A modification of production term for the shear stress transport turbulence model based on a new wall-law for adverse pressure gradient

Abstract

This paper presents an attempt to improve the predictive accuracy of the Menter shear stress transport (SST) turbulence model for adverse pressure gradient (APG) flows. The foundation of this work lies in the newly modified law of the wall and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) transport equation within the APG turbulent boundary layer. The modification of the law of the wall is achieved through a newly proposed variable λ, which is derived theoretically and calibrated using direct numerical simulation data. Based on the new law of the wall, we analyze the TKE transport equation of the SST model at APG and demonstrate that the analytical solution satisfying the law of the wall cannot achieve equilibrium in the current SST model. Further theoretical analysis reveals that this imbalance is caused by the TKE production term Pk, and the decomposition of the wall friction coefficient Cf indicates that Pk directly affects the prediction of flow separation. Based on the analysis and the new law of the wall, an additional term for Pk is suggested to correct Pk and improve the model's predictive accuracy for APG flows. Numerical validation results show that the correction leads to an increase in Pk within the APG turbulent boundary layer, resulting in more accurate predictions of Cf and the mean velocity profile in the inner layer of the turbulent boundary layer.