Comparison of Direct and Large Eddy Simulations of the Turbulent Flow in a Valve/Piston Assembly

The dynamics and evolution of the turbulent flow inside an experimentally investigated engine-like geometry consisting of a flat-top cylinder head with a fixed, axis-centered valve and low-speed piston were studied numerically by means of Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES), with a particular focus on Cycle-to-Cycle Variability (CCV). DNS was performed by the spectral element code nek5000 on a 58M points grid, whereas LES was carried out by the finite volume software OpenFOAM on a 4.6M hexahedral mesh. Results obtained by DNS and LES are compared with respect to the velocity means and fluctuations, as well with other derived quantities, achieving good agreement between simulations and experiments. The cyclic variability and complex unsteady flow features like the laminar-to-turbulent transition and the evolution of the tumble vortices were studied by time-resolved analysis and Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD). Simulations show that during the first half of the intake stroke the flow field is dominated by the dynamics of the incoming jet and the vortex rings it creates. With decreasing piston speed, the large central ring becomes the dominant flow feature until the top dead center. The flow field at the end of the previous cycle is found to have a strong effect on the jet breakup process and the dynamics of the vortex ring below the valve of the subsequent cycle as well as on the observed significant cyclic variations.