advanced RANS-LES turbulence models. Such models partially resolve the flow and are cheaper in computer resources and time in comparison to the Large Eddy Simulation (LES). Furthermore, they are more accurate than standard Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models. A collection of hybrid turbulence models has been investigated: Detached Eddy Simulation (DES), Stress Blended Eddy Simulation (SBES), and Scale Adaptive Simulation (SAS), and compared to a standard RANS Shear Stress Transport (SST) model. Subsequently, all models were validated by experimental results already published by different research groups. Particle Image Velociometry (PIV) experiments were performed by inter-laboratory study, and the results are available online for numerical validation. The flow conditions in this study are only restricted to a turbulence flow at a Reynolds number of Re =6500. Complementing the turbulence models investigation, two advection schemes were tested: high resolution (HR) and bounded central difference scheme (BCD). Among all advanced models the SBES model with BCD scheme has the best agreement with the experimental values.

Scale-resolving simulation and particle image velocimetry validation of the flow around a marine propeller

There are many unresolved issues in Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) calculations of marine propeller performance, especially in the treatment of complex flow phenomena such as boundary-layer development, scale effects, and tip and hub vortices. The particular focus of this study was to apply three scale-resolving simulation (SRS) methods, i.e. dynamic large eddy simulation (DLES), delayed detached-eddy simulation (DDES), and stress-blended eddy simulation (SBES), to improve the prediction of flow characteristics. Firstly, the effectiveness of the SRS methods was verified by comparing numerical results with experimental data. The external performance of rotating machinery is determined by internal flow structures. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurement is established as a visualization tool to analyze the wake evolution of a scaled propeller by velocity and vorticity contours in a specified cross-section plane. We found that SRS methods, especially the SBES model, performed well in predicting characteristic parameters and capturing flow field information via quantitative and qualitative analyses. The ability to accurately predict flow characteristics can make computational tools more effective in meeting the needs of modern propeller design and analysis.

FSI analysis of francis-99 hydrofoil employing SBES model to adequately predict vortex shedding

The added effects from the fluid on a structure submerged in water significantly affect its dynamic response. Since the hydraulic turbine runner is geometrically complex and involves complicated flow phenomena, the research on simple hydrofoil offers a unique opportunity to investigate added effects and mutual interaction of the elastic structure and vortical flow. For this purpose, the fluid structure interaction of Francis-99 hydrofoil was analysed using the Stress Blended Eddy Simulation (SBES). Advantage of this hybrid RANS-LES turbulence model over RANS models is shown by its enhanced ability to represent vortex shedding. The results of modal sensitivity analysis showed, that fillets of the fixed hydrofoil have negligible influence on the natural frequencies of the hydrofoil and therefore the simplified geometry was used. The modal analysis of fully fixed hydrofoil both in the air and submerged in water were carried out to investigate the added mass effect. Moreover, the hydrodynamic damping for various flow velocities was also investigated for the first bending mode. Overall results are complemented by sensitivity analysis of time step size and mesh for both structural and fluid domains. The results showed that the computed damping ratio above the lock-in and vortex shedding frequency at lock-in are largely underestimated. Therefore, the geometry with blunt trailing edge was additionally tested.