Date of Award
2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Engineering (MSE)
Department
Chemical and Material Engineering
Committee Chair
Chien-Pin Chen
Committee Member
R. Michael Banish
Committee Member
Narayanan Ramachandran
Subject(s)
Navier-Stokes equations., Turbulence., Eddies--Mathematical models.
Abstract
The objective of this thesis is to study the density fluctuations due to turbulent flow structures generated within a spatially developing boundary layer using a hybrid Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes/Large Eddy Simulation approach. For this study, a flat plat configuration was used. A planar mixing inflow boundary condition was used to add large-scale fluctuations to the flow field. Computations were performed using the Wind-US 3.0 computational fluid dynamics code and the Nichols/Nelson multiscale hybrid RANS/LES approach as implemented in the Wind-US code [7]. The study showed that the normalized density profile normal to the flat plate is sensitive to spanwise grid spacing, computational domain width and zonal layout. Scaled mean velocity profiles showed interaction of the boundary layer with the roller structures generated by the planar mixing inflow boundary. Although, the grid was designed for a RANS boundary layer flow over a flat plate, it was not adequate to capture the planar mixing layer flow and it's interaction with the adjacent flat plate. It is recommended that a composite grid based on the RANS grid and a grid tuned to a planar mixing layer be developed.
Recommended Citation
Price, John, "A study of density fluctuations for flow over a flat plate using a hybrid Reynolds-average Navier-Stokes large eddy/simulation approach" (2014). Theses. 64.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-theses/64