LES of the compressed Taylor vortex flow using a finite volume/finite element method on unstructured grids
Large-eddy simulations (LES) have been performed of a compressed vortex flow undergoing transition to turbulence. The numerical method is based on a finite volume/finite element discretization of the compressible Navier Stokes equations on unstructured grids and a Roe second-order scheme with MUSCL extrapolation. A particular attention is paid to the dissipative character of the method, controlled by a coefficient related to the upwind part of the numerical scheme, and its interference with the subgrid model. The accuracy of the method is first checked in the case of decaying homogeneous isotropic turbulence. The investigation is then directed to a plane Taylor vortex flow submitted to compression, in a direction perpendicular to the vorticity vector. This flow is unstable with respect to three-dimensional perturbations and transition to turbulence is observed if the Reynolds number is large enough. The numerical method is used to simulate this vortex flow for two values of the Reynolds number. For the lower value, the flow is unstable but remains laminar and no subgrid model is used: For the higher one, the turbulence appears and the standard and the dynamic Smagorinsky models are tested. The LES results are compared to those obtained by direct numerical simulations (DNS) using a spectral Fourier method. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
les unstructured grids compressed flows roe solver