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Article
Publication date: 24 November 2021

Mingyang Liu, Guangjun Gao, Huifen Zhu and Chen Jiang

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of solving turbulent flows based on smoothed finite element method (S-FEM). Then, the differences between S-FEM and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of solving turbulent flows based on smoothed finite element method (S-FEM). Then, the differences between S-FEM and finite element method (FEM) in dealing with turbulent flows are compared.

Design/methodology/approach

The stabilization scheme, the streamline-upwind/Petrov-Galerkin stabilization is coupled with stabilized pressure gradient projection in the fractional step framework. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with standard k-epsilon model are selected to solve turbulent flows based on S-FEM and FEM. Standard wall functions are applied to predict boundary layer profiles.

Findings

This paper explores a completely new application of S-FEM on turbulent flows. The adopted stabilization scheme presents a good performance on stabilizing the flows, especially for very high Reynolds numbers flows. An advantage of S-FEM is found in applying wall functions comparing with FEM. The differences between S-FEM and FEM have been investigated.

Research limitations/implications

The research in this work is limited to the two-dimensional incompressible turbulent flow.

Practical implications

The verification and validation of a new combination are conducted by several numerical examples. The new combination could be used to deal with more complicated turbulent flows.

Social implications

The applications of the new combination to study basic and complex turbulent flow are also presented, which demonstrates its potential to solve more turbulent flows in nature and engineering.

Originality/value

This work carries out a great extension of S-FEM in simulations of fluid dynamics. The new combination is verified to be very effective in handling turbulent flows. The performances of S-FEM and FEM on turbulent flows were analyzed by several numerical examples. Superior results were found compared with existing results and experiments. Meanwhile, S-FEM has an advantage of accuracy in predicting boundary layer profile.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 32 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 June 2017

Chao Wang, Jinju Sun and Yan Ba

The purpose of this paper is to develop a Vortex-In-Cell (VIC) method with the semi-Lagrangian scheme and apply it to the high-Re lid-driven cavity flow.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a Vortex-In-Cell (VIC) method with the semi-Lagrangian scheme and apply it to the high-Re lid-driven cavity flow.

Design/methodology/approach

The VIC method is developed for simulating high Reynolds number incompressible flow. A semi-Lagrangian scheme is incorporated in the convection term to produce unconditional stability, which gets rid of the constraint of the convection Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy (CFL) condition; the adaptive time step is used to maintain the numerical stability of the diffusion term; and the velocity boundary condition is readily converted to the vorticity formulation to suit discontinuous boundary treatment. The VIC simulation results are compared with those produced by other gird methods reported in open literature studies.

Findings

The lid-driven cavity flow is simulated from Re = 100 to 100,000. Similar vortex birth mechanisms are exhibited though, but distinct flow characteristics are revealed. At Re = 100 to 7,500, the cavity flow is confirmed steady. At Re = 10,000, 15,000 and 20,000, the cavity flow is periodical with a primary vortex held spatially at the center. In particular, at Re = 100,000 highly turbulent characteristics is first revealed and an analogous primary vortex is formed but in motion rather than stationary, which is caused by the considerable flow separation at all the boundaries.

Originality/value

In the lid-driven cavity, the flow becomes extremely complex and highly turbulent at Re = 100,000, and the analogous primary vortex structure is observed. Boundary layer separation is observed at all walls, producing small vortices and causing the displacement of the analogous primary vortex. Such a finding original and has not yet been reported by other investigators. It may provide a basis for conducting in-depth studies of the lid-driven cavity flow.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 27 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 October 2023

Aoxiang Qiu, Weimin Sang, Feng Zhou and Dong Li

The paper aims to expand the scope of application of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), especially in the field of aircraft engineering. The traditional LBM is usually applied…

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to expand the scope of application of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), especially in the field of aircraft engineering. The traditional LBM is usually applied to incompressible flows at a low Reynolds number, which is not sufficient to satisfy the needs of aircraft engineering. Devoted to tackling the defect, the paper proposes a developed LBM combining the subgrid model and the multiple relaxation time (MRT) approach. A multilayer adaptive Cartesian grid method to improve the computing efficiency of the traditional LBM is also employed.

Design/methodology/approach

The subgrid model and the multilayer adaptive Cartesian grid are introduced into MRT-LBM for simulations of incompressible flows at a high Reynolds number. Validated by several typical flow simulations, the numerical methods in this paper can efficiently study the flows under high Reynolds numbers.

Findings

Some numerical simulations for the lid-driven flow of cavity, flow around iced GLC305, LB606b and ONERA-M6 are completed. The paper presents the investigation results, indicating that the methods are accurate and effective for the separated flow after icing.

Originality/value

LBM is developed with the addition of the subgrid model and the MRT method. A numerical strategy is proposed using a multilayer adaptive Cartesian grid method and its treatment of boundary conditions. The paper refers to innovative algorithm developments and applications to the aircraft engineering, especially for iced wing simulations with flow separations.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. 40 no. 9/10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 January 2011

Sintu Singha and K.P. Sinhamahapatra

The purpose of this paper is to simulate the flow of a conducting fluid past a circular cylinder placed centrally in a channel subjected to an imposed transverse magnetic field to…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to simulate the flow of a conducting fluid past a circular cylinder placed centrally in a channel subjected to an imposed transverse magnetic field to study the effect of a magnetic field on vortex shedding at different Reynolds numbers varying from 50 to 250.

Design/methodology/approach

The two‐dimensional incompressible laminar viscous flow equations are solved using a second‐order implicit unstructured collocated grid finite volume method.

Findings

An imposed transverse magnetic field markedly reduces the unsteady lift amplitude indicating a reduction in the strength of the shed vortices. It is observed that the periodic vortex shedding at the higher Reynolds numbers can be completely suppressed if a sufficiently strong magnetic field is imposed. The required magnetic field strength to suppress shedding increases with Reynolds number. The simulation shows that the separated zone behind the cylinder in a steady flow is reduced as the magnetic field strength is increased.

Originality/value

In this paper, due attention is given to resolve and study the unsteady cylinder wake and its interaction with the shear‐layer on the channel wall in the presence of a magnetic field. A critical value of the Hartmann number for complete suppression of the shedding at a given Reynolds number is found.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2006

Haibo Huang, T.S. Lee and C. Shu

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of Lattice‐BGK (LBGK) method application in simulation of the 3D flow through complex geometry. On the…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of Lattice‐BGK (LBGK) method application in simulation of the 3D flow through complex geometry. On the other hand, the steady flows through vascular tube with Reynolds number 10‐150 and different constriction spacing ratios are simulated.

Design/methodology/approach

The numerical method is based on the LGBK method with an incompressible D3Q19 model. To treat the curved boundary, the “bounce back” scheme combined with spatial interpolation of second order is applied.

Findings

The highly axisymmetric property in the direct 3D tube flow simulation is observed. Solutions obtained from LBGK method are quite consistent with that of finite volume method (FVM). The overall order of accuracy of these LBGK solutions is about 1.89. The LBGK incompressible D3Q19 model with the curved boundary treatment can handle the problems of 3D steady flow through complex geometry.

Research limitations/implications

Investigating the flow in constricted vascular tubes with different stenose shape and higher Reynolds number is left for future work.

Practical implications

Lattice BGK method is the very useful tool to investigate the steady vascular flow.

Originality/value

Applying LBGK method with incompressible D3Q19 model to simulate the steady flow through complex geometry. The accuracy and efficiency of the present LBGK solver are examined.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 November 2020

Eslam Ezzatneshan

Numerical simulations are performed for studying the vorticity dynamics of a dipole colliding with the wall in a bounded flow and the wake structure and separated flow properties…

Abstract

Purpose

Numerical simulations are performed for studying the vorticity dynamics of a dipole colliding with the wall in a bounded flow and the wake structure and separated flow properties past a circular cylinder at the values of Reynolds numbers.

Design/methodology/approach

The near wake statistics of separated fluid flows are investigated by using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) in a two-dimensional framework. A multi-block technique is applied to accurately resolve the flow characteristics by the grid refinement near the wall and preserve the stability of the numerical solution at relatively high Reynolds numbers.

Findings

The results show that the rolling-up of the boundary layer occurs due to the shear-layer instabilities near the surface which causes a boundary layer detachment from the wall and consequently leads to the formation of small-scale vortices. These shear-layer vortices shed at higher frequencies than the large-scale Strouhal vortices which result in small-scale high-frequency fluctuations in the velocity field in the very near wake. The present study also demonstrates that the efficiency of the multi-block LBM used for predicting the statistical features of flow problems is comparable with the solvers based on the Navier-Stokes equations.

Practical implications

Studying the separated flow characteristics in aerospace applications.

Originality/value

Applying a multi-block lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) for simulation of separated fluid flows at high-Reynolds numbers. Studying of the near wake statistics of unsteady separated fluid flows using the multi-block LBM. Comparison of flow characteristics obtained based on the LBM with those of reported based on the Navier-Stokes equations.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 93 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 May 2022

Ahmed Benamor, Aissa Abidi-Saad, Ridha Mebrouk and Sarra Fatnassi

This study aims at investigating two-dimensional laminar flow of power-law fluids around three unconfined side-by-side cylinders.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims at investigating two-dimensional laminar flow of power-law fluids around three unconfined side-by-side cylinders.

Design/methodology/approach

The numerical study is performed by solving the governing (continuity and momentum) equations using a finite volume-based code ANSYS Fluent. The numerical results have been presented for different combinations of the governing dimensionless parameters (dimensionless spacing, 1.2 = L = 4; Reynolds number, 0.1 = Re = 100; power-law index, 0.2 = n = 1.8). The dependence of the kinematic and macroscopic characteristics of the flow such as streamline patterns, distribution of the surface pressure coefficient, total drag coefficient with its components (pressure and friction) and total lift coefficient on these dimensionless parameters has been discussed in detail.

Findings

It is found that the separation of the flow and the apparition of the wake region accelerate as the dimensionless spacing decreases, the number of the cylinder increases and/or the fluid behavior moves from shear-thinning to Newtonian then to shear-thickening behavior. In addition, the distribution of the pressure coefficient on the surface of the cylinders presents a complex dependence on the fluid behavior index and Reynolds number when the dimensionless spacing between two adjacent cylinders is varied. At low Reynolds numbers, the drag coefficient of shear-thinning fluids is stronger than that of Newtonian fluids; this tendency decreases progressively with increasing of Re until a critical value; beyond the critical Re, the opposite trend is observed. The lift coefficient of the middle cylinder is null, whereas, the exterior cylinders experience opposite lift coefficients, which show a complex dependence on the dimensionless spacing, the Reynolds number and the power-law index.

Originality/value

The flow over bluff bodies is a practical engineering problem. In the literature, it can be seen that the previous studies on non-Newtonian fluids are limited to the flow over one or two cylinders (effect of an odd number of cylinders on each other). Besides that, the available results concerning the flow of Newtonian fluids over three cylinders are limited to the high Reynolds numbers region only. However, this work treats the flow of non-Newtonian power-law fluids past three circular cylinders in side-by-side arrangements under a wide range of Re. The outcome of the present study demonstrates that the augmentation of the geometry complexity to three cylinders (effect of pair surrounding cylinders on the surrounded ones in what concerns Von Karman Street phenomenon) causes a drastic change in the flow patterns and in the macroscopic characteristics. The present results may be used to predict the flow behavior around multiple side-by-side cylinders.

Details

World Journal of Engineering, vol. 20 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1708-5284

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 February 2021

Mingyang Liu, Huifen Zhu, Guangjun Gao, Chen Jiang and G.R Liu

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a novel stabilization scheme to handle convection and pressure oscillation in the process of solving incompressible laminar flows by…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a novel stabilization scheme to handle convection and pressure oscillation in the process of solving incompressible laminar flows by finite element method (FEM).

Design/methodology/approach

The semi-implicit stabilization scheme, characteristic-based polynomial pressure projection (CBP3) consists of the Characteristic-Galerkin method and polynomial pressure projection. Theoretically, the proposed scheme works for any type of element using equal-order approximation for velocity and pressure. In this work, linear 3-node triangular and 4-node tetrahedral elements are the focus, which are the simplest but most difficult elements for pressure stabilizations.

Findings

The present paper proposes a new scheme, which can stabilize FEM solution for flows of both low and relatively high Reynolds numbers. And the influence of stabilization parameters of the CBP3 scheme has also been investigated.

Research limitations/implications

The research in this work is limited to the laminar incompressible flow.

Practical implications

The verification and validation of the CBP3 scheme are conducted by several 2 D and 3 D numerical examples. The scheme could be used to deal with more practical fluid problems.

Social implications

The application of scheme to study complex hemodynamics of patient-specific abdominal aortic aneurysm is also presented, which demonstrates its potential to solve bio-flows.

Originality/value

The paper simulated 2 D and 3 D numerical examples with superior results compared to existing results and experiments. The novel CBP3 scheme is verified to be very effective in handling convection and pressure oscillation.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 31 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 June 2009

Santanu De, K. Nagendra and K.N. Lakshmisha

The purpose of this paper is to apply lattice Boltzmann equation method (LBM) with multiple relaxation time (MRT) model, to investigate lid‐driven flow in a three‐dimensional…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to apply lattice Boltzmann equation method (LBM) with multiple relaxation time (MRT) model, to investigate lid‐driven flow in a three‐dimensional (3D), rectangular cavity, and compare the results with flow in an equivalent two‐dimensional (2D) cavity.

Design/methodology/approach

The second‐order MRT model is implemented in a 3D LBM code. The flow structure in cavities of different aspect ratios (0.25‐4) and Reynolds numbers (0.01‐1000) is investigated. The LBM simulation results are compared with those from numerical solution of Navier‐Stokes (NS) equations and with available experimental data.

Findings

The 3D simulations demonstrate that 2D models may predict the flow structure reasonably well at low Reynolds numbers, but significant differences with experimental data appear at high Reynolds numbers. Such discrepancy between 2D and 3D results are attributed to the effect of boundary layers near the side‐walls in transverse direction (in 3D), due to which the vorticity in the core‐region is weakened in general. Secondly, owing to the vortex stretching effect present in 3D flow, the vorticity in the transverse plane intensifies whereas that in the lateral plane decays, with increase in Reynolds number. However, on the symmetry‐plane, the flow structure variation with respect to cavity aspect ratio is found to be qualitatively consistent with results of 2D simulations. Secondary flow vortices whose axis is in the direction of the lid‐motion are observed; these are weak at low Reynolds numbers, but become quite strong at high Reynolds numbers.

Originality/value

The findings will be useful in the study of variety of enclosed fluid flows.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 19 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 October 2004

M.F. Webster, I.J. Keshtiban and F. Belblidia

We introduce a second‐order accurate time‐marching pressure‐correction algorithm to accommodate weakly‐compressible highly‐viscous liquid flows at low Mach number. As the…

Abstract

We introduce a second‐order accurate time‐marching pressure‐correction algorithm to accommodate weakly‐compressible highly‐viscous liquid flows at low Mach number. As the incompressible limit is approached (Ma ≈ 0), the consistency of the compressible scheme is highlighted in recovering equivalent incompressible solutions. In the viscous‐dominated regime of low Reynolds number (zone of interest), the algorithm treats the viscous part of the equations in a semi‐implicit form. Two discrete representations are proposed to interpolate density: a piecewise‐constant form with gradient recovery and a linear interpolation form, akin to that on pressure. Numerical performance is considered on a number of classical benchmark problems for highly viscous liquid flows to highlight consistency, accuracy and stability properties. Validation bears out the high quality of performance of both compressible flow implementations, at low to vanishing Mach number. Neither linear nor constant density interpolations schemes degrade the second‐order accuracy of the original incompressible fractional‐staged pressure‐correction scheme. The piecewise‐constant interpolation scheme is advocated as a viable method of choice, with its advantages of order retention, yet efficiency in implementation.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. 21 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Keywords

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