Large-Eddy Simulation of the Flow and Thermal Fields Past a Circular Cylinder

Abstract

Flow with heat transfer around a circular cylinder at Reynolds number 3900 and Prandtl number 0.71 was studied using large eddy simulation, LES. The main goal of this work was to look at the prediction of heat transfer in a separated turbulent flow, using techniques used in applied problems in engineering for separated turbulent flow. The computations are carried out with a central second-order finite-volume method, with the Smagorinsky-Lylli turbulence model, and a constant turbulent Prandtl number equal to 0.80 for turbulent heat modeling. The results are compared with previous numerical results and experimental data from the literature. The flow fields is in acceptable agreement with similar numerical results, although the turbulence level farther downstream in the wake is under predicted in comparison with previous results using high-order accurate numerical method presented in the literature. In order to check the heat transfer prediction global mean Nusselt number and local Nusselt number were used. Although mean values for global Nusselt number present error in the order of 20% with experimental data, which can not be considered as catastrophic, the local heat transfer prediction exhibits a poor performance in the separated region, mainly because the numerical solution does not follow the trend of the experimental local Nusselt number distribution around the cylinder.