Numerical simulation with a DES approach for automotive flows

A Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) approach is used to investigate the main flow features of the Ahmed body. The flow around the Ahmed body exhibits basic features which are characteristic of real ground vehicles. This work presents unsteady flow simulations at the rear slant angle 25 degrees using the ISIS-CFD flow solver which is developed by the CFD Department of the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory of Ecole Centrale de Nantes. Several versions of the DES models which are based on the k-omega SST turbulence model are used. An Explicit Algebraic Reynolds Stress Model for the turbulence modeling is also used to compare the DES approaches with a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solution. The flow on the slanted surface and in the wake is discussed. Averaged velocities and turbulent kinetic energy profiles are compared with the experimental data. This work shows that the DES approaches, and particularly the DES-SST model, give a better solution compared with the RANS solution. However, the bubble in the rear slant is not predicted by the DES approaches. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.