Towards the use of large eddy simulation in engineering

This paper reviews some important aspects of Large Eddy Simulation (LES) as applied to engineering flows. We first summarize the present status of modeling in incompressible, compressible and reacting multi-phase flows, with a view towards the overall formalism instead of the intrinsic details of different subgrid models. On the basis of the assumed requirements on future LES, expected to handle full-scale flows and reacting flows with detailed chemistry, we discuss some potentially interesting LES methods for the future. These methods are exclusively based on multi-scale modeling, in which simplified equations are solved within each LES cell, instead of semi-empirical modeling based on the resolved flow scales only. After that we outline a few flows studied by LES at the Swedish Defense Research Agency-FOI, which form the basis for the subsequent discussion of validation and verification, and quality management, being of increasing importance for practical engineering flows. Next we summarize some practical aspects of LES of engineering applications, many of which being crucial to the successful use of LES, and being of increasing importance for engineering flows. Finally, a view of the future use of LES in engineering is presented, which is based primarily on the evolutionary use of LES during the last decade in the fields of hydrodynamics and combustion. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.