New methodology based on energy flux similarity for large-eddy simulation of transitional and turbulent flows

Abstract

A new methodology based on energy flux similarity is suggested in this paper for large eddy simulation (LES) of transitional and turbulent flows. Existing knowledge reveals that the energy cascade generally exists in transitional and turbulent flows with different distributions, and the characteristic quantity of scale interaction in energy cascade processes is energy flux. Therefore, energy flux similarity is selected as the basic criterion to secure the flow field getting from LES highly similar to the real flow field. Through a priori tests, we find that the energy flux from the tensor-diffusivity (TD) model has high similarity with the real energy flux. Then, we modify the modelled energy flux from the TD model and obtain uniform formulas of energy flux similarity corresponding to different filter widths and locations in the wall-bounded turbulence. To secure the robustness of simulation and the LES results similar to the real flow, we apply the energy flux similarity method (EFSM) to the Smagorinsky model in the LES of compressible turbulent channel flow, compressible flat-plate flow, and flow over a compressible ramp. The a posteriori tests show that, overall, EFSM can better predict these flows than other subgrid-scale models. In the simulation of turbulent channel flow, EFSM can accurately predict the mean stream-wise velocity, Reynolds stress, and affluent coherent structures. In LES of compressible flat-plate flow, EFSM could provide accurate simulation results of the onset of transition and transition peak, skin friction, and mean stream-wise velocity in cases with three different grid scales. Meanwhile, for flow over a compressible ramp, EFSM could correctly describe the process of bypass transition, locations of separation and reattachment in the corner region, and abundant coherent vortex structures, etc.