Computational and experimental study of 3D flow near the cube immersed in the turbulent free convection boundary layer on a vertical heated plate

Abstract

Abstract Results of a coordinated computational and experimental study of time-averaged velocity and temperature fields in the vicinity of an adiabatic cube that is inserted into the turbulent free convection vertical-plate boundary layer are presented. The numerical simulation was based on the steady-state RANS approach using the k-ω SST turbulence model and a version of the differential Reynolds stress model (DRSM). The hot-wire technique was used for velocity measurements, simultaneously with temperature measurements by an accompanied “cold” wire. Two turbulence models produced similar vortex flow structures near the obstacle; however some important quantitative distinctions were observed. The velocity value profiles predicted for the middle vertical plane showed generally a good accordance with the hot-wire measurements carried out in this plane, especially in the DRSM case.