Simulating Bluff-Body Flameholders: On the Use of Proper Orthogonal Decomposition for Wake Dynamics Validation

In this article, we describe a novel use of proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) for validation of the structure of dominant flow features in the wake of a bluff-body flame-holder. Large-eddy simulations (LES) using both FLUENT and OpenFOAM were conducted based on experiments with planar particle-image velocimetry (PIV) measurements of the same geometry and conditions. With the vision of extending the LES to reacting flows, a validation process is presented that involves a comparison of experimental and computational results, beginning with single-point mean statistics and then extended to the dynamic modes of the data sets as obtained using POD of the instantaneous flow field results. The results exhibit quantitative agreement between both shapes and mode magnitudes for the first POD modes of the measured and simulated data.