A mass conservative Kalman filter algorithm for computational thermo-fluid dynamics

Abstract

This paper studies Kalman filtering applied to Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations for turbulent flow. The integration of the Kalman estimator is extended to an implicit segregated method and to the thermodynamic analysis of turbulent flow, adding a sub-stepping procedure that ensures mass conservation at each time step and the compatibility among the unknowns involved. The accuracy of the algorithm is verified with respect to the heated lid-driven cavity benchmark, incorporating also temperature observations, comparing the augmented prediction of the Kalman filter with the Computational Fluid-Dynamic solution found on a fine grid.