Simulation of turbulent flow in porous media using a spatially periodic array and a low Re two-equation closure

A spatially iodic array is used to simulate the turbulent flow field inside an elementary control volume representing a porous medium. The low Reynolds (Re) version of the k - epsilon model is employed. Mean flow and turbulence equations are discretized by means of the control-volume approach. Boundary treatment includes symmetry lines and spatially pei iodic conditions, A generalized coordinate system is used to generate fire computational grid. Solution of the flow equations is accomplished through the SIMPLE method Detailed computations are used to close the proposed macroscopic turbulence model. Over all pressure drop and volume-averaged turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) are presented. For the condition analyzed here the integral turbulence energy increases with reduction of the medium porosity.