Comparison of turbulence models in shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction

This paper presents a comparative study of a fully coupled, upwind, compressible Navier-Stokes code with three two-equation models and the Baldwin-Lomax algebraic model in predicting transonic/supersonic flow. The k-epsilon turbulence model of Abe performed well in predicting the pressure distributions and the velocity profiles near the flow separation over the axisymmetric bump, even though there were some discrepancies with the experimental data in the shear-stress distributions. Additionally, it is noted that this model has y* in damping functions instead of y(+). The turbulence model of Abe and Wilcox showed better agreements in skin friction coefficient distribution with the experimental data than the other models did for a supersonic compression ramp problem. Wilcox's model seems to be more reliable than the other models in terms of numerical stability. The two-equation models revealed that the redevelopment of the boundary layer was somewhat slow downstream of the reattachment portion.