Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 46 & 47 (1993) 363-369

Elsevier

363

Numerical Simulation of Flow around a Sphere with Vortex Blobs

Y. NAKANISHI Graduate school, Yokohama National University, 156, Tokiwadai, Hodogaya, Yokohama, Japan K. KAMEMOTO Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yokohama National University, 156, Tokiwadai, Hodogaya, Yokohama, Japan

Abstract A vortex model of a blob method (which is one of the vortex methods proposed before) is modified to take into account the viscous effect. The modified method was applied to simulation of a flow around a sphere using the Boundary Element Method. The surface of the sphere was represented by the distributed source panels. The continuous distribution of vorticity over the surface of the sphere was replaced by a number of vortex blobs. All the blobs were allowed to flow at their own convective velocities, and the boundary layer separation was expected to be naturally represented by their convective motion. As a result of this calculation, the boundary layer separation from the surface was reasonably simulated in the initial stage of a starting flow.

1. I N T R O D U C T I O N In separated flow at a high Reynolds number, a rotational flow region which contains vorticity occupies a small space compared with the irrotational flow region. In the vortex method based on the lagrangian description, the vorticity distribution is represented by vortex segments, and change of vorticity with time is the result of the movement of the vortex segments. And, viscous effect has been considered by the random walk method[l] or through estimation of a viscous diffusion term replaced with an integral operator[2]. In this study, viscous effect is considered by changing the vorticity distribution of each vortex blob. Many experimental investigations of flow around a sphere have been carried out[35] at various Reynolds numbers. However, the characteristics of flows measured in the experiments, e.g., the variations of Strouhal number with Reynolds number are different in each experiment. The characteristics of flow around a sphere are related 0167-6105/93/$06.00 1993 - Elsevier SciencePublishers B.V. All fightsreserved.

364 to the wake structure which is known to be sensitive to the change of the Rcynohls number. So, it is important to investigate the wake structure and iis formalion. Since the wake becomes turbulent at a high Reynolds number, mutual interactio1, of vorlices plays a great role in formation of the wake structure. In this respect, the vorlex method is considered to be a suitable method to analize the flow around a sphere, because the movement of vortices is directly calculated. In the past studies of authors', vortex filament method was applied to flows around the three-dimensional bodies[6,7], and the boundary layer separation was reasonably simulated. But the turbulent wake behind the sphere could not represented due to violent stretching of vortex filaments. So, interaction of vortex rings was simulated by various vortex methods proposed previously[8], and an improved blob method proposed here was found to be usefull to calculate complex mutual motion of vortices. In the present sludy, the improved vortex blob method is applied to the calculation of the flow around the sphere.

2. MATHEMATICAL MODEL
2.1 Representation of a Body by the Boundary Element Method A three-dimensional potential flow around a sphere is represented by source panels located on its surface. "File velocity us at a point p induced by all of the panels in the flow field is given by

Us

-~

Vp~--~ds

(l)

where Ns denotes the number of source panels on the surface. The i-th panel has source strength a with surface area Si, where R in Eq.(1) is the distance from the point p to the points on the surface at which the induced velocity is integrated. If p is located on the surface of j-th panel, the induced velocity is determined by evaluating the singularity of Eq.(1 ) as follows

1 N,

vp l d s

(2)

where, nj denotes outward normal vector on the j-th panel. 2.2 Vortex Blob Method If an i-th vortex blob located at ri has the representative vorticity oi, the volume dvi and the cut-off radius el, the vorticity distribution of the i-th vortex blob is written by

~(r) = ~p( Ir -~ ~1 ).~dv,

(3)

where, p(p) is a radially symmetric smoothing function proposed by Winckelmans & Leonard[2] as follows.

365 15 1 87r (p2 + 1)7/2

p(p) -

Then, velocity at arbitrary point in a flow induced by all the blobs is given by BiotSavart law as follows

UE
where,
q(p) = 4re

oixR

q(Ti)

R d

(4)

t2p(t)dt

The vortex blobs are allowed to flow at their own velocity consisting of the uniform approach velocity and the velocities induced by all the source panels and the blobs during a small time interval At. The movement of the blobs is calculated through integration of the velocity by the first-order Euler scheme. The variation of vorticity distribution of the i-th blob depends on the vorticity transport and the viscous diffusion effect. Now, it is supposed that the volume enclosed by cut-off radius as shown in Fig.1 varies during a small time interval due to the vorticity transport and the viscous diffusion effect, as shown in Fig.2. The change of

Figure l: A radially symmetric vortex blob the representative vorticity of the i-th blob due to the vorticity transport is determined by a vorticity equation whose viscous term is omitted as follows
Dwi _ Dt 1 8~r ~ w j j
3Rij(Ri

[w. 2Rij + 5ej x t ,(R2 4-e2~5/2 ~-~ij - - ~j /

i -k

wi
ik

3Rik(Rik'wi)]o.ds

(5)

366

(~oi) t + Zl t

.J~\\

(oi ) t+ N ~ - - - - ~ ",,,\

j%~ "",. 2 ~-0

171 \ \

~"

Figure 2: A vortex blob considered the change of cut-off radius Then, in order to determine el and eT of Fig.2, the blobs shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are replaced with corresponding circular cylinders, the cross section area of the cylinder corresponding to the blob shown in Fig.1 and its length parallel to the direction of the vorticity are given by ~r(ei)t and 2(ei)t respectively. And those corresponding to the 2 blob shown in Fig.2 are ~r(e'T)2 and 2el respectively as well. If the flow is assumed to be inviscid, the following equation is given from the Kelvin theorem

(OJi)t+At7r(('r) 2 ~--~(o.~i)tTr(ei)y
and, from Hetmhottz theorem

(6)

2el7i-(~) 2 z 2(ei)tTr(6i) 2
So, el is given by the following equation from above two relations,

(7)

el--

(02i)t

(Ei)t

(8)

The change of the radius A~c on the cross section of the cylinder due to the vorticity transport is given by zXec = e'~ - (~)t (9)

On the other hand, the change of the radius Ae~ on the cross section due to the viscous diffusion effect is assumed to be approximated by two dimensional viscous diffusion for convenience. So, Aev is given by

C2p

~xev - 2(e&At

(10)

where, u denotes kinematic viscosity of fluid, and the constant c is equal to 2.242 which can be obtained using an exact solution of Navier-Stokes equation for a straight and infinitely long vortex filament in a fluid. Using Ae~ and Ae~, e,. shown in Fig.2 is given by

367
= + + (11)

If the blob shown in Fig.2 is now replaced with a new radially symmetric blob at time t + At whose volume enclosed by cut-off radius is equivalent to that shown in Fig.2, a cut-off radius of the new blob is given by (q)t+/,~ 2~ + ~l 3 (12)

Since the representative vorticity ( w i ) t + a , is calculated by Eq.(5) whose viscous diffusion term is omitted, the vorticity is improved by using the cut-off radius given by Eq.(12) as follows t (W~)'t+At = [(e~)~/------~]2(ca~)t+/,t (13)

2.3 Modeling of three-dimensional separation If the position of the boundary layer separation on a sphere is known, continuous separative shear layer can be represented by introducing the vortex blobs at the separation line. Generally speaking, it is hard to determine the position of the boundary layer separation on the sphere in advance of the introduction of the blobs without help of experimental results. In the present study, the continuous distribution of vorticity on the surface is replaced with a number of free vortex blobs over the surface of the sphere. All the vortex blobs are allowed to flow at their own velocities. And the boundary layer separation from the sphere is expected to be naturally represented by their convective motion. The vortex blobs are introduced at the height h above the surface of the sphere, and the representative vorticity of the introduced blobs is determined so that the integration of the vorticity given by Eq.(3) from the surface to the height 2h will be equal to the intensity of circulation per unit length in the direction of velocity up as follows
o h a(p)dp = n p x u p

(14)

where, np and up denote a outward normal vector and the velocity at the point p on the surface of the sphere. 2.4 Procedure of calculation The main procedure of the present calculation is as follows. 1. Determination of strength of source on each panel so that the velocity normal to the surface of the sphere is zero at each control point on the surface. 2. Introduction of vortex blobs above the surface of the sphere. 3. Determination of strength of source 4. Movement of all the vortex blobs, and calculation of the change of their representative vortieity and cut-off radii.

368 The unsteady starting flow around the sphere can I)e calculated I)y iterali,ig lhis l)r~ ce d u r e.

3. RESULTS
The starting flow around a sphere is calculated at a Reynolds number H( = 1000. Re enters into the calculation as kinematic viscosity u = UD/R( in E q . ( l l ) . The sphere is represented by 200 panels on which the linear strength of source is distributed. The time interval is given as A t = O.I(D/U), where, D denotes the diameter of the sphere. Both of the initial cut-off radius and the introduction height h above the surface of the sphere are given as 0.05D. The flow around the sphere was calculated for the period of 0.0 to 9.0 of the l i o n dimensional time T = tI(DIU). Figs. 3 and 4 show the flow pattern and velocity distribution at T=2.0, respectively. It seems that the w)rtex blobs introduced above the surface of the sphere form a vortex ring just behind the sphere. Fig.5 also shows the flow p a t t e r n at T = 9.0, in this figure, the wake is no longer axisymmetry, it has ttiree-dimensional structure. However, since the elapsed time is not so long iri the present study, further development of the wake structure is not cleat.

UD/u

'1

," '. k.;.'~,, ,-:" "..,;.~ .. ;- ; ,

'

"....,"

.:2

Figure 3: Flow pattern around the sphere (T=2.0)

....

it,"

~,*~-

Figure 4: Velocity distribution around the sphere (T=2.0)

369

~ . . ~~ , ~! . ~:~.'.",~,:"..~.;'~.,. .~~ .:.'.,~ ~z,~':-:::,",:('"",-::~":.,',.v,~'.'5.""~'~-.--~ "-" ' . ~ ~ ;,*.~ ~.:,....~,..~.., "~"~::~C..~-~.-'..~;-:"~-.~'--~a"':"(;'~'*...~)~.~.@ ., _ ' '.'." ~'~'.."}~":._~i~' -"~ ~'.;"~ . ~ ~ .i ~~ ' " v":::'"' ~. :! ~"":' ", . ~ ~, ,;- ;. . "-}~ :'~:
, [ - " t - - t ' - W ~ ~ : ; ~ ....... . ....

.~ff'U.7"~.':_.."

'- ~-" -~" :'" ": . ~ : . : -..

...

, ~ . . , . , : . , . "~':. , . . . . . . .

. ,-...

....

.'.~',e~:;" :-:'. ...~.:,ed...,o~:'."::':,,"

: ~..: .

"~.~,[-t.,t,,:."..

:':;':.

~':"

"'

: "'" " : . ' 2

Figure 5: Flow pattern around the sphere (T=9.0) 4. C O N C L U S I O N S A vortex model of the blob method was modified to take into account the viscous effect. The modified method was applied to simulate flow around a sphere. As a result of the calculation, the boundary layer separation from the sphere was represented by the convective motion of vortex blobs which were introduced above the surface of the sphere. The initial stage of the starting flow was simulated. 5. R E F E R E N C E S 1 Chorin.A.J., SIAM J. Sci. Stat. Comput., 1, 1-21, (1980), 25 2 Winckelmans, G. and Leonard, A., Proceeding of the work shop on Mathmatical Aspects of Vortex Dynamics, Leesburg Virginia, April 25-27, (1988), 25 3 Achenbach, E., J. Fluid Mech., 54-3, (1972), 565 4 Achenbach, E., J. Fluid Mech., 62-2, (1974), 209 5 Sakamoto, E., Haniu, H. and Nakamura, T., Trans. JSME, 55-515, B(1989), 1889 6 Kamenaoto, K. Nakanishi, Y., Proceedings of Soviet Union - Japan Symposium on Computational Fluid Dynamics (1989), 110 7 Nakanishi, Y., Kamemoto, K., Advances in Boundary Elements Methods in Japan and USA, (1990), 269 8 Nakanishi, Y., Kamemoto, K. and Nishio, M., Trans. JSME, 58-552, B(1992), 2431