Large-Scale Simulations of Supersonic Turbulent Reacting Flows

The scalar filtered mass density function (FMDF) is further developed and employed for large-eddy simulations (LES) of high speed turbulent flows in complex geometries. LES/FMDF is implemented via an efficient, hybrid numerical method. In this method, the filtered compressible Navier-Stokes equations in curvilinear coordinate systems are solved with a generalized, high-order, multi-block, compact differencing scheme. Turbulent mixing and combustion are modeled with the FMDF. The LES/FMDF method is used for simulations of isotropic turbulent flow in a piston-cylinder assembly, the flow in a shock tube and a supersonic co-axial helium-air jet. The critical role of pressure in the FMDF equation when applied to compressible flows is studied. It is shown that LES/FMDF is reliable and is able to simulate compressible turbulent mixing and combustion in supersonic flows.