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NASA NTRS1994

Developments and applications of dynamic models for large eddy simulation of complex flows

The dynamic modeling procedure for large eddy simulation of turbulent flows is reviewed and recent developments in the theoretical aspects and applications are described. Methods for inclusion of backscatter of energy from small to large scale motions are presented. New formulations of the dynamic procedure are proposed which are optimized based on the subgrid scale flux vector or the energy dissipation rate instead of the subgrid scale stress tensor. Recent results from application of the model to forced isotropic turbulence with an inertial subrange, flow over a backward facing step at Reynolds number of 28000, and flow over a concave curved surface are presented.

Moin, P.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Improving High-Resolution Weather Forecasts using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model with an Updated Kain-Fritsch Scheme

Efforts to improve the prediction accuracy of high resolution (1-10 km) surface precipitation distribution and variability are of vital importance to local aspects of air pollution, wet deposition, and regional climate. However, precipitation biases and errors can occur at these spatial scales due to uncertainties in initial meteorological conditions and/or grid-scale cloud microphysics schemes. In particular, it is still unclear to what extent a subgrid-scale convection scheme could be modified to bring in scale-awareness for improving high-resolution short-term precipitation forecasts in the WRF model. To address these issues, we introduced scale-aware parameterized cloud dynamics for high-resolution forecasts by making several changes to the Kain-Fritsch (KF) convective parameterization scheme in the WRF model. These changes include subgrid-scale cloud-radiation interactions, a dynamic adjustment timescale, impacts of cloud updraft mass fluxes on grid-scale vertical velocity, and lifting condensation level-based entrainment methodology that includes scale dependency. A series of 48-hour retrospective forecasts using a combination of three treatments of convection (KF, updated KF, and the use of no cumulus parameterization), two cloud microphysics schemes and two types of initial condition datasets were performed over the U.S. southern Great Plains on 9- and 3-km grid spacings during the summers of 2002 and 2010. Results indicate that (1) the source of initial conditions play a key role in high-resolution precipitation forecasting, and (2) our updated KF scheme greatly alleviates the excessive precipitation at 9-km grid spacing and improves results at 3-km grid spacing as well. Overall, we found that the updated KF scheme incorporated into a high-resolution model does provide better forecasts for precipitation location and intensity.

convective parameterization↗

NASA NTRS1999

Scale-Similar Models for Large-Eddy Simulations

Scale-similar models employ multiple filtering operations to identify the smallest resolved scales, which have been shown to be the most active in the interaction with the unresolved subgrid scales. They do not assume that the principal axes of the strain-rate tensor are aligned with those of the subgrid-scale stress (SGS) tensor, and allow the explicit calculation of the SGS energy. They can provide backscatter in a numerically stable and physically realistic manner, and predict SGS stresses in regions that are well correlated with the locations where large Reynolds stress occurs. In this paper, eddy viscosity and mixed models, which include an eddy-viscosity part as well as a scale-similar contribution, are applied to the simulation of two flows, a high Reynolds number plane channel flow, and a three-dimensional, nonequilibrium flow. The results show that simulations without models or with the Smagorinsky model are unable to predict nonequilibrium effects. Dynamic models provide an improvement of the results: the adjustment of the coefficient results in more accurate prediction of the perturbation from equilibrium. The Lagrangian-ensemble approach [Meneveau et al., J. Fluid Mech. 319, 353 (1996)] is found to be very beneficial. Models that included a scale-similar term and a dissipative one, as well as the Lagrangian ensemble averaging, gave results in the best agreement with the direct simulation and experimental data.

Sarghini, F.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Evaluating and Understanding Parameterized Convective Processes and their Role in the Development of Mesoscale Precipitation Systems

Research efforts during the second year have centered on improving the manner in which convective stabilization is achieved in the Penn State/NCAR mesoscale model MM5. Ways of improving this stabilization have been investigated by (1) refining the partitioning between the Kain-Fritsch convective parameterization scheme and the grid scale by introducing a form of moist convective adjustment; (2) using radar data to define locations of subgrid-scale convection during a dynamic initialization period; and (3) parameterizing deep-convective feedbacks as subgrid-scale sources and sinks of mass. These investigations were conducted by simulating a long-lived convectively-generated mesoscale vortex that occurred during 14-18 Jul. 1982 and the 10-11 Jun. 1985 squall line that occurred over the Kansas-Oklahoma region during the PRE-STORM experiment. The long-lived vortex tracked across the central Plains states and was responsible for multiple convective outbreaks during its lifetime.

Fritsch, J. Michael↗

NASA NTRS2019

Significant Spatial Variability in Radar-Derived West Antarctic Accumulation Linked to Surface Winds and Topography

Across the Antarctic Ice Sheet, accumulation heavily influences firn compaction and surface height changes. Therefore, accumulation varies over short distances (<25 km), complicating the derivation of ice sheet mass changes from altimetry and reducing how accurately field measurements can be spatially extrapolated. However, current atmospheric reanalyses have grid spacings (>25 km) that are too coarse to resolve this variability. To address this limitation, we construct a fine-scale accumulation product from airborne snow radar observations by superimposing along-track fluctuations in accumulation onto an atmospheric reanalysis product. Our resulting airborne product reflects large-scale (>25 km) orographic precipitation patterns while providing robust and unprecedented insight into Antarctic accumulation variability on subgrid scales. On these smaller scales, we find significant, regionally dependent accumulation variability (𝜎(sub relative) > 40%). This variability in accumulation is correlated with variability in topographic surface slope in the wind direction (p < 0.01), confirming that subgrid-scale accumulation variability is driven by snow redistribution by wind.

Dattler, Marissa E.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Dynamic Smagorinsky Modeled Large-Eddy Simulations of Turbulence Using Tetrahedral Meshes

Eddy-resolving numerical computations of turbulent flows are emerging as viable alternatives to Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) calculations for flows with an intrinsically steady mean state due to the advances in large-scale parallel computing. In these computations, medium to large turbulent eddies are resolved by the numerics while the smaller or subgrid scales are either modeled or taken care of by the inherent numerical dissipation. To advance the state of the art of unstructured-mesh turbulence simulation capabilities, large eddy simulations (LES) using the dynamic Smagorinsky model (DSM) on tetrahedral meshes are carried out with the space-time conservation element, solution element (CESE) method. In contrast to what has been reported in the literature, the present implementation of dynamic models allows for active backscattering without any ad-hoc limiting of the eddy viscosity calculated from the subgrid-scale model. For the benchmark problems involving compressible isotropic turbulence decay as well as the shock/turbulent boundary layer interaction benchmark problems, no numerical instability associated with kinetic energy growth is observed and the volume percentage of the backscattering portion accounts for about 38-40% of the simulation domain. A slip-wall model in conjunction with the implemented DSM is used to simulate a relatively high Reynolds number Mach 2.85 turbulent boundary layer over a 30° ramp with several tetrahedral meshes and a wall-normal spacing of either Δγ& = 10 or Δγ& = 20. The computed mean wall pressure distribution, separation region size, mean velocity profiles, and Reynolds stress agree reasonably well with experimental data.

CESE method↗

NASA NTRS1998

Annual Research Briefs, 1998

The topics contained in this progress report are direct numerical simulation of turbulent non-premixed combustion with realistic chemistry; LES of non-premixed turbulent reacting flows with conditional source term estimation; measurements of the three-dimensional scalar dissipation rate in gas-phase planar turbulent jets; direct simulation of a jet diffusion flame; on the use of interpolating wavelets in the direct numerical simulation of combustion; on the use of a dynamically adaptive wavelet collocation algorithm in DNS (direct numerical simulation) of non-premixed turbulent combustion; 2D simulations of Hall thrusters; computation of trailing-edge noise at low mach number using LES and acoustic analogy; weakly nonlinear modeling of the early stages of bypass transition; interactions between freestream turbulence and boundary layers; interfaces at the outer boundaries of turbulent motions; largest scales of turbulent wall flows; the instability of streaks in near-wall turbulence; an implementation of the v(sup 2) - f model with application to transonic flows; heat transfer predictions in cavities; a structure-based model with stropholysis effects; modeling a confined swirling coaxial jet; subgrid-scale models based on incremental unknowns for large eddy simulations; subgrid scale modeling taking the numerical error into consideration; towards a near-wall model for LES of a separated diffuser flow; on the feasibility of merging LES with RANS (Reynolds Averaging Numerical simulation) for the near-wall region of attached turbulent flows; large-eddy simulation of a separated boundary layer; numerical study of a channel flow with variable properties; on the construction of high order finite difference schemes on non-uniform meshes with good conservation properties; development of immersed boundary methods for complex geometries; and particle methods for micro and macroscale flow simulations.

Spinks, Debra↗

NASA NTRS1993

Annual Research Briefs, 1992

This report contains the 1992 annual progress reports of the Research Fellows and students of the Center for Turbulence Research. Considerable effort was focused on the large eddy simulation technique for computing turbulent flows. This increased activity has been inspired by the recent predictive successes of the dynamic subgrid scale modeling procedure which was introduced during the 1990 Summer Program. Several Research Fellows and students are presently engaged in both the development of subgrid scale models and their applications to complex flows. The first group of papers in this report contain the findings of these studies. They are followed by reports grouped in the general areas of modeling, turbulence physics, and turbulent reacting flows. The last contribution in this report outlines the progress made on the development of the CTR post-processing facility.

Spinks, Debra↗

NASA NTRS1988

Model consistency in large eddy simulation of turbulent channel flows

Combinations of filters and subgrid scale stress models for large eddy simulation of the Navier-Stokes equations are examined by a priori tests and numerical simulations. The structure of the subgrid scales is found to depend strongly on the type of filter used, and consistency between model and filter is essential to ensure accurate results. The implementation of consistent combinations of filter and model gives more accurate turbulence statistics than those obtained in previous investigations in which the models were chosen independently from the filter. Results and limitations of the a priori test are discussed. The effect of grid refinement is also examined.

Piomelli, Ugo↗

NASA NTRS1977

Numerical simulation of the Gulf Stream and Mid-Ocean eddies

Oceanographic field measurements have revealed intense, transient mesoscale motions in many parts of the world ocean. The circulation of the western North Atlantic, considered in the present study as a rectangular basin, is simulated with a primitive equation model that has five levels and a horizontal grid size of 37 km. The model ocean is driven by a 2.5 gyre pattern of steady zonal wind stress and by a Newtonian-type surface heating. Two cases are considered: the first uses a Laplacian formulation for the subgrid-scale lateral diffusions of heat and momentum; the second uses a highly scale-selective biharmonic formulation for these diffusions. An analysis of the heat transport, in the biharmonic experiment, shows that the horizontal transport of heat by eddies is much larger than the subgrid-scale horizontal heat diffusion. In the Gulf Stream region, the eddy heat transport is comparable to the effect of a lateral diffusion coefficient of 10 to the 7th sq cm/s.

Semtner, A. J., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Large-eddy simulation of a boundary layer with concave streamwise curvature

Turbulence modeling continues to be one of the most difficult problems in fluid mechanics. Existing prediction methods are well developed for certain classes of simple equilibrium flows, but are still not entirely satisfactory for a large category of complex non-equilibrium flows found in engineering practice. Direct and large-eddy simulation (LES) approaches have long been believed to have great potential for the accurate prediction of difficult turbulent flows, but the associated computational cost has been prohibitive for practical problems. This remains true for direct simulation but is no longer clear for large-eddy simulation. Advances in computer hardware, numerical methods, and subgrid-scale modeling have made it possible to conduct LES for flows or practical interest at Reynolds numbers in the range of laboratory experiments. The objective of this work is to apply ES and the dynamic subgrid-scale model to the flow of a boundary layer over a concave surface.

Lund, Thomas S.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Wall-modeled LES of Turbulent Flow Over a Two-dimensional Gaussian Bump

We perform wall-modeled large eddy simulations (WMLES) of turbulent flow over a nominally two-dimensional Gaussian-shaped bump geometry to assess its performance in the accelerating and separation regions of the flow. The flow conditions are based on high-fidelity numerical simulation of Uzun & Malik (AIAA Journal 2022). The oncoming flow Mach number is 0.2, with the bump length-based Reynolds number (ReL) of 2 million. In our previous study, while WMLES with the constant coefficient Vreman subgrid scale model and equilibrium wall model performed satisfactorily at lower ReL = 1 million, it failed to predict flow separation at the higher Re, contrary to the experimental observations. We investigate the sensitivity of WMLES to different subgrid scale models, wall models, and grid resolution and topology on flow separation by comparing with available data.

Computational Fluid Dynamics↗

NASA NTRS2003

Large-Eddy Simulation Code Developed for Propulsion Applications

A large-eddy simulation (LES) code was developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center to provide more accurate and detailed computational analyses of propulsion flow fields. The accuracy of current computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods is limited primarily by their inability to properly account for the turbulent motion present in virtually all propulsion flows. Because the efficiency and performance of a propulsion system are highly dependent on the details of this turbulent motion, it is critical for CFD to accurately model it. The LES code promises to give new CFD simulations an advantage over older methods by directly computing the large turbulent eddies, to correctly predict their effect on a propulsion system. Turbulent motion is a random, unsteady process whose behavior is difficult to predict through computer simulations. Current methods are based on Reynolds-Averaged Navier- Stokes (RANS) analyses that rely on models to represent the effect of turbulence within a flow field. The quality of the results depends on the quality of the model and its applicability to the type of flow field being studied. LES promises to be more accurate because it drastically reduces the amount of modeling necessary. It is the logical step toward improving turbulent flow predictions. In LES, the large-scale dominant turbulent motion is computed directly, leaving only the less significant small turbulent scales to be modeled. As part of the prediction, the LES method generates detailed information on the turbulence itself, providing important information for other applications, such as aeroacoustics. The LES code developed at Glenn for propulsion flow fields is being used to both analyze propulsion system components and test improved LES algorithms (subgrid-scale models, filters, and numerical schemes). The code solves the compressible Favre-filtered Navier- Stokes equations using an explicit fourth-order accurate numerical scheme, it incorporates a compressible form of Smagorinsky s model for the subgrid-scale turbulence, and it uses generalized curvilinear coordinates to allow analysis of a wide range of geometries. The code runs in parallel on shared memory multiprocessor computers and is written in Fortran 90 with dynamic memory allocation. A sample result for a Mach-1.4 round jet is presented in the figure. Instantaneous Mach number contours in several cross-planes downstream of the nozzle exit are shown, illustrating how an LES captures the large unsteady three-dimensional turbulent structures present in the jet.

DeBonis, James R.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Comparison of High-Order and Low-Order Methods for Large-Eddy Simulation of a Compressible Shear Layer

The objective of this work is to compare a high-order solver with a low-order solver for performing Large-Eddy Simulations (LES) of a compressible mixing layer. The high-order method is the Wave-Resolving LES (WRLES) solver employing a Dispersion Relation Preserving (DRP) scheme. The low-order solver is the Wind-US code, which employs the second-order Roe Physical scheme. Both solvers are used to perform LES of the turbulent mixing between two supersonic streams at a convective Mach number of 0.46. The high-order and low-order methods are evaluated at two different levels of grid resolution. For a fine grid resolution, the low-order method produces a very similar solution to the highorder method. At this fine resolution the effects of numerical scheme, subgrid scale modeling, and filtering were found to be negligible. Both methods predict turbulent stresses that are in reasonable agreement with experimental data. However, when the grid resolution is coarsened, the difference between the two solvers becomes apparent. The low-order method deviates from experimental results when the resolution is no longer adequate. The high-order DRP solution shows minimal grid dependence. The effects of subgrid scale modeling and spatial filtering were found to be negligible at both resolutions. For the high-order solver on the fine mesh, a parametric study of the spanwise width was conducted to determine its effect on solution accuracy. An insufficient spanwise width was found to impose an artificial spanwise mode and limit the resolved spanwise modes. We estimate that the spanwise depth needs to be 2.5 times larger than the largest coherent structures to capture the largest spanwise mode and accurately predict turbulent mixing.

large eddy simulations↗

NASA NTRS2015

Comparison of High-Order and Low-Order Methods for Large-Eddy Simulation of a Compressible Shear Layer

The objective of this work is to compare a high-order solver with a low-order solver for performing large-eddy simulations (LES) of a compressible mixing layer. The high-order method is the Wave-Resolving LES (WRLES) solver employing a Dispersion Relation Preserving (DRP) scheme. The low-order solver is the Wind-US code, which employs the second-order Roe Physical scheme. Both solvers are used to perform LES of the turbulent mixing between two supersonic streams at a convective Mach number of 0.46. The high-order and low-order methods are evaluated at two different levels of grid resolution. For a fine grid resolution, the low-order method produces a very similar solution to the high-order method. At this fine resolution the effects of numerical scheme, subgrid scale modeling, and filtering were found to be negligible. Both methods predict turbulent stresses that are in reasonable agreement with experimental data. However, when the grid resolution is coarsened, the difference between the two solvers becomes apparent. The low-order method deviates from experimental results when the resolution is no longer adequate. The high-order DRP solution shows minimal grid dependence. The effects of subgrid scale modeling and spatial filtering were found to be negligible at both resolutions. For the high-order solver on the fine mesh, a parametric study of the spanwise width was conducted to determine its effect on solution accuracy. An insufficient spanwise width was found to impose an artificial spanwise mode and limit the resolved spanwise modes. We estimate that the spanwise depth needs to be 2.5 times larger than the largest coherent structures to capture the largest spanwise mode and accurately predict turbulent mixing.

large eddy simulations↗

NASA NTRS2023

Evaluation of Voronoi Meshes for Large Eddy Simulations of High Lift Aerodynamics

Numerical sensitivity to 3 different Voronoi seeding methods is investigated for Large Eddy Simulations (LES). A second order accurate, non-dissipative finite volume discretization is used to systematically investigate the effects of different polyhedral Voronoi mesh types using a sequence of three canonical problems with increasing complexity. First, inviscid isentropic vortex propagation is studied to demonstrate the substantial reduction of errors for rhombic dodecahedron and truncated octahedral cell types over Cartesian hexagonal cells of identical spacing. Furthermore, the reduction of errors induced at cell-size transitions (grid-coarsening interfaces) due to Lloyd smoothing iterations is quantified. It is shown that by utilizing an appropriate viscous flux discretization, a constant coefficient subgrid scale model is sufficient for non-linear stability at the 2:1 cell-size transitions on polyhedral grids, although some further error reduction does occur when smoothing is utilized. Next, forced homogeneous isotropic turbulence at an asymptotically large Reynolds number is studied to demonstrate the non-dissipative character of the inviscid flux discretization, and the non-linear robustness and accuracy offered by the viscous flux discretization using a subgrid scale model for all three Voronoi grid types. Finally,Wall-Modeled Large Eddy Simulations (WMLES) are performed to study the high-lift aerodynamics on the McDonnell Douglas 30P30N multi-element airfoil at two distinct grid levels and for two distinct Voronoi cell types. The formulation is shown to predict the aerodynamic loading with high accuracy at all angles of attack when sufficient resolution is reached, and the hexagonal prism grid topology, while computationally more expensive, has higher effective resolution compared to the Cartesian grid topology with the same spacing.

TTT↗

NASA NTRS2023

Evaluation of Voronoi Meshes for Large Eddy Simulations of High Lift Aerodynamics

Numerical sensitivity to 3 different Voronoi seeding methods is investigated for Large Eddy Simulations (LES). A second order accurate, non-dissipative finite volume discretization is used to systematically investigate the effects of different polyhedral Voronoi mesh types using a sequence of three canonical problems with increasing complexity. First, inviscid isentropic vortex propagation is studied to demonstrate the substantial reduction of errors for rhombic dodecahedron and truncated octahedral cell types over Cartesian hexagonal cells of identical spacing. Furthermore, the reduction of errors induced at cell-size transitions (grid-coarsening interfaces) due to Lloyd smoothing iterations is quantified. It is shown that by utilizing an appropriate viscous flux discretization, a constant coefficient subgrid scale model is sufficient for non-linear stability at the 2:1 cell-size transitions on polyhedral grids, although some further error reduction does occur when smoothing is utilized. Next, forced homogeneous isotropic turbulence at an asymptotically large Reynolds number is studied to demonstrate the non-dissipative character of the inviscid flux discretization, and the non-linear robustness and accuracy offered by the viscous flux discretization using a subgrid scale model for all three Voronoi grid types. Finally, Wall-Modeled Large Eddy Simulations (WMLES) are performed to study the high-lift aerodynamics on the McDonnell Douglas 30P30N multi-element airfoil at two distinct grid levels and for two distinct Voronoi cell types. The formulation is shown to predict the aerodynamic loading with high accuracy at all angles of attack when sufficient resolution is reached, and the hexagonal prism grid topology, while computationally more expensive, has higher effective resolution compared to the Cartesian grid topology with the same spacing.

TTT↗

NASA NTRS1993

Toward large eddy simulation of turbulent flow over an airfoil

The flow field over an airfoil contains several distinct flow characteristics, e.g. laminar, transitional, turbulent boundary layer flow, flow separation, unstable free shear layers, and a wake. This diversity of flow regimes taxes the presently available Reynolds averaged turbulence models. Such models are generally tuned to predict a particular flow regime, and adjustments are necessary for the prediction of a different flow regime. Similar difficulties are likely to emerge when the large eddy simulation technique is applied with the widely used Smagorinsky model. This model has not been successful in correctly representing different turbulent flow fields with a single universal constant and has an incorrect near-wall behavior. Germano et al. (1991) and Ghosal, Lund & Moin have developed a new subgrid-scale model, the dynamic model, which is very promising in alleviating many of the persistent inadequacies of the Smagorinsky model: the model coefficient is computed dynamically as the calculation progresses rather than input a priori. The model has been remarkably successful in prediction of several turbulent and transitional flows. We plan to simulate turbulent flow over a '2D' airfoil using the large eddy simulation technique. Our primary objective is to assess the performance of the newly developed dynamic subgrid-scale model for computation of complex flows about aircraft components and to compare the results with those obtained using the Reynolds average approach and experiments. The present computation represents the first application of large eddy simulation to a flow of aeronautical interest and a key demonstration of the capabilities of the large eddy simulation technique.

Choi, Haecheon↗