Numerical Studies of Supersonic Planar Mixing and Turbulent Combustion using a Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) Model

We present a simulation of a hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes / Large Eddy Simulation (RANS/LES) based on detached eddy simulation (DES) for a Burrows and Kurkov supersonic planar mixing experiment. The preliminary simulation results are checked in order to validate the numerical computing capability of the current code. Mesh refinement studies are performed to identify the minimum grid size required to accurately capture the flow physics. A detailed investigation of the turbulence/chemistry interaction is carried out for a nine species 19-step hydrogen-air reaction mechanism. In contrast to the instantaneous value, the simulated time-averaged result inside the reactive shear layer underpredicts the maximum rise in H2O concentration and total temperature relative to the experimental data. The reason for the discrepancy is described in detail. Combustion parameters such as OH mass fraction, flame index, scalar dissipation rate, and mixture fraction are analyzed in order to study the flame structure.