Engineering topics

Rauenzahn, Rick Meier

Publications and source records attributed to Rauenzahn, Rick Meier.

3 records

DOE OSTI2021

Modeling and simulation of transitional Rayleigh–Taylor flow with partially averaged Navier–Stokes equations

In this work, the partially averaged Navier–Stokes (PANS) equations are used to predict the variable-density Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) flow at Atwood number 0.5 and maximum Reynolds number 500. This is a prototypical problem of material mixing, featuring laminar, transitional, and turbulent flow, instabilities and coherent structures, density fluctuations, and production of turbulence kinetic energy by both shear and buoyancy mechanisms. These features pose numerous challenges to modeling and simulation, making the RT flow ideal to develop the validation space of the recently proposed PANS Besnard–Harlow–Rauenzahn-linear eddy viscosity model closure. The numerical simulations are conducted at different levels of physical resolution and test three approaches to set the parameters $f_\phi$ defining the range of physically resolved scales. The computations demonstrate the efficiency (accuracy vs cost) of the PANS model predicting the spatiotemporal development of the RT flow. Results comparable to large-eddy simulations and direct numerical simulations are obtained at significantly lower physical resolution without the limitations of the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations in these transitional flows. The data also illustrate the importance of appropriate selection of the physical resolution and the resolved fraction of each dependent quantity $\phi$ of the turbulent closure, $f_\phi$. These two aspects determine the ability of the model to resolve the flow phenomena not amenable to modeling by the closure and, as such, the computations’ fidelity.

Navier Stokes equations↗

DOE OSTI2021

Partially averaged Navier-Stokes closure modeling for variable-density turbulent flow

We report this work extends the framework of the partially averaged Navier-Stokes (PANS) equations to variable-density flow, i.e., multimaterial and/or compressible mixing problems with density variations and production of turbulence kinetic energy by both shear and buoyancy mechanisms. The proposed methodology is utilized to derive the PANS BHR-LEVM closure. This includes a priori testing to analyze and develop guidelines toward the efficient selection of the parameters controlling the physical resolution and, consequently, the range of resolved scales of PANS. Two archetypal test-cases involving transient turbulence, hydrodynamic instabilities, and coherent structures are used to illustrate the accuracy and potential of the method: the Taylor-Green vortex at Reynolds number Re = 3000, and the Rayleigh-Taylor flow at Atwood number 0.5 and (Re) max ≈ 500. These representative problems, for which turbulence is generated by shear and buoyancy processes, constitute the initial validation space of the new model, and their results are comprehensively discussed in two subsequent studies. The computations indicate that PANS can accurately predict the selected flow problems, resolving only a fraction of the scales of large-eddy simulation and direct numerical simulation strategies. The results also reiterate that the physical resolution of the PANS model must guarantee that the key instabilities and coherent structures of the flow are resolved. The remaining scales can be modeled through an adequate turbulence scale-dependent closure.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2021

Molecular Viscosity and Diffusivity Effects in Transitional and Shock-Driven Mixing Flows

Here, this paper investigates the importance of molecular viscosity and diffusivity for the prediction of transitional and shock-driven mixing flows featuring high and low Reynolds and Mach number regions. Two representative problems are computed with implicit large-eddy simulations using the inviscid Euler equations (EE) and viscous Navier-Stokes equations (NSE): the Taylor-Green vortex at Reynolds number Re = 3000 and initial Mach number Ma = 0.28, and an air- SF 6 -air gas curtain subjected to two shock waves at Ma = 1.2. The primary focus is on differences between NSE and EE predictions due to viscous effects. The outcome of the paper illustrates the advantages of utilizing NSE. In contrast to the EE, where the effective viscosity decreases upon grid refinement, NSE predictions can be assessed for simulations of flows with transition to turbulence at prescribed constant Re. The NSE can achieve better agreement between solutions and reference data, and the results converge upon grid refinement. On the other hand, the EE predictions do not converge with grid refinement, and can only exhibit similarities with the NSE results at coarse grid resolutions. We also investigate the effect of viscous effects on the dynamics of the coherent and turbulent fields, as well as on the mechanisms contributing to the production and diffusion of vorticity. The results show that nominally inviscid calculations can exhibit significantly varying flow dynamics driven by changing effective resolution-dependent Reynolds number, and highlight the role of viscous processes affecting the vorticity field. These tendencies become more pronounced upon grid refinement. The discussion of the results concludes with the assessment of the computational cost of inviscid and viscous computations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗