Structure and scales in turbulence modeling

Abstract

The enstrophy of the large-scale energy-containing turbulence is proposed as the second turbulence scale for use, in conjunction with the turbulence energy, in two-scale one-point engineering turbulence models. Its transport equation is developed in general and modeled for homogeneous turbulence in terms of the two scales and our new one-point structure tensors. The model produces the correct behavior of the scales for both two- and three-dimensional turbulence. Constants in the high Reynolds number model are evaluated only by reference to asymptotic analysis for decaying turbulence in stationary and rotating frames, and this model is then shown to provide an excellent prediction of homogeneous turbulent shear flow when used with the structure tensors for that flow. The low Reynolds number constant in the model is evaluated using the asymptotic decay rate for isotropic turbulence at zero Reynolds number, and numerical simulations of decay for intermediate Reynolds numbers are used to establish one remaining constant, the value of which does not affect high Reynolds number predictions. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.