Detached Eddy Simulation of Atmospheric Flow About a Surface Mounted Cube at High Reynolds Number

Flow about a surface mounted blunt body has been a classic test-bed for computational fluid dynamics (CFD). It demonstrates separation, vortex shedding, and stationary vortical structures, all of which are difficult to model well. There has been recent interest in pushing such CFD computations to higher Reynold’s number (Re) that more closely match atmospheric flows for studies involving wind loading on structures, dispersion of contaminant around buildings, and characterizing flow in an urban environment. To that end, this study strives to carefully model flow at atmospheric Re using high fidelity grid resolution and best and state-of-the-art techniques, then to systematically relax the grid and modeling assumptions to characterize the fidelity necessary to reproduce certain features of the high Re flow.