Progress in the Computation of Turbulent Heat Transfer in Massively Separated Flows

The paper reports on work in progress aimed at improving the prediction of heat transfer in turbulent separated flows. The cases considered here are the flow over a heated backward-facing step, and the periodic flow in a heated channel with square ribs. The predictions were obtained using two models not hitherto employed in these flows: a Reynolds-stress transport closure in which the model for the fluctuating pressure-strain correlations that satisfies the requirement of model objectivity while not requiring wall-damping functions, and a model for the turbulent heat fluxes that is explicit, algebraic and correctly allows for these fluxes to depend on the gradients of mean temperature and velocity. Both models have previously given good predictions in attached shear flows and the objective of this work was to determine whether this improvement carries over to separated flows. It was found that distinct improvements in the prediction of skin friction and Nusselt number can only be obtained by extending the models so as to allow the computations to extend through the viscous sub-layer directly to the wall.