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Turbulent flow
3) Building Physics and Systems, Faculty of Building and Architecture, Technical University
Eindhoven, P.O. box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Abstract
When a fluid flows over a wall and heat is exchanged, the boundary layer (BL)
velocity profile will to a large extent determine the value of the convective heat
transfer coefficient (hc). Using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software
Fluent, the turbulent flow field and heat transfer is simulated for forced convection
over a smooth flat plate and the performance of the most commonly used turbulence
models is evaluated. The BL velocity and temperature profiles are compared with
semi-empirical near-wall data and the heat transfer coefficients calculated in Fluent
are validated by comparison with correlations from literature. In addition, a
simulation of natural convection is provided as an example of when wall function
theory fails.
1. Introduction
The surface coefficients for heat and mass transfer (hc and hm, respectively)
are parameters that are generally not easily calculated analytically and difficult to
derive from experimental measurements. The values of surface coefficients depend
on many variables flow field, boundary conditions, material properties, etc. In
addition, despite the fact that the two transfer processes are mutually dependent,
they are often solved as uncoupled phenomena. Finally, although existing
correlations relating hc and hm are only valid for specific cases, such correlations are
applied widely throughout literature.
This paper is the second part of a two part study of the option to solve for hc
using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). In Part I, the CFD code Fluent was
1
validated for convective heat transfer in the laminar regime for fully developed flow
between parallel plates. Part II is a validation and comparative study of heat transfer
coefficients calculated using different turbulence models implemented in Fluent. The
validity of using wall functions for natural convection cases is also examined.
The paper starts with a brief outline of the methodology that will be used to
validate the results of the simulations. A brief overview of wall function theory is
provided as a necessary basis for the following sections. In Section 4 the heat
transfer theory is presented for forced convection over a smooth flat plate. The
simulation results for both forced and natural convection are in Sections 5 and 6,
respectively, followed by some conclusions and remarks in Section 7.
2. Methodology
In the interest of validating the turbulent models within Fluent, it was
necessary to obtain experimental data to use as a basis for comparison. While
experiments have been performed in this area, it is often difficult to establish whether
the simulation truly matches all of the experimental parameters. However, one area
that has been focused on extensively in the past is the universal law-of-the-wall
that describes turbulent boundary layer flow. Through analytical derivations of
equations and experimental data fitting, the boundary layer velocity profile (and
temperature profile, if applicable) has been subdivided into three regions: the laminar
sublayer, the buffer region, and log-law region (Chen & Jaw 1998, Blocken 2004).
Semi-empirical relationships have been developed for the laminar sublayer and log-
law regions, and empirical equations exist for the buffer region as well (e.g. Spalding
1961). The (semi-)empirical equations will be used to validate the simulation results
from Fluent.
3 Near-wall modelling
Boundary layer velocity and temperature profiles are generally described
using dimensionless parameters. Before the BL regions can be discussed in proper
detail, some dimensionless terms must be introduced:
yu *
y+ (1)
where y+ is the dimensionless distance from the wall, y is the distance from the wall,
is the kinematic viscosity, and u* is the friction velocity defined as:
2
w
u* (2)
where w is the wall shear stress and is the fluid density. The wall shear stress is
based on the velocity gradient in the direction normal to the surface of the wall, or in
equation form:
U
w (3)
y y =0
where U is the fluid velocity along the wall, and is the dynamic viscosity. The
velocity can be described in a dimensionless form as a function of the fluid velocity
and the friction velocity:
U
u+ (4)
u*
For cases with heat transfer, the dimensionless temperature may be calculated using
the following equation:
T wT
T+ (5)
T*
where Tw is the wall temperature at a certain point, T is the fluid temperature, and T*
is defined as
qw
T* (6)
k u*
where is the thermal diffusivity, qw is the wall heat flux and k is the thermal
conductivity.
There are two common near-wall modeling techniques employed in CFD:
Low-Reynolds-number modelling and Wall function theory.
3
often it is unavoidable in CFD. For meshes with a y+ > 30, wall function theory may
be applied.
T + = Pr y + (8)
where Pr is the Prandtl number (Pr = /). The region above the laminar sublayer
(y+ > 30) is the log-law layer, which is generally described in the form of:
n + = A ln y + + B (9)
4
where n is either the dimensionless velocity or dimensionless temperature. The
constants A and B in Equation (9) are usually fitted to experimental data, and are
consistent throughout the literature. For the purpose of this report, the following
equations will be used (Fluent Inc. 2003):
u + = 2.5 ln y + + 5.45 (10)
1
T + = Prt ln( Ey + ) + P (11)
where Prt is the turbulent Prandtl number (= 0.85 for air), E is an experimentally
determined constant (= 9.793), and P is described by the following equation:
3
4 Pr
0.007
Pr
P = 9.24 1 1 + 0.28e Prt
(12)
Prt
Spalding (1961) suggests an equation that will cover the entire y+ range of values for
the dimensionless velocity u+ (including the buffer region):
1
y + = u + + Aexp Bu + 1 Bu + Bu +
2
( ) 2
1
6
( )
3
Bu +
1
24
( )
4
Bu + (13)
where A=0.1108 and B=0.4. The equations for the dimensionless velocity and
temperature in the laminar sublayer, the buffer layer and the logarithmic layer are
illustrated in Figure 1.
25 25
u+ Equation (7)
u+ Equation (10)
20 u+ Spalding Equation (13) 20
T+ Equation (8)
T+ Equation (11)
15 15
u+ T+
10 10
5 5
0 0
1 10 100 1000
y+
5
It is important to note that Fluent uses a slightly different dimensionless height
y*, but for the cases that were examined the values of y+ and y* are equivalent
(Fluent Inc. 2003).
The heat transfer coefficients for the natural convection case are not compared in
the framework of this paper.
6
The domain used to represent fluid flow over a flat plate is shown in Figure 2.
The boundary condition (BC) for the top of the domain was chosen to be a symmetry
condition in order to reduce the computation time of the simulation. If a pressure
outlet BC is chosen instead of symmetry it can lead to convergence problems when
modelling turbulence. The height of the domain was selected to be high enough to
reduce the influence of the symmetry condition on the boundary layer.
Symmetry BC
7
Figure 3. Grid used for simulations with low-Reynolds-number modelling
Note that the grids for the Low-Re modelling and wall function cases can have
the same spacing near the symmetry boundary, since the boundary layer solution
will not be not affected by the grid resolution near the top region of the domain.
The simulations were all initialized with a uniform velocity profile of 0.5 m/s.
The simulations were iterated until the scaled residuals for all parameters were
below 10-7. The outlet velocity profile and turbulence conditions were then used as
the new inlet conditions and the simulation was repeated. The thermal conditions at
the outlet were not used as new inlet conditions. Instead, the same inlet profiles were
used for each simulation. This means that the flow was always thermally developing
from the start of the domain. This procedure was continued until the inlet and outlet
velocity profiles were approximately the same, resulting in a fully developed flow
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profile. The original uniform velocity profile ensured that the bulk velocity was 0.5
m/s for all cases. A sample of the Fluent solution parameters is provided in
Appendix A. The material properties used for the fluid region in the simulations are
provided below in Table 2.
Simulations were performed with the following models with Wall Functions (WF):
1) Standard k- Model
2) Standard k- Model
Note that the Standard k- Model will automatically interpret whether Low-Re or WF
will be used based on the y+ of the first cell. The default settings for each model
were used for all cases unless otherwise specified.
9
25
Semi-Empirical Equation - Laminar Sublayer
Semi-empirical Equation - Log-law
Empirical Equation - Spalding (1961)
k-e standard
20 k-e RNG
k-e realizable
k-w standard
k-w SST
Spalart-Allmaras
15 RSM
WF - ke
u+ WF - kw
10
0
1 10 100 1000
y+
16
0
1 10 100 1000
y+
10
6
k-e standard
k-e RNG
k-e realizable
5
k-w standard
k-w SST
Spalart-Allmaras
RSM
4
k-e WF
k-w WF
hc (W/m K)
0
0 1 2 3 4 5
X Position (m)
11
from the other curves. The result is an important underprediction of heat transfer for
cases where there is thermally developing flow. This is due to the fact that the wall
function approach is not valid under these conditions.
Isothermal
y = 3m
Air, Tinitial = 288K
y = 2.25m
Hot Side Cold Side
y = 1.50m
Tw1 = 298K Tw2 = 288K
y = 0.75m
Y
Note : Not to scale.
0m
0m X Isothermal X = 3m
Two meshes were created to represent the domain in Figure 8: one for Low-Re
modelling and one for wall functions. The grid guidelines for Low-Re modelling and
wall functions described in Section 3 were followed where applicable. The grid
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parameters are outlined below in Table 3, and the two meshes are illustrated in
Figure 9.
Figure 9. Low-Re modelling mesh (left) and wall function mesh (right)
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0.8
Low-Re Velocity profile at y = 2.25 m , Hot s ide
0.7 Spalding wall function equation
0.6
0.5
Velocity (m/s)
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15
Position (m)
Figure 10. Velocity profiles for natural convection (simulation) and universal law-of-the-wall
The two simulation cases resulted in different velocity patterns within the
domain. The velocity fields for both simulation domains are shown in Figure 11.
Figure 11. Velocity contours for the Low-Re simulation (left) and the wall function simulation
(right). (Note that the scale is in m/s)
Using wall functions will impose a velocity gradient along every wall surface more or less
uniformly. In the Low-Re contour plot the boundary layer velocity profile in the upper right
hand corner is clearly not the same as the upper left hand corner. As described in Figure 8,
the velocity profile data was output for three heights at the hot and cold walls. The
profiles were non-dimensionalized with the method described in Section 3, and the results
are shown below in Figure 12. The Spalding curve is plotted on Figure 12 to compare the
simulation results with the law-of-the-wall theory.
14
30
Low-Re: y=0.75m , Hot s ide Low-Re: y=0.75m , Cold s ide
Low-Re: y=1.50m , Hot s ide Low-Re: y=1.50m , Cold s ide
Low-Re: y=2.25m , Hot s ide Low-Re: y=2.25m , Cold s ide
25 WF: y=0.75m , Hot Side WF: y=0.75m , Cold Side
WF: y=1.50m , Hot Side WF: y=1.50m , Cold Side
WF: y=2.25m , Hot Side WF: y=2.25m , Cold Side
Spalding Wall Function Equation
20
u+ 15
10
0
1 10 100 1000 10000
y+
Figure 12. Non-dimensionalized velocity profiles from the Low-Re and wall function (WF)
simulations
15
7. Conclusions
Semi-empirical relationships developed using experimental data and
analytical theory were used to validate CFD simulation results for fully developed
forced convection over a smooth flat plate. The results indicate a good agreement
between (semi-)empirical equations and simulation boundary layer velocity and
temperature profiles for all of the turbulence models studied.
The heat transfer coefficients calculated from the forced convection
simulations are consistent for all of the turbulence models studied, and also coincide
closely with selected correlations from literature. The results for simulations with wall
functions indicate that the heat transfer coefficients calculated in the thermally
developing region of the domain are not consistent with the Low-Re simulation
results or with the correlations. It is concluded that the wall functions are not valid for
thermally developing regions.
Two simulations of natural convection were performed to investigate the
validity of wall functions for natural convection simulations. The Low-Reynolds-
number (Low-Re) simulation resulted in flow field and local velocity profiles
consistent with results seen in literature. The local velocity profiles were very
different from profiles obtained by the wall function equations, and the flow field
resulting from the wall function simulation differed significantly from the Low-Re case.
The dimensionless velocity profiles from the wall function simulation were very
different from natural convection results from literature. It is concluded that the
standard wall functions are not valid for cases involving natural convection and that
instead low-Re number modelling should be used.
16
Appendix A: Sample forced convection Fluent solution parameters
Model Settings
Space 2D
Time Steady
Viscous Standard k-epsilon turbulence model
Wall Treatment Standard Wall Functions
Heat Transfer Enabled
Solidification and Melting Disabled
Radiation None
Species Transport Disabled
Coupled Dispersed Phase Disabled
Pollutants Disabled
Soot Disabled
Equation Solved
Flow yes
Turbulence yes
Energy yes
Numerics Enabled
Absolute Velocity Formulation yes
Relaxation:
Variable Relaxation Factor
Pressure 0.3
Density 1
Body Forces 1
Momentum 0.7
Turbulent kinetic energy 0.8
Turbulent dissipation rate 0.8
Turbulent viscosity 1
Energy 1
Discretization Scheme
Variable Scheme
Pressure Standard
Pressure-Velocity Coupling SIMPLE
Momentum First Order Upwind
Turbulence Kinetic Energy First Order Upwind
Turbulence Dissipation Rate First Order Upwind
Energy First Order Upwind
Solution Limits
Quantity Limit
Minimum Absolute Pressure 1
Maximum Absolute Pressure 5000000
Minimum Temperature 1
Maximum Temperature 5000
Minimum Turb. Kinetic Energy 1e-14
Minimum Turb. Dissipation Rate 1e-20
Maximum Turb. Viscosity Ratio 100000
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Appendix B: Sample natural convection Fluent solution parameters
Model Settings
Space 2D
Time Steady
Viscous Standard k-epsilon turbulence model
Wall Treatment Enhanced wall treatment
Heat Transfer Enabled
Solidification and Melting Disabled
Radiation None
Species Transport Disabled
Coupled Dispersed Phase Disabled
Pollutants Disabled
Soot Disabled
Equation Solved
Flow yes
Turbulence yes
Energy yes
Numerics Enabled
Absolute Velocity Formulation yes
Relaxation:
Variable Relaxation Factor
Pressure 0.3
Density 1
Body Forces 1
Momentum 0.7
Turbulent kinetic energy 0.8
Turbulent dissipation rate 0.8
Turbulent viscosity 1
Energy 1
Discretization Scheme
Variable Scheme
Pressure Body Force Weighted
Pressure-Velocity Coupling SIMPLE
Density First Order Upwind
Momentum First Order Upwind
Turbulence Kinetic Energy First Order Upwind
Turbulence Dissipation Rate First Order Upwind
Energy First Order Upwind
Solution Limits
Quantity Limit
Minimum Absolute Pressure 1
Maximum Absolute Pressure 5000000
Minimum Temperature 1
Maximum Temperature 5000
Minimum Turb. Kinetic Energy 1e-14
Minimum Turb. Dissipation Rate 1e-20
Maximum Turb. Viscosity Ratio 100000
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Appendix C: Nomenclature
Greek symbols
Dynamic viscosity (kg/m-s)
Density (kg/m3)
Subscripts
AV Average property
b Bulk property
c Property taken at the centerline of the domain
f Fluid property
i Property of an element i
ref Reference property
x Property taken at a location x
Free stream property
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References
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2. Blocken, B., Wind-driven rain on buildings, Ph.D. thesis, Leuven: K.U.Leuven.,
2004.
3. Chen, C.-J., Jaw, S.-Y., Fundamentals of Turbulence Modeling, Taylor &
Francis, 1998.
4. Fluent 6.1 Users Guide, 2003.
5. Lienhard IV, J.H., Lienhard V, J.H. A Heat Transfer Textbook, Phlogiston Press,
2006.
6. Saelens, D., Energy performance assessment of single story multiple-skin
facades, Ph.D. dissertation, Leuven: K.U.Leuven, 2002.
7. Schlichting, H., Boundary-Layer Theory, McGraw-Hill, 7th Edition, 1987.
8. Schetz, J.A., Boundary Layer Analysis. Prentice Hall, 1993.
9. Spalding, D.B., A single formula for the law of the wall, J. Appl. Mech., Vol 28,
1961, pp. 455-457.
10. White, F.M., A new integral method for analyzing the turbulent boundary layer
with arbitrary pressure gradient, J. Basic Engr., 91: 371-378, 1969.
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Ninth Int. IBPSA Conference, pp 1449-1456, 2005.
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