Hybrid RANS/LES methods

Started: 3rd September 2007
Ended: 3rd September 2010
Research Team: Markus Weinmann
Investigators: Richard Sandberg

Iso-surfaces of vorticity showing flow structures generated by tandem cylinder configuration.

Improved numerical methods, physical modelling, and, most importantly, the recent advances in computing power have enabled CFD to become an essential design tool used complementary to experiments and theoretical methods for increasingly complex industrial applications. The current industry standard for simulating the flow around complex geometries is the application of Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and unsteady RANS (URANS) calculations. However, RANS based models are not capable of accurately predicting lift and drag in cases where flow separation, laminar-turbulent transition and other complex flow phenomena occur. Only with a reliable and precise prediction of these flow features can industrial application be optimised for their intended use. An advanced flow simulation strategy that captures the relevant flow phenomena for an accurate prediction of lift and drag at moderate computational cost is therefore being developed. The new methodologies are being tested on a range of canonical flows, such as the NASA benchmark problem of a tandem cylinder.

Computational Modelling Group

Hybrid RANS/LES methods

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