Study on cross effect of mesh and turbulence model on separated flow prediction using a tandem cylinder case

Abstract Low dissipative separated flow prediction is still a great challenge in aeronautics engineering. An open-source CFD code named SU2 is employed to study the cross effect of mesh as well as turbulence model on the numerical resolution of separated flow for a tandem cylinder case. Firstly, a nonlinear variation of the numerical resolution for the separated flow is found by comparing the mean surface pressure distribution, mean streamwise velocity profile, the instantaneous vorticity magnitude as well as the aerodynamic forces on the rear cylinder. The resolution of separated flow from the medium mesh is the best compared to those getting from the coarse and fine mesh. Secondly, the reason causing the nonlinear variation of flow resolution is analyzed considering the influence of spatial discretization error and turbulent viscosity locally. A finer mesh would lead to a low spatial discretization error and then a high turbulent viscosity and then causes nonlinear variation of flow resolution. Finally, the existence of a “density boundary” of the mesh is proposed which could balance the spatial precision as well as turbulent viscosity and achieve the prediction of separated flow with a good resolution employing the RANS method.