A parallel, finite-volume algorithm for large-eddy simulation of turbulent flows

A parallel, finite-volume algorithm has been developed for large-eddy simulation (LES) of compressible turbulent flows. This algorithm includes piecewise linear least-square reconstruction, trilinear finite-element interpolation, Roe flux-difference splitting (FDS), and second-order MacCormack time marching. A systematic and consistent means of evaluating the surface and volume integrals of the control volume is described. Parallel implementation is done using the message-passing programming model. To validate the numerical method for turbulence simulation, LES of fully developed turbulent flow in a square duct is performed for a Reynolds number of 320 based on the average friction velocity and the hydraulic diameter of the duct. Direct numerical simulation (DNS) results are available for this test case, and the accuracy of this algorithm for turbulence simulations can be ascertained by comparing the LES solutions with the DNS results. For the first time, a finite volume method with Roe FDS was used for LES of turbulent flow in a square duct, and the effects of grid resolution, upwind numerical dissipation, and subgrid-scale dissipation on the accuracy of the LES are examined. Comparison with DNS results shows that the standard Roe FDS adversely affects the accuracy of the turbulence simulation. For accurate turbulence simulations, only 3–5% of the standard Roe FDS dissipation is needed.