A low Reynolds number Reynolds stress modeling of turbulent pipe flow: flow pattern and energy balance

Abstract

The present paper addresses a comparative analysis of two different versions of low Reynolds number Reynolds stress turbulence models. The predictive capability of the models has been tested on the basis of flow patterns and energy balance. Numerical simulations were performed at the Reynolds numbers of 7400 and 22,000 respectively. The predicted mean axial velocity, three components of the r/m/s fluctuating velocities and the turbulent kinetic energy have been compared with the experimental data of Durst et al. (1995) Schildknecht et al. (1979). The predicted turbulent energy dissipation rate was validated with the experimental data of Schildknecht et al. (1979) and the direct numerical simulations of Eggles et al. (1994). The energy balance calculations were performed for the Reynolds numbers of 7400, 22,000 and 50,000. A comparison for the models has been presented.