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1. Setting User Attributes in Virtual Reality for Fluid Dynamics Visualization

   Brandon Antron, David Paeres ( September 2023 , TACCSTER 2023 Proceedings)

   Early researchers applied visualization techniques based on smoke and dye injections in order to describe coherent structures in turbulent flows. Generally speaking, visualization techniques have substantially evolved in the last few decades, spanning all disciplines. In recent times, Virtual Reality (VR) has revolutionized the way that visualization is carried out. In this study, we are performing fully immersive visualization of high-fidelity numerical results of supersonic spatially-developing turbulent boundary layers (SDTBL) under strong concave and concave curvatures and Mach = 2.86. The selected numerical tool is Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) with high spatial/temporal resolution. The comprehensive DNS information sheds important light on the transport phenomena inside turbulent boundary layers subject to strong deceleration or Adverse Pressure Gradient (APG) caused by concave walls as well as to strong acceleration or Favorable Pressure Gradient (FPG) caused by convex walls at different wall thermal conditions (i.e., cold, adiabatic and hot walls). Another fluid dynamics example to be discussed is the high-speed crossflow-jet problem. We are extracting vortex core iso-surfaces via the Q-criterion to convert them to a file format readable by the HTC Vive VR and Varjo toolkit. Amidst the backdrop of cutting-edge progressions in both capabilities and User Interface (UI) enhancements of the VWT, researchers are now poised to delve into a realm of comprehensive understanding concerning SDTBL. Within this dynamic, fully immersive environment, the intricacies of flow development unfold before their eyes. The elevated UI refinements have bestowed users with remarkable freedom of movement across six directions and database selection, effectively amplifying their capacity for meticulous observation and incisive analysis of the animated flow phenomena 

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2. Reynolds shear stress modeling in turbulent boundary layers subject to very strong favorable pressure gradient

   https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compfluid.2020.104494  

   Saltar, German ; Araya, Guillermo ( January 2020 , Computers fluids)

   Recent numerical predictions of turbulent boundary layers subject to very strong Favorable Pressure Gradient (FPG) with high spatial/temporal resolution, i.e. Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS), have shown a meaningful weakening of the Reynolds shear stresses with a lengthy logarithmic behavior [1,2]. In the present study, assessment of the Shear Stress Transport and Spalart-Allmaras turbulence models (hence- forth SST and SA, respectively) in Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations is performed. The main objective is to evaluate the ability of popular turbulence models in capturing the characteristic features present during the quasi-laminarization phenomenon in highly accelerating turbulent boundary layers. A favorable pressure gradient is prescribed by a top converging surface (sink flow) with an approximately constant acceleration parameter of K = 4 . 0 ×10 −6 . Validation of RANS results is carried out by means of a large DNS dataset [1]. Generally speaking, the SA turbulence model has demonstrated the best compromise between accuracy and quick adaptation to the turbulent inflow conditions. Turbulence models properly captured the increasing trend of the freestream and friction velocity in highly accelerated flows; however, they fail to reproduce the decreasing behavior of the skin friction coefficient, which is typical in early stages of the quasi-laminarization process. Both models have shown deficient predictions of the decreasing and logarithmic behavior of Reynolds shear stresses as well as significantly overpredicted the production of Turbulent Kinetic Energy (TKE) in turbulent boundary layers subject to very strong FPG. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compfluid.2020.104494 

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3. Assessment of turbulent boundary layer detachment due to wall-curvature-driven pressure gradient

   Paeres, David ( December 2022 , Theses)

   Advisor: Dr. Guillermo Araya (Ed.)

   The present study provides fundamental knowledge on an issue in fluid dynamics that is not well understood: flow separation and its association with heat and contaminant transport. In the separated region, a swirling motion increases the fluid drag force on the object. Very often, this is undesirable because it can seriously reduce the performance of engineered devices such as aircraft and turbines. Furthermore, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has gained ground due to its relatively low cost, high accuracy, and versatility. The principal aim of this study is to numerically elucidate the details behind momentum and passive scalar transport phenomena during turbulent boundary layer separation resulting from a wall-curvature-driven pressure gradient. With Open- FOAM CFD software, the numerical discretization of Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes and passive scalar transport equations will be described in two-dimensional domains via the assessment of two popular turbulence models (i.e., the Spalart-Allmaras and the K-w SST model). The computational domain reproduces a wind tunnel geometry from previously performed experiments by Baskaran et al. (JFM, vol. 182 and 232 “A turbulent flow over a curved hill.” Part 1 and Part 2). Only the velocity and pressure distribution were measured there, which will be used for validation purposes in the present study. A second aim in the present work is the scientific visualization of turbulent events and coherent structures via the ParaView toolkit and Unity game engine. Thus, fully immersive visualization approaches will be used via virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies. A Virtual Wind Tunnel (VWT), developed for the VR approach, emulates the presence in a wind tunnel laboratory and has already employed fluid flow visualization from an existing numerical database with high temporal/spatial resolution, i.e., Direct Numeric Simulation (DNS). In terms of AR, a FlowVisXR app for smartphones and HoloLens has been developed for portability. It allows the user to see virtual 3D objects (i.e., turbulent coherent structures) invoked into the physical world using the device as the lens. 

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4. Assessment of Turbulence Models over a Curved Hill Flow with Passive Scalar Transport

   https://doi.org/10.3390/en15166013  

   Paeres, David ; Lagares, Christian ; Araya, Guillermo ( August 2022 , Energies)

   An incoming canonical spatially developing turbulent boundary layer (SDTBL) over a 2-D curved hill is numerically investigated via the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations plus two eddy-viscosity models: the K−ω SST (henceforth SST) and the Spalart–Allmaras (henceforth SA) turbulence models. A spatially evolving thermal boundary layer has also been included, assuming temperature as a passive scalar (Pr = 0.71) and a turbulent Prandtl number, Prt, of 0.90 for wall-normal turbulent heat flux modeling. The complex flow with a combined strong adverse/favorable streamline curvature-driven pressure gradient caused by concave/convex surface curvatures has been replicated from wind-tunnel experiments from the literature, and the measured velocity and pressure fields have been used for validation purposes (the thermal field was not experimentally measured). Furthermore, direct numerical simulation (DNS) databases from the literature were also employed for the incoming turbulent flow assessment. Concerning first-order statistics, the SA model demonstrated a better agreement with experiments where the turbulent boundary layer remained attached, for instance, in Cp, Cf, and Us predictions. Conversely, the SST model has shown a slightly better match with experiments over the flow separation zone (in terms of Cp and Cf) and in Us profiles just upstream of the bubble. The Reynolds analogy, based on the St/(Cf/2) ratio, holds in zero-pressure gradient (ZPG) zones; however, it is significantly deteriorated by the presence of streamline curvature-driven pressure gradient, particularly due to concave wall curvature or adverse-pressure gradient (APG). In terms of second-order statistics, the SST model has better captured the positively correlated characteristics of u′ and v′ or positive Reynolds shear stresses ( > 0) inside the recirculating zone. Very strong APG induced outer secondary peaks in and turbulence production as well as an evident negative slope on the constant shear layer. 

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5. Video: High-Resolution 4D Lagrangian Coherent Structures

   https://doi.org/10.1103/APS.DFD.2022.GFM.V0025  

   Lagares, Christian ; Araya, Guillermo ( November 2022 , 75th APS-DFD November 2022)

   High-speed, spatially-evolving turbulent boundary layers are of great importance across civilian and military applications. Furthermore, compressible boundary layers present additional challenges for energy and active scalar transport. Understanding transport phenomena is critical to efficient high-speed vehicle designs. Although at any instantaneous point in time a flow field may seem random, regions within the flow can exhibit coherency across space and time. These coherent structures play a key role in momentum and energy transport within the boundary layer. The two main categories for coherent structure identification are Eulerian and Lagrangian approaches. In this video, we focus on 4D (3D+Time) Lagrangian Coherent Structure (LCS), and the effect of wall curvature/temperature on these structures. We present the finite-time Lyapunov exponent (FTLE) for three wall thermal conditions (cooling, quasi-adiabatic and heating) for a concave wall curvature that builds on the experimental study by Donovan et al. (J. Fluid Mech., 259, 1-24, 1994). The flow is subject to a strong concave curvature (δ/R ~ -0.083, R is the curvature radius) followed by a very strong convex curvature (δ/R = 0.17). A GPU-accelerated particle simulation forms the basis for the 3-D FTLE where particles are advected over flow fields obtained via Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) with high spatial/temporal resolution. We also show the cross-correlation between Q2 events (ejections) and the FTLE. The video is available at: https://gfm.aps.org/meetings/dfd-2022/63122e0e199e4c2da9a946a0 

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