Comparing Different Turbulence Modelling Approaches for Square Duct Simulations Using the Kiva Code

In internal-combustion engines (ICE) the fluid dynamics is characterized by strong anisotropy. The standard two equation k–ε model is well known to be not appropriate in this case. A detailed study of the numerical modelling properties of the well known Kiva-3V code has been performed for two different approaches to anisotropic turbulence modelling. In the first approach a Smagorinsky-type LES model is evaluated. In the second approach a Time-Dependent RANS model has been adopted, using the Explicit Algebraic Stress Model of Gatski and Speziale [1]. For validation of both approaches numerical simulations of a turbulent flow in a square duct geometry are compared to DNS data. It is concluded from this work that the applied RANS approach is the best available practise to model the anisotropic properties of the fluid flow for ICE simulations as long as the computational resources to perform real LES simulations remain limited.