Proposal of damping function for low-reynolds-number k-ε model applicable in prediction of turbulent viscoelastic-fluid flow

Abstract

A low-Reynolds-number k-ε model applicable for viscoelastic fluid was proposed to predict the frictional-drag reduction and the turbulence modification in a wall-bounded turbulent flow. In this model, an additional damping function was introduced into the model of eddy viscosity, while the treatment of the turbulent kinetic energy (k) and its dissipation rate (ε) is an extension of the model for Newtonian fluids. For constructing the damping function, we considered the influence of viscoelasticity on the turbulent eddy motion and its dissipative scale and investigated the frequency response for the constitutive equation based on the Giesekus fluid model. Assessment of the proposed model's performance in several rheological conditions for drag-reduced turbulent channel flows demonstrated good agreement with DNS (direct numerical simulation) data. © 2013 Takahiro Tsukahara and Yasuo Kawaguchi.