Numerical Simulation of Self-Excited Oscillation of a Turbulent Jet Flowing into a Rectangular Cavity

The example of a plane jet flow into a rectangular cavity (“dead end”) is used in comparing the capabilities of different approaches to numerical simulation of self-oscillatory turbulent flows characterized by global quasi-periodic oscillation of all flow parameters. The calculations are performed for two flow modes, of which the first one is statistically steady according to the available experimental data, and the second one is self-oscillatory. In both cases, three approaches are used to describe the turbulence, namely, the method of large eddy simulation (LES) in combination with the subgrid model of Smagorinsky, and steady and unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations (SRANS and URANS) with two well-known differential models of turbulence. In the case of the first flow mode, all three approaches produce qualitatively similar and quantitatively close results. In the case of the second (self-oscillatory) mode, a steady-state solution of Reynolds equations may only be obtained in half the domain using the symmetry boundary conditions; within the framework of the other two approaches, the solutions turn out to be unsteady-state. In so doing, their characteristics calculated using the LES and URANS methods differ significantly from each other; in the case of URANS, they further depend on the model of turbulence employed. The best results as regards the accuracy of prediction of the amplitude-frequency characteristics of self-oscillation are produced by the use of the LES and three-dimensional URANS methods. A similar inference may be made with respect to the mean flow parameters. From this standpoint, the worst results are those obtained from calculations involving the use of the symmetry boundary conditions on the geometric symmetry plane of the flow.