Application of an Intermittency Model for Laminar, Transitional, and Turbulent Internal Flows

J P Abraham; E M Sparrow; J M Gorman; Yu Zhao; W J Minkowycz

doi:10.1115/1.4042664

Application of an Intermittency Model for Laminar, Transitional, and Turbulent Internal Flows

J Fluids Eng. 2019 Jul;141(7):0712041-712048. doi: 10.1115/1.4042664. Epub 2019 Mar 4.

Authors

J P Abraham¹, E M Sparrow², J M Gorman², Yu Zhao², W J Minkowycz³

Affiliations

¹ School of Engineering, University of St. Thomas, 2115 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105-1079 e-mail: jpabraham@stthomas.edu.
² Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, 111 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455.
³ Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2039 ERF 842 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60607.

PMID: 33437104
DOI: 10.1115/1.4042664

Abstract

A turbulent transition model has been applied to fluid flow problems that can be laminar, turbulent, transitional, or any combination. The model is based on a single additional transport equation for turbulence intermittency. While the original model was developed for external flows, a slight modification in model constants has enabled it to be used for internal flows. It has been successfully applied to such flows for Reynolds numbers that ranged from 100 to 100,000 in circular tubes, parallel plate channels, and circular tubes with an abrupt change in diameters. The model is shown to predict fully developed friction factors for the entire range of Reynolds numbers as well as velocity profiles for both laminar and turbulent regimes.