On a consistent high-order finite difference scheme with kinetic energy conservation for simulating turbulent reacting flows

The main objective of this study is to present an accurate and consistent numerical framework for turbulent reacting flows based on a high-order finite difference (HOFD) scheme. It was shown previously by Desjardins et al. (2008) [4] that a centered finite difference scheme discretely conserving the kinetic energy and an upwind-biased scheme for the scalar transport can be combined into a useful scheme for turbulent reacting flows. With a high-order spatial accuracy, however, an inconsistency among discretization schemes for different conservation laws is identified, which can disturb a scalar field spuriously under non-uniform density distribution. Various theoretical and numerical analyses are performed on the sources of the unphysical error. From this, the derivative of the mass-conserving velocity and the local Péclet number are identified as the primary factors affecting the error. As a solution, an HOFD stencil for the mass conservation is reformulated into a flux-based form that can be used consistently with an upwind-biased scheme for the scalar transport. The effectiveness of the proposed formulation is verified using two-dimensional laminar flows such as a scalar transport problem and a laminar premixed flame, where unphysical oscillations in the scalar fields are removed. The applicability of the proposed scheme is demonstrated in an LES of a turbulent stratified premixed flame.