Three-dimensional vortex simulation of time dependent incompressible internal viscous flows (Q1360439)

A hybrid random vortex-boundary element method is developed for the solution of time-dependent incompressible three-dimensional internal flow problems. The numerical scheme is grid-free within the flow domain and is based on the Lagrangian vortex method to capture the convection and stretch of the vortical field, the random walk method to describe the diffusion process, and the boundary element method to superimpose a potential flow on the vortical field such that the normal flux boundary condition is satisfied. The no-slip boundary condition is satisfied by generating vorticity tiles on solid boundaries, which are subsequently diffused and convected into the flow interior. Additionally, a boundary condition is devised to take into account the properties of the fully developed flow at the exit plane. The formulation and the numerical scheme are presented, followed by a parametric study of the accuracy of the method using the model problem of the flow in a duct with square cross-section at Re=100. It is shown that the method converges to the analytical solution of the problem as the resolution of the time integration and the discretization are improved, and it is discussed the impact of each resolution parameter on the accuracy. In addition, selected results from the simulation of an impulsively started flow over a cube at Re=100 are presented. The results of this test case demonstrate that the method captures the effect of sharp edges, parallel and normal to the streamwise flow direction, on the flow dynamics.