Applications of Different Turbulence Models in CFD Simulations of Mixed Flow Hydraulic Pump

Abstract

The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a cost-effective tool for derivation of performance characteristics of pumps. The turbulent flow comprises the long range of turbulence scales and this needs very fine grid. Turbulence models are used to capture the effect of turbulence and hence play vital role on accuracy of flow simulation. The selection of turbulence model requires understanding of physics of flow domain and validation with experimental results. This study discusses the applications of various turbulence models in CFD simulations. In the field of interest, two mainstreams exist. The first is the so-called Reynolds Average Navier Stokes (RANS) models. These models are most extensively utilized nowadays. The second mainstream presents large eddy simulations (LES). Second approach is important because they have the potential to model turbulence in a much more general and better way than the RANS models.