Computational Fluid

Dynamics Lecture 7
Prof. Jiyuan Tu

Why we need turbulence

prediction?
Determining:
Frictional drag
Flow Separation
Transition from laminar to turbulent flow
Thickness of boundary layers
Flow mixing rate in reaction & combustion
Extent of secondary flows
Spreading of jets and wakes..

Almost every flow problem in industry is turbulent!

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Velocity Fluctuation
u

u' t
u

t
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What is turbulence? I
u

1 t0 T
u u ( x, y, z , t )dt
T t0

u' t
u

u' u u
u u u ' (t )

Velocity fluctuating in a turbulent flow

t0 T
1 t0 T
1 t0 T
u (u u )dt ( udt u dt )
t0
T t0
T t0
1
(Tu uT ) 0
T
'2

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Normal shear stress

1 t 0 T ' 2
u (u ) dt 0
T t0
'2

What is turbulence? II
At large angles of
attack ,flow may
separate completely
from the top surface of
an airfoil , reducing
lift drastically and
causing the airfoil to
stall

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What is turbulence? III

Low and high Reynolds number vortex shedding

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What is turbulence? V

Arithmetic average of velocity fluctuations and the Root Mean

Square of the fluctuations
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What is turbulence? VI

(a) Laminar flow shear stress caused by random motion of molecules

(b) Turbulent flow as series of random, three-dimensional eddies
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Drag &Lift Forces I

Flat plate

Cylinder
P1>P2
P1

Drag Friction Force

CD , pressure 0
CD CD , friction C f

P2

CD CD , pressure CD , friction
CL 0

1
1
FD F f CD Av 2 C f Av 2
2
2
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Symmetry

Drag &Lift Forces II

Airfoil

CL
Cf

Cf

Cf

CD , pressure

Cf

CL

CL , pressure

C f ~ w u* w

Frictional
velocity

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Laminar VS
Turbulence
Laminar
Turbulence

Laminar and turbulent velocity profiles

in the fully developed region
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Assumptions and
Complexity
Direct numerical simulation of governing equations is only
possible for simple low-Re flows
Instead, we solve Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS)
equations:

Rij

U i
Ui
p
U k

xk
xi
x j x j x j
2

Steady
Incompressible flow
Without body forces

Reynolds stresses

Rij ui'u 'j

i 1, j 2, u 'v '
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Turbulent Shear Stress

Reynolds Stress

w turb u 'v '

Assumption

turb u v t

u
y

Turbulence viscosity

k2
k Model t C

u
yu
The logarithmic law :
2.5ln * 5.0
u*
v
u 2.5ln y 5.0
30 y 500
CFD

y, u

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Cf
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Boussinesq Hypothesis

Boussinesq observed

Turbulent eddies transport momentum similar to molecule

Recall, viscous stresses proportional to mean velocity
gradients
By analogy, turbulent stress also proportional to mean
velocity gradients

Boussinesq proposed eddy viscosity concept

ui u j
2
Rij u u t (

) ij
x j xi
3
'
i

'
j

ut is referred to as the eddy viscosity or turbulent

viscosity
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k- Two-Equation Turbulence
Model I
Turbulent Kinetic Energy

1
K (u '2 v '2 w'2 )
2

Turbulence Dissipation Rate

ui' ui'
t ( )( )
x j x j

Models
Errors
Wall treatment
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k- Two-Equation Turbulence
Model II
k
k
k T k
T k

S k
u v

t
x
y x k x y k y

SK P D

T
T

S
u
v

t
x
y x x y y
k2
vt C
SK P D

The production terms P 2 T

x

The destruction terms

C 0.0845

k 1.0

(C 1 P C 2 D )
k

u v
v
T

y
y x

1.3 C 1 1.44 C 2 1.92

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k- Two-Equation Turbulence
Model
III
k model popular because it is
Robust
Efficient
Simple to use
Reasonably successful
Experience has shown that
flows with
Strong curvature
Strong buoyancy effects
Strong swirl

model is inadequate for

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The RNG k- Model I

Extend the k turbulence model
Renormalization Group theory basis (RNG)
Able to replace wall function with a fine grid
Turbulence kinetic energy consist of a:
Convection, generation, diffusion and dissipation term

The transport equation for dissipation consist of a:

Convection, generation, diffusion, destruction and
additional term related to mean strain and turbulence
quantities. It has similar structure to standard k model
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The RNG k- Model II

Some of the coefficients can vary with the solution

S C 1 P C 2 D R
k
C 3 1 o 2
R
k
1 3
C 0.0845 k 0.718

0.718 C 1 1.42
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C 2 1.68
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The k- Model I
Formulate based on turbulent frequency
Lower requirement for near wall resolution for lowReynolds number flows:

y 2
Same Governing equation for turbulent energy k
t , l

l l kl

l l ul kl l ( l
)kl l Pk ,l l kll
t
k3

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The k- Model II
Governing equation for turbulent frequency

u ( l
)
t
3

2 (1 F1 )

Pk 2
2 x j x j
k
1

The model assumes that:

k
t

Model constants

0.09 5 / 9 0.075 k 2.0

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2.0
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The Realizable k-
Model I

Proposed by NASA Lewis modeling group (Shih et

al.,1994)
Physically
Note that standard k model gives:
2
k 2 U
u k 2C
u2 0 When
3
x
2

3.7
x
k

Impossible
(unrealizable)!

Realizable k model ensures realizability , i.e.,

Positivity of normal stresses

k2
vt C

u'2 0( 1, 2,3)
1

u' u'
'2

'2

1( 1, 2,3; 1, 2,3)
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U *k
A0 As

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The Realizable k- Model

II
The Sources Terms
S C1 2S

2 1/ 2
ij

C2

2
k T

C1 max

1.2

k 1.0

C2 1.9

Ao 4.04,

1 u i u j
S ij

2 x j xi

k
2 12
2S ij

S S S
~
1
As 6 cos , cos 1 6W , W ij ~jk3 ki , S Sij2
3
S
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The Wall Function I

Experimental Data

1
ln( Ey )

Logarithmic
Region

U y

The turbulent boundary layer: respective dimensionless

velocity profile as a function of the wall distance in
comparison to experimental data
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The Wall Function II

u yu*

u*
v

Viscous Sublayer :
yu*2 y w y w
u

v
v

u
u
u

|w
y
y
y

Normalized variables:
u
u
u*

yu*
y
v

Normalized law of the wall

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u y
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The Wall Function III

High Reynolds Number
u

U
1

ln( Ey p )
ut

(T TW )C p u
qW

u2
Cu

u3

T , t u P ( T , l )
T ,t

Low Reynolds Number

k2
t C f

Wall-Damping function

( )
div( kU ) div[( t ) gradk ] 2 t Eij Eij
t
k
t
( )

2
div( U ) div[(
) grad ] C1 f1 2t Eij Eij C2 f 2
t

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The Wall Function V

Boundary Condition at Solid Walls:

k 0

v' 0

u' 0
u*2
Ky
Cu

u*3
y
0.41 y

This is the standard wall function at high

Reynolds number
u
y

u*

At low Reynolds number

2.5ln y 5.0

Cf
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Comparison of
Turbulence I

Turbulence model performance: pressure surface boundary layer

normalized mean velocity profile at 93 % C (Uref = 3 m/s)
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Comparison of
Turbulence II

Turbulence model performance: pressure surface boundary

layer normalized mean velocity profile at 93 % C
(Uref = 6 m/s)
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Comparison of
Turbulence III
-0.3

-0.25

-0.2

-0.15

Normalized maximum negative velocity

-0.1

-0.05

0
-1

10

Distance from step (x/H)

Experimental data

RNG k-

Realizable k-

Standard k-

Maximum measured and predicted negative velocity profiles of

the flow in the recirculation zone
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Using Turbulence Models

I

Calculate Reynolds number and if necessary the swirl number

of the flow
Select appropriate turbulence model. For example, use the
k model for simple flows with no significant strain rates
(i.e. pipe flows, channel flows)
RNG k model for separated flows, flows with large stream-line
curvature, swirling flows, or flows with significant strain rates
RSM model for highly swirling flows (i.e. swirl number>0.5) ,or flows
where the turbulence is expected to be anisotropic

Generate grid and think about placement of first node away

from the wall so that the wall function is not violated
Thank about turbulence boundary conditions at inlets
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Using Turbulence Model

II

Successful turbulence modeling requires

engineering judgment of:

Flow physics
Computer resources available
Project requirements
Accuracy
Turn around time

Turbulence models & near-wall treatments that

available

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Using Turbulence Model

III

Modeling Procedure

Calculate characteristic Re and determine if

Turbulence needs modeling

y
Estimate wall-adjacent cell centroid
first before
generating mesh
Begin with SKE (standard k )and change to
RNG, RKE,SKO, or SST if needed
Use RSM for highly swirling flows
Use wall functions unless low-Re flow and/or
complex near-wall physics are present
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