Comparison of PANS and LES of the flow past a generic ship

The prediction of flow past a generic ship has been performed using partially-averaged Navier Stokes (PANS) turbulence model. The Reynolds number based on the width of the ship is 8 x 10(4). A detailed comparison with resolved large-eddy simulation (LES) solution and available experimental data is made for a better understanding of the capability of PANS in predicting the turbulent flow in the wake. The results show that PANS produces similar trends to those predicted by LES. However, a coarse grid resolution will lead PANS to act as unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes (URANS). Although the geometry is symmetric for the incoming flow at a zero yaw angle, bi-stable behaviour is observed in the wake, contributing to an asymmetric flow distribution on the heli-deck.