NUMERICAL COMPUTATION OF MACROSCOPIC TURBULENT QUANTITIES IN A POROUS MEDIUM: AN EXTENSION TO A MACROSCOPIC TURBULENCE MODEL

摘要

A numerical study is conducted using a standard numerical model for a porous medium consisting of a staggered arrangement of square cylinders. Fully developed macroscopic turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation rate are derived and analyzed for different porosities of the medium at different Reynolds numbers. The results obtained are used to extend the applicability range of an existing macroscopic turbulence model in porous media to low-Reynolds-number turbulent flows. It is shown that the levels of normalized macroscopic turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation rate are not constant over the entire range of Reynolds number. These quantities increase from lower levels at low Reynolds numbers up to an asymptotic value being independent of Reynolds number. The constants in the closure expression of the macroscopic turbulence equations are modified using the present results. Finally, in order to highlight the importance of the present modifications, the results of the macroscopic turbulence model before and after the modifications are compared for two cases.