Elliptic Blending with One-Equation Model

Abstract

A wall-distance-free modification to Wray-Agarwal (WA) one-equation turbulence model is convoked using an elliptic relaxation approach to accurately accounting for non-local characteristics of near-wall turbulence. Model coefficients/functions are parameterized with the elliptic relaxation function to preserve the combined effects of near-wall turbulence and nonequilibrium. The characteristic length scale associated with the elliptic relaxation equation is formulated in terms of viscous and turbulent length scales in conjunction with the invariant of strain-rate tensor. Consequently, non-local effects are explicitly influenced by the mean flow and turbulent variables. A near-wall damping function is introduced to relax the viscous length-scale coefficient adhering to the elliptic relaxation model. Comparisons indicate that the new model improves the accuracy of flow simulations compared to the widely used Spalart-Allmaras model and remains competitive with the SST model. A good correlation is obtained between the current model and DNS/experimental data.