Analysis of flow structures in the wake of a high-speed train

Abstract

Slipstream is the flow that a train pulls along due to the viscosity of the fluid. In real life applications, the effect of the slipstream flow is a safety concern for people on platform, tracksideworkers and objects on platforms such as baggage carts and pushchairs. The most important region for slipstream of high-speed passanger trains is the near wake, in which the flow is fully turbulent with a broad range of length and time scales. In this work, the flow around the Aerodynamic Train Model (ATM) is simulated using Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) to model the turbulence. Different grids are used in order to prove grid converged results. In order to compare with the results of experimental work performed at DLR on the ATM, where a trip wire was attached to the model, it turned out to be necessary to model this wire to have comparable results. An attempt to model the effect of the trip wire via volume forces improved the results but we were not successful at reproducing the full velocity profiles. The flow is analyzed by computing the POD and Koopman modes. The structures in the floware found to be associated with two counter rotating vortices. A strong connection between pairs of modes is found, which is related to the propagation of flow structures for the POD modes. Koopman modes and POD modes are similar in the spatial structure and similarities in frequencies of the time evolution of the structures are also found.